Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
The healing nap. HBOT is one of the top, if not the most, potent and deeply regenerative modalities available to humans at this point in time. A painless and technically simple experience, its mechanism is to reset the body at the cellular level allowing imbalances such as brain inflammation, toxicity, chronic illnesses, and autoimmunity to dynamically improve, if not resolve.
My Personal Experience
My own health journey has been life-long, but the last 3 years have seen the most profound recovery and change. I owe a good portion of my upgraded health to HBOT.
I believe we all have one symptom that has our greatest attention. It’s usually something that activates our insecurities or fears and is what tends to keep us seeking and pursuing support and healing. I call this your north star. For me, my north star was my hormonal health until 2018 when a small spot began to develop under my left eye. Over the next 7 years this spot slowly grew and then eventually progressed so much that it became a point of great concern. By 2022, I had tried numerous topical solutions, considered all the emotional elements, started dramatically clearing mold toxicity, worked with a holistic dermatologist, spoke to natural skin experts, and even went to an angel healer. Nothing seemed to stop the growth and no one seemed to be able to identify it. The theories were all over the place, but I started really connecting it to mold exposure and emotional pain. I had heard of HBOT, but it didn’t become a solution in my mind until my dermatologist mentioned it as a possible support. The more I looked into it, the more I knew my entire body needed this therapy. I have now completed 3 rounds, all different, and have seen dramatic shifts from each.
I love using my body to experiment and research healing modalities before recommending them. I’ve been directing clients to HBOT since 2023, offering my recommendations to get the best results and, more importantly, to reduce Herxheimer reactions in sensitive bodies like mine that are navigating multiple layers of chronic illness. HBOT can transform you, but if not done with awareness it can also create flares that prevent you from continuing its use. This is my magic – guiding sensitive, weary, overburdened bodies through potent healing tools, so they can see deep change without suffering further!
The Science
HBOT has been around since the 1660s, but became more well-known as a recovery treatment in the 1950’s. It has numerous clinical trials and papers to back up its effectiveness and is considered soundly safety.
Let’s talk about how it works. Simply put, you climb into a spacious container that feels like a submarine and rest for 60-120 minutes while breathing pure oxygen. The atmospheric pressure is slowly increased while you’re in the chamber to improve your ability to absorb and carry the oxygen throughout your body. The beginning and ending of the session feels like flight take-off and landing, where you may have the desire to pop your ears and yawn. Oxygen is what the body uses to activate, heal and regenerate. You normally intake around 20-21% oxygen from your daily inhales and exhales, so this therapy empowers your body with the juice to hyper-speed healing processes. When used correctly, this can save you time, money and years of pain!
The Body Impact
HBOT is a systemic therapy, meaning that it doesn’t focus on one area, it has an overall effect. Oxygen is a key component to every cellular function, in every organ throughout your body. By maximizing its presence at the cellular level, we are touching everything.
Your body is brilliant and has a to do list of all the work it needs to address, manage, and also delay, to keep you alive. By giving it a tool like HBOT you are offering it the chance to check some very vital items off its list. The downstream effect is that anything that was backburnered now comes forward and you can start to heal at levels you would not have reached for many years without HBOT.
An important reminder, if your to do list is short then you will see amazing results very quickly. If your to do list is long, you will see recovery in the areas your body prioritizes (which may not be your desired areas, but remember the body knows best) and if you continue you’ll see the relief of the rest of the list over a longer period of time, but again still at a much faster and more efficient rate than without HBOT.
I personally experienced:
massive positive shifts in my gut microbiome
greatly improved brain clarity and recall
increased stability in my nervous system
a more resilient immune system
activation of my ovaries & improvement of my menstrual cycle
elevated hormone production & libido
clearance of mycotoxins
weight loss back to my authentic levels
reduced swelling
strong increase in energy
The Emotional Impact
This was an unexpected result. The first time I did HBOT, I noticed a welling in my chest and eventually I found myself crying in my sessions. By my second round, I was expecting the emotional release and opened up to it even more. I observed a sense of freedom and deep grief identification, not only during the session but afterward and between sessions. It was never overwhelming. It was freeing. By my third round I was leaving my sessions full of energy and joy!
I connect this to the Traditional Chinese Medicine understanding of organ function and Dr. Emoto’s theory of emotional impact and storage in water. The lungs absorb potent pure oxygen, which will activate the lung tissue and cells and ignite a release of any stored emotion. Water holds emotion and the lungs are made up of water-rich cells and water-composed interstitial space. The lungs are connected to the emotion of grief in TCM, so when we infuse the lungs with oxygen under pressure, it’s no surprise that with the activation comes the release of water from these cells and tissues, carrying with it the emotion of grief. Additional emotions may be released as other organs, such as your brain, where trauma lives in your amygdala, are also infused with healing oxygen. I believe it’s very important that you are prepared for this possibility and enter the HBOT round with a team to turn to if you need emotional support or nervous system regulation.
After doing multiple rounds and clearing many layers of stored grief and providing space for my body to rebound, I began experiencing a pulse of energy through my body. This energy uplifted my spirit and gave a lightness and joy that I had not felt in many years. I believe this is a strong part of why HBOT gives full body resets, because it addresses both biological and emotional build-up.
HBOT for Everyone
I am obviously a strong proponent for this modality and in my dream world everyone has a chamber in their home. That being said, it is currently a more exclusive investment, but I see it as beyond worth it in the long-term. If you have the means or the insurance coverage, do it. I am not a licensed doctor, so these are simply my recommendations based on clinical research, personal and client experiences, and intuitive pattern recognition. Confirm with your preferred doctor as needed.
Here are symptoms or body states for which I would highly recommend HBOT:
Mold, Lead, Asbestos, Glyphosate & Other Pesticide Toxicity
Radiation Sensitivity & Recovery
Chronic Viruses
Lyme & Co-Infections
Mast Cell Activation
Cancer, especially skin
Autoimmune Activity
Allergies
Stubborn Dysbiosis – multiple pathogens in the gut
Brain Fog
Lack of Focus
Memory Struggles
Mood Imbalances
Poor Circulation
Slow Healing
Surgery Recovery
Skin Regeneration
Hormonal Imbalances
PMDD
Infertility
Pre-Mature Aging
PTSD
How to Incorporate for a Sensitive or Chronically Ill Body
It’s important to understand the state of your body before jumping into a chamber. This is why I do not have my clients start with this therapy till I have them in a certain place of stability. This looks different for everyone, but you should feel very prepared and supported to handle whatever response your body, mind or heart has to HBOT.
Begin slowly. I do not recommend the standard protocol you’ll hear from most experts around HBOT. Frequent and longer is not necessarily better when you are dealing with a sensitive body and many layers of imbalance. I often start my clients off on 1x a week for 60 minutes max and we observe how their body processes it over the next 7 days. At times, we slow down even further if their body is clearing rapidly.
I always include specific supplements to support the increased antioxidant need and according to their lab work, astrological chart, and lifestyle we step in with heavy weights, like glandulars or hormone therapy, where needed. Again, I cannot say this enough. My approach is so individual.
Once your body is thriving, gently increasing the frequency up to 5x a week and the length to 1.5-2 hours a session is possible. It may not happen right away though.
Most rounds are 10-30 HBOT sessions and depending on your starting point you can expect to see profound results after 1-3 rounds.
There are ways to enhance and play with the results by pairing HBOT with other modalities like light and heat therapy. I’ll share more about what I’ve done personally as an example below.
Starting HBOT
Choosing your HBOT Style
You can enjoy HBOT a few different ways. It is available in medical facilities, bio-hacking optimizing centers, as a home-delivered rental or a permanent home-installed unit. I recommend trying out at least one session at a highly-trained facility prior to renting or purchasing a unit.
If you are like me and can feel a little claustrophobic I highly recommend starting out by going to a facility with well-trained technicians that can guide you through it with care. Choose a chamber that feels spacious and open, not a tight capsule. You should feel calm and safe and be able to see out and communicate easily with your technician.
The chamber itself can be either soft or hard. The hard chambers are able to rise to a higher atmospheric pressure (meaning more oxygen into your cells per minute), so they are typically the go-to for chronic illness and deeper recovery. Soft chambers tend to be used for gentler imbalances and recovery, anti-aging, and health optimization. Both are effective, it just comes down to how intensely and quickly you want to recover, your schedule/location flexibility and your budget.
For potential coverage, speak to your insurance company and see what recommendation you will need from your doctor. A smaller round of HBOT is often covered following any kind of surgery.
My Favorite HBOT Resources
HBOT Facility (Los Angeles): Oxynergy2
HBOT Center (San Diego): Rejuv
HBOT Rental: OxyHealth
HBOT Home Unit: OneBase
Stacking HBOT With Other Therapies
I love HBOT on its own, but you’ll see even greater results when you pair it with heat therapy, light therapy, and specific antioxidants and binders to match what you’re addressing in your body.
Herxheimer Reactions
The best way to prevent a healing reaction is to know and respect your body’s limits and to be able to interpret what it’s asking for at each point of the HBOT round.
If you experience extreme exhaustion, hives/rashes, skin eruptions, swelling, brain fog, migraines, sleep disturbances, anxiety, GI or menstrual pain, please slow down or pause completely. This is a sign your body is not properly supported or your detox pathways are not open. HBOT can work for you, but you will need to be fully resourced in order to stabilize and make space for the level of clearance that your body is attempting.
If you have fear around this, I understand. I’ve been there and have avoided many therapies in the past because of my fear of feeling worse. Come see me and we’ll walk you through it safely. My Concierge Reset is structured to navigate these exact situations for you. You never have to walk this alone. Please get the support you need. HBOT will change your body and give you a surge of hope alongside it.
Reminder: I am not a licensed medical physician. All the above is stated with the understanding that you will review with your doctor of choice prior to taking any action.