And it's worked on patients from children with cerebral palsy and athletes with sports injuries to victims of chronic and slow-healing medical conditions. But only recently has science begun to discover why it works so well on inflammation. In 2002, Prof. Jürg Tschopp and his team at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland discovered a multiprotein group he called "inflammasomes."
The job of inflammasomes, Prof. Tschopp revealed, is to produce inflammation as part of your body's immune system response.
Of course, all inflammation isn't bad. You need it when you have a cut or a broken bone. Without this "acute" inflammation, your body wouldn't heal, because no white blood cells from your immune system could ride to the rescue and fight off the foreign bodies attacking you.
But inflammasomes also cause the low-level inflammatory responses you can't see – those that go on for years and slowly kill you with cancer and the other chronic diseases. Inflammasome triggers are all around us. In fact, they attack every day. These include:
• Environmental toxins and pollutants;
• Stress;
• Poor diet;
• Excess weight; and
• Cigarette smoke
Inflammasomes can also be activated by live bacteria, as well as xeno-compounds and hormone-disrupting chemicals,1 like Bisphenol A (BPA).
But recent research reveals the power of HBOT in the battle against inflammasomes. A study published earlier this year tested the impact of HBOT on lab mice with spinal cord injuries.
Inflammation was running rampant in the mice. But after a series of HBOT sessions, it became clear that the pressurized oxygen had "inactivated" inflammasome.
The explanation is simple. Breathing pressurized oxygen raises the concentration of oxygen in the blood, thereby increasing the number of oxygen molecules getting through without having to increase the flow of blood to the area.
The oxygen jolt wakes the cells and get them working again, allowing their repair mechanisms to go into action. That repair mechanism begins by inactivating inflammasomes.
Oxygen also encourages the regeneration of tissues, blood vessels and nerves.
Give Yourself a Head Start
You can give yourself a jumpstart on beating the chronic inflammation that's attacking your body. Numerous studies show that vitamin K2 suppresses inflammation. It works by reducing levels of interleukin-6, a pro-inflammatory messenger.
Our primal ancestors got plenty of vitamin K2 from eating organ meats like liver. Other rich sources are:
• Meat;
• Full-fat milk;
• Butter;
• Cheese.
But all of these foods should come from grass-fed animals when possible. If you don't have access to grass-fed products, you can take a supplement. Look for the bioactive form of K2 called menaquinone-7. Take 45 to 90 mcg a day.
And it's fat-soluble, so take it with a meal to improve absorption..