What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBOT is a medical treatment that enhances the body’s natural healing process by providing 100% pure oxygen to a patient in a chamber where atmospheric pressure is increased and controlled.

Every cell of the body is dependent upon oxygen for the growth, repair, and preservation of cellular functioning. Oxygen is also crucial for proper and efficient healing of most injuries.

How does hyperbaric oxygen therapy work?

Throughout hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment, patients breathe 100% pure oxygen, which produces an increase in the amount of oxygen carried by the blood. The air we normally breathe only contains 19-21% of this essential element. The concentration of oxygen normally dissolved in the bloodstream is thus raised many times above normal - up to 2000%.

Under typical circumstances, oxygen is transported throughout the body only by red blood cells. However, because HBOT forces oxygen into the body under pressure, oxygen dissolves into all of the body’s fluids, including the plasma, the Lymph, and the cerebrospinal fluids surrounding the brain and spinal cord. These fluids can carry the extra oxygen even to areas where circulation is poor or blocked, either by trickling past the blockages or by seeping into the affected area. In this way, more oxygen can reach damaged tissues and the body has a greater opportunity to support its own healing.

Because HBOT enables more oxygen to be delivered to the organs and tissues in the body, a more efficient healing of a wide range of conditions may be possible.

Extra oxygen facilitates the healing process and enhances the body’s white blood cells’ ability to fight infection. It can promote the development of new capillaries, the tiny blood vessels that connect arteries to veins. It also helps the body build new connective tissue. Consequently, HBOT may assist the body’s organs in functioning more efficiently altogether.

How many treatments are needed?

Every patient is unique and individually evaluated according to their condition and response to therapy to determine the number of treatments needed. The average patient typically requires 30-40 treatments or dives, each of which lasts approximately 45 minutes.

Is HBOT for me?

HBOT is a non-invasive, painless, and effective treatment for a variety of conditions.

There are currently 13 conditions treatable with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, which are approved by the FDA in the U.S. However, there are numerous "off-label" uses for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy that doctors may prescribe, many of which are documented with scientific evidence that is stronger than that of the FDA approved conditions.

The following is a list of the 13 conditions that are FDA approved for treatment with HBOT. 
These conditions are typically reimbursed by insurance and include: