However, we were disappointed that no mention was made of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) as a therapeutic modality for addressing these issues. HBOT – the therapeutic use of oxygen at higher than atmospheric pressure – isn’t well known in the US, but is widely used worldwide to treat everything from Multiple Sclerosis to Autism to Bell’s Palsy to Stroke and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
HBOT is a potent anti-inflammatory, and a viable option for treating patients with Long Covid. Here at Hyperbaric Vermont, we’ve had a great deal of success helping Long Covid patients recover, and scientific studies from the UK and Israel support our experience.
We are dedicated to hope, healing, and recovery for all Vermonters, and it would be a shame if folks who are suffering remain in the dark about a simple, effective treatment which can help them regain their health.
What brought you here today? Is it the constant ups and downs of fighting Lyme disease? Has there been nothing short of, well nothing, to help you manage the Long COVID symptoms still affecting your body? Some might simply say, pain.
You’re probably a little confused about what Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) even is, and what it can do for you or someone close to you. That’s completely common. Before joining the team at Hyperbaric Vermont, I knew very little about the treatment myself.
However, from the moment I started learning about HBOT, I quickly saw something that’s easily changing, and in some cases, saving lives.
What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is, simply, the medical use of oxygen at higher than normal atmospheric pressure.
Increased pressure and oxygen levels have potent physical effects, and research demonstrates that hyperbaric oxygen therapy:
Increases stem cell proliferation and differentiation
Changes gene manifestation
How Does It Work?
Normally, when you breathe air, the oxygen is picked up in your lungs by your red blood cells and taken throughout your body through your network of arteries.
In a hyperbaric chamber, we gently increase the pressure and you breathe 95% pure oxygen.
The increased pressure in the chamber sends oxygen directly into all of your body’s fluids, tissues, joints, and organs. It’s much like using increased pressure to send carbon dioxide into water to make seltzer.
Basically, that increased pressure is sending oxygen to places where your vascular system doesn’t go.
HBOT has almost no negative side effects (other than possibly slight pressure in your ears) or contraindications. Basically, if you’re medically cleared to fly in a plane, you can do HBOT.
What is Hyperbaric Vermont?
Our organization is a small non-profit with a mission to deliver affordable Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Vermont to patients seeking support for medical issues such as:
Lyme
Long COVID
Non-healing wounds
Neuropathy
Concussions
Parkinson’s and ALS
HBOT is used widely around the world, but in the U.S., the FDA has only approved this treatment for 14 conditions. This means that a good portion of the patients who benefit from HBOT in Vermont have “off-label” conditions which aren’t covered by insurance.
Out Of Pocket Doesn’t Mean Out Of Reach
The average cost of HBOT treatments in Vermont is $400 per session. Since most patients see results at 20 to 40 sessions, HBOT can be costly or prohibitively expensive.
I’ve learned a lot about our founder, Dr. Grace Johnstone, who turned to hyperbaric medicine after being completely incapacitated for a year due to Lyme disease and meningitis. Through intensive HBOT she was able to return to the active lifestyle she loves, and she became determined to bring hope to others by sharing this powerful healing modality with those in need.
Her story could, in many ways, be your story, and Hyperbaric Vermont could be a significant step on your path to a healthier, happier life.
If there’s a topic you’d like to see covered in the future, or you’re curious about what HBOT can do for you, let us know by reaching out online or calling our office at (802) 662-5993.
Did you know that ADHD is caused by various neurological imbalances in the brain? If there is a lack of oxygen to the brain, certain chemicals can under or overproduce, affecting overall function.
The second awareness for this month is Breast Cancer. In this newsletter, we have linked two studies showing how HBOT helps support cancer treatment.
September is Healthy Aging Month and reminds us all that having our health is having everything! Keeping ourselves physically fit and eating properly helps to keep disease at bay. When we have poor health habits, we are much more prone to disease and those habits create a greater risk for sickness as we age.
Watch Dr. Janet Cellar, DNP from Emory Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center explains what you can do to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
World Alzheimer’s awareness and Healthy Aging awareness. Both of these diseases are connected. Healthy aging may prevent a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Learn how the effects of living a healthy lifestyle has on aging without disease.
While viewing our September newsletter you will see many studies on how HBOT affects Alzheimer’s disease, and it’s positive effects! Be sure to take a look at all of the links. Lots of great information.
May is Stroke and Lyme Awareness Month! Learn how HBOT treats both Stroke and Lyme Disease! View research studies and results showing how HBOT improves the healing of the brain in Stroke Patients.
Also, read Lindsey’s journey through being diagnosed with Lyme and how she healed herself.
HBOT helps patients with severe depression! Studies suggest that mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy significantly improved anxiety, depression and sleeping quality, increasing the duration from 2 to 3 hours of sleep prior to admission to about 5 hours a night. Sleep deprivation can affect the magnitude of a Parkinson’s patients depression. Learn more about Parkinson’s and how HBOT helps reduce the affects of this debilitating disease.
