World-first Israeli study shows oxygen therapy can dramatically reduce PTSD symptoms

Oxygen therapy can dramatically reduce post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a world-first Israeli study on Israel Defense Force veterans, during which half the subjects made such good progress they were no longer deemed to have PTSD.

He said that the oxygen therapy “induces reactivation and proliferation of stem cells, as well as generation of new blood vessels and increased brain activity, ultimately restoring the functionality of the wounded tissues.”

Efrati’s research team has spent years exploring the potential of therapy in a pressurized — or hyperbaric — chamber, breathing pure oxygen for some of the time. He works at Tel Aviv University and directs the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at the Shamir Medical Center, and his team spans the institutions.

And according to Efrati, after time in the hyperbaric chamber, there is a rise in brain activity in the frontal lobes of the brain, a region that is responsible for emotional regulation and executive functions, and in the hippocampus, which is responsible for memories functions.

Efrati said the research could also help develop “objective” diagnostic tools for those suffering from PTSD.