By Miranda Orso, Communications Associate
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:
- Kills parasites, bacteria, and other microbes
- Decreases inflammation
- Normalizes immune function, addressing auto-immune disorders
- Speeds tissue healing
- Increases neuroplasticity
- Heals radiation-damaged tissue
- 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.
Hyperbaric Vermont is committed to keeping fees as low as possible, Our fees are less than what it costs to provide treatment, and we actively fundraise to help make up the difference. The team holds regular trainings for other healthcare providers interested in offering affordable HBOT as part of their services, and has a network of affiliates around the region to maximize geographic accessibility.
A Saving For Grace
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.
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