Benefits of Oxygen Therapy

Oxygen therapy is in high demand today. A report attributed to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that about a million of U.S. population yearly receives oxygen related therapy on a long term basis through Medicare. This therapy is also available on a short-term basis depending upon what a patient's condition requires. The benefits that come with this form of therapy are numerous. This article considers some of them.

This type of therapy is an efficient way of treating interstitial lung disease; a disease caused by scarring on the lungs which can be linked to toxic intake, trauma and drugs. Even in cases where this therapy did not eliminate the disease, it greatly assists the patient in breathing. Apart from making sleeping easier for sufferers, it lessens blood pressure thereby protecting the patient from pulmonary hypertension and deadly failing of the ventricle heart muscle.

This therapy reduces the strain a patient passes through while breathing. There are quite a number of health conditions that damage the airways thereby curtailing the proper exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide while breathing which makes the pumping of oxygen to different body organs a strenuous task for the heart. For patients with COPD, this therapy enhances the ability to exercise, heart functions, mental clarity, length of life, and overall health.

This therapy is a major component in the treatment of cases of carbon monoxide and alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning is often linked to binge drinking although it could also be the result of accidentally consuming alcohol mixed with harmful household products. It has been said by experts that carbon monoxide poisoning due to faulty auto exhaust systems and poor venting is the major cause of poisoning related death in the U.S. In the case of alcohol poisoning, this therapy is combined with intravenous hydration, careful monitoring and airway protection.

This form of therapy is mostly prescribed for patients of pneumonitis or pneumonia by medical practitioners, particularly when patients are about to sleep or engage in exercise. Oxygen related therapy, in this case, is prescribed in combination with corticosteroids which reduces inflammation and antibiotics which fights infection. These medications are necessary since pneumonitis involves lung tissue inflammation, an illness cause by at least one of these: exposure to chemotherapy, chest radiation therapy, asbestos, or poultry.

Another outstanding benefit of this form of therapy is the fact that it is not compulsory you receive it in the hospital; you can as well receive it at home. Oxygen related therapy is also good for illnesses that have to do with blood not getting sufficient oxygen like hypoxemia. The content of oxygen in the atmosphere is a meagre 21% and for very populated areas, the atmospheric content of oxygen is even lower. Oxygen related therapy makes up for this shortage by providing pure oxygen which can ease the strain of breathing on your heart as well as eliminate shortness of breath. There are people who employ portable oxygen tank, one form of oxygen therapy, to improve the quality of their lives.