Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT): General information and discussion of Home Units

I too paid more than what the Chateau crew paid, 7,130!
In my chat with Macy-Pan last sunday I said I was trying to decide between the Zoy-tech one and their 702.
They asked me what quote I got from Zoy.
I said I was involved in a forum where one guy got a 4200 USD quote. That another guy had bougth the 702 for 6200 € (confusing dollars and euros...) and that a third guy, more recently, had a quote from them at a higher price but managed to paid the previous price.

I didn't mentioned the air cooler but it is listed on the invoice.

I paid 6200 €.
 
As of this morning, I've had 7 sessions. Considering the fact that I have multiple issues, physically speaking, I don't think that anything is going to be resolved instantly.

My sinuses have cleared out. My lungs are clearing after the sickness we all had a couple months ago which just dragged on and on. I feel all kinds of twinges and tingles in various places like my toes, joints, internal organs, etc.

I am very tired alternating with feeling more energy. I think my body is working very, very hard now that it has some things to work with, and that is why I am tired. I think that it may take up to three weeks or so to really resolve anything that has been plaguing me for so long - or at least begin to resolve it.

I think that several of us here are really good test cases because of the range of issues suffered, mostly auto-immune type things. If this gadget can fix me up, it can probably fix anything. Time will tell.
 
I've had my 10th session today and it seems that the doctor at the clinic will allow me to get some more :clap:.

I've felt really tired throughout the week but started to feel with a bit more energy yesterday and today (after sessions 9th and 10th). I also suspect that the body is working hard to regenerate so that's why most people feel tired for a while with this therapy.

I had been with blocked sinuses and allergy symptoms before I started the therapy and that also cleared right away. And I don't have pain in the body at the moment.

There was a day when I had a bit of pain in one ear but that resolved quickly and I don't feel any discomfort when inside the chamber. I do have to constantly pop my ears when it is being pressurized, but if you manage to do that, all is fine :-).

I want to report about what I hear from the other patients who have been going in with me:

There's a elderly lady who has diabetes and is going because of diabetic foot. Apart from her wound improvement, she mentioned that her back is better and, impressively, her sight. She said that before she started she could only see our silhouettes and now, after only 10 sessions, she can see our faces! :wow:

There's another young woman that is going because she had a partial paralysis of the face and she mentioned improvement with that, but also, her varicose veins on the legs are getting better, she said. She mentioned that she even got surgery because of this issue and that she's impressed with how much it got better with only 10 sessions. She wants to get more sessions too, so I guess I'll hear more from her too.

All in all, it seems to work very well even with only 10 sessions, but it would be even better to do more.
 
I've had my 10th session today and it seems that the doctor at the clinic will allow me to get some more :clap:.

I've felt really tired throughout the week but started to feel with a bit more energy yesterday and today (after sessions 9th and 10th). I also suspect that the body is working hard to regenerate so that's why most people feel tired for a while with this therapy.

That was my thought too. Since I have so many things going on, I expect the body is working very hard right now and that takes a lot of energy.

I had been with blocked sinuses and allergy symptoms before I started the therapy and that also cleared right away. And I don't have pain in the body at the moment.

Same for me: sinuses cleared right away and lungs are clearing pretty dramatically.

There was a day when I had a bit of pain in one ear but that resolved quickly and I don't feel any discomfort when inside the chamber. I do have to constantly pop my ears when it is being pressurized, but if you manage to do that, all is fine :-).

Yes, I have to constantly blow on the way "down" but not so much on the way up.

I want to report about what I hear from the other patients who have been going in with me:

There's a elderly lady who has diabetes and is going because of diabetic foot. Apart from her wound improvement, she mentioned that her back is better and, impressively, her sight. She said that before she started she could only see our silhouettes and now, after only 10 sessions, she can see our faces! :wow:

I'm hoping that there are going to be beneficial effects on my eyes and ears.

There's another young woman that is going because she had a partial paralysis of the face and she mentioned improvement with that, but also, her varicose veins on the legs are getting better, she said. She mentioned that she even got surgery because of this issue and that she's impressed with how much it got better with only 10 sessions. She wants to get more sessions too, so I guess I'll hear more from her too.

Yes, I have varicose veins, very poor circulation in my extremities, and nerve pain in my left leg from low back injury. My left knee is also a bit fragile after the injuries there a few years ago. The outside of my left leg has been numb for years along with part of my left foot. That seems to be getting better already. I'm very hopeful that all of this will clear up along with the low back pain that has been constant for many years.


All in all, it seems to work very well even with only 10 sessions, but it would be even better to do more.

Yes indeed. I want to get in at least 60 sessions and see where I am at that point.

I'm taking today and tomorrow off and will resume on Monday. I'll be doing it every weekday and taking weekends off.
 
A note for those who are not able to do HBOT due to persistent inner ear problems (pain while the HBOT pressure is going up, despite precautions taken).

The outlet of the inner ear to the throat is called Eustachian tube, and it is a very thin outlet:

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If you have problems equalizing the pressure of the inner ear while doing HBOT, you can try autoinsufflation (exhaling through your nose while the nose is pinched). If the problem persists, then you have to find out why.

There are two main causes for Eustachian tube dysfunction:
1) "Obstructive dysfunction," when the valve fails to open.
2) Valve incompetency leading to a persistent opened state, which is termed "patulous dysfunction."

Eustachian tube dysfunction is a clinical diagnosis, mainly based on history and physical examination. Distinguishing the cause of the dysfunction is important because treatment is completely different depending on the cause. Obstructive dysfunction is characterized by hearing loss and tympanic membrane retraction or middle ear effusion. Patulous dysfunction is characterized by autophony (hearing one's own voice and breathing sounds), yet there is no complaint of hearing loss and the tympanic membrane appears normal.

There are many causes of obstructive dysfunction (including rhinosinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and tumors) that will respond to specific treatment. In the absence of an underlying mechanical cause of obstructive dysfunction, systemic decongestants such as pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine may be helpful for congestive symptoms (eg, ear fullness or pressure). Careful with nasal decongestants because it creates dependency and in the long run, it can make the problem worse.

If you have allergies, try anti-histaminics before going into the chamber, such as desloratadine, loratadine, cetirizine, ebastine or benadryl.

Treatment of patulous dysfunction includes hydration and medications to thicken either the mucus or the mucosa. Decongestants should be avoided because they are not effective and may worsen the problem.

In short, autoinsufflation should work after some training and trying. If not, a decongestant could be tried and an allergy pill. If the problem persists, more detective work should be done.
 
A note for those who are not able to do HBOT due to persistent inner ear problems (pain while the HBOT pressure is going up, despite precautions taken).

The outlet of the inner ear to the throat is called Eustachian tube, and it is a very thin outlet:

iu


If you have problems equalizing the pressure of the inner ear while doing HBOT, you can try autoinsufflation (exhaling through your nose while the nose is pinched). If the problem persists, then you have to find out why.

There are two main causes for Eustachian tube dysfunction:
1) "Obstructive dysfunction," when the valve fails to open.
2) Valve incompetency leading to a persistent opened state, which is termed "patulous dysfunction."

Eustachian tube dysfunction is a clinical diagnosis, mainly based on history and physical examination. Distinguishing the cause of the dysfunction is important because treatment is completely different depending on the cause. Obstructive dysfunction is characterized by hearing loss and tympanic membrane retraction or middle ear effusion. Patulous dysfunction is characterized by autophony (hearing one's own voice and breathing sounds), yet there is no complaint of hearing loss and the tympanic membrane appears normal.

There are many causes of obstructive dysfunction (including rhinosinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and tumors) that will respond to specific treatment. In the absence of an underlying mechanical cause of obstructive dysfunction, systemic decongestants such as pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine may be helpful for congestive symptoms (eg, ear fullness or pressure). Careful with nasal decongestants because it creates dependency and in the long run, it can make the problem worse.

If you have allergies, try anti-histaminics before going into the chamber, such as desloratadine, loratadine, cetirizine, ebastine or benadryl.

Treatment of patulous dysfunction includes hydration and medications to thicken either the mucus or the mucosa. Decongestants should be avoided because they are not effective and may worsen the problem.

In short, autoinsufflation should work after some training and trying. If not, a decongestant could be tried and an allergy pill. If the problem persists, more detective work should be done.
Perhaps I am going to comment on something obvious, however I will say it just in case.

When practicing scuba diving, they warn that if someone has an obstruction due to wax in the ear, they will not be able to compensate for the pressure and will not be able to dive.

It is necessary to have the ears free of wax.
 
So we finalized the setup and we were ready to do a first test. First, Gaby took my vitals: blood pressure and O2 saturation, everything was allright so she gave me the green light:

View attachment 58623

The A/C unit is in fact an air dehumidifier, so it is pretty warm in there, I should not have worn the green top. As you can see in the following picture (taken from one of the 3 windows) I'm pretty sweaty:

View attachment 58625

The good news is you can use a Kindle within the chamber, so the first session went pretty smoothly. After 1 hour I opened the pressure release valve and then unzipped the chamber and it was done! Overall I feel slightly more energetic, more relaxed. I also feel my brain is working a bit better (to be confirmed in the following session).

Now it is Laura's turn, she's in the chamber right now reading her Kindle (the reflection you are seeing in the right lens is the backlight emitted by the Kindle). She's perfectly fine. No claustrophobia. Although she didn't manage to fully balance the air pressure within the ears, she felt no pain:

View attachment 58626

Lookin' good, team!
 
Yes, I have to constantly blow on the way "down" but not so much on the way up

No one should try a valsalva maneuver, holding your nose and blowing, while ascending in a chamber or relieving the pressure. The worst injury you can get from hyperbaric treatment or diving is an AGE, or arterial gas embolism, which essentially is a bubble that will travel through an artery and lodge in your brain.

Just gently rock your jaw back and forth as you are relieving the pressure inside the chamber and this should allow your eustachian tubes to open and equalize the pressure. You can even do this anytime and you can hear a slight clicking inside your ears. The more you do this the easier it’ll get.

The valsalva maneuver is essentially pressurizing your ears, gently rocking your jaw does the opposite. Just think of the direction air is traveling during each maneuver and it’ll make sense.
 
No one should try a valsalva maneuver, holding your nose and blowing, while ascending in a chamber or relieving the pressure.

Well, at the clinic where I go they teach us to do the valsalva maneuver while going 'down', that means, at the beginning, when the chamber is being pressurized. At the end of the session, when it is being depressurized, they tell us it isn't necessary to do anything because the ears pop automatically, and I've found that to be the case. I've also read that they teach patients in other clinics the same.
 
Well, at the clinic where I go they teach us to do the valsalva maneuver while going 'down', that means, at the beginning, when the chamber is being pressurized. At the end of the session, when it is being depressurized, they tell us it isn't necessary to do anything because the ears pop automatically, and I've found that to be the case. I've also read that they teach patients in other clinics the same.
Yes, it’s common sense if you just think about pressure and the volume of air.

Universal Gas Law. PV = nRT. So from there you can hold certain factors constant and get to P1*V1 = P2*V2

But in other contexts, freedivers are in no danger of rupturing their lungs because they never breathe pressurized air, whereas a SCUBA diver could rupture his lungs if he holds his breath while ascending in the water column because the volume of the air can exceed his lung capacity.

If people are having difficulty clearing their sinuses and you have access to horseradish root, just chew a small piece for a few minutes. That’ll clear your sinuses no problems and the plant has health benefits too.
 
I was a diver in the Navy and we had to learn about oxygen toxicity. Essentially if you’re working hard oxygen becomes potentially toxic to the body at about 1.6 ATA at 100% O2.
There is a journal Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine where they explain:
Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine is published quarterly jointly by the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society (SPUMS) and the European Underwater and Baromedical Society (EUBS).

SPUMS is incorporated in Victoria, Australia, A0020660B and DHM is registered with the National Library of Australia, E-ISSN 2209-1491, ABN 29 299 823 713. EUBS is a United Kingdom Registered Charity No. 264970.
If one goes to this page, there are articles available for viewing and published between 1971 and early 2021.
In the journal example from 2018 which I looked at, there were a number of articles more specific to diving, and a few about hyperbaric medicine. From page 115 of volume 48 number 2: Evidence brief: hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for traumatic brain injury and/or post-traumatic stress disorder. It is not possible or at least I could not copy from the page, but the article I typed up is an example.
 
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