Oxygen Therapy
Oxygen therapy provides supplemental oxygen to individuals whose medical conditions prevent them from maintaining adequate blood oxygen levels.
What is Oxygen Therapy?
Oxygen is a gas essential for your cells to produce energy. When medical conditions cause blood oxygen levels to drop, it can lead to shortness of breath, fatigue, confusion, and physical damage. Oxygen therapy, or supplemental oxygen, is a prescription treatment that provides extra oxygen to breathe in.
Oxygen can be delivered via a nose tube (cannula), a mask, or a tent. Devices used for delivery include:
- Tanks of liquid or gas oxygen
- Oxygen concentrators, which extract oxygen from the air
Who Needs Oxygen Therapy?
You may require oxygen therapy if you have a condition that causes low blood oxygen, such as:
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Pneumonia
- COVID-19
- Severe asthma attack
- Late-stage heart failure
- Cystic fibrosis
- Sleep apnea
Risks and Safety
While generally safe, oxygen therapy can cause side effects such as a dry or bloody nose, tiredness, and morning headaches. Because oxygen poses a significant fire risk, you should never smoke or use flammable materials while using it. If using oxygen tanks, ensure they are secured and kept upright to prevent damage.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing oxygen in a pressurized chamber, allowing the lungs to gather up to three times more oxygen than at normal air pressure. It is used to treat serious wounds, burns, injuries, infections, air or gas embolisms, decompression sickness, and carbon monoxide poisoning. The FDA has not cleared HBOT for conditions such as Alzheimer's, autism, cancer, or Lyme disease; always consult your provider before pursuing this treatment.