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Oxygen
Oxygen is essential to every one of the tissues in the body and any tissue injury requires oxygen for healing. Recent research at the University of Dundee has shown that, in the inflammation that is typical of MS, the transport of oxygen is severely limited by tissue swelling.
Despite the blood flow increasing many times, there may be a severe lack of oxygen in the affected area so that, just when oxygen is needed most, it cannot reach the tissue in sufficient quantity.
Oxygen therapy, where the normal amount of oxygen in the air is many times exceeded, is now being widely used in medical practice, notably in the USA, mainland Europe, Japan, Russia and China - primarily to treat carbon monoxide poisoning and aid the healing of injuries and wounds of different types.
Oxygen therapy is now being widely used in medical practice, notably in the USA, mainland Europe, Japan, Russia and China.
It is being used increasingly in neurological diseases such as stroke and in head and spinal cord injury. Use in multiple sclerosis has been controversial, largely because function and expectations have been widely misunderstood although studies have shown that it is beneficial.
The process by which damage to the nervous system is caused in MS clearly cannot be prevented by oxygen therapy. However, as already discussed, the body normally heals itself using oxygen from the air - giving additional oxygen extends the body's ability to heal and can limit some of the damage which the disease causes.
Why should this be? Breathing oxygen under pressure causes the dilated and leaky blood vessels in MS to constrict back to normal size and reduces the swelling, due to fluid gathering, which can lead to cells dying.
Paradoxically, at the same time, more oxygen is delivered to the bloodstream so increasing the amount available to help undertake repair. Many pharmaceutical products will also reduce swelling, but they may also actually reduce the available amount of oxygen. It is obvious they cannot replace oxygen.
The aim of Oxygen Therapy in MS
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