The big question everyone wants to know is, are we getting closer to curing Alzheimer’s Disease? According to an article in the Daily Mail, the answer is yes. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy was one of several promising therapies outlined in the article, as scientists discussed the anticipation of major breakthroughs in a cure for Alzheimer’s in the next decade.
Oxygen chambers
Giving Alzheimer’s patients oxygen therapy by placing them in pressurised rooms could provide a potential non-pharmacological cure for Alzheimer’s.
In November, Israeli researchers published the results from a study of six patients with mild cognitive impairment, considered a pre-cursor to dementia.
Their symptoms improved after having five 90-minute oxygen treatments a week for three months, scientists found.
Called hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) – the treatment involves patients inhaling oxygen through a mask in a pressurised chamber.
It sometimes used by athletes to help them recover quicker and celebrities who claim it beats stress.
The treatment significantly increases the amount of oxygen in the body, which advocates say encourages tissue to heal – including in the brain.
When the treatment has been administered to mice, it removed amyloid plaques from the brain. Experts believe the therapy works by changing the structure of vessels in the brain and increasing blood flow.
Reduced blood flow to the brain has already been linked with the onset of dementia.
Read more at DAILYMAIL