More oxygen, under pressure.
That's the whole idea.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) means breathing 100% oxygen inside a pressurized chamber. The pressure is the key — it dissolves oxygen directly into your blood plasma, reaching tissue that ordinary breathing can't.
The science, simply
How pressure becomes healing
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Pressure dissolves oxygen
At sea level, your red blood cells are already ~97% full. Under 2× atmospheric pressure, oxygen dissolves into the plasma itself — up to 20× more than normal (Henry's law).
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Oxygen reaches starved tissue
Injured, swollen, or radiation-damaged tissue often has poor blood flow. Plasma-carried oxygen diffuses into these areas even where red blood cells can't easily go.
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Repair switches on
Over a course of sessions: new blood vessels grow (angiogenesis), stem cells mobilize, collagen builds, swelling drops, and infection-fighting capacity rises.
Inside a session
What it actually feels like
You recline in the chamber — most people watch a film, listen to music, or nap. As pressure rises over a few minutes, your ears feel like a plane descent; you'll learn to clear them easily. Then: nothing. You simply breathe for 60–90 minutes while the oxygen does the work, and the chamber gently returns to normal pressure at the end.
- Typical treatment pressure: 2.0–2.4 ATA
- Sessions: 60–90 minutes, usually daily on weekdays
- Course length: 10–60 sessions depending on the indication
- A trained technician monitors you the entire time
By the numbers
20×
more dissolved oxygen at treatment pressure
2.4 ATA
≈ 45 feet of seawater, without getting wet
14
FDA-recognized indications
~60 yrs
of modern clinical use since Boerema's work
Full citations live in our research library.
The honest part
What HBOT is — and isn't
Strongly supported
For the 14 FDA-recognized indications — hard-to-heal wounds, radiation injury, decompression sickness, serious infections, and more — HBOT is established, insurance-covered medicine with decades of evidence behind it.
Still being studied
For off-label uses — concussion recovery, long COVID, longevity — the research is promising but not settled. We grade the evidence A–D on every condition page and never bill hype as certainty.
Educational content, not medical advice. Whether HBOT is appropriate for you is a decision for you and a qualified physician.