HBOT stands for Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment. But that just begs the question, what are hyperbaric oxygen treatments?

Hyperbaric treatments involve entering a special pressure chamber where the air pressure inside the chamber is increased. Traditionally, these hyperbaric sessions involve breathing concentrated oxygen either through a hood or through filling the chamber completely with concentrated oxygen. The sessions typically last between one and two hours but for especially sensitive people the first several hyperbaric sessions could last just 15 minutes or shorter, at very low pressures.

Most treatment protocols involve 40 dive sessions (an arbitrary number) but some chronic conditions can require 80 or more sessions to begin experiencing significant improvements. Some people enjoy huge benefits within the first few dive sessions.

More recently people are beginning to discover that they can gain similar health benefits inside a hyperbaric chamber without the need for concentrated oxygen. Hence, Hyperbaric Air!

Why do people undergo hyperbaric sessions?

Due to the nature of the hyperbaric environment, the entire body benefits in many different ways. So you’ll often hear people who are enjoying hyperbaric therapy for a huge range of ailments. But due to the historically high costs, many people reserve the therapy for those ailments that are difficult or impossible to treat any other way. Thankfully, the cost of this wonderful therapy is continuing to drop as more and more people learn about it and providers get more creative and efficient at meeting the growing demand.

Due to the high cost, most people only undergo HBOT treatments when their insurance company pays for it. Each country will have its own list of “approved” conditions, but in the United States, Medicare covers these conditions:

  • Acute carbon monoxide intoxication
  • Decompression illness
  • Gas embolism
  • Gas gangrene
  • Acute traumatic peripheral ischemia
  • Crush injuries and suturing of severed limbs
  • Progressive necrotizing infections
  • Acute peripheral arterial insufficiency
  • Preparation and preservation of compromised skin grafts
  • Chronic refractory osteomyelitis, unresponsive to conventional medical and surgical management
  • Osteoradionecrosis as an adjunct to conventional treatment
  • Soft tissue radionecrosis as an adjunct to conventional treatment
  • Cyanide poisoning
  • Actinomycosis, only as an adjunct to conventional therapy when the disease process is refractory to antibiotics and surgical treatment
  • Diabetic wounds of the lower extremities

What is Mild Hyperbaric Therapy?

Mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the same as regular hyperbaric oxygen therapy, except the pressures involved are lower. Often times you’ll see soft shell chambers used for mild hyperbaric sessions, whereas “full” hyperbarics requires the use of a hard shell chamber, usually made of metal or high strength polycarbonates.

Typical pressures for mild hyperbaric therapy are 1.3 ATA to 1.5 ATA. Typical pressures for normal or “hard” hyperbaric therapy range from 2.0 ATA to 3.0 ATA.

Why is HBOT So Expensive?

This is a simple question with a complicated answer. In short, the hardware is expensive and the training and safety procedures involved with concentrated oxygen involve specialized staff. But you can enjoy hyperbaric therapy at a small fraction of the cost with Hyperbaric Air!