Stroke.
A term that far too many people have been affected by - Whether that has been directly or indirectly, through a family member or friend, or a trauma that you have experienced. We all know what it means for our lives and know too well the damage it can cause.
But what is it?
Put simply, stroke is the interruption of blood supply to the brain.
There are 3 types of stroke:
Thrombotic stroke - Caused by a blood clot formed in the brain at the site of hardening arteries.
Embolic stroke - Caused by a blood clot traveling from the heart or air that gets in an artery and goes to the brain and plugs a brain blood vessel.
Hemorrhagic stroke - Caused by a rupture of a blood vessel and bleeding in the brain.
Regardless of the type of stroke, all strokes deprive an area of the brain of blood, which deprives that area of oxygen and nutrients. This deprivation of oxygen and nutrients cause damages that are wide and devastating. - There can be a significant decrease in quality of life.
A brain that has been affected by stroke can be broken down into three areas:
The center of the stroke. - This area is where the absence of blood flow is the greatest.
The ischemic penumbra. - This is the area surrounding the center where brain cells are alive but are not working normally. The low or absent blood flow causes a “freeze” on some of the metabolic functions of neurons. Evidence suggests that idling neurons can exist for years.
The normal, healthy brain. - This is the area of the brain that is farthest away from the center of the stroke. Here, neurons are functioning normally and blood flow is not cut off.
Visualize your brain as the balloon and the string as the artery providing blood flow to the area. The ischemic penumbra to the normal brain works in a gradient-like fashion where blood flow and healthy cells are more present the farther away from the center of the stroke they are.
Why can HBOT help?
Since oxygen deprivation is the primary cause of injury, it makes sense that increased O2 can prevent further damage and even reverse some of the brain damage. HBOT has been proven to awaken these idling neurons and promote plasticity for complete and total recovery of the brain.
