How HBOT Works
How does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Work?
Under normal circumstances... the amount of oxygen that can be delivered to your cells is limited by the carrying capacity of your red blood cells. When you put a pulse oximeter on your finger it will likely read 97-98%. That means that your red blood cells can only carry 3-4% more oxygen. Thus, you are using close to your maximum oxygen capacity with each breath just to survive. Just breathing more oxygen is not going to provide much of a surplus for your cells to thrive.
Oxygen is driven from the air we breathe into our lungs and then our blood based on pressure gradients created by our atmosphere. When you increase the pressure gradient more than our atmosphere you bypass the red blood cell carrying capacity of oxygen. The oxygen molecules are dissolved and supersaturate the liquids of the body. The plasma of the blood becomes an almost unlimited reservoir for oxygen. As the blood and other fluids move throughout the body this surplus of oxygen is distributed to your cells increasing their robust functionality and allowing them to thrive.
Oxygen and Energy
Oxygen is essential for energy production. The mitochondria within your cells provide the energy needed for cellular function. Without oxygen the mitochondria cannot provide the energy that cells require for optimal performance.
When you increase the amount of oxygen provided to the mitochondria more energy is provided to the cell. With the increase in energy the cell is better equipped to execute its function. So, the liver cells can better detoxify, the muscle cells become less fatigable, the nerve cells can better conduct signals, the immune cells can better fight infection, repair cells can repair faster, so and so on.
Oxygen and Cellular Recovery
When an injury occurs, there is a disruption of the capillary bed and the inflammation compressing the cells. The disruption in blood flow leads to a lack of oxygen in the area. The cells in and around the injury can go dormant. This is possibly a protective mechanism to prevent cell death. For example, imaging for brain injuries before and after Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has shown an increase in metabolic activity in the area of injuries. Demonstrating that HBOT can in a sense “wake up” these dormant cells.
It is akin to a drought. With no rain for a period of time the grass begins to turn yellow and seemingly die. “My lawn is dead.” If you have one you may have said this. But what happens when it rains. Some of that water is absorbed and the dormant grass begins to come back. And each additional stimulus, rain in this case, more is absorbed. And eventually that seemingly dead lawn is thriving again.
Wellness tailored to you.
At Bucks County Hyperbarics, we tailor each protocol to your individual needs. Our approach combines thoughtful assessment with therapies grounded in clinical research.
From Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to other advanced modalities, every service we offer is chosen with purpose—designed to support your health goals through science-based care.
10 Primary Benefits of HBOT
Anti-microbial/microbiome balancing (reduction in anaerobic pathogens and increase in aerobic probiotics)
Anti-inflammatory (reduction of inflammatory cytokines, increase in anti-inflammatory cytokines)
Mitochondrial healing (increase in size, shape and number of mitochondria)
Vasoconstriction (decrease edema and swelling from damaged tissues)
Stem cell release (up to 8-fold increase in mesenchymal and CNS stem cells)
Increased oxygen perfusion- (Immediate increase in free floating oxygen available for tissue use)
Neovascularization- Angiogenesis (new blood vessel growth)
Increased white blood cell function (improved neutrophil and macrophage activity)
Nerve healing factors (increases in VegF, BDNF, HIF1)
Wound healing Increased capacity for healing (PDGF, VegF, collagen production circulatory healing)
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Hyperbarics & Athletics
Performance is the result of proper training and recovery. As athletes, we often focus on the catabolic portion of the equation; the training, the frequency, the duration, how hard or fast, etc. Often neglected, is the anabolic portion of the equation- your recovery and giving your body the time it needs to repair and build up after the catabolic stimulus. Through its mechanisms of action, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can help to speed up the recovery phase, and balance the equation of achieving optimal performance.
The most you will feel is the equalization of your ears when pressurizing and depressurizing. Once at pressure you really don’t notice any difference. For most, it is a relaxing time to disconnect from the world. Some meditate and connect with themselves. Others take a nap.
No. Once you begin HBOT most of the mechanisms begin to work. The cascade of healing begins. Some mechanisms take less stimulus and time to be realized while others take more time and sessions to be realized. But a lot of the mechanisms will continue to build for up to 4-6 weeks after your protocol ends.
It’s like standing on top of a snow-covered mountain and you push down the mountain multiple snowballs of different sizes. Some will getting rolling sooner and faster with only a few pushes. Others will roll slower and take longer to get up to speed requiring more pushes. But once either gets going they will build momentum and continue to roll without requiring any stimulus.
It depends on what you are optimizing for at this point in life. On what you are dealing with and what your goals are. If your reason for using it has a beginning and end. Your protocol probably has a beginning and end. If the reason you are using it is ongoing then your protocol will be ongoing, but typically at a lower frequency.
If you are getting over a specific injury, once you are done your protocol and the body has healed the tissue, you’re done.
If you are dealing with, say a neurodegenerative or auto immune issue, these are degenerative and/or chronic in nature. Often with these types of issues you will require an initial protocol to maximize your bodies achievement and then some level of maintenance. But again this depends on your goals.
If you are doing it for performance/recovery. HBOT will be worked into you training schedule specifically to help boost performance and/or assist in recovery as training load increases.
It depends on what you’re dealing with, how long it has been a problem and what you want to achieve i.e., your goals. Then, it’s which of the hyperbaric mechanism(s) do you need to achieve your goals in what time frame. We offer what are called 60-minute and 90-minute sessions to help individuals achieve their specific goals.
It depends. When you dive into the hyperbaric research most protocols coming for the research are based on 40 sessions. 5 times a week for 8 weeks. Why 5? This is often because research facilities are open 5 days a week. Newer research shows certain benefits that they looked at can be obtained at 3 times per week.
Ultimately, depends on what you’re dealing with, how long it has been a problem and what you want to achieve, your goals. Then it’s which of the hyperbaric mechanism do you need to achieve your goals in what time frame.