Writes Joseph Winer, medium hyperbaric oxygen therapy practitioner
Oxygenate

The long-term effects of substance abuse have detrimental effects both physically and psychologically. The heightened use of drugs rapidly targets the neurological function of the brain and leads to many intense side effects such as lethargy, heart palpitations and anxiety, these delipidating side effects affect the day to day functionality of a person.

While rehabilitation, therapy and other traditional means of addressing this societal ill have been explored, society is rapidly finding alternative ways to deal with the effects of drug abuse. According to a South African Depression & Anxiety  Group one in six South Africans suffer from anxiety, it’s causes vary. For those who suffer from withdrawal caused by long term drug use anxiety manifests through moments of nervousness and panic attacks that many people simply don’t know how to deal with.

Medium Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (MHBOT), a method of treatment that is prevalent in cancer treatment, head injuries, chronic fatigue and many other ailments, can help minimise and treat anxiety caused by long term drug use. MHBOT assists reformed drug abusers in dealing with the mental and physical aftermath of drug use in a number of ways.

• It helps fast track brain recovery
• During the treatment, you primarily focus on your breathing technique which essentially helps you relax and gain control over your senses
• It also balances the neural function of the brain
• The oxygen acts as a natural antibiotic
• It is an affordable treatment that produces reasons

With Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy many patients who have experienced the crippling effects of anxiety can find help. The oxygen chamber used during the treatment releases high amounts of pressurised air that acts as a source of relief. In our society where drug use is so prevalent and anxiety is on the rise, oxygen therapy is an innovative method of treatment that might be what changes the course of someone’s life, post their long-term substance abuse.