Hyperbaric Chamber

burg

Has anyone tried the Hyperbaric Chamber, in any of their treatments? It is not PROVEN to be effective in the cure of lung cancer, but many people say it does. You are put in a special chamber and breathe in pure oxygen. It sure cures nd helps alot of other lung ailments. Just wondering!

cabbott

Just be careful
There are lots of things out there that folks will sell you to "cure" cancer. If they really worked, we would all do them and no one would have cancer. So be really, really careful and do your research well before you run after possible cancer cures. There are lots of snake oil salesmen, some that knowingly take your money when they know it won't do any good and some that think they know more than the entire medical community. Surgery has the best proven success with early stage lung cancer. Chemo is proven effective for some folks though I wish it was better and had less side effects. Radiation has helped many too. There are a few other medical treatments that have lengthened lives or reduced pain, but outside the medical community the research is slim. No one is holding back the cure in fear that we might live and put doctors out of business. So be careful about what you pay for or do or avoid doing in search of THE CURE. My rule is that if it enhances my quality of life and doesn't make my life shorter, I will consider it as an addition to what my doctor recommends. But I won't even do that if my doctors and the medical research I read indicates an objection. I don't know that a hyperbaric chamber would ever make your cancer worse, but how will it possibly change the nucleus of lung cancer cells? That's what makes cancer what it is. Once cancer has grown large enough to be detected, all the lovely things we can do to "prevent" cancer are no longer sufficient to get rid of it. It has already developed the genetic ability to hide from your immune system and to grow and multiply and possibly even to spread. Even eating right and exercise won't reliably rid your body of lung cancer at that point, though it might stop future cancers from developing and might lengthen your life by strengthening your body to withstand the insults of surgery and chemotherapy long enough to do some good. If you try this treatment, will you opt out of proven medical treatments such as surgery and possibly chemotherapy that have a track record? How much will it cost you to try this? What are the known side effects(including the common and rare possibilities) of the new treatment? Those are the questions I would ask before I tried something like that. And if it didn't come with my doctor's stamp of approval or if it decreased my pocketbook without appreciable benefits, I'd skip it entirely.

soccerfreaks

hyperbaric chamber
One of my former soccer dads is a nurse who runs a hyperbaric chamber at a local hospital. I can assure you that he would never suggest that this is the be-all, end-all for cancer treatment. It serves its purposes, for sure.

Curing cancer, all by itself, is not one of them.

Take care,

Joe

burg

cabbott said:

Just be careful
There are lots of things out there that folks will sell you to "cure" cancer. If they really worked, we would all do them and no one would have cancer. So be really, really careful and do your research well before you run after possible cancer cures. There are lots of snake oil salesmen, some that knowingly take your money when they know it won't do any good and some that think they know more than the entire medical community. Surgery has the best proven success with early stage lung cancer. Chemo is proven effective for some folks though I wish it was better and had less side effects. Radiation has helped many too. There are a few other medical treatments that have lengthened lives or reduced pain, but outside the medical community the research is slim. No one is holding back the cure in fear that we might live and put doctors out of business. So be careful about what you pay for or do or avoid doing in search of THE CURE. My rule is that if it enhances my quality of life and doesn't make my life shorter, I will consider it as an addition to what my doctor recommends. But I won't even do that if my doctors and the medical research I read indicates an objection. I don't know that a hyperbaric chamber would ever make your cancer worse, but how will it possibly change the nucleus of lung cancer cells? That's what makes cancer what it is. Once cancer has grown large enough to be detected, all the lovely things we can do to "prevent" cancer are no longer sufficient to get rid of it. It has already developed the genetic ability to hide from your immune system and to grow and multiply and possibly even to spread. Even eating right and exercise won't reliably rid your body of lung cancer at that point, though it might stop future cancers from developing and might lengthen your life by strengthening your body to withstand the insults of surgery and chemotherapy long enough to do some good. If you try this treatment, will you opt out of proven medical treatments such as surgery and possibly chemotherapy that have a track record? How much will it cost you to try this? What are the known side effects(including the common and rare possibilities) of the new treatment? Those are the questions I would ask before I tried something like that. And if it didn't come with my doctor's stamp of approval or if it decreased my pocketbook without appreciable benefits, I'd skip it entirely.

I was just wondering if
I was just wondering if anyone has used this in helping with like the healing process of a lung surgery, biopsy, etc. It helps with asthma ect. Would it help to get your lungs in better shape before a major surgery? Alot of insurances are starting to cover it. I realize there are no cure alls out there believe me! Just wondering!

cabbott

soccerfreaks said:

hyperbaric chamber
One of my former soccer dads is a nurse who runs a hyperbaric chamber at a local hospital. I can assure you that he would never suggest that this is the be-all, end-all for cancer treatment. It serves its purposes, for sure.

Curing cancer, all by itself, is not one of them.

Take care,

Joe

More information
Okay, I finally had a minute to do some medical research into this therapy. It appears to be great for various wound healing and decompression illnesses that divers sometimes experience. However, there are folks who absolutely should NOT get this treatment. One of those contraindications is untreated pneumonthorax. That is a rather frequent problem after lung surgery. It certainly doesn't happen to all patients, but it can happen often enough that the nurses watch for it and the doctor checks frequently to make sure you're okay. It is one thing if a wound is outside your body like a burn down your leg or a stiched finger. It is another if the stitches are inside your body and you have a chest tube stuck in your side or recently removed. It took a few weeks or more after my surgery before my right side quit making sloshing sounds as my innerds readjusted to the missing lobe. The doctor said that he could remove some of the problem in the office, but he thought it would eventually resolve on its own, which it did. After reading how he would have resolved it, I was glad he passed. Nevertheless, it is possible I had a tiny leak at that time. I would not have wanted to put pressure on the area in case there was a tiny leak, which is what a pneumothorax is. Another name for a pneumothorax is collapsed lung. It is painful when it is fullblown! I have a relative who is thin and used to be a smoker (risk factors for pneumonthorax). She experienced this twice and after the second chest tube to drain the unwanted air outside the lung, she decided to quit smoking cold turkey. She said it was that bad. It was also potentially life threatening. I just sloshed and had a little trouble taking a big breath. She was in major difficulty. She is NOT allowed to go diving because of this. My sis the doctor said that I could no longer think of going deep sea diving (which I have never done but admire) because of the pressure on my altered lung. Otherwise, I risk this painful condition. She said regular swimming in a pool or shallow area was fine. Anyhow, in conclusion, I suspect a doctor would tell you to avoid this treatment after lung surgery. But I'm not a doctor. Talk to them if you have more questions, but be sure to ask about the risks mentioned above if you are considering doing this.

burg

cabbott said:

More information
Okay, I finally had a minute to do some medical research into this therapy. It appears to be great for various wound healing and decompression illnesses that divers sometimes experience. However, there are folks who absolutely should NOT get this treatment. One of those contraindications is untreated pneumonthorax. That is a rather frequent problem after lung surgery. It certainly doesn't happen to all patients, but it can happen often enough that the nurses watch for it and the doctor checks frequently to make sure you're okay. It is one thing if a wound is outside your body like a burn down your leg or a stiched finger. It is another if the stitches are inside your body and you have a chest tube stuck in your side or recently removed. It took a few weeks or more after my surgery before my right side quit making sloshing sounds as my innerds readjusted to the missing lobe. The doctor said that he could remove some of the problem in the office, but he thought it would eventually resolve on its own, which it did. After reading how he would have resolved it, I was glad he passed. Nevertheless, it is possible I had a tiny leak at that time. I would not have wanted to put pressure on the area in case there was a tiny leak, which is what a pneumothorax is. Another name for a pneumothorax is collapsed lung. It is painful when it is fullblown! I have a relative who is thin and used to be a smoker (risk factors for pneumonthorax). She experienced this twice and after the second chest tube to drain the unwanted air outside the lung, she decided to quit smoking cold turkey. She said it was that bad. It was also potentially life threatening. I just sloshed and had a little trouble taking a big breath. She was in major difficulty. She is NOT allowed to go diving because of this. My sis the doctor said that I could no longer think of going deep sea diving (which I have never done but admire) because of the pressure on my altered lung. Otherwise, I risk this painful condition. She said regular swimming in a pool or shallow area was fine. Anyhow, in conclusion, I suspect a doctor would tell you to avoid this treatment after lung surgery. But I'm not a doctor. Talk to them if you have more questions, but be sure to ask about the risks mentioned above if you are considering doing this.

No I'm not considering it at
No I'm not considering it at all. I was just wondering about it. I had just heard about it. Curious I guess. Thanks for the info though.