Hypoxia- The role of oxygen is diverse and still poorly understood.

The body and brain are sensitive to changes in oxygen concentration.

Hypoxia is the term used when the overall oxygen level drops below 21% or the atmospheric pressure is less than 1.0 ATA (with 21 % oxygen). There are several situations which bring hypoxic conditions in the human. Lack of blood flow reduces the availability of oxygen within tissues.  Infection will reduce tissue oxygen levels. Toxins will impair the delivery of oxygen to tissue. Altitude can impair the availability of oxygen to the body’s tissues.

Hypoxia induces a number of changes in the body, mostly to counteract the loss of oxygen, such as an increase in red blood cells [75-78] and the switching of gene expression in blood cell precursors [79] that are better able to grab oxygen.

Hypoxia has been used to prepare high performance athletes in endurance training [80] and may have reparative properties in preconditioning. Indeed, preconditioning may induce protection against other injuries such as stroke and TBI [81].

Hypoxia induces a number of changes in the body, mostly to counteract the loss of oxygen, such as an increase in red cells [75-78] and the switching of gene expression in blood cell precursors [79] that are better able to grab oxygen.

Hypoxia has been used to prepare high performance athletes in endurance training [80] and may have reparative properties in preconditioning. Indeed, preconditioning may induce protection against other injuries such as stroke and TBI [81]. The role of oxygen is diverse and still poorly understood.

It is this ability to respond to those changes that makes HBOT such a powerful treatment tool.