Fibromyalgia is a disease that is still shrouded in a lot of mystery in the medical community. For sufferers, the constant aches and pains are extremely difficult to deal with. Muscle pain, light sensitivity, and difficulty focusing are all symptoms that fibromyalgia patients express to their doctors.
Until recently, there have not been many studies that have gone in depth to understand fibromyalgia. This has frustrated many people who have long days (and even longer nights) due to the pain. Sure, there are a few ways doctors have tried to treat the pain, but sometimes those don’t work. Pain medications and drugs like Lyrica only work for a few lucky people who find some relief.
Finally, one group of scientists and doctors is trying to find a new way to help… and even heal fibromyalgia pain. Their way? With high pressure oxygen therapy.
But what is high pressure oxygen therapy and how does it treat fibromyalgia? These questions are easy to answer.
The researchers at Tel Aviv University use hyperbaric chambers to expose patients to extremely high levels of pure oxygen. Hyperbaric chambers are typically used to treat patients with burns, carbon monoxide poisoning, and embolisms, but the researchers found that when a fibromyalgia sufferer is exposed to pure oxygen over an extended amount of time, their body begins to heal itself.
You heard me right- heal itself.
The study noted that 70% of patients were successful by decreasing the amount of pain medication they needed to take. And some patients, mostly those who had a traumatic brain injury that triggered their fibromyalgia, saw their symptoms completely reverse. That means they went off pain medications completely.
These test results are so important to the fibromyalgia community because they prove that there are other options to treat symptoms. Sufferers know that living with the pain is a constant struggle that is often too much to handle. And it’s that much worse when common treatments like Lyrica don’t seem to work.
Have you ever been in a hyperbolic chamber? Would you like to try this treatment for your fibromyalgia pain? Let us know what you think in the comments!
