Stem Cell Mobilisation and HBOT: Case Study

Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

One highly controversial area of scientific research is that of the research into stem cell synthesis or stem cell harvesting. It has long been a contentious issue with a host of moral objections.

stem cells are crucial to healing though and many serious conditions can and do benefit from stem cell therapy. Specifically where nerve damage is involved. When cells are damaged they are replaced with new cells. These replacement cells originate as stem cells and go on to become progenitor cells which then differentiate into cells in whichever tissue they are destined to replace (target tissue). They are essentially “blanks” waiting to recieve genetic coding to become either a muscle cell, a nerve, a brain cell, or any such cell depending on what the target tissue is.

HBOT is a know upregualtor of stem cell release and cascade. It usually begins to happen after about 8 to 10 treatment sessions. Thom et al, in 2006 concluded that:

“HBOT mobilizes stem/progenitor cells by stimulating *NO (nitric oxide) synthesis. HBOT is a known upregualtor of stem cell release and cascade.”

With controversy raging in the medical world surrounding the best way to increase the availability of stem cells for targeted therapies designed to benefit brain and spinal chord injury, chronic disease treatments and other therapies, it is often overlooked that body make it’s own stem cells. It can be said that the body is also it’s own pharmacy capable of producing every compound, cell and substance required for natural healing. This includes stem cells.

After 8 to 10 HBOT treatments the body begins to release up to 800 times the stems cells it normally releases. This negates the need for specialised stem cell treatment. The body is quite capable of helping itself in this regard with a helping hand from hyper-oxygenation. (hyperbaric oxygenation).

This cascade accelerates healing and facilitates healing in tissue which usually doesn’t heal well on its own such as nerve tissue.

Case study:

Following an injury to nerves in his left thigh in January 2019, a 45 year old male patient suffered chronic burning pain on an ongoing basis. The pain was severe enough to prevent submerging the leg in even tepid water and led to sleeplessness and chronic discomfort and pain. Analgesics and pain relief medication made little difference.

The diagnosis was “Meralgia Paresthetica” and is a condition characterized by tingling, numbness and burning pain in the outer part of the thigh. The condition is caused by compression of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, which supplies sensation to your upper leg.

Relief of pressure to the lateral cutaneous nerve had little effect leading to the conclusion that downstream nerves of the Inguinal ligament junction were most likely locally damaged as well. Specifically the Vastus Medialis, Vastus Lateralis and Vastus Intermedius.

Following 10 HBOT treatments the complaint completely reversed and is completely resolved with no pain currently experienced in either the femoral nerve or the Vastus nerves it feeds in the outer thigh. Normal sensation has returned to the area with no significant deficit in sensation or function with no need for further treatment or indeed the need for any pharmaceutical medication or intervention.

Delay to treatment was approximately one week from injury with an interruption of eight weeks in treatment. Treatment resumed with a ten treatment regime some eight weeks later relieving the complaint completely.

Below is an abstract to the paper cited above. Thom et al – 2006 Concludes that HBOT up regulates stem cell mobilisation by stimulating nitric oxide synthesis.