HBOT has numerous health benefits:

• Oxygen reperfusion of tissues
• Reduces cellular apoptosis (cell death)
• Reduces inflammation by normalizing VEFG, decreasing TNFalpha levels, and reducing other inflammatory cytokines
• Stimulates stem cells
• Suppressive effects on tumor growth
• Promotes cellular regeneration after injury
• Improves glucose control
• Delivers increased amounts of oxygen to wounds in the body that have poor blood supply or injured tissue that is swollen.

Because hyperbaric oxygen therapy accelerates your body’s own healing mechanisms by saturating your body with oxygen, it is broadly beneficial for a variety of acute and chronic concerns.

Our physicians frequently recommend hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the following conditions:

• Traumatic brain injuries including concussions and post-concussion syndrome
• Long covid-19
• Neurodegenerative disorders
• Stroke
• Infection of the skin and bone: such as chronic refractory osteomyelitis*
• Crush injuries – serious trauma that blocks blood flow*
• Lyme disease
• Mold toxicity
• Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS)
• Chronic Epstein Barr Virus
• Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
• Dysautonomia
• Cancer – Including healing injuries related to radiation and chemotherapy
• Non-healing wounds and burns*
• Post-surgical healing
• Injury recovery
• Post-workout recovery
• Air and gas bubbles in blood vessels – also known as air or gas embolism*
• Anemia – for patients who can’t receive a blood transfusion*
• Carbon monoxide poisoning*
• Decompression sickness – also known as “the bends”, this condition occurs when dissolved gasses form bubbles in the bloodstream*
• Gas gangrene – caused by the bacteria Clostridium*
• Hearing loss – sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) is a rare cause of hearing loss*
• Radiation injury – delayed radiation bone or soft tissue injuries*
• Skin grafts – compromised skin grafts or flaps*
• Vision loss – central retinal artery occlusion*

* Indicates this condition is FDA approved for HBOT.

With brain injuries, such as stroke, concussion, drowning, brain cells become damaged and they have an increased need for oxygen. Under the pressure of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, oxygen can more easily pass through the blood-brain barrier getting into the damaged areas and help repair the cells.

Many studies have shown that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can improve cognition, recall, and other adverse effects of brain trauma and damage. It works by providing the fuel to awaken and repair dormant neurons.

HBOT is an excellent adjunctive therapy to ANY oncology therapy including chemotherapy and radiation. We use it extensively to increase rate of recovery and healing from chemotherapy/radiation in addition to lessening side effects from treatment. It is also synergistic with high dose vitamin C IVs that we provide in-office.

HBOT is helpful for treating cancer because it can decrease tumor cell survival, metastasis, angiogenesis, and other key promoting factors. This is primarily through oxygen perfusion and stimulating apoptosis (cell death) via reactive oxygen species production and inactivating antioxidant defense mechanisms of the tumors.

HBOT has been shown to be associated with increased survival in humans with cancer. This is likely by altering gene expression to switch to a lesser tumorigenic metabolism.

Despite its many benefits, our clinic does not promote that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a “cure” for cancer. Instead it is a powerful and synergistic therapy that works beautifully alongside a comprehensive integrative plan.

The air we breath at sea level is at 1 atmospheres (ATA) of pressure and is only 21% oxygen. This small amount of oxygen is enough to saturate 98% of the oxygen carrying proteins in our blood called hemoglobin.

With our hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, the body is exposed to 1.3 atmospheres while breathing 90-95% pure through an oxygen mask. This causes:

• 100% oxygen saturation of blood in the lungs. This rich oxygenated blood enhances tissue repair, reduces inflammation, regenerates tissue, and provides anti-bacterial effects.
• Extra oxygen will saturate blood plasma and get oxygen into places red blood cells cannot physically get into (think of areas that inflammation impedes blood flow).

A hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment is about 60-90 minutes long from the beginning to end of your visit. When you arrive for treatment, our medical assistant provides you with a walkie talkie and helps you get into the chamber. You are provided an oxygen mask connected to an oxygen concentrator running at 10 LPM of oxygen. The chamber is then zipped closed and outside air is pumped into the chamber to slowly increase the pressure up to 1.3 ATA. Once you reach 1.3 ATA your treatment officially starts and a timer is set for 60 minutes. During your whole treatment our medical assistant is in constant contact with you using a walkie talkie to make sure you are tolerating the treatment well.

While in the chamber you can do as you wish whether take a nap, listen to music, watch a movie, read a book, or do work. It is perfectly safe to be on your phone, tablet, or computer.

Many people find the treatment relaxing and calming. As the chamber begins to pressurize you’ll notice pressure in your ears like being in an airplane. For a majority of people (90%) your ears will automatically and easily adjust to the pressure changes while reporting no adverse effects. After about 10 minutes the chamber is fully pressurized and you begin a 60 minute treatment. People often report feeling a “tingling sensation” in their body as their body is being saturated with oxygen.

Because the interior of the chamber is under pressure it heats up a little (5-10 degrees warmer than the room), so we utilize portable fans and cooling systems to keep you comfortable.

During depressurization your ears will equalize as the pressure reduces. The air temperature will decrease as more outside air comes in the chamber.

Frequently people feel a sensation of euphoria, more energy, feel less stressed, and relaxed after treatment.

A small percentage of people (less than 10%) may have difficulty equalizing their ears under the pressure of HBOT. It is similar to that what you would feel if you were congested while landing from an airplane. In such instances we advise you to release ear pressure by:

• Moving your jaw, swallowing, and/or yawning. Turn your head to one side and swallow, then turn to the other side and swallow. Repeat if necessary.
• Valsalva Maneuver – Pinch your nose, close your mouth, and attempt to lightly blow through your pinched nose.

If you are unable to relieve the discomfort we ask you to notify the medical assistant. They’ll either help you through it or discontinue treatment. If you have a history of nasal/sinus congestion or problems with your ears while flying we advise to use a nasal decongestant before the first few treatments. With young children tilt their head back and you can put one drop of pediatric (baby) nose drops in each nostril 1.5-2 hours before HBOT. Wait 5-10 min and then put a second drop in each nostril. You can use Afrin or similar nasal spray 20-30 minutes after the nose drops. Do not repeat the nasal spray.

Our physicians meet with you to determine the best hyperbaric treatment plan for your health concerns.

Clinical studies support 1-2 treatments per day for a minimum of 20 treatments and preferably up to 40. Following 40 sessions you may re-evaluate for discernible benefits before proceeding for more. 

For general health = 1-2 treatments per week, 20-40 treatments

For acute injury (such as a stroke, TBI, wound) = daily treatment until the condition resolves. Treatment can be repeated twice per day with a 4-hour break in between.

For chronic conditions = from daily to 2-3x/wk, 20-40 treatments

For certain chronic conditions such as if you have an autoimmune disease, a high degree of inflammation, and/or are very weak, it’s often best to do at most 2-3 dives a week (or less), always start at a low dose (such as 30 minutes), and take a high dose of oral antioxidants. It’s also helpful to use a nasal cannula or just have supplement O2 into the open chamber instead of an oxygen mask.

We offer packages to reduce the cost and make a series of 10, 20, or 40 more affordable. If you are doing other synergistic treatments such as high dose vitamin C IVs, sometimes find less hyperbaric treatments are needed.

Our clinic utilizes the Grand Dive by Summit to Sea, a horizontal ‘soft shell’ hyperbaric chamber capable of reaching 1.3 ATA (atmosphere absolute) or 4.4 PSI. This form of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, known as mild HBOT (m-HBOT), remains below 1.75 ATA.

Our chamber offers the flexibility of using either filtered room air or higher oxygen concentrations via an oxygen concentrator. It features a free-flow air system that ensures a continuously fresh internal environment while incorporating safety measures to prevent oxygen buildup, eliminating fire risks.

Our clinic uses an oxygen concentrator to administer 90-95% oxygen to the patient through an oxygen mask while they are in the chamber. This allows even greater saturation of blood and plasma with oxygen.

Our Grand Dive by Summit to Sea is a horizontal chamber measuring 40” in diameter and 7.5′ long. Typically only one person is in the chamber at a time, but there is plenty of room if you wanted to share your treatment with a family member or friend. You can even be in the chamber with your child.

There is plenty of space to move around and sit upright if you prefer.

Our clinic uses mild-HBOT (m-HBOT) that goes to a depth of 1.3 ATA. Clinical research and our own experience using HBOT for over 10 years has shown mild-HBOT to be just as effective as “high pressure” hard shell HBOT that reach a pressure higher than 1.75 ATA. Mild HBOT allows for greater safety while still allowing for the delivery of much higher levels of oxygen into the tissues.

We’d like to take a minute to dispel a few myths about mild HBOT:

• There is a myth that only “high” pressure hard chambers are effective. THAT IS FALSE!
• There is a myth that you need a hard chamber with higher ATA >1.75 to get into deeper organs. THAT IS FALSE!
• There is a myth that stem cell release starts at 2.0 ATA. THAT IS FALSE! New research data has shown 1.27 ATA can mobilize stem cells.
• There is a myth you need higher O2 to achieve any cellular benefit. THAT IS FALSE!

Targeted HBOT combines photobiomodulation (red/infrared light) with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to enhance oxygen delivery to specific tissues. By applying a red/infrared light pad to the area of concern, we can help direct the benefits of HBOT to targeted regions, such as the legs for neuropathy, a wound in need of healing, or a bone infection.

While both photobiomodulation and HBOT have been shown to provide significant benefits on their own, combining them can amplify their effects, leading to even greater therapeutic potential.

Many other therapies are synergistic with hyperbaric oxygen therapy including:

• High dose vitamin C IVs are ESPECIALLY synergistic with HBOT. In order to maximize benefit, the IV should be done right before or within three hours after HBOT. This maximizes the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the cells.
  • In general our experience is that the addition of HBOT to any IV protocol improves efficacy. This is due to known mechanisms of HBOT and increased pressure gradient flowing from the plasma to the cell and mitochondria
• Ozone therapy
• Ketogenic diet
• Craniosacral therapy
• Oncology therapies such as general chemotherapy, radiation, 5-FU, platinums, taxanes, Artemisinin
• Melatonin

HBOT is an extremely safe and effective treatment especially under the appropriate supervision. At Aspen we require all patients to meet with our physician first to determine it is safe for them and they don’t have any contraindications to treatment.

During a hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment our medical assistant routinely checks in with the patient via a walkie talkie to ensure everything is going smoothly.

Oxygen toxicity can only occur at 3.0 ATA and higher, but our chamber only goes up to 1.3 ATA.

We exclusively use Summit to Sea hyperbaric chambers because they are dedicated to innovation and safety. Our chamber uses a fail safe alarm that alerts the operator if there is a power failure from the wall socket. Additionally, our chamber utilizes two compressors for redundant safety in case of failure. These chambers have two relief valves at either end of the chamber for even air distribution and release. This setup prevents pockets of built up carbon monoxide within the chamber and again provides redundant safety measures in case of a failure or blockage of one valve.

Yes, our hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber is considered an FDA Medical Class 2 Device and requires a prescription for use. We require all patients to have a consult with one of our physicians to make sure it would be effective for their health concerns/goals, clear them for treatment, and prescribe a hyperbaric treatment plan.

If you provide us a standing order prescription from your physician you may not need to have a consult with one of our physicians.

No! Active cancer or a history of cancer is NOT a contraindication for HBOT therapy. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy will not fuel cancer cell growth. Normal and wounded tissue respond differently to HBOT than cancer cells. Tumor growth and metastasis actually accelerates in hypoxic (low oxygen), so high oxygen environments like in an HBOT chamber actually suppresses cancer growth!

Our hyperbaric chamber is an FDA Class 2 device along with the oxygen concentrator.

HBOT has only officially been approved by the FDA to treat 14 conditions and mild hyperbaric has only been approved to treat altitude sickness. That being said many medical professionals, including the physicians here at Aspen, use hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat over 100 conditions considered “off-label” by the FDA. This therapy has shown to be safe and effective in numerous clinical studies to enhance the body’s innate ability to repair and regenerate, but the FDA has been slow to accept its full healing potential.

There is currently only one absolute contraindication to hyperbaric oxygen therapy and that is untreated pneumothorax. Patients with pneumothorax should be treated and managed before initiating HBOT.

Certain conditions are considered “relative contraindications” meaning if under the right observation and management the patient could do HBOT. One must also weigh the risks versus benefits before initiating therapy. Relative contraindications include:

1. Inability to equalize ear or sinus pressure perhaps due to surgery, radiation, acute upper respiratory tract infection, or sinus infection. In addition history of certain ear conditions requiring surgery, such as otosclerosis. Acutely congested patients can be treated with phenylephrine nasal spray.
2. Eustachian tube dysfunction can increase risk of barotrauma to the tympanic membrane. This can be mitigated by pressure equalization training or receive tympanovstomy before initiation of HBOT.
3. Claustrophobia depending on severity.
4. Severe Heart Disease and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) – due to risk of oxygen induced hypoventilation, increased ventilation/perfusion mismatch, and fluid build-up in the lungs.
5. Asthma – due to risk of air trapping and the development of pulmonary barotrauma.
6. Asymptomatic pulmonary blebs and bullae
7. Implanted devices should be pressure tested to determine their safety and ability to function in a high-pressure environment.
8. Pregnancy due to unknown effects on the fetus; however, there are certain circumstances where HBOT is indicated such as carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
9. High fever or epilepsy can decrease the seizure threshold, making oxygen toxicity more likely. Anti-epileptics and fever reducers can help alleviate this risk.
10. Recent eye surgery if any air or gas gets trapped in the eye.
11. History of cataracts – while HBOT cannot cause cataracts, this procedure may cause formed cataracts to mature quicker
12. History of recent thoracic surgery can increase risk of atelectasis and pneumothorax.
13. Asymptomatic pulmonary lesions on chest x-ray should be evaluated before proceeding with HBOT.
14. Uncontrolled insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or acute hypoglycemia due to therapy-induced hypoglycemia. However, point of care glucose monitoring and supervision is often sufficient to perform HBOT on diabetic patients safely.
15. Nicotine or caffeine use are contraindications before HBOT. The vasoconstriction caused by these agents reduces the effectiveness of therapy.
16. Perilymph fistulas, which occur from inner ear barotrauma, cause vertigo and other vestibular symptoms and can be aggravated by HBOT.
17. HBOT can trigger reactivation of tuberculosis. High risk patients should undergo tuberculin skin test or interferon-gamma release assays before HBOT.
18. Untreated glaucoma
19. Current or past cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak

Your role in treatment is simple: arrive on time, communicate openly with our staff, and inform us of any changes in your health. For example, if you were not pregnant at your first visit but your status changes over the course of treatment, it’s important to let us know. This is why we ask you to answer screening questions before each HBOT session—these ensure your safety and help you receive the maximum therapeutic benefit from your treatment.

If you have had a fever within the last 24 hours, please give us a call to cancel. We have patients using the chamber who have compromised immune systems and we do not want to risk exposing them to more illness.