Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)?

During Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) you enter a soft-sided pressurized chamber to breathe in 100% pure oxygen. The pressure allows you to breathe in and absorb more oxygen than you would be able to at normal pressure. HBOT reverses low oxygen states by increasing oxygen circulation, which leads to new blood vessel and tissue creation over the long term.

What is being in the Hyperbaric Chamber like?

Our HBOT sessions range from 1 to 2 hours, depending on your treatment plan. You can breathe normally in the chamber and wear your regular clothes. While in the chamber, you’re able to speak to our staff or anyone in the surrounding room. During your session, you can use your phone, listen to music, or even take a nap!

Will HBOT help me?

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is commonly used to treat:

Diabetic wounds/ulcers
Non-healing wounds
Traumatic brain injury and Post-Concussive Syndrome
Tissue death/loss
Skin grafts and skin flaps
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Decompression sickness
Air or gas bubbles trapped in blood vessels (air embolism)
Radiation injuries
Reduced blood flow in arteries

At Health by Design, we also use it to help:

Myoclonus
Balance issues
Ringing in the ear
Nausea
Athletic recovery
And to increase tissue health before radiation treatments

How does HBOT work?

Within our soft-sided hyperbaric chamber, the air pressure is higher than normal (outside the chamber) and the oxygen levels are 100%. The higher pressure allows you to breathe in and absorb more oxygen than you could at regular air pressure, as your blood cell’s oxygen carrying capacity increases. This helps your body fight bacteria. Additionally, at higher pressure, the oxygen can dissolve into your plasma (the liquid part of your blood stream), following Henry’s Law. Your plasma can then transport the oxygen to damaged tissue to promote healing.

The cells in your body that regenerate bone, produce collagen, and make new blood vessels—a process called angiogenesis—all require oxygen to function. Higher oxygen levels aid the functions of those cells. HBOT reverses low oxygen states by increasing oxygen circulation, which leads to new blood vessels and tissue over the long term.

For example, if you suffered from vascular necrosis, the blood supply to your bone would have been injured or stopped entirely. When those blood vessels are damaged, the cells in the bone die. This risks the bone collapsing and falling apart. Hyperbaric therapy stimulates the cells that can repair damaged blood supplies, dead bone, and injured tissue, all while providing your body even more oxygen for healing.