FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
How is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Administered?
Before hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Prior to undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy, you will need a prescription from your doctor or you can have a consultation with our in-house Medical Director, Dr. Rob Abbott, in order to determine whether you are a candidate for hyperbaric oxygen therapy and the protocol that suits your specific needs. Dr. Abbott may recommend other therapies in conjunction with hyperbaric oxygen therapy to ensure the best possible outcome for you.
During hyperbaric oxygen therapy
You will comfortably lie inside a hyperbaric chamber for 60-90 minutes per day during treatment. Many patients start out with about 20 treatments, however some protocols consist of 5 or fewer sessions. Treatments may be extended further, depending on the progress of healing.
The chamber is pressurized with 100 percent oxygen to the equivalent of diving 33 to 45 feet below sea level (2-3 times normal air pressure). The increased air pressure creates a temporary feeling of fullness in your ears — similar to what you might feel in an airplane or at a high altitude. You can relieve that feeling by yawning or swallowing. Your treatment is performed under medical supervision and you have the ability to communicate with someone at all times should you need anything.
This increase in pressure allows more oxygen to be dissolved into your plasma (up to 10 to 20 times more than normal). The air you normally breathe is about 21 percent oxygen. In a hyperbaric chamber, you are breathing roughly 200 percent to 240 percent oxygen.
After hyperbaric oxygen therapy
You may feel somewhat tired or hungry following your treatment. This doesn’t limit normal activities.
Benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy include:
Improved Immune Function
Antiviral/Antibacterial
Boosts white blood cell counts. White blood cells help fight and prevent disease by making antibodies that attack bacteria and toxins, helping to destroy infected or cancerous cells, and identifying and eliminating pathogens.
Accelerated Tissue Healing
Oxygen is our most essential nutrient, crucial for proper and efficient healing of most injuries. Hyperbaric therapy significantly increases oxygenation of the body’s tissues, helping your body to heal itself in profound ways.
Increased Stem Cell Production
Stem cells replace specialized cells in your body that are damaged or lost. By increasing stem cell production by over 800%, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can vastly accelerate healing.
Increased Blood Flow
Increase blood flow and circulation through new blood vessel growth via a process called angiogenesis. Blood flow is crucial for healing and for optimal organ function.
Reduce Inflammation
Inflammation has been shown to be at the root of most chronic disease. Oxygen under pressure activates genes that reduce inflammation and promote profound healing.
Reduce Pain
By increasing oxygenation of the body’s tissues, increasing blood flow and reducing inflammation, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can greatly reduce pain and support healing.
Conditions Treated by Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Include:
FDA Approved Conditions
- Diabetic wounds
- Crush injury
- Necrotizing soft tissue infection
- Compromised skin grafts
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Nitrogen narcosis (decompression sickness)
- Refractory osteomyelitis
- Radiation injury
- Thermal Burns
- Intracranial abscess
- Exceptional blood loss (anemia)
- Gas gangrene
- Refractory osteomyelitis
- Gas embolism
Other Conditions Supported by the International Hyperbaric Association:
- Antiviral/Antibacterial
- Autism
- Athletic injury
- Cellular regeneration
- Cerebral palsy
- Crohn’s disease
- Cancer
- Concussion
- Enhanced Immune Function
- Irritable bowel disease
- Lyme disease
- Macular degeneration (wet)
- Migraines
- Multiple sclerosis
- Neuropathies
- Post traumatic stress (PTSD)
- Rheumatism
- Scleroderma
- Stroke
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Ulcerative colitis
FDA Approved Conditions
- Diabetic wounds
- Crush injury
- Necrotizing soft tissue infection
- Compromised skin grafts
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Nitrogen narcosis (decompression sickness)
- Refractory osteomyelitis
- Radiation injury
- Thermal Burns
- Intracranial abscess
- Exceptional blood loss (anemia)
- Gas gangrene
- Refractory osteomyelitis
- Gas embolism
Other Conditions Supported by the International Hyperbaric Association:
- Antiviral/Antibacterial
- Autism
- Athletic injury
- Cellular regeneration
- Cerebral palsy
- Crohn’s disease
- Cancer
- Concussion
- Enhanced Immune Function
- Irritable bowel disease
- Lyme disease
- Macular degeneration (wet)
- Migraines
- Multiple sclerosis
- Neuropathies
- Post traumatic stress (PTSD)
- Rheumatism
- Scleroderma
- Stroke
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Ulcerative colitis
Other Frequently Asked Questions:
Contact us
Call Us
(434) 214.4847
Our Location
Charlottesville, VA 22902
