HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY CHARLOTTE
NON-INVASIVE PURE OXYGEN INTAKE
ACHIEVE OUTSTANDING RESULTS FOR A VARIETY OF CONDITIONS
Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, or mild HBOT, is a medical treatment that involves what's known as a Hyperbaric chamber. The chamber can be described as a space or pod-like structure in which you sit or lie down. In this chamber is where the magic of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy happens. Mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a treatment that increases oxygen concentration in the blood and body tissues by increasing the environmental pressure, enhancing the body's natural healing process.
At Better Brain & Body, our mild HBOT chamber is 8.5’ x 5’, a spacious size that makes you feel comfortable and free to sit up or move around if you need to.
In an HBOT treatment, the chamber is pressurized to a higher level than normal outside air pressure, allowing the lungs and the body to take in more oxygen than outside the chamber. This increased oxygen intake in the HBOT chamber promotes a long list of benefits that can improve short- and long-term life. In the body, there are red blood cells that serve various functions, including the vital task of carrying oxygen and nutrients to different areas in the body. HBOT allows oxygen to spread to areas of the body that red blood cells may not be able to reach, letting potentially damaged areas of the body heal faster. Similarly, the increased oxygen and pressure intake promotes angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels and capillaries. With more oxygen and nutrients delivered to the body through the development of new blood vessels, this can speed up healing processes while also keeping you healthy.
A typical mildHBOT session at Better Brain & Body is 45 minutes to 60 minutes long. If your treatment involves other protocols or therapies, we typically can integrate them into your HBOT session.
Now that some science is out of the way, let's answer the central question:
Sources: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-oxidative-stress#:~:text=Oxidative%20stress%20has%20more%20harmful,or%20cancer%2C%20in%20some%20cases. https://carbonwellnessmd.com/blogs/hyperbaric-chambers/answering-the-question-are-soft-hyperbaric-chambers-effective-our-recommendation-for-summit-to-sea Akamatsu, Yosuke, and Khalid A Hanafy. “Cell Death and Recovery in Traumatic Brain Injury.” Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics vol. 17,2 (2020): 446-456. doi:10.1007/s13311-020-00840-7 https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24206-angiogenesis#:~:text=Angiogenesis%20is%20the%20process%20of,to%20your%20organs%20and%20tissues. https://www.redcrossblood.org/local-homepage/news/article/function-of-blood-cells.html#:~:text=The%20red%20blood%20cell's%20main,to%20a%20protein%20called%20hemoglobin.
What Are the Benefits of Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
1. Increased Oxygen Delivery: Summit to Sea, the company that produces our HBOT chamber, writes in a blog post that soft HBOT expands the amount of oxygen delivered to the body and tissues by 400%. This can enhance the function of our cells (the vital life forces that keep us alive) and promote various forms of healing.
2. Reduce Inflammation: HBOT has anti-inflammatory effects that can reduce swelling and improve healing in various conditions.
3. Enhanced Healing & Recovery: Increasing oxygen to the body can speed up healing processes and recovery while promoting tissue repair in different situations such as sports injuries, post-surgical recovery, carbon monoxide poisoning, gangrene, infections, and concussions or TBI-related conditions.
4. Improved Immune Function: Increasing oxygen levels in the body also promotes white blood cell production, thus enhancing the body's immune system.
5. Boosted Energy: Mild HBOT chambers can increase energy levels and mental clarity.
6. Detoxification: Higher oxygen levels in a soft/mild hyperbaric chamber can aid the detoxification process by enhancing cellular metabolism, which assists in the disposal of waste and toxins from the body.
7. Sleep Quality: Some patients have reported better sleep quality and sleep patterns after utilizing a soft hyperbaric chamber.
8. Improved TBI or Brain Injury Symptoms & Conditions: Soft (or Mild) Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy chambers have been suggested to improve neuroplasticity in the brain. Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to reorganize, adapt, and form new neural connections. As we age or suffer a traumatic brain injury, neurons in the brain can die, altering our daily and long-term lives. HBOT can contribute to neurogenesis through the increase in oxygen. Neurogenesis is the production of new neurons and connections in the brain, thus counteracting the effects a traumatic brain injury may have on someone's brain and allowing neuroplasticity to play its part.
9. Athletic Performance Training: Athletes worldwide have used Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy chambers for athletic performance and recovery. With enhanced tissue healing, reduced inflammation, and improved oxygen delivery, athletes or active people can experience a faster recovery from fatigue, increased energy and stamina, and enhanced cell functioning. It's no wonder HBOT is a regular tool in top athletes' recovery routines.
10. Anti-aging and Skin Health: Some patients use HBOT to improve skin health and potentially slow aging. While studies are ongoing on the potential anti-aging benefits, the way HBOT works may suggest a capacity for slowing down the aging process on the skin.
11. Stem Cell Stimulation: Researchers are noticing stem cell activation in response to HBOT treatments, potentially resulting in increased tissue regeneration. Increased oxygen intake in HBOT could explain this finding, but more research is needed to confirm if these findings hold true.
12. Improvement in Neurological Conditions: While more research is needed, some studies have shown that Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy creates substantial, expedited healing for acute and chronic Neurological conditions such as:
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Cerebral Palsy
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Parkinson's Disease
- Post Concussion Syndrome
Even with 12 potential benefits on this list, many more conditions, situations, and individuals can benefit from mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. If you do not see information about your condition or concern on this page, call us to set up a free consultation with our lead functional neurologist to see if you qualify for mild HBOT treatment.
Who Shouldn't Use Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
It is important to note to always consult with a primary physician about undergoing an HBOT treatment.
Individuals who have any of the following long or short-term conditions should not use mild HBOT and should consult with their primary doctor:
- Uncontrolled High Fever
- Untreated Pneumothorax
- History of Spontaneous Pneumothorax
- Active Respiratory Infections
- Severe Congestive Heart Failure
- Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Individuals with severe Claustrophobia
- Pregnancy
- Certain medications
- Recent Ear Surgery or Injury
- Lung Disease
- Common Cold or Sickness
What Is The Difference Between Mild and Hard Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
Mild HBOT refers to the soft, inflatable chamber comprising a Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy chamber. In contrast, a hard HBOT chamber is exactly as it sounds. It is a chamber that is hard and does not inflate like a mild chamber. According to Hyperbaric Pro, a hard chamber operates at pressures over 1.5 ATA with 100% oxygen, while a soft chamber delivers between 90-95% oxygen with lower pressure. 100% oxygen is very flammable, which makes hard HBOT a flammable risk to manage, while soft HBOT chambers do not have any associated fire risks. 100% oxygen in hard HBOT chambers allows slightly more tissue oxygenation; however, many medical conditions respond well to lower oxygenation like in a soft HBOT chamber, according to Hyperbaric Pro.
If you are looking to improve your health and are interested in mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, please give us a call or schedule an appointment online via the button below.