Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber Therapy
(HBOT)
How it works
As of April 2022, the United States had over 3,000 hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) centers, which include about 2,000 hospitals and hundreds of medical centers, clinics, health and wellness centers. Accessibility of such chambers is limited for most Americans however, due to high cost for therapy services and the need for a doctor’s prescription for health insurance cost reimbursement for potential users. There are few health and wellness centers offering this service to the general public. Citizen OxyWellness was founded to correct the problem of unavailability and unaffordability of these services to the general public. Generally, our therapy is not reimbursable from health insurance plans. For qualified users, Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a safe, non-invasive, and effective therapy for a multitude of conditions.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is well known for treating scuba and deep-sea divers affected by the rapid change in pressure around them. But, HBOT is also used to treat a variety of other health problems, including carbon monoxide poisoning and diabetic foot ulcers, 14 FDA approved indications, as well as up to 120 other indications which are not FDA approved for cost reimbursement. If you are using HBOT for an off-label condition, we encourage you to make sure you have been properly informed by your doctor or physician about using HBOT for your condition. HBOT has been demonstrated in several clinical studies to enhance the body’s innate ability to repair and regenerate its cells. It is used as an adjunct therapy to complement and enhance the healing process in both chronic and acute health conditions as well as for general wellness maintenance and longevity.
When considering the use of a HBOT device, one should be aware that some claims of what it can do are being studied and show positive indications, but are unproven or unstudied in typical, long term medical clinical trials. For example, HBOT devices are not proven to cure cancer, Lyme disease, autism or Alzheimer’s disease, in spite of rapidly mounting individual case evidence of benefits to interested users. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends checking with a health care provider before using a HBOT device to make the most appropriate health and wellness decision.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and the FDA’s Role
The human body’s normal tissues need oxygen to function well. The air humans breathe is 21%
oxygen and about 78% nitrogen, with other gases making up the remaining 1%.
HBOT involves breathing 94-100% oxygen while in a special managed space called a
hyperbaric chamber. The air pressure inside is raised to a level that is higher than normal air
pressure, 1.0 to 3.0 times normal pressure of 14.7 PSI (pounds per square inch) at sea level.
The increased air pressure in the chamber helps the lungs collect more oxygen. Getting more oxygen to the tissues that need it can help the body heal and fight certain infections. However, too much oxygen can cause damage to the body. Normal treatments are 2 hours or less per day. Treatment is comparable to people working out their lungs, joints and muscles with an exercise routine to put stress on those parts of the body exercised, in order to generate cell cleanup, healing and muscle mass building to increase stamina and body strength. These treatments exercise the lungs, vascular system and mitochondria of cells receiving oxygen. Putting limited oxidative stress on the body with HBOT at up to 7 times more oxygen reaching your cells than normal is similar to aggressively exercising your body.
The FDA regulates both the oxygen, and the hyperbaric chambers, which are generally a soft or hard tube large enough to hold one person. Citizen OxyWellness utilizes only one person normal air-pressurized (not 100% pure oxygen pressurized) chambers, called monoplace (although a mother and small child together can be accommodated in our chambers).