Fibrosis, as the end result of many chronic illnesses like COPD,  Cirrhosis, Chronic Kidney Disease and Cancer, stems from oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.

Applying a cell signal modulator to activate or enhance endogenous antioxidant defense systems is the most effective way to reduce oxidative stress and chronic inflammation

To defend against oxidative injury, organisms have evolved defenses primarily dependent upon antioxidant enzymes, supply of their substrates and repair of injury.

In response to oxidants and other electrophiles, these defenses increase and thereby boost the capacity to detoxify oxidants and/or electrophiles and repair oxidative damage.

Agents that enhance these defenses are the principal strategies underlying antioxidant therapy.

The actual effect of directly scavenging excessive ROS by exogenous antioxidant compounds is negligible. 

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Advantages of Hydrogen Therapy

While traditional antioxidant therapies have largely faltered in clinical trials, the emergence of hydrogen therapy offers renewed hope.

Unlike traditional antioxidant supplements or diets, hydrogen therapy exhibits unique properties that make it a potent antioxidant agent and cell signal modulator, effectively targeting mitochondria which produce excessive and harmful ROS.

Compared with traditional exogenous antioxidants, molecular hydrogen (H2) has many advantages some of which are listed below: 

H2 can diffuse readily through the BBB (Blood Brain Barrier), IB (Intestinal Barrier), cell membranes and mitochondria.

H2 has high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities.

H2 is totally natural. The gut microbiota of a healthy adult may produce 100 to 1,000 ml of hydrogen gas in 24 hours. There are more than 100 trillion intestinal bacteria from 1,000 different species in the large intestine. Among these, about 70% are hydrogen-producing bacteria.

H2 applications are mostly carried out by noninvasive methods.

H2 can be administered locally to raise hydrogen concentration levels in a small area deep into the skin.

With its ability to mitigate oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, hydrogen therapy presents a promising avenue for managing a broad spectrum of non-communicable chronic diseases.

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Hydrogen’s immunomodulatory function on the immune system:

When inflammation occurs, the malfunctioned immune cells break the immune homeostasis.

Hydrogen intervention could reduce inflammation by down-regulating pro-inflammatory cells and/or up-regulating anti-inflammatory cells, to recover the immune homeostasis.

REF: Hydrogen, a Novel Therapeutic Molecule, Regulates Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Apoptosis

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An increasing number of studies have revealed that hydrogen may protect the lungs from diverse diseases, including acute lung injury, COPD, asthma, lung cancer, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and pulmonary fibrosis. 

The preventive and therapeutic effects of hydrogen have been intensively investigated for various pathological processes. There are many recently published studies which cover the use of hydrogen in respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous, digestive, reproductive, urinary, motor, and sensory system diseases, as well as for the treatment of metabolic syndrome and cancer. 

Ref: Molecular Hydrogen Therapy—A Review on Clinical Studies and Outcomes