How HBOT Can Benefit Your Overall Health

The FDA has approved hyperbaric oxygen therapy for a number of specific treatments, but the benefits of 100% pure oxygen don’t stop there.

In fact, HBOT has the potential to benefit our overall health in several different ways.

But to understand how it does that, it’s important to understand what, exactly, HBOT does to your body.

Let’s break it down into three basic categories. (As defined on the John Hopkins Medicine website.)

Saturate the Plasma with Oxygen

When the blood stream is fully saturated with pure oxygen, it can help heal wounds. This is important because a wound can potentially damage the body’s blood vessels, which could lead to fluids leaking into the tissues and causing the area to swell up.

Swelling, in turn, makes it hard for damaged cells to get the oxygen they need.

HBOT helps reduce swelling so oxygen can reach damaged areas of the body.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy also helps prevent the severe tissue damage that could happen when the blood supply returns to the tissues after a time of oxygen deprivation. This is usually a consequence of a crush injury – something that causes the blood vessels to close up. HBOT reduces this problem so healing can continue normally.

Block Harmful Bacteria and Strengthen the Immune System

The increased oxygen can fight against the toxins of certain bacteria while also helping the body resist infections. On top of all that, it can help white blood cells do their job, which is to find and wipe out unwanted bodily invaders.

Encourage the Formation of New Collagen and Skin Cells

Increased oxygen encourages new blood vessel formation and stimulates cells to produce vascular endothelial growth factor. This will attract and stimulate the endothelial cells that are necessary for the growth, development and repair of normal tissue.

So, now that we know what HBOT does to your body, we can extrapolate a range of important benefits for our overall health.

Using hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat cancer

All of your cells require oxygen to survive, even cancer cells. However, when you have tumors in your body, they often outgrow their oxygen supply. Instead of failing to survive without enough oxygen, some cancer cells can actually thrive and even resist treatment. 

By flooding your system with concentrated oxygen in your bloodstream, hyperbaric oxygen can help make your cancer cells easier to kill with treatments like chemotherapy and radiation while also activating the healing process in your body.

Additional benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for cancer treatment include:

• Triggering the growth of new blood vessels, which increases the flow of blood and nutrients to your tissue
• Boosting the performance of your white blood cells to prevent infection and kill bacteria
• Reducing pressure, swelling, or pain in your cancer site

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy also comes with few side effects. If they do occur, they’re typically mild and pass quickly.

Why Athletes Are Using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Professional athletes receive HBOT to help them recover from various kinds of injuries, ranging from joint pain to muscle tears to broken bones and even concussions. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has a multitude of benefits for athletes, including:

• Increasing Physical Performance
• Improved Mental
• Clarity
• Better Sleep
• Decreasing Soreness
• Healing Inflammation
• Increasing Energy

In particular, to the NFL, where the prevalence of CTE is becoming more well-known, several famous athletes are using HBOT for recovery. Joe Namath is one of the most outspoken users of HBOT therapy. After retirement, Namath began to use HBOT to tackle his symptoms of cognitive decline after multiple concussions. Namath used SPECT scans to examine the damage to his brain before, during, and after HBOT sessions. After 40 sessions of HBOT treatments, Namath showed improvements to the blood circulation in his brain. After 120 treatments, his SPECT scans showed normal brain blood circulation.

Another former NFL player, Rashad Jennings integrates hyperbaric oxygen treatment into his recovery regimen. In an interview with the New York Post, he mentions using hyperbaric oxygen therapy to “…energize and rejuvenate…even on a cognitive level.” Rashad Jennings played for the Oakland Raiders and New York Giants, rushing over 3,772 yards.

CanN HBOT Speed Up Surgical Recovery?

Have you recently had surgery and are having a hard time healing? R3 Wound Care and Hyperbarics offers Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), which involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber to promote healing. Oxygen has a profound influence over wound healing, as any oxygen deficiency stunts the body’s ability to heal. 

HBOT is performed in a large, clear hyperbaric chamber to deliver pure, concentrated oxygen throughout the body. This process stimulates and supports the body’s healing processes. When white blood cells receive enough oxygen, they can effectively kill bacteria, reduce swelling, and allow the rapid reproduction of new blood vessels. Since HBOT addresses wound healing at a deep cellular level, it can be used to address surgical wounds that are not healing properly.

What are the Benefits of HBOT Sessions After Surgery?

Activating the body’s natural healing processes and reviving damaged tissue are the most significant benefits of HBOT sessions from wound healing specialists. Here’s how HBOT will benefit your healing after surgery:

• Reduces pain, inflammation, and bruising
• Has an antibacterial effect
• Increases your comfort and reduces possible complications post-op
•  Scars may heal better
• Improves mitochondrial function (Mitochondria is often referred to as the powerhouses of the cell, they help convert energy we take from food into energy that the cell can use)

How can Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy help after cosmetic procedures?

Almost all cosmetic surgery patients will experience pain, swelling and bruising after their procedure. Depending on the surgery, they may feel tired and sore for several weeks afterward.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help cosmetic surgery patients by:

• Accelerating recovery by up to 75%

HBOT helps to reduce swelling and discomfort while providing the body with at least 10-15 times its normal supply of oxygen.

• Improving healing

HBOT can dramatically reduce post-surgical bruising, swelling and inflammation. The increased collagen production can help minimize the appearance of scars.

• Reducing pain

HBOT can reduce the need for post-procedure pain medication. It can also elevate the body’s natural immune defenses to fight infection and bacteria.

The Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Post-Training Recovery in Jiu-Jitsu Athletes

Study: Oxygen Therapy Improves Erectile Dysfunction

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is known to provide healing for a wide range of indications, including diabetic foot ulcers, delayed radiation injury, chronic bone infections and failed skin grafts. HBOT is a natural, holistic therapy that uses pure oxygen to heal damaged body tissue and promote faster and more effective recovery. Now, a new study shows promise for a new indication—erectile dysfunction.

PROMISING RESULTS

The International Journal of Impotence Research published a new study in May 2018 titled “Hyperbaric oxygen can induce angiogenesis and recover erectile function.” Angiogenesis is the development of new blood vessels that feed the tissue.

The study’s main objective was to examine what HBOT does for “non-surgery-related ED [erectile dysfunction].”

Thirty male participants were recruited, with an average age of 59.2, suffering on average from ED for 4.2 years. Each of the participants was classified as suffering from chronic ED. Each participant was treated with a daily HBOT session for 40 total sessions, with each session lasting about 40 minutes in duration. Clinical efficacy was measured using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire and a global efficacy question. Results were further measured using a special type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that measured blood flow.  

Resting easy: Oxygen promotes deep, restorative sleep

Exposure to high levels of oxygen encourages the brain to remain in deep, restorative sleep, according to a new study by University of Alberta neuroscientists.

The researchers administered high levels of oxygen to anesthetized and naturally sleeping animal models, and examined the resulting activity in their brains.

“We found that when we administer oxygen, our subjects’ brains switch out of active sleep, and remain in a deactivated, slow-wave state the entire time,” explained Brandon Hauer, PhD student in the neuroscience graduate program administered by the cross-faculty Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute. “Interestingly, when we removed the oxygen, the brain started cycling back through active, or rapid-eye-movement, sleep again.”

Deactivated or slow-wave sleep is the deepest stage of sleep, during which the brain oscillates at a very slow, once-per-second rhythm.

Does hyperbaric oxygen therapy work for depression?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be extremely beneficial for patients with depression that need additional treatment beyond medication and psychotherapy. 

Studies are continually being done to assess the clinical effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for mental illnesses like depression, but it’s been hypothesized that it may mobilize stem cells to injured parts of the body, modulate immunity, and impact neurotransmitters.

A recent study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of treating patients with depression with a combination of HBOT and escitalopram, a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) medication commonly used to treat depression and generalized anxiety disorder. The study found that the treatment was effective after four to six weeks in significantly improving patients’ cognitive function.

Another study looked into the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on psychological issues like depression and anxiety as well as nerve function after incomplete spinal cord injury (ISCI). After eight weeks of treatment, results showed that HBOT effectively treated depression and anxiety in patients at a similar level to psychotherapy, and that it significantly improved nerve function and ability to do daily activities.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Options for Stroke Recovery

Stroke prevalence has spurred scientists to develop more effective stroke recovery therapies, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).

Recovery from an ischemic or TIA (“mini stroke”) may not be guaranteed, but this much is clear: people who receive timely and effective treatment recover with fewer post-stroke effects.

Unfortunately, timely treatment is not always attainable: 

• Stroke is a “leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of serious disability for adults.” 
• “More than half of stroke survivors age 65 and older” experience reduced mobility, relegating some individuals to a wheelchair for the remainder of their lives. Many struggle with cognitive function, speech difficulties, and visual impairments as well.

Thankfully, advanced rehabilitation programs exist, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) options and other therapies. The experts at Aviv Clinics discuss these key details below.

What Benefits Can Stroke Survivors Achieve with HBOT?

Several studies have proven the benefits of using HBOT in post-stroke recovery. Repair mechanisms in the brain, prompted by HBOT, result in:

• Regained speech and reading capabilities
• Restored motor function, even with paresis
• Return to independence in performing daily activities

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury: Procedure, Risks, & Benefits

Oxygen plays a central role in fueling cellular processes and fighting infections. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy allows the body to absorb more oxygen, which may help minimize damage following a spinal cord injury.

To determine if hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an effective treatment for spinal cord injuries, this article will discuss its procedure, risks, and benefits.

Benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury

While randomized controlled trials have yet to prove that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an effective treatment for spinal cord injuries, experimental studies suggest that it can help regulate biochemical processes in the spinal cord.

Below, we’ll discuss 5 ways HBOT may be able to help minimize damage after a spinal cord injury.

1. Reduces Inflammation

2. Decreases Oxidative Stress

3. Minimizes Apoptosis

4. Promotes Angiogenesis

5. Promotes Healing of Pressure Ulcers

How Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Benefits the Skin

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is used to treat a myriad of conditions, such as brain injury, sports injury, and autism.  According to, “Medical Gas Research,” HBOT can be effective in treating photoaging skin and the advancement in skin complexions. Skin conditions are an ever present concern as aging, UV radiation, and other vulnerabilities can significantly degrade the skin over time. The use of HBOT has been shown to address the wrinkles created by UV irradiation.

HBOT For Treating Skin Damage

In a recent study, scientists have found evidence that hyperoxic environments (90% or more oxygen), for 2 hours, helped to reduce the level of wrinkle formation and epidermal thickness after receiving UV radiation. The exposure to a hyperoxic environment increased skin tension by 10 times, as compared to the control group. In the group treated with just UV radiation, skin tension increased 5 times. However, the group that was treated  with a hyperoxic environment, after UV radiation, saw reduced tension in the skin. The results of this study suggest that when the skin is in a high-oxygen environment, wrinkle formation after UV radiation exposure reduces in the skin.

It’s important to note that the research on hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be beneficial for skin rejuvenation, and that its benefits on the skin are continuing to grow. More evidence is needed to make a conclusive statement, but recent studies show promise in hyperbaric benefits and the results of hyperbaric oxygen chambers on anti-aging.