What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)? Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing 100% pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber that can hold anywhere between 1-3 people and ours will be wheelchair accessible. During a session, you sit inside this sealed chamber while the pressure inside is gradually increased, allowing your body to take in a significantly higher concentration of oxygen than normal atmospheric conditions, which is approximately only 20%.
This extra oxygen helps fight bacteria. It also triggers the release of substances called growth factors and stem cells, which promote healing. HBOT allows oxygen to reach areas with low blood-flow caused by inflammation, injury or disease and stimulates the body’s natural healing ability.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduces swelling and inflammation, helps your body eliminate waste and toxins, promotes new blood vessel growth (angiogenesis), increases your body's ability to fight infection and illness, and delivers oxygen to deprived areas of the body and the brain.
HBOT encourages the formation of new collagen and new skin cells. It does so by encouraging new blood vessels to grow. It also stimulates cells to make certain substances, like vascular endothelial growth factor. These attract and stimulate endothelial cells needed for healing.
Benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy While research is continuing to learn more about hyperbaric oxygen therapy, these are the conditions that are supported by the largest body of clinical research and have shown the most improvement through HBOT.
1. Supports wound healing Most of the studies surrounding wound healing and HBOT are in relation to diabetic ulcers, non-healing wounds, and burns. For example, a recent study published in the journal Advances In Skin and Wound Care (2) found that out of the total number of individuals with non-healing wounds that participated in regular HBOT sessions, 61% experienced total wound healing and 22% experienced at least partial healing. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has also been found in other studies (3) to have powerful antimicrobial effects and can even increase the effectiveness of certain antibiotics that can positively influence wound healing.
2. Improves cognitive function Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has shown a lot of promise for supporting a variety of neurological conditions like traumatic brain injury, (4) stroke, (5) and multiple sclerosis (6) due to its role in lowering oxidative stress and reducing inflammation in the brain.
3. Enhances recovery Athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike have been flocking to hyperbaric oxygen therapy to improve performance for its ability to alleviate pain and enhance (7) post-exercise recovery from muscular injuries.
4. Alleviates chronic pain Multiple studies have shown the positive impact of HBOT on chronic pain related conditions including fibromyalgia. One 2023 clinical review (8) of 9 studies found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy was able to improve overall pain levels, tender areas, and associated symptoms like sleep disturbances and fatigue in those with this autoimmune condition.
5. Boosts immune function Even though the exact mechanisms behind hyperbaric oxygen therapy and immune function are still being studied, HBOT has next-level antiviral properties and is believed to help improve the function of white blood cells - the primary cells of your immune system responsible for helping your body fight off infections. In fact, new research is currently being done on HBOT for COVID-19 (9) and HIV/AIDS. (10)
Some conditions that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can benefit: HBOT treatments can benefit several conditions, including:
Embolisms (air or gas bubbles in the blood vessels)
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Gangrene
Hearing and vision loss
Skin grafts and other wound healing
Lyme disease
Cancer
Correct genetic markers (Epigenetics)
Detoxify organs and tissues
Reduce recovery times from injuries and surgical procedures
Requirements and contraindications Clients will be required to have a consultation with a practitioner before doing the HOBOT therapy to make sure they are a good candidate for HBOT. Although hyperbaric oxygen therapy is generally safe for most people, with little to no series side effects, the elevated pressure and high oxygen levels can lead to complications for some individuals, including:
Middle ear injuries (if they have inner ear issues, they may be disqualified from doing HBOT therapy)
