Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a treatment in which a patient breathes air or varying amounts of oxygen while inside a pressurized chamber, the pressure being anything above 1 atmosphere.
The healing power of oxygen is not something new. The use of hyperbaric therapy dates back nearly 350 years. The very first hyperbaric chamber was created in 1662 with the clinical use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy starting in the mid 1800s. During the 1960s, studies began to show a wide variety of beneficial uses for HBOT therapy. Today, there are over 150 conditions for which hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been shown to be effective and beneficial.
Short answer? Yes.
Long answer: Hyperbarics is a safe alternative to many medical treatment options offered to patients today. Some hyperbaric patients may report some mild ear pressure discomfort. This discomfort is similar to the pressure felt when ascending or descending in an airplane. Discuss these concerns with your physician and hyperbaric therapy professional.
Our clinics provide a safe, comfortable and welcoming environment for your hyperbaric therapy needs. We havesoft sided chambers in our offices and offer mild pressure.
Insurance will not cover HBOT sessions used for off label use including performance, recovery and wellness.
Yes, hyperbarics yields wonderful results with children. In fact, research with children suffering from brain-injuries, learning and developmental delays, autism and genetic disorders shows positive results and great promise. Call us to learn more about HBOT therapy for your children.
Most definitely. Hyperbarics is great for those in their later years. Hyperbarics provides an immeasurable boost which counteracts the signs of aging. In fact, new research indictes that hyperbaric oxygenation slows Apoptosis (cell death), and helps the combat effects of diabetic neuropathy, dementia, Alzheimer’s and overall energy and healing.
No. Keep in mind that the ’40 hour protocol’ is the gold standard for many of the physiological benefits that have been observed with HBOT. However, the actual physiological benefits (for HBOT) can be seen in just a few sessions!
Most physiological benefits will begin within the first few sessions of HBOT. It has been well documented that the anti-oxidant and protective role of HBOT is immediate and demonstrated within 24 hours of just one hyperbaric session. Further to this, the anti-inflammatory response is quite also very quick and a strong physiological response has been shown within 4 days of hyperbaric therapy. Many studies have reported HBOT to produce a strong pain relieving effect after just 5 to 10 sessions. HBOT’s effects on promoting new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) can take place in just 10 to 20
sessions. From our data, here is a general summary:
1-5 sessions: Improve cellular energy and during this time tissue functioning may be optimized. Those with residual carbon monoxide (ie smokers) or with mild anemia can show immediate benefits with cellular energy. Inflammatory markers can go down considerably and mark the beginning of a natural repair process.
5-10 sessions: Typically used for acute injuries with soft tissue damage, particularly if there is pain involved.
10-20 sessions: More serious acute injuries or chronic injuries
20-40 sessions: Commonly used for major tissue damages and when new tissue is required (through HBOT’s regenerative stem cell properties)
No. Most research studies typically use 60 – 90 minute sessions and the majority have reported positive benefits. However, shorter duration sessions (i.e. 20 to 30 min) are getting great feedback from clients undergoing HBOT. Moreover, the lower pressures seem to fare better with this shorter duration protocol. Ultimately it depends on the age of the patient and severity of the condition.
It is not generally advised to undergo hyperbaric therapy if you are pregnant. Some people feel that there is benefit, quoting research done in Russia. However, until further safety studies are performed, it is not advisable to be inside a hyperbaric chamber during pregnancy.
Simple Answer: No.
Detailed Answer: Actually it is the pressure that plays the most critical role in the effective dosage of HBOT. This is because the extra oxygen is dissolved in the blood plasma, which, alongside the added pressure, can travel to deeper areas in the body where blood flow and oxygen levels have been limited. An oxygen bar only delivers higher oxygen concentrations and does not pressurize the oxygen. Therefore, it cannot deliver the same effects as you can experience through hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Just like any medication or procedure, yes and this is known as “oxygen toxicity”, (which can effect the central nervous system and/or the lungs). The main 2 variables leading to oxygen toxicity are ‘pressure’ and ‘time’. If the pressure is kept below 2.0 ATA and the time is kept to 60 min, then the risk of oxygen toxicity is extremely low. A skilled hyperbaric therapist should be able to limit this risk if dosages are used above 2.0 ATA and for longer than 60 minutes.
Every person is different and some will see immediate benefits and others may not notice them at all until completion of their series of hyperbaric sessions. In terms of the ’40 hour protocol’, it is not uncommon for the majority of the benefits to be reported up to 4 weeks following its completion!
