If you’ve ever been on a mountain when you’re used to flat ground, you know there’s a significant difference. Not only is the air fresher, but it’s harder to breathe. You may think you’re simply out of shape, but the truth is that you’re getting less oxygen than you’re used to.
Science shows us that the higher we are, the thinner the atmosphere becomes. So, when you’re breathing in an area that is higher than sea level, like Colorado, you get less oxygen. If you’re not used to this oxygen shift, you can end up with altitude sickness.
Because it’s so common, you’ll find places like hyperbaric oxygen therapy in Denver, where pure medical oxygen is provided, or ozone therapy for wound healing. However, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be beneficial for many other problems, and ozone therapy has some drawbacks you should know about before you receive treatment.
What are these two therapies, and which should you use if you’re sick — internally or externally — in high places? Here, we’ll explain the critical differences between hyperbaric oxygen and ozone therapy.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy vs. Ozone Therapy: Key Differences Explained
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HOT)
Oxygen is essential for respiration. Yet, high altitudes provide less of this crucial gas to our lungs. While many people can easily adjust to this shift in respiration, particularly those born and growing up in those altitudes, others’ bodies react adversely. In those situations, it’s crucial to get the person oxygen quickly, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HOT) is one solution.
In HOT therapy procedures, the patient receives high levels of pure medical oxygen through a breathing mask. This safe, effective procedure is used around the globe to flood oxygen to areas where circulation is lacking, helping to heal wounds from the inside out.
Oxygen’s presence in each cell is vital to the recovery process. The greater and purer the oxygen in the body, the more optimally our cells rejuvenate and recover from damage. When a wound is not healing, there’s a good chance the area isn’t receiving enough oxygen. By stimulating the self-healing mechanisms in the body using HOT applications, the tissue around the wounded area begins to work as it is intended.
This frequently used practice is safe, effective, and stable. It works well for non-healing wounds, including diabetic wounds, ulcers, burns, skin grafts, and gangrene. HOT technology can step in and accelerate the healing process in areas where circulation isn’t strong enough.
Ozone Therapy
Ozone therapy is a different type of oxygen treatment. Instead of treating altitude sickness and breathing struggles, this form of healing addresses wounds.
Ozone therapy uses medical-grade oxygen to boost the immune response and decrease any damaged cells or other negative processes in the body. It doesn’t deliver oxygen to the patient via respiratory methods. Instead, ozone gas is applied to a wound as a type of disinfectant.
Research has shown that ozone can be effective as a complementary, integrative method for stopping the growth of microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, and some viruses. However, there aren’t many studies on this therapy, and it isn’t FDA-approved for wound or disease treatment. We do know that oxygen plays a substantial role in how well a wound heals, but ozone gas is notoriously unstable, and more research is necessary before this practice becomes widespread.
Healing With HOT
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is another way for the body to get the oxygen it needs to heal at a cellular level. This makes it a safer, more natural way to recover from breathing struggles as well as external wounds. When circulation is a concern, consider hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a healthy way to increase your body’s oxygen levels.
