Hyper” means increased and “baric” relates to pressure. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) thus refers to intermittent treatment of the entire body with 100-percent oxygen at greater than normal atmospheric pressures. The earth’s atmosphere normally exerts approximately 15 pounds per square inch of pressure at sea level. That pressure is defined as one atmosphere absolute (abbreviated as 1 ATA). In the ambient atmosphere we normally breathe approximately 20 percent oxygen and 80 percent nitrogen. While undergoing HBOT, pressure is increased up to two times (2 ATA) in 100% oxygen. In the Sechrist monoplace chambers utilized at our facilities, the entire body is totally immersed in 100-percent oxygen. There is no need to wear a mask or hood. This increased pressure, combined with an increase in oxygen to 100 percent, dissolves oxygen in the blood plasma and in all body cells, tissues and fluids at up to 10 times normal concentration—high enough to sustain life with no blood at all (from 20% to 100% oxygen is a 5-fold increase, from 1 ATA to 2 ATA can double this again to a 10-fold or 1,000% increase).

While some of the mechanisms of action of HBOT, as they apply to healing and reversal of symptoms, are yet to be discovered, it is known that HBOT:

1) greatly increases oxygen concentration in all body tissues, even with reduced or blocked blood flow;

2) stimulates the growth of new blood vessels to locations with reduced circulation, improving blood flow to areas with arterial blockage;

3) causes a rebound arterial dilation after HBOT, resulting in an increased blood vessel diameter greater than when therapy began, improving blood flow to compromised organs;

4) stimulates an adaptive increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD), one of the body’s principal, internally produced antioxidants and free radical scavengers; and,

5) aids the treatment of infection by enhancing white blood cell action and potentiating germ-killing antibiotics.

While not new, HBOT has only lately begun to gain recognition for treatment of chronic degenerative health problems related to atherosclerosis, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, diabetic ulcers, wound healing, cerebral palsy, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, macular degeneration, and many other disorders (conditions treated). Wherever blood flow and oxygen delivery to vital organs is reduced, function and healing can potentially be aided with HBOT. When the brain is injured by stroke, CP, or trauma, HBO may wake up stunned parts of the brain to restore function.

Many conditions are being treated with HBO worldwide.

For help finding a Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Provider near you.

One of the world’s most experienced authorities on hyperbaric medicine was Dr. Edgar End, clinical professor of environmental medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, who voiced his opinion on HBOT’s value for the treatment of stroke in this way: “I’ve seen partially paralyzed people half carried into the (HBOT) chamber, and they walk out after the first treatment. If we got to these people quickly, we could prevent a great deal of damage.”

Using the Sechrist monoplace chamber, HBOT is administered in a transparent, cylindrical chamber, approximately 8 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The patient is made comfortable on a cot-like stretcher and rolled into the chamber. While in the chamber, the patient has full 360-degree vision through the transparent enclosure. The chamber is equipped with two-way microphones and speakers. The patient can watch TV, listen to music, read, nap, or talk with the chamber operator, family, or whoever is outside. During treatment, usually lasting an hour, the patient is surrounded by and inhales pure oxygen while pressure within the chamber is increased from 1-1/2 to 2 times the outside pressure. At the end of treatment, the patient is gradually decompressed to normal pressure and leaves the chamber.

“I have an Eclipse at home where it is my primary oxygen source for continuous flow while sleeping,” said Mike Rosenthal, an oxygen patient in Phoenix. “But the reason the unit is so attractive to me is that I can use it for travel as well. I just recently took a 3-hour plus flight to Chicago on battery power. And I can now take road trips since the Eclipse works on a 12 volt automobile power source.”

Developed over 5 years at a cost of $12 million, the Eclipse weighs 17 pounds, has a retractable handle and wheels for mobility, and is about the size of a student’s backpack. It was designed to fit easily under standard airplane seats. For more information on the Sequal Eclipse Portable Oxygen Concentrator