Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy now Available in Vail and Edwards.

HBOT is a non-invasive therapeutic treatment that delivers an increased dose of oxygen to cells in your body.

Why Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

All living creatures require air, water and food - and nothing is more vital than oxygen. Your body's tissues need an adequate supply of oxygen to function. When tissues are injured, they may require more oxygen to heal. An overall increase in oxygenated blood improves oxygen delivery for vital tissue function to help promote healing, minimize injury, improve symptoms of altitude sickness, and fight infection.

How does HBOT work?  

"Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases the amount of oxygen dissolved in your blood," says Nayan Patel, a biomedical engineer in FDA's Anesthesiology Devices Branch. The treatment exposes your body to higher atmospheric pressures than normal which drives more oxygen into your system, ultimately tripling the oxygen concentration in your blood! The available oxygen then travels through your blood to be delivered at oxygen-deprived tissues.

Why Would You Use Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

The FDA and Medicare have approved the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for thirteen conditions, including diabetic ulcers, neuropathies, wound healing, anemia, and compartment syndrome.  In addition, current research shows that HBOT is a viable treatment for the growing list of “off-label” conditions including various symptoms of brain injury and concussion, sports injuries, altitude sickness, chronic fatigue, and stroke. Though these conditions are not yet formally approved by the FDA, research regarding the effectiveness of HBOT is quickly expanding. Two of these conditions are of particular interest to the group of patients that are commonly treated in our clinic.

First, HBOT is very effective for acute mountain sickness. This is a common occurrence for both locals and guests to the Vail Valley when traveling from sea level. The initial symptoms of altitude sickness can include headache, lethargy, decreased performance, lack of coordination, insomnia, appetite loss, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. A session in the hyperbaric chamber will create even higher oxygenation levels than what you would experience at low elevation, helping your body to recover quickly from acute altitude sickness.

Another exciting use for HBOT is helping to increase the healing rate of injuries. This is of particular interest to our athletes in the valley, both locals and those visiting. The working speed of the body's repair cells is limited by their ability to produce energy, and the amount of oxygen at the injury site determines how much energy can be produced. While you are being treated in the hyperbaric chamber, all four oxygen-binding sites on your hemoglobin (the portion of your red blood cells that carries oxygen) will be filled rather than the 2-3 sites which is normal for this altitude. Additionally, the higher pressure will allow oxygen to also dissolve into the plasma (the liquid component of your blood) so that it can easily be transported to the injury site. HBOT works synergistically with rehabilitation to help injuries resolve faster so that our patients can return to their active lifestyles.

In order to try HBOT at VIMG, you will need a brief physical first to make sure you are an appropriate candidate for this treatment. If you are interested in a complimentary session in our chamber, give us a call at 926-4600 today!  

Rest Recovery and Regeneration

Article Today in the Vail Daily:

Living With Vitality: Rest, Recovery and Regeneration 

What are the most important days in your workout schedule? Heavy lifting days? Long run days? High intensity interval days? No; most important are your rest and recovery days.

We sometimes forget that exercise stresses and fatigues our system, and it is during the recovery period where the real training effect occurs. This is where our body repairs and adapts to exercise.

Supercompensation model:  Training temporarily decreases fitness level. With recovery, our fitness level increases to and above baseline. It is during this period of  supercompensation when application of exercise can make additional gains. If no additional exercise is added we return to baseline.  

When we recover from exercise our tissues adapt returning not only to baseline but beyond, resulting in a positive training effect. If exercise is added during this period of “super compensation” further improvement will result. If no additional exercise is applied, our tissues will return to baseline levels. If exercise is applied too early in the recovery phase, the tissues with further break down and impaired performance may result. If this cycle is allowed to continue, tissue quality will decline.

Although true overtraining syndrome is rare in recreational athletes, under-recovery is common and can negatively affect tissue quality leading to overuse injury. Many factors affect recovery, but the rest period is the easiest to manipulate. Despite this, athletes, coaches and trainers often overlook the importance of building appropriate rest into workout programs.

In addition to managing rest periods, the following strategies also can aid in recovery:

Nutrition – Exercise creates micro-damage in muscle and depletes the glycogen stores. Research shows replenishing protein (0.2g-0.4g/kilogram of body weight) after exercise helps in muscle recovery. Replenishing carbohydrates (0.8g-1.2g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight) stimulates insulin response and maximizes glycogen synthesis, aiding in protein repair. Keep in mind, when exercise is of shorter duration, excess carbohydrates could be converted and stored as fat. Carbohydrate intake closer to the 0.8g/1kg body weight will get results while preventing excess fat gain. Post exercise nutrition is ideally taken in liquid form (a recovery shake) for faster utilization by the body. It is generally considered most effective to refuel within 30-60 minutes after exercise.

Active Recovery – This method is well supported by research and involves following bouts of hard or high volume work with low intensity, low-to-moderate duration exercise. Applied within specific exercise sessions, it can decrease lactate levels by maintaining enough blood flow to allow enough recovery to perform high intensity interval training. Used between exercise sessions, low intensity exercise, like a light run, moderate hike, or easy bicycle ride, can help speed recovery and net better results.

Contrast Water Therapy – Research remains mixed on the effect of cold water immersion and contrast water therapy (alternating hot and cold) on recovery. Cold water immersion has been shown to have acute effects on recovery from distance running, but can have a negative effect on recovery from anaerobic exercise; resulting decreased blood flow can hinder removal of waste products. However, using contrast water therapy can help create an anti-inflammatory effect, while maintaining blood flow to adequately remove metabolites.

Replace Fluids – You’ve heard that you are mostly made up of water. Beyond that, water is linked with every metabolic function in the body and is essential for distributing nutrients throughout the body. You lose fluid during exercise, which should be replaced during exercise. Drinking water after exercise is an easy way to boost recovery.

Sleep – Although seemingly obvious, a surprising number of adults live in a constant state of sleep deprivation. The restorative power of sleep is required to recover and rebuild tissues that are broken down during the day.

Sometimes great results don’t always come from maximizing your strengths, but from reducing your weaknesses. If inadequate rest and recovery is your weak link, try these recovery techniques to improve performance and get better results.

Mark Pitcher is a chiropractor, exercise physiologist and TRX instructor with Vail Integrative Medical Group at Vail Vitality Center located at Vail Mountain Lodge and Spa. He specializes in rehabilitative medicine. For information visitwww.vailvitalitycenter.com or follow Dr. Pitcher’s blog at www.markjpitcher.com

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20120402/AE/120409979/1078&ParentProfile=1062