Oxygen therapy is a breath of fresh air for patients at Magheramorne

Volunteers and staff from Larne's Oxygen Therapy Centre during their First Aid Course with Janice Bisp who delivered the course. INLT 30-200-AM

Every week, Flo Hunter steps into a high-pressure chamber, pulls a mask over her face and breathes in a high dose of oxygen.

The East Antrim woman, who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, has found that the process - known as hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) – eases symptoms of the disease.

While HBOT is not a cure, the treatment has provided life-changing benefits for Flo and countless patients like her over the years.

Patients are treated in a specialised pressure chamber where they can breathe 100 per cent pure oxygen.

This causes large amounts of oxygen to be dissolved into patients’ blood and tissues, penetrating areas of the body that oxygen-carrying red blood cells cannot reach.

This can be effective in helping to heal wounds and avoid deterioration in illnesses such as MS.

After using HBOT, in conjunction with the centre’s electromagnetic healing therapy, Flo was able to feel her toes for the first time in six years.

She said: “I wish I had known about this hidden gem much earlier and I now attend sessions twice a week.

“I am delighted with my progress and my energy levels have greatly increased.”

But it is not just MS sufferers who are reaping the benefits of the services provided by the Magheramorne-based centre.

While only MS patients initially used the therapy after the centre was established in 1988, over the years various ailments as diverse as sports injuries, cerebral palsy, arthritis, brain injuries, autism, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s Disease and ME have been added to the list.