FAQ’s on Hyperbaric Oxygen & HBOT Therapy

Hyperoxygenation – By increasing the oxygen dissolved in the plasma (the liquid portion of the blood), the lymphatic fluid, and the cerebrospinal fluid, HBOT increases the oxygen available to damaged tissues, stimulating healing.

Neovascularization – HBOT stimulates blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) and collagen (connective tissue) formation in areas that were previously resistant due to lack of oxygen.

Hyperoxia-enhanced antimicrobial activity – HBOT reduces or eliminates the effects of toxic substances, bacteria, viruses, and yeast by increasing the tissue oxygen levels.

Hyperoxia enhanced immune response – HBOT activates the white blood cells to fight infection, promoting resistance to infection, as well as wound healing. HBOT also helps to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.

HBOT is FDA-approved to treat air or gas embolism, carbon monoxide & cyanide poisoning, crush injury & acute traumatic ischemia, decompression sickness, delayed radiation injury, diabetic foot ulcers, enhanced healing of problem wounds, exceptional blood loss, gas gangrene, intracranial abscess, necrotizing soft tissue infections, osteomyelitis (refractory), skin grafts and flaps(compromised), and thermal burns.

Portable hyperbaric chambers are cleared by the FDA to treat acute mountain sickness only. All other conditions treated by portable hyperbaric chambers are considered off-label uses. Many of these uses are quite commonplace internationally in countries such as Russia, China, Japan, Italy, and the U.K. However, because these conditions are considered off-label in the U.S., it means that insurance companies don’t have to reimburse you for the treatment of these conditions with HBOT, saving them billions of dollars. It also means that Big Pharma’s highly profitable blockbuster drugs will continue to be the first course of treatment for these conditions, despite their exorbitant costs, toxic side effects, and detrimental long-term effects on your health.

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 the brain.

There are over 30,000 published scientific studies on HBOT.

Mild HBOT is hyperbaric oxygen therapy at low pressures, typically at 1.3 ATA – 1.5 ATA. Mild HBOT is available in portable hyperbaric chambers at 1.3 ATA – 1.5 ATA with compressed room air.

Hard HBOT is hyperbaric oxygen therapy at higher pressures, typically above 1.5 ATA. Hard HBOT is available in monoplace or multiplace chambers with 100% oxygen.

During hard HBOT results in greater oxygen saturation in the tissues, many conditions respond better to mild HBOT. In all the clinical trials to date, there has been virtually no difference in clinical outcome between mild HBOT with room air and hard HBOT with 100% oxygen. Please contact your doctor regarding which type of HBOT is best for you.

For many people, a session in a hyperbaric chamber is no different from an airplane flight. You need to be able to clear your ears to be comfortable. Once you have descended to pressure and your ears adjust, you will feel completely normal in the chamber. If you are in a portable chamber with room air, you can bring a portable computer or an iPod into the chamber, along with beverages, blankets, and pillows. If you are in a large enough chamber, you can sit, stand up, exercise, or sleep. If you are in a smaller chamber, you can lie down and read, listen to music, or watch videos.

Many doctors recommend an initial group of 40 sessions, one or two per day, for 60 to 90 minutes each, 5 to 7 days per week. After a two to four-week break, a second round of 40 sessions is usually recommended. For chronic conditions, people often do hundreds of sessions over a period of years. Please contact your doctor to discuss the best protocol for your condition.

A SPECT scan shows brain function by mapping blood flow in the brain (cerebral perfusion). The scans show areas of hypoperfusion, where brain activity is too low, and hyperperfusion, where brain activity is too high, before and after SPECT scans show the changes in brain activity resulting from HBOT. The cost of a SPECT scan is approximately $3,000. Please contact your doctor to see if before and after SPECT scans are advisable.

HBOT is incredibly safe. The most common problem experienced by people undergoing HBOT is problems equalizing the pressure in their ears.

The greatest risks come from 100% oxygen under pressure, which is extremely flammable. Monoplace hard chambers use 100% oxygen under pressure, so safety precautions must be taken when using these chambers. Portable chambers with room air are incredibly safe, as room air under pressure is not flammable.

The most comprehensive book about HBOT is “The Oxygen Revolution: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: The Groundbreaking New Treatment for Stroke, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Arthritis, Autism, Learning Disabilities and More” by Paul Harch, M.D. This book is geared toward individuals who would like to learn more about how HBOT works and what conditions it treats. The book explores the science behind HBOT, as well as the case histories of patients who have benefited from HBOT.

Our chambers are larger and significantly less expensive than comparable portable hyperbaric chambers. The 40″ and 46″ chambers are large enough for two adults to sit up inside of them, and an adult can sleep or exercise inside these chambers. An adult can walk into the 46″ and 60″ vertical chambers. We are the only company that offers vertical and fully wheelchair-accessible chambers. The interior of our chambers is incredibly bright compared to comparable chambers. You enter our chambers from the side, which is easier than the top entry of comparable chambers. Our oilless compressors are quieter and more energy efficient than comparable compressors. Our chambers pressurize and depressurize with the touch of a button, which is easier than the manual controls on comparable chambers. You can pause the compression and decompression if you need more time to clear your ears.

If you purchase an overpriced chamber, it can lose as much as 50% of its value within months of ownership. Because our chambers are so reasonably priced, they have excellent resale value.

Each chamber comes with 1-2 top windows, 2 inflation valves, 1-2 auxiliary valves, an airtight two-way zipper, 1-2 pressure gauges, medical grade hoses, a mattress, two compressors, bolsters, a travel bag, a carbon filter, a cleaning cloth, and a PVC frame. Vertical chambers come with a carpet and a wood floor in lieu of a mattress.

Are Your Chambers Approved by the FDA?

Our chambers are Class II Medical Devices that are cleared by the FDA for the treatment of acute mountain sickness. The chambers are cleared for home and office use.

Our chambers are incredibly easy to assemble. Even if you are not mechanically inclined, you can assemble your chamber in approximately 15 minutes. The chamber comes with detailed set-up and training instructions on a flash drive, and we provide unlimited tech support by phone and email during the set-up process and throughout your ownership of the chamber. If you prefer, you can hire our technician to fly to your home or clinic anywhere in the world and set up your chamber, as well as instruct you in its operation. However, people rarely require this level of service.

Our chambers consist of an inflatable bag, compressors, hoses, gauges, valves, a mattress or wood floor, a PVC frame, a travel bag, and set-up and training instructions on a flash drive. The inflatable bag is manufactured in the US or France, depending on the model. All the other components are manufactured and assembled in the US.

The chambers are tested at a maximum pressure of 1.5 times the operating pressure. They are burst tested at 1500 millibars.

We offer monthly rentals in all of our chambers. A monthly rental will introduce you to hyperbaric oxygen therapy without the financial commitment of purchasing a chamber.

We ship our chambers via FedEx and UPS International, as well as via freight forwarding companies. Please contact us for a custom shipping quote.