Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy – also known as HBOT – is a treatment process that has patients breathe in 100% pure oxygen in a sealed, high-pressure chamber.

The word “hyperbaric” means “atmospheric pressure greater than sea level”. Each HBOT chamber will operate at 1 ½ to 3 times that of normal atmospheric pressure.

HBOT is often used to treat soft tissue injuries, bone damage, infections, and air in the blood vessels. It is used for both acute and chronic conditions. And, HBOT can also be used to treat a variety of other health issues – like decompression sickness, gangrene, and brain abscesses.

In fact, HBOT has been proven to be an effective treatment for more than 2 dozen ailments. And, HBOT research is being conducted all over the world, to see what other ailments the process can relieve.

No, HBOT chambers were first used by the U.S. military back in the 1940’s as a way to help deep-sea divers. The pure oxygen used in HBOT chambers can help combat the issues that divers face when they emerge from deep waters, or rise up to the surface too quickly.

By the 1950’s, HBOT had made its way into the private sector. The process was being used during both heart and lung surgeries.

By 1960, scientists discovered that HBOT was an effective way to treat carbon monoxide poisoning.

Today, scientists are busy researching further uses for HBOT – in hopes that it will become a more common treatment.

Today, hyperbaric chambers are widespread around the world and this therapy has become a modern specialty.

The quick answer is that when a person is in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, the increased pressure surrounding them forces the oxygen that is breathed in to be dissolved into the plasma portion of the bloodstream.

The major components of the bloodstream are red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma.

Under normal conditions, when a person breathes oxygen into the lungs, red blood cells in the bloodstream pick up and carry oxygen molecules, making them available to all parts of the body. Generally, about 95 percent of the red blood cells (hemoglobin) are carrying oxygen molecules at any one time.

• White blood cells (leukocytes) are part of the body’s immune system and help keep foreign bodies (allergens, bacteria, viruses, etc.) under control, or help to clean up dead cells or waste by-products produced by our cells.
• Platelets help the blood to clot, springing into action when we have a cut or injury. They help staunch the flow of blood leaking out of broken or torn blood vessels.
• Plasma is the watery fluid that constitutes over half of the volume of our blood. Dissolved in it are nutrients and vitamins, electrolytes, hormones, clotting factors, proteins, fats, sugars, metabolic wastes and other substances. The other blood cells (red, white and platelets) float in the plasma as it is circulated through the body. Unlike the red blood cells, the plasma seeps from the blood vessels into spaces between cells, carrying nutrients with it, and picks up waste by-products for later disposal. Plasma is the clear fluid that seeps out when someone has a minor skin scrape or brush burn.
• The red blood cells are the most common cell type in the bloodstream, but the plasma has the most volume

HBOT is a non-invasive, completely painless, totally safe procedure.

Under proper supervision, the risks of HBOT are very minimal. The most common side effect is ear pain, and patients are monitored closely for this. Rarely, oxygen toxicity, pulmonary barotrauma and vision change can be experienced.

Every HBOT treatment session you have is designed to be completely comfortable.

At the start of the treatment, some patients experience a sensation similar to that felt while flying and/or landing in an airplane. As pressure builds, it is common to feel pressure in the ears. At the end of the treatment, as the pressure is released, the ears "pop" automatically. Most patients rest comfortably throughout treatment. Many read, sleep or listen to music. Because the temperature increases during pressurization, HBOT chambers are equipped with air conditioning to ensure patient comfort.

Once your HBOT treatment session is over, you may feel rejuvenated. Because of the extra oxygen, you may even feel like you have a surge of energy!

Treatments for most chronic conditions, including wound healing, are usually at 2.4 Atmospheres Absolute Pressure (ATA). Most emergencies are treated with greater pressures, but usually at 3 ATA or less. Treatment for cerebral gas embolism may require compression to pressures up to 6 ATA.

HBOT treats the underlying disease process that causes and perpetuates a wide variety of chronic conditions. HBOT is used therapeutically to treat conditions in which tissues have been damaged by oxygen deprivation. When the oxygen is restored to these tissues, much of the lost function returns. HBOT also helps to reduce inflammation and promote wound healing throughout the body and in the brain. There are over several thousands of published scientific studies on HBOT.

The combination of high pressure and pure oxygen used in HBOT can help your body heal itself faster at several levels. The atmospheric pressure around you determines how much oxygen makes it into your lungs. In a high-pressure environment – like the chamber that you’re in during HBOT treatments – more oxygen can make its way into your lungs.

Once that extra oxygen is in your lungs, it heads into the bloodstream and gets delivered to cells all over your body. Your cells can actually absorb more oxygen in a high-pressure environment than they can in normal pressure situations.

Every healing process in your bones, soft tissues, and cells depends on having enough oxygen. By exposing yourself to high quantities of high oxygen – like what you get during HBOT treatments – it stimulates your body’s natural healing capabilities.

Only clean cotton clothing is allowed in the chamber. No cosmetics, perfumes, hair preparations, deodorants, wigs or jewelry are allowed in the chamber. The technician needs to know if any medications, including non prescription drugs, are being taken by the patient, and patients are advised not to take alcohol or carbonated drinks for four hours prior to treatment. In most cases, patients should give up smoking and any other tobacco products during their treatment period, as they interfere with the body's ability to transport oxygen.

Although treatment schedules will vary, most treatments will be administered during two hour sessions, several times a week. Acute conditions may require a treatment period of ten days or less, while chronic conditions may require therapy over a few weeks.

Depending on the response you are having to your HBOT treatments, your doctor may choose to increase the number of treatments you get, scale back the number of treatments you get, or change the frequency of your treatments.

Luckily, no matter how many HBOT treatments you receive, they will not interfere with your daily life. You do not need time to recover from your HBOT sessions. As soon as you are out of the chamber, you can immediately start going about your daily business – like going to work or going on errands.