HBOT 101

What HBOT Is

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is an FDA- and Medicare-approved medical treatment that involves breathing 100% oxygen in pressurized hyperbaric chambers. Hyperbaric medicine involves a safe, non-invasive treatment significantly increases oxygen supply to the body’s cells and tissue to enhance the body’s natural healing process and help fight infection. Compressed oxygen treatments were originally used to help divers decompress and evolved into treating other medical uses over the past few decades. Currently, the FDA has approved HBOT for a diverse list of medical conditions. Studies in the U.S. and in other countries are showing HBOT benefits for many more “off label” conditions as well.

Benefits of HBOT

Our customized HBOT treatment plans offer patients a variety of positive health effects and overall benefits.

  • Increased oxygenation to body tissue

  • Improved blood flow and growth of new blood vessels

  • Boosted white blood cell counts

  • Stimulated stem cell supply and circulation

  • Reduced swelling, inflammation and pain

These benefits speed up the body’s healing process, encourage faster wound healing, and improve the body’s immune system to fight off and prevent infection and further damage. Set up an appointment to find out more about how HBOT can be customized for and help improve your current medical condition.

How HBOT Helps the Body Heal

Normal Blood Flow

[1] Blood vessel

[2] Red blood cells

[3] Plasma (fluid) carries red blood cells around the body through blood vessels.

[4] Oxygen diffuses into the surrounding tissues from the red blood cell

Restricted Blood Flow

[1] Blood vessel

[2] Red blood cells block blood flow

[3] Diffused oxygen

[4] Restriction (occlusion) due to injury, disease, blood clot, etc.

[5] Tissues break down due to lack of oxygen

[6] Plasma (fluid) still flows through the damaged blood vessel

Hyperbaric Oxygenation

[1] Blood vessel

[2] Red blood cells block blood flow

[3] Diffused oxygen

[4] Restricted blood vessel reduces blood and oxygen

[5] HBOT allows direct oxygenation of the plasma, resulting in a quicker and higher level of oxygen being diffused in tissue.

Neurovascular Regeneration

[1] Blood vessel

[2] Oxygen under pressure forces more oxygen into the tissues and encourages new blood vessels to grow

[3] New blood vessel

[4] Red blood cells flow into new blood vessel

[5] Diffused oxygen

[6] Plasma can carry oxygen under pressure

[7] Extra oxygen is diffused to the tissues from the new blood vessels

How HBOT Works

The air we breathe is 21% oxygen (or 1 Atmosphere). HBOT in a medical grade, hard sided, single person chamber utilizes a pressurized environment to expose the body to at least 1.4 Atmospheres of oxygen and up to 3x higher than normal air pressure. Under these conditions, the treatment allows the red blood cells to be bypassed and direct plasma oxygenation occurs. The result is that every tissue in the body receives oxygen more quickly and directly than would be possible breathing in at normal air pressure.

The plasma carries this higher concentration of oxygen throughout the body and into the tissues to help fight bacteria and promote healing. After illness, injury or surgery, red blood cells that carry oxygen to the affected area may be blocked or diminished. The affected tissue needs access to oxygen to promote growth and healing. HBOT uses 100% oxygen and pressure to diffuse oxygen into the blood plasma to allow oxygen access to those damaged areas.

As a result, the increased oxygen rejuvenates and repairs tissue suffering from a lack of oxygen (hypoxia) by restoring adequate blood supply to those areas.

Not All Chambers are the Same

All HBOT chambers are not the same. The results and treatment experience can be very different depending on the equipment used.