Oxygen therapy helps patients post-COVID-19

JACKSON, Tenn. — A local doctor is using a special machine to help people that have had COVID-19.

“Hyperbaric oxygen therapy manipulates two variables, oxygen and pressure,” said Dr. Roy Schmidt, with New Life Medical Group. “I guess the third one is time, and depending on the disease that we’re trying to treat, those three can be changed according to the disease.”

With the oxygen therapy, Schmidt is able to help patients that were affected by COVID-19.

“Here at New Life Medical Group, we are using hyperbaric oxygen therapy in conjunction with other things, including supplements, as well as what we call modulated immune system so that the body can start to heal itself and be functional like it was pre-COVID,” Schmidt said.

Patients that are in the chamber use a special head piece to help them breathe pure oxygen.

“Once the patient is inside the chamber, we start to bring that pressure up, depending again on the disease. Once they reach a pressure of about 1.5 atmospheres, then they start to breathe 100% oxygen. After the prescribed duration, the pressure gets decreased and the patient basically walks out,” Schmidt said.

The therapy is not a cure for COVID-19, but Schmidt has been able to see improvement in patients that use the chamber post-COVID-19.

“Treating them with high combination of what we call IV infusions and particular zinc in it, as well as some other vitamins that we give intravenously. Combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, within a week or so they could be back to normal,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt says Jackson-Madison County General Hospital uses the machine, but they mostly use it for wound care.

He says the City of Jackson is lucky there is one available just for outpatient services.

You can find more information on the COVID-19 pandemic here.