Pressure Tank: When Oxygen Becomes Medicine
Rotary has set itself a target of raising $1,000,000
We invite you to take part in bringing joy and relief to the world. With your help, we will be able to raise the money needed to establish additional hyperbaric chambers, make the treatment accessible to each one of our family members and everyone in Israel and around the world.
Use of Hyperbaric Oxygen (Pressure Tank) for Treating Brain Injury
Developers: Prof. Shai Efrati
Company: Tel Aviv University together with Assaf Harofeh
Year: 2008
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can renew brain tissue, thereby improving patients’ neurological and cognitive state. This discovery lies at the basis of a groundbreaking study led by Prof. Shai Efrati, Director of R&D at the Hyperbaric Institute of the Sagol School of Neuroscience in the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center. In essence, oxygen serves as medicine. The patients enter the hyperbaric chamber with compressed air for 90 minutes, during which the amount of oxygen in their lungs, blood, and body tissues rise, leading to improved tissue function, including brain tissue damaged as the result of a head injury.
Research began following observation of patients undergoing hyperbaric (pressure chamber) treatment for non-healing diabetes wounds, and for whom the treatment was also seen to improve their neurological and cognitive state. Brain mapping following the treatment revealed that damaged areas of the brain “return to life” with improved function. As a result of these findings, in 2008 Assaf Harofeh Hospital began a study examining renewal of damaged brain tissue of post-stroke patients. They subsequently explored whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy can induce neuroplasticity and neuro-cognitive improvement in other cases of brain damage including concussion, brain damage and chronic pain (fibromyalgia), even years after the acute insult. The research and treatment led to an understanding that brain damage should be regarded as a wounded tissue and treated accordingly. The current study focuses on reversing the expected age-related cognitive decline and treatment of incurable Alzheimer’s Disease.
A basic research project has also begun under the supervision of Prof. Uri Ashery, Head of the Sagol School of Neuroscience in Tel Aviv University, to better understand the treatment-related processes that create new blood vessels and neurons in the brain.
The extensive research activity in these fields positions Israel as a world-leading center of excellence with regard to hyperbaric medicine and contributes to Israel’s standing as a leading global center of brain research. The activity carried out in Israel is copied in other centers in the U.S., Europe, and other countries.
Rotary Israel signs on to knock out Alzheimer's disease
The epidemic of the Western world – cognitive/functional decline expected with aging
Rotary Israel is a part of the worldwide Rotary International whose central objective in every country in which it operates, is to serve for the benefit of the community. As part of this commitment to the community, the organization set itself the goal of eliminating Polio throughout the world starting in 1985, and indeed, Rotary was up to the target - Polio is eradicated almost totally.
Today, a thorough examination of how ROTARY Israel can assist in the next challenge for humanity, it was found that dementia/Alzheimer’s disease, which is a product of the increase in life expectancy, constitutes a great and significant challenge for treatment in Israel and around the world.
Dementia, which includes Alzheimer's, is among the most severe illnesses of the central nervous system. This is a fatal and incurable disease that is advancing in great strides toward ages younger than 65.
It involves a decline in a person’s cognitive function (intellectual, cerebral) that occurs mostly with advancing age.
The more that life span extends, the more the incidence of dementia in the population increases. Rotary Israel has signed on to knock out Alzheimer’s disease!
Prof. Shai Efrati: “The cognitive decline typical of age is actually the greatest challenge with which the Western population is expected to cope in the coming years.
With proper monitoring and treatment, we believe that it is possible to create a community free of dementia/Alzheimer, a community of senior citizens functioning and active, and continuing to enjoy life and contribute to society.
With the means currently being developed in The Reverse Aging project, we regard the functional decline with age as an illness. We believe that with the help of treatment in a hyperbaric chamber and additional personally adapted treatments, we can also prevent and even improve various physiological functions, including cerebral functions.
The new tools for monitoring age and treatment protocols currently provided in the hyperbaric chamber at Assaf Harofe Hospital are innovative and regarded as breakthroughs and leaders in their field.”
HYPERBARIC CHAMBER
The basic objective of hyperbaric chamber treatment is increasing the amount of oxygen that reaches the tissues via the respiratory system. To this end, the amount of oxygen molecules needs to be increased in every inhalation unit by means of raising atmospheric pressure.
When the amount of oxygen molecules found in the air rises, more oxygen reaches the lung, is absorbed in the circulatory system, from which it reaches the various tissues and accelerates physiological healing processes in various organs in the body from the extremities, through the muscles and up to the brain itself.
In addition, by means of the treatment protocol in a hyperbaric chamber, an increase can be brought about in the number of stem cells that are important to the tissue regeneration process.
Vision Statement
Rotary Israel has raised the banner of activity for the benefit of mankind.
The organization has chosen to lead the hyperbaric chamber project and make it accessible to people in Israel and the rest of the world. This process, which will act in the service of mankind, will ultimately lead to a community of senior citizens who are functioning and active and who continue to enjoy life and contribute to society.
Rotary has set itself a target of raising $1,000,000
We invite you to take part in bringing joy and relief to the world. With your help, we will be able to raise the money needed to establish additional hyperbaric chambers, make the treatment accessible to each one of our family members and everyone in Israel and around the world.
