It is almost five years since the COVID-19 pandemic and there still isn’t one effective treatment for Long COVID symptoms. However, according to a review of literature on the subject published on Frontiers in Medicine (February 2024), eight studies show that the use of HbOT treatment for Long COVID symptoms has “significant effects in improving the lives of patients diagnosed with long COVID.”
HbOT treatment for Long COVID symptoms is drug free and a non-invasive therapy option for patients. Inhaling almost pure oxygen whilst relaxing in a pressurised chamber improves the flow of oxygen into the body, decreasing inflammation, strengthening the immune system to prevent further infection, and promoting the natural healing process.
At Oxify, our dedicated and knowledgeable team provides the best treatment possible to our patients to help alleviate their Long COVID symptoms. If you would like to talk to us about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Long COVID symptoms or other conditions, contact us or book an Oxify taster session to try it out first.
Long COVID comprises a wide range of conditions or symptoms experienced by patients around four weeks after suffering the original COVID-19 virus, which they experience for months or even years. These symptoms can remain in the system from the initial infection, go away and come back again, or even develop later on.
Symptoms are many and varied, ranging from the purely physical such as palpitations, chest or muscle pain to anxiety, brain fog, sleep disorders, and depression. Moreover, the nature, intensity, and number of symptoms are individual to each patient.
Primarily, Long COVID is more common in patients who had severe COVID-19, although it is not restricted to those who had to be hospitalised and can even affect people who didn’t develop symptoms originally.
People with underlying health conditions, such as asthma or diabetes and those who caught COVID-19 but did not have the vaccine, are at greater risk. Older people and women are also at greater risk of Long COVID symptoms.
According to an article published last year in The Guardian newspaper, about 2 million people in England and Scotland said that they were suffering from Long COVID. Of these, 1.5 million stated that they had experienced symptoms for a minimum period of two years following the initial infection.
Symptoms of Long COVID can range from mild to severely debilitating and 75% of those suffering from the virus said that simple day-to-day activities had been affected, with almost 400,000 stating they had been severely affected.
According to this analysis, the most common symptoms of Long COVID were as follows:
(The Guardian article was based on findings from an analysis conducted by the Office for National Statistics, from November 2023 to March 2024.)
Although Long COVID has no recognised single cure, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HbOT) treatments have been explored as a means of potentially reducing or alleviating the common symptoms of the virus, improving the quality of life for patients. Although not a replacement for more conventional treatments, HbOT aids recovery through increasing the intake of oxygen by the body and boosting blood flow to reduce inflammation and aid in the natural healing process.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy saturates the lymphatic system, blood plasma, and cerebrospinal fluid with oxygen. The breathing of virtually pure oxygen in a pressurised chamber improves the metabolism of nerve cells and the supply of neurons carrying nutrients in the body.
Below, we have taken the four most common Long COVID symptoms cited in The Guardian article to show how using HbOT can help to alleviate them:
Because HbOT involves breathing in 95% oxygen within a pressurised environment, it increases oxygen levels in the body. This oxygen boost helps to alleviate tiredness and strengthen the immune system, reducing the risk of further infection.
COVID-19 can infect the respiratory tract, so shortness of breath and tightness in the chest are common Long COVID symptoms. Inflammation of the airways and lungs can cause persistent coughs, wheezing, difficulty breathing and for some patients, a sense of not being able to get enough air into the lungs.
With Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, newly oxygenated blood flows to damaged areas, reducing inflammation in the respiratory tract, and alleviating symptoms.
Difficulty in concentrating or brain fog along with other memory issues, can be both frustrating and worrying for patients, especially when these symptoms affect their ability to work effectively or undertake day-to-day tasks. Through increased oxygen delivery to the brain, HbOT treatments can improve cognitive and behavioural functions.
HbOT treatments improve circulation and stimulate natural healing, helping long COVID patients suffering from muscle pain or damage. Breathing pure oxygen in a pressurised chamber helps to promote tissue repair and regeneration, thereby relieving pain and exhaustion.
This study from July 2022 (published on nature.com), to examine the efficacy of HbOT treatment for Long COVID symptoms, found that 36 patients experienced improvement in the following areas over 40 sessions of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy:
Other benefits of HbOT is that it is non-invasive and there were no side effects reported by patients in this study.
In the findings, the study also cited other research studies that had shown HbOT to be effective in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and inducing neuroplasticity in patients with traumatic brain injuries.
It suggested that the benefits of HbOT for these conditions could explain the improvements in patients suffering from Long COVID symptoms as there is some crossover of the symptoms.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can aid recovery from Long COVID symptoms as a complementary treatment to conventional medicine. One of Oxify’s Retford Centre clients, Anna, said:
“After recovering from COVID I was feeling depressed and lacking energy. Every task seemed like a huge mountain to climb…
After my first session I felt brighter and more energised. I’ve just finished my 10th session, and I am feeling so much better, like my old self.”You can read more client reviews on Trustpilot.
Why not discover healing power of HbOT treatment for Long COVID symptoms for yourself? Simply complete the contact form and one of our friendly team will contact you to discuss your symptoms and the options for treatment. Alternatively, you can book a taster session for one of our Oxify branches in Leeds, Manchester, Retford, York or Newcastle (Gateshead), to try it out. Just choose your location and follow the on-screen instructions.
