Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a simple and non-invasive procedure that places the body in a pressurised environment at a level higher than 1 atmosphere absolute (ATA). The pressurised environment allows the extra oxygen to dissolve into the blood plasma and to travel through the circulatory system, getting to areas that red blood cells may be restricted in flow, naturally enhancing the human body’s functions.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
HBOT
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60 mins single session - £70
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5 x 60 mins sessions - £315
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10 x 60 mins sessions - £595
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20 x 60 mins sessions - £1120
t-HBOT
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60 mins single session - £80
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5 x 60 mins sessions - £360
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10 x 60 mins sessions - £690
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20 x 60 mins sessions - £1280
Targeted Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) and Targeted Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (THBOT) offer several known Benefits:
Both HBOT and THBOT can accelerate the body’s natural healing processes, particularly in cases of wounds, injuries, and post-operative recovery. The increased oxygen levels promote tissue regeneration and collagen production.
These therapies have been shown to decrease inflammation throughout the body, which can be beneficial for conditions such as arthritis, autoimmune diseases, and sports injuries.
By increasing oxygen delivery to tissues and organs, HBOT and THBOT can enhance blood flow, leading to improved circulation. This can be beneficial for individuals with circulatory issues, diabetic complications, or cardiovascular diseases.
Oxygen is vital for immune function, and both therapies can boost the immune system by increasing oxygen levels in the body. This can help the body fight off infections and illnesses more effectively.
HBOT and THBOT have shown promise in improving neurological function and cognitive performance. They may be beneficial for conditions such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases.
These therapies can help alleviate pain associated with various conditions, including chronic pain syndromes, fibromyalgia, and migraines, by reducing inflammation and promoting tissue repair.
Athletes may benefit from HBOT and THBOT due to their potential to enhance recovery times, reduce muscle soreness, and improve overall performance by promoting tissue repair and reducing oxidative stress.
While not a standalone treatment for cancer, HBOT and THBOT have been studied as adjunctive therapies to conventional cancer treatments. They may help enhance the effectiveness of radiation therapy and chemotherapy by increasing oxygen levels in tumor tissues.
HBOT and THBOT are particularly effective in promoting the healing of chronic or non-healing wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers, burns, and surgical wounds, by stimulating angiogenesis and collagen synthesis.
Some research suggests that HBOT and THBOT may have anti-ageing effects by promoting cellular regeneration, reducing oxidative stress, and improving overall tissue health.
It’s important to note that while HBOT and THBOT offer many potential benefits, they may not be suitable for everyone and should be administered under the supervision of a qualified professional. Additionally, individual responses to these therapies may vary, and further research is ongoing to explore their full range of applications and effectiveness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is the use of prescribed high pressure oxygen to treat a variety of health conditions and diseases. Breathing pure oxygen under pressures greater than sea level increases the amount of oxygen carried by the blood, enabling the oxygen to be dissolved into the hard-to-reach plasma, lymph, and cerebrospinal fluids surrounding the brain and spinal cord. These fluids more easily carry the increased oxygen to affected and damaged areas at up to 1,200% the normal concentration, thus providing a greater opportunity for healing.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is an effective treatment for a variety of conditions either as a primary or adjunctive treatment. It is non-invasive with very few (and rare) potential side effects and has very few contraindications. You will undergo a medical assessment to confirm whether Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is appropriate for you. If the staff determines that Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is appropriate, they will customise your individual treatment protocol.
At the start of the treatment session, oxygen immediately begins to circulate and the pressure gradually increase. You will generally start to feel a fullness sensation in the ears, similar to ascending or descending in an airplane. This fullness should only last about 10-15 minutes and an experienced ACCA hyperbaric technician will guide you to relieve any ear pressure. Once treatment pressure is reached, you can relax and just breathe normally. Near the end of the treatment session, the hyperbaric technician will gradually decrease the pressure in the chamber, a process that lasts about 10 minutes. During this decompression stage, it is common for you to experience a slight popping sensation in the ears as a result of the change in pressure. There is an intercom phone system for 2-way communication and a reading light. The chamber is non-claustrophobic, it is equiped with a reading light allowing you to read, work or relax. You are welcome to bring your own devices and music to enjoy during your treatment.
HBOT is an all natural therapy with generally no, or temporary, side effects. However, mild irritation to the ear drum may occur in about 10% of patients. The technicians at ACCA will be with you every step of the way to prevent this from occurring. Other side effects may include temporary vision changes, dizziness or lightheadedness. In very rare instances, oxygen toxicity may occur, however, risk of this is mitigated by our HBOT protocols and comprehensive screening process. HBOT is not a medical procedure and there is no recovery time needed after each session.
We recommend that you avoid eating or drinking (specifically carbonated beverages) directly prior to treatment, unless medically required, to avoid the need to use the restroom or cause an upset stomach during the session. Some medications are incompatible with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy; a complete list of medications and supplements taken by the you should be provided to the medical team during the initial consult, and updates should always be provided. To maximise the benefit of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, smoking of any kind should be avoided during the course of a patient’s complete treatment protocol. Smoking causes vasoconstriction and accumulation of carbon monoxide and other wastes, all which are counterproductive to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Lastly, alcohol consumption should be avoided at least 8 hours prior to treatment.
At your consultation, the complete process and list of items that are allowed and not allowed will be reviewed. You will be required to wear 100% cotton clothing, to prevent static electricity. Prior to entering the chamber, our technician will inspect and approve all items and garments. Examples of items prohibited inside the hyperbaric chamber include deodorant, lotion, perfume, mousse, gel, hairspray, makeup, jewellery, hair accessories, hearing aids, hard contact lenses, dentures, prostheses, nail polish (unless applied at least 48 hours prior to treatment), IV medication, and any clothing item that has buttons, snaps, velcro, iron-on decals, or under-wiring. Our technicians will make sure that these policies are followed for every treatment session.
Everyone is unique and evaluated according to their condition and their response to therapy, which determines the number of treatments needed. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy works cumulatively in the body and the greatest benefit is seen when treatments are regular (like going to the gym). Therefore, treatment sessions are typically scheduled frequently.
There are a few contraindications to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy such as if you have an untreated pneumothorax, moderate to severe COPD, bullous lung disease, or are currently receiving certain chemotherapeutic agents. During the consultation with a member of our medical team you will be evaluated to determine whether Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a safe and appropriate course of treatment.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is generally covered by insurance for certain FDA approved conditions. Insurance generally does not cover non-covered conditions. Please consult directly with your own insurance company. Covered Conditions are conditions that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for hyperbaric treatment and are generally covered by insurance. Non-Covered Conditions are conditions that have not yet been approved by the FDA for hyperbaric treatment. In general, off label conditions are not covered by insurance. For more information about on and off label designations, please visit the FDA’s website at www.fda.org. Please consult directly with your own insurance company.
Research Articles
An estimated 15.1% of individuals suffer from Long Covid Syndrome (LCS) 3 months following severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, with symptoms continuing past 12 months. LCS symptoms commonly include persistent fatigue, mood swings, body pain, cognitive impairment, and ongoing respiratory problems. Other persistent symptoms can include headaches, mental disorders, gut issues, insomnia, hair loss, and smell/taste dysfunction.
Treatment options are limited to symptomatic measures, and no specific medication has been established. Previous studies have shown that just 10 sessions of HBOT at 2.4 ATA caused a statistically significant improvement of fatigue, global cognition, executive function, attention, information processing and verbal function.
In this study, 18 patients (aged 18-90) were given a short course of 10 hyperbaric sessions at 2.2 ATA and were followed up 3 months later for evaluation of LCS. The results were very promising and documented significant improvements in energy levels, physical functioning, emotional well being, social functioning and improvement in limitation of activities.
This pilot study followed 9 patients diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis who each received 30 hyperbaric oxygen treatments over six to 10 weeks. Follow up MRI scans at both 3 months and at 6 months showed beneficial response to this procedure. These findings support an earlier pilot study that documented improvement in “disease activity and joint pain as determined by multiple, validated clinical measures”. The findings of this study suggest that “hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be useful as an adjunctive or alternative treatment to disease-modifying drugs for rheumatoid arthritis”
COVID-19 brings along an ever-growing concern for infected patients who have recovered from the acute phase of the viral infection. These individuals are now suffering from the long-term adverse health effects as a result. These long-term complications (aka long COVID-19), have been shown to affect everyone; including the chronically-sick, the healthy, and even the professional athlete.
“Long COVID-19 patients show systemic inflammation and persistent symptoms such as fatigue and malaise, profoundly affecting their quality of life”
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been shown to help the body produce a strong anti-inflammatory response that may be able to help combat Long Covid and provide symptomatic relief.
This study evaluated 5 subjects, (2 patients and 3 athletes) undergoing HBOT for 30 sessions and all 5 showed attenuation of inflammatory biomarkers, particularity the 2 athletes. “From this preliminary observation, HBOT could be considered a potential treatment for long COVID-19 patients.”
A new landmark study in hyperabric medicine (HBOT) shows that breathing air (21% oxygen) at 1.3 ATA of hyperbaric pressure mobilizes stem cells!
Since 2006, it became clear to us that HBOT helps the body to accelerate tissue repair and regeneration by stimulating the release of stem cells in the bone marrow What we did not know is at what pressure level this occurs at. So a team of researchers decided to try and find out and they published their results in this study.
They found that a minimal pressure level of 1.3 ATA caused a significant elevation in stem cells. Moreover, the researches did not add extra oxygen into a breathing apparatus, so the results were purely based upon pressure-alone.
This landmark study clearly demonstrates that pressure-alone can be a contributing factor to some of the remarkable benefits that have been documented with hyperabric oxygen therapy. More importantly, it shows that these potentially-contributing benefits can be achieved at lower pressures and without the use of supplemental oxygen.
Overactive bladder (OAB) is a disease with symptoms such as feelings of urgency, nocturia, and frequent urination which is usually accompanied by urinary incontinence. This study showed promising benefits from the application of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Researchers concluded that HBOT may be a new treatment alternative to overactive bladder syndrome.
A landmark study published in “Aging” clearly demonstrates the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for skin health and structural integrity for older individuals.
More specifically, the application of a 3 month hyperbaric protocol showed “significant aging modulation effects by decreasing senescent cells, inducing angiogenesis and increasing elastic fiber length and stability and collagen density.”It should be noted that skin aging is largely influenced by a lack of circulation and higher cell senescence, both of which can be counteracted with a simple course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
The hyperbaric protocol comprised of 60 daily sessions, five sessions per week within a three-month period. Each session included breathing 100% oxygen by mask at 2ATA for 90 minutes with five-minute air breaks every 20 minutes. Researches used a combination of skin biopsies and other dermatological markers to document these results on a total of 13 elderly individuals (averaging 68 years of age).
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A total of 53 patients (42 with Alzheimers disease and 11 mild cognitive impairment) were treated with a 20 day course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Each hyperbaric session consisted of 3 sequential parts; first, 20 minutes of oxygen breathing, followed by 15 minutes of breathing air, and finally 20 minutes of breathing oxygen under pressure at 1.2 ATA.
Results — One course (20 sessions) of hyperbaric oxygen therapy significantly improved cognition in both Alzheimer patients and patient with Mild Cognitive impairment, with the latter having more long term benefits (> 1 month). These results are very promising for Alzheimer patients, and suggest that it is possible that multiple courses might be the solution for giving significantly longer benefits to AD patients. More research is still needed.
Management of chronic strokes remains a challenge within our current medical system, yet the intervention of hyperbaric oxygen therapy has consistently been shown to improve stroke recovery, even years after the brain insult.
This study followed 4 patients (from 14 months to 15 years post stroke) who were given a typical 8 week hyperbaric protocol consisting of 40 individual sessions (at an effective dosage of 1.8 ATA) and evaluated the outcome measures through functional MRI imaging (fMRI). Note, fMRI is a non invasive, robust and reliable technique to assess and monitor neuronal functional change. The results were very impressive and should give encouragement for this protocol to be more widely used within the stroke recovery community. Here is a summary of all 4 patients along with the details regarding their recovery:
60 year old male (14 month old stroke) with severe, non-fluent aphasia, associated with retained comprehension, dyslexia and dysgraphia, a right upper limb spastic paralysis and a right lower limb paresis, and post-stroke depression.
Results — Aphasia and the ability to speak improved noticeably, helping to regain some social life. Accordingly, the negative attitude was replaced by positivity, good mood and interest. Right lower limb paresis improved with better gait and stance. However, the right hand paralysis did not improve, except for a decrease in spasticity
68 year old male (5 year old stroke) with moderate signs of dysarthria (he sounded clumsy in reading aloud short passages), an unsteady, wide-base gait and dysphagia
Results — A marked clinical improvement in the language fluency, such that he was able to read aloud a written text, without a hitch. Ataxia and dysphagia improved as well
48 year old male (15 year old stroke) with recurrent seizures, mild signs of dysarthria, upper left limb paralysis, lower left limb paresis, lack of coordination in the right limbs, severe in the lower right extremity and to a lesser extent in the upper right extremity
Results — He dramatically improved his speech fluency. The left lower limb paresis improved together with an increase in walking autonomy, but he was still unable to flex and extend the left foot rhythmically. Also the right limbs coordination improved. On the contrary, the left upper limb paralysis did not change at all.
34 year old male (17 month old stroke) with global non fluent aphasia with some deficits in the reading comprehension, a complete spastic hemiplegia of the right upper limb with spastic hypertonia, a partial paresis of the right inferior limb (but he was able to walk with some walking aids) and right hemilateral hypoaesthesia
Results — Good improvement in the common everyday acts of his life, as speaking and understanding and also in walking, but not in his upper limb paralysis
Once again, it is important to keep in mind that fMRI imagining confirmed these benefits and can play a future role in determining hyperbaric-based protocols for chronic stroke sufferers.