Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)
What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the breathing of 100% oxygen while inside a chamber that is pressurized to greater than normal or atmospheric pressure.
Hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying capacity in the blood, is almost completely saturated in normal day-to-day life. Instead of binding more oxygen to the hemoglobin, HBOT increases the free oxygen in body fluids, enabling better perfusion of tissues. This extra oxygen generates a cascade of events that helps reduce inflammation, promote healing, and reduce swelling and improve the blood supply angiogenesis.
HBOT is an integrative treatment; it is used in conjunction with other forms of therapeutic, medical and/or surgical care.
What are other indications that HBOT can be used for?
- Traumatic brain injury/coma
- Autism/epilepsy
- Migraines
- Fungal infections
- Chronic fatigue
- Sports injury
- Lymphedema
- Stroke
- Heart Disease
- Age related macular degeneration
- Glaucoma
- Frostbite
- Crohn's disease/colitis
- Cerebral palsy
- Alzheimer's disease
- Lyme Disease
- Back Problems
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Immune balance
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
What are the risks and side effects of HBOT?
As with any treatment, side effects are possible. They are, however, minimal. HBOT has been proven to be extremely safe, and the actual number of side effects is very small.
The most common problem is trauma to the ears and sinuses due to the pressure changes. Changes in the pressure are usually accomplished at a slow rate in order to avoid these problems.
The temperature will increase slightly during the pressurization and then normalize during treatment and fall at a return to atmospheric pressure. It is important to breathe normally, without holding your breath.
Some may notice improvement in vision; others may have worsening of their vision over the course of treatments. Vision changes are temporary and vision will usually return to pre-treatment condition.
Confinement anxiety (claustrophobia) is manages by maintaining communication, use of relaxation techniques, etc.
Patients with cataracts may experience accelerated maturation of the cataract, but HBOT does not cause cataract formation.
Oxygen toxicity can affect the brain. Seizures occur rarely during HBOT and are self-limiting. Seizures due to oxygen toxicity will cease when the patient is removed from breathing pure oxygen.
Pulmonary toxicity may occur in patients who receive excess oxygen. This is very rarely seen with protocols currently used. Please inform us if you are using oxygen between HBOT treatments.
How often are treatments are given and how many?
Patients are usually treated one to two times per day for a total of 20-40 sessions. Treatments will last approximately 60 minutes.
Please speak with the provider or staff if you have any further questions.