Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment. HBOT is an established treatment for decompression sickness (a potential risk of scuba diving). Other conditions treated with HBOT include infections, air bubbles in blood vessels, and wounds that may not heal as a result of diabetes or radiation injury. In a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, the air pressure is increased two to three times higher than normal. Under these conditions, your lungs can gather much more oxygen than breathing pure oxygen at normal air pressure. When your blood carries this extra oxygen throughout your body, this helps fight bacteria and stimulates the release of growth factors and stem cells, which promote healing.

Additional Resources:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34472495
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34577787
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34213498
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33206332
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30713670
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28081957
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28838774
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27485098