About Hyperbaric Therapy:

How Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Works

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a painless procedure in which a person is exposed to increased pressure, thus allowing greater absorption of oxygen throughout body tissues. This increased pressure allows more oxygen to reach the cells within the body therefore contributing to the many healing and therapeutic benefits. The concept of Hyperbaric oxygenation has been in existence as early as 1662 but has only gained recognition in conventional medicine over the past 40 years.

How Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Work?

The pressurized environment in a hyperbaric chamber, allows a greater amount of gas (oxygen) to be dissolved into a liquid (plasma). This is known as Henry's Law of Physics. For instance, when a carbonated beverage is canned at the factory, a great amount of pressure is applied so that more carbon dioxide can be dissolved into the beverage, which causes carbonation. When the beverage is opened, the pressure is released, and the amount of carbonation decreases over time resulting in a "flat" beverage. It is this same law that applies to hyperbaric therapy. Greater amounts of oxygen are absorbed into the plasma, synovial fluid and cerebral fluid when the body is pressurized using a hyperbaric chamber. In addition to the greater absorption, the oxygen is also allowed to reach areas in the body that are difficult to reach without the increased pressure.

What is Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (mHBOT or mHBT) is a medical treatment that exposes a person inside an inflatable hyperbaric chamber to increased atmospheric pressure. Our portable hyperbaric chambers pressurize to 1.3 atmospheres (ATA), which can also be expressed as 4 Pounds Per Square Inch (PSI).

Because these hyperbaric chambers operate at a lower pressure than hospital grade hyperbaric chambers, they are much safer to perform treatments, while providing the same benefits as higher pressurized chambers. In addition, mild hyperbaric chambers operate using ambient air, rather than 100% oxygen, so there are virtually no risks of oxygen toxicity or other dangers of using 100% liquid oxygen. Because there are no extra costs for liquid oxygen, our portable hyperbaric chambers operate at a significantly lower cost than high pressure systems.

Frequently asked question about portable hyperbaric chambers:

Are Hyperbaric Chambers Safe?

Portable hyperbaric chambers are completely safe. The chamber operates with filtered ambient air (surrounding room air), therefore there is no danger of oxygen toxicity in the body that can occur with other hyperbaric chambers, which utilize an oxygen tank. Mild hyperbaric therapy (mHBOT or mHBT) can safely be used in conjunction with nearly all other treatments. However, it is important to remember to consult your physician before starting any new therapy.

How does a treatment feel?

The patient can lay or sit comfortably inside a portable chamber and either read, listen to music, sleep or just relax during a session. You will feel a pressure change in the ears as the pressure is raised inside the chamber, and again when the pressure decreases. This feeling has been experienced by most as the ear "pops" in an airplane when the cabin is pressurized. The majority of people using the portable hyperbaric chamber report a pleasant, comfortable experience

Is the Portable Hyperbaric Chamber Expensive to Operate?

Because the portable hyperbaric chamber utilizes filtered ambient air, there are no oxygen expenses required to operate the chamber. For an hour session, the portable chamber will cost approximately 10 cents in electricity depending on your electricity rates.

Is Special Wiring Required to Operate the Portable Hyperbaric Chamber?

No. Our portable hyperbaric chambers operate off of a standard 115 volt outlet so there is no special wiring required.

How does the Portable Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber differ from hospital grade or hardshell units?

Our portable hyperbaric chambers pressurize to 4 psi (pounds per square inch) so side effects occasionally seen in the hospital grade unit such as barotrauma do not occur in our chambers. In addition, because our portable chambers use ambient air and not oxygen tanks, there is no risk of oxygen toxicity. The hyperbaric chambers are portable and can transported relatively easily because of their lightweight where as most hardshell units are somewhat immobile.