Technique
Hyperbaric Oxygen
Experience the Benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is one of the quietest tools we use. You lie down, you breathe, and for an hour the physics does the work. We offer mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy at our Ashland clinic, most often for patients working through post-concussion symptoms, chronic infection, poor circulation, slow-healing wounds, and the flattened energy that follows a long illness. Patients come to us from Ashland, Medford, Talent, Phoenix and across Jackson County; Medford is about a twenty-minute drive down I-5.
How it works
Ordinarily, almost all the oxygen you carry is bound to hemoglobin in your red blood cells, and hemoglobin is close to fully loaded already. Breathing harder does not add much. Pressure changes that. Under increased atmospheric pressure, oxygen dissolves directly into the plasma, the fluid part of your blood, rather than riding on red cells. Plasma reaches places red cells sometimes struggle to: inflamed tissue, poorly perfused areas, spaces where circulation has been compromised. That is the whole mechanism. Not stimulation, not energy. Solubility.
Our chamber
Our chamber operates at 1.4 ATA, delivering eight liters per minute of oxygen across a session of about one hour. This is what is properly called mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
The chamber is spacious, and most patients read, listen to something, or sleep.
What we use it for
Post-concussion and traumatic brain injury recovery. Chronic and persistent infection, including Lyme and coinfections. Poor circulation and slow-healing wounds. Post-viral and Long COVID recovery. Fatigue and low cellular energy. Supportive care alongside conventional treatment. Recovery from injury, surgery and athletic load.
Hyperbaric is rarely the whole plan. It works best alongside the other work: drainage, terrain, nutrient status, and addressing whatever underlying burden is keeping the body from repairing itself.
What a session is like
You will be shown into the chamber and made comfortable. Pressure rises gradually over several minutes. You will feel it in your ears much as you would on a descending flight, and you clear them the same way, by swallowing or yawning.
Then you rest for about an hour while the chamber holds pressure. Bring something to read or listen to. At the end, pressure returns to normal over several minutes. Most people feel a little sleepy afterwards. Some feel noticeably clearer. Neither is a problem.
What a course looks like
We usually start with a small number of sessions to see how you respond, because response varies a great deal between people. If it suits you, hyperbaric works cumulatively rather than dramatically: the benefit builds across a series rather than arriving in one session.
We will agree on a realistic number of sessions with you rather than selling a package before we know how you do. Many patients use it in blocks, a concentrated series during a difficult stretch, then a pause.
Who it is not for
We ask about all of this before your first session, and we would rather turn someone away than proceed where it is not appropriate.
Hyperbaric therapy is not suitable if you have an untreated collapsed lung. It needs careful discussion if you have a history of seizures, significant lung disease, recent ear or sinus surgery, an inability to clear your ears, uncontrolled fever, or if you are pregnant. Certain chemotherapy agents interact with hyperbaric therapy, so tell us everything you are taking. If you are strongly claustrophobic, tell us. It is a comfortable chamber, but an hour is an hour.
Common questions
Does it hurt? No. The only sensation is ear pressure during the ascent and descent, like a flight.
How long is a session? About an hour inside the chamber, plus a few minutes either side for pressurizing.
How many will I need? We start with a few to see how you respond, then agree on a course. Hyperbaric builds cumulatively.
Is it covered by insurance? Generally not for the uses above. We will be straightforward about cost before you commit.
How do I start? Complete a new patient questionnaire below, or tell your ANM provider you are interested.
Reviewed by Dr. Chris Chlebowski, ND.
