Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Trust launches online resource

11 February 2010

The Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Trust, a not-for-profit, international organisation, has launched a website as a global resource on hyperbaric oxygen treatment for the public and medical professionals.

The resource was created by Castle Craig Hospital, one of Europe's leading rehabilitation clinics.

Researchers from Edinburgh University are already studying the effect of hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) on alcoholic liver disease and stem cell mobilisation at Castle Craig Hospital in the Scottish Borders and the new website is now gathering international research on the subject for a global audience.

Divers suffering from 'the bends' have long been treated in pressurised oxygen chambers and medical staff at Castle Craig are using similar treatments to promote healing, particularly in liver and brain damage.

The new website gives a full overview of hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) which sees patients breathing 100% oxygen at elevated pressure to help aid cancer treatment and boost healing for disorders ranging from cardiovascular disease to MRSA and brain injuries including post traumatic stress disorder.

It also provides the latest news and research from around the globe on the treatment, and aims to become the first port of call for medics and interested researchers to find out about developments in the field.

Castle Craig Hospital Chairman Peter McCann, founded the HBOTT and commissioned Channel 6 to create the website as a resource for the public and medical professionals. He said: "HBOT is a new type of therapy offered at Castle Craig — our own research is still in the early stages and, as far as I am aware, no other clinics or hospitals treating addictions in the UK are offering this treatment. The HBOTT is a not-for-profit organisation which aims to become a definitive online resource on HBOT for the public and medical professionals and we seek to promote further research into the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

“There are many medical professionals out there who don’t know about HBOT though increasingly doctors are looking at the research and growing number of case studies and realising its potential. It would take people a long time to trawl the internet for this amount of information themselves and so we decided to set up a website where people can find all the information they need in one place.”

Victoria McCann, communications manager for the HBOTT, said: “We needed a website where patients and medical professionals could easily access news articles, research and guidance on the treatment, and we are very pleased with what Channel 6 has delivered to us. We will be using the website to update information on an ongoing basis to make sure the newest research on HBOT is accessible to all.”

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment

Patients spend on average 60 minutes at a time in the chamber during the painless and relaxing treatment, which allows ten times the normal amount of oxygen to be dissolved in the bloodstream. The oxygen boost can help white blood cells kill bacteria, reduces swelling and allows new blood vessels to grow more rapidly into damaged tissue.

Patients at Castle Craig are using the treatment to ease alcohol and drug withdrawal symptoms, and University of Edinburgh researchers aim to discover if HBOT increases stem cell production and thus speeds their recovery from liver disease. The hyperbaric chamber is also being used by members of the public wishing to aid recovery from disorders ranging from brain cell damage to healing wounds and elementary symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

For more information on the Hyperbaric Treatment Trust please visit www.hyperbaricoxygentherapy.org.uk