Frequently Asked Questions

Because hyperbaric therapy heals you by pumping oxygen into your injured body and brain through your circulatory and pulmonary systems, the benefits are fast-acting:

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• Required extra oxygen delivered at cellular and tissue levels with minimal side effects
• Damaged cells able to function beyond a maintenance level to allow for maximum healing
• Accelerated growth of new blood cells
• Increases availability of neurotransmitters
• Decreased recovery time of wounds and injuries
• Enhanced white blood cell production to kill bacteria and infection
• Stimulates normal remodelling of bone
• Reduced inflammation
• Reversed damage from radiation therapy
• Deactivates toxins and facilitates metabolic waste elimination

As with any medical treatment, you always face the possibly of side effects. However, hyperbaric therapy is non-invasive and probably the safest procedure in medicine, so complications are very rare.

The most common reported side effect isotic/sinus barotrauma. (This condition is the reason we always make sure our patients don’t have any sinus or ear infections prior to entering the chamber.)Other risks include pulmonary barotrauma, which is the most rare, and oxygen-related seizures, which only happen at a very high pressure rarely used for medical indications. A risk of myopia may also occur, usually in the older population and only after multiple treatments. Myopia is almost always reversible.

Regrettably, no. Due to the high risk of spontaneous combustion sparked by flammable materials like paper, lithium batteries, and synthetic clothing in such an oxygen-rich environment, we prohibit such materials. We also ask you not to apply any cream, lotion, hair gel, or spray prior to your visit. We understand the inconvenience, but know that our rules are based on your safety and well-being. We do provide a built-in TV entertainment system, gown, pillows, and blankets to keep you comfortable.

Multiple conditions have been known to benefit from hyperbaric therapy. Among them are the following CMS-approved (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) conditions, which are covered by most insurance plans:

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• Non-healing lower-extremity diabetic wounds
• Compromised skin grafts and flaps
• Crush injuries and suturing of severed limbs
• Progressive necrotizing infections
• Acute peripheral arterial insufficiency
• Wagner Grade III or higher wounds
• Carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning
• Decompression illness
• Acute traumatic peripheral ischemia
• Acute thermal burns
• Gas embolism or gangrene
• Osteo-radionecrosis and soft tissue radionecrosis
• Actinomycosis
• Osteomyelitis
• Idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss

A variety of other conditions are still considered “investigational” by insurance, although hyperbaric treatment has proved effective on them in many countries. Among many, non CMS-approved conditions include:

• Arthritis
• Autism
• Chronic headaches
• Peripheral nerve damage
• Cerebral palsy
• Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction
• Dementia
• Fibromyalgia
• Post-concussion syndrome
• Sports injuries
• Lyme disease
• Lupus
• Memory loss
• Near drowning
• Stroke