Hyperbaric oxygen therapy to slow down Alzheimer’s disease proposed by Israeli scientists
Alzheimer’s disease could be slowed or even reversed by using hyperbaric oxygen therapy, Israeli scientists claim, based on a small study of laboratory animals and a small group of people with symptoms of mild cognitive impairment.
The Tel Aviv University researchers, led by Dr. Ronit Shapira of the School of Neurobiology and Biochemistry, who published the paper in the journal of geriatrics “Aging“, studied six people over 60 who had already shown signs of cognitive impairment.
After 60 hyperbaric oxygen sessions over 90 days, the six people’s brain blood flow improved by an average of 20%. Also the memory tests they subsequently underwent showed an average improvement of 16.5% in their abilities.
The researchers also conducted experiments with animals, 15 genetically modified mice that showed signs similar to Alzheimer’s disease. Oxygen therapy prevented the formation of toxic beta amyloid plaques in their brains, and facilitated the removal of some of these already existing plaques.
“I don’t think this can ‘cure’ Alzheimer’s in humans, but it can probably significantly slow its progression and severity. Further studies are needed, but people may start to benefit from oxygen therapy in just a few years.”
– Professor Yuri Aseri.
So far the treatment has not been tested in patients with normal Alzheimer’s disease and large clinical trials will have to be carried out before the Israeli scientists are confirmed to be right.
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Among other things, as Dr. Deborah Toiber of Ben Gurion University in Negev pointed out, it is not certain that the reduction or even disappearance of amyloid plaques from the brain will mean the prevention of Alzheimer’s.
Moreover, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not widely available, at least to date, due to the high cost of treatment. You can invest in a Hyperbaric chamber for home use if you have anywhere from five thousand to fifteen thousand dollars to spare.
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