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

[seek10]

Agreed- 180 minutes is too much 5 days a week. 90 is okay especially if the time is spent wisely - reading or guided meditation.

I did few 120 min sessions ( 100 minutes at 1.5 ATA) and found it to be too tiring. Now a days, I limit my self to 60 min ( 40 min 1.5 ATA) or 90 min ( 70 min at 1.5 ATA).

I was somewhat flabbergasted seeing people in the spa going into seating chamber with their lap tops and mobile phones and doing work related stuff in there.

I think there will still be benefits with the time frame you suggest and perhaps follow intuition when determining what is the best time frame for your individual constitution. I intend to do dowsing session to determine this.

I limit myself to listening to body, It's not a science.

My main concern is that i am severely myopic and wouldn’t really like to push my prescription even more into minus.
Are there any myopic people here who did over 90h in the chamber?

I am myopic. I spend lot of time in front of computer and wondered whether my prescription might have changed to the worse. But, My prescription is same as before ( 2 yrs back) as per last week's doctor visit and she thinks my eyes are in good condition for my age.

 

[Laura]

That's what I thought too - but wrong perception on my part. I was perceiving my exhale as partially filling the bag. I just did a session and tested by emptying the bag on inhale, then exhaling rapidly (and hard) - the bag had no response to that exhale burst. But a slow exhale looks just like your breath is filling the bag.

Yeah. True. I also tried inhaling and then holding my breath and while doing so, the bag filled, so I know it wasn't me breathing back into it.

I also noticed that the bag appears to be about 1 liter in size. When it is packed full, at the beginning, before pressurization is complete, I only take in about 60 to 75% of the content. After full pressurization, it does not fill as fast, and I seem to take ALL the oxygen in the bag (that is not so full) with every breath. So, I figure I must be breathing in about .75 liters with each breath and I breathe about 8 to 10 times per minute, or even less if I am still and relaxed. That means that a flow of 10L per minute is more than sufficient for the average person. (I'm assuming that my breathing volume is average.) Some of y'all might want to check this out.

 

[Pierre]

That means that a flow of 10L per minute is more than sufficient for the average person.

Let's not forget that the O2 flow drops to 6l/min under 1.5 ATA. If the bag deflates even just a little bit during inhalation it means that O2 flow provided by the O2 concentrator is not sufficient.

 

[Z...]

I am myopic. I spend lot of time in front of computer and wondered whether my prescription might have changed to the worse. But, My prescription is same as before ( 2 yrs back) as per last week's doctor visit and she thinks my eyes are in good condition for my age.

Good to know. I think this is more of a concern at more serious pressure like 2 ATA and above.
But i will try to find more info.

In any case I managed to knock down the price with macypan by 300 dollars. First they gave me bait discount if i order by the end of the month but i assumed they could go down a bit more and I was right.
I hate haggling but this is quite an investment.

 

[LQB]

I also noticed that the bag appears to be about 1 liter in size. When it is packed full, at the beginning, before pressurization is complete, I only take in about 60 to 75% of the content. After full pressurization, it does not fill as fast, and I seem to take ALL the oxygen in the bag (that is not so full) with every breath. So, I figure I must be breathing in about .75 liters with each breath and I breath about 8 to 10 times per minute, or even less if I am still and relaxed. That means that a flow of 10L per minute is more than sufficient for the average person. (I'm assuming that my breathing volume is average.) Some of y'all might want to check this out.

Like Pierre said under pressure the flow rate is reduced to 6 L/min. If I take a deep breath, then slowly exhale, by the time I'm ready to inhale again, the bag has filled and O2 begins pushing through the valve. The initial deep breath nearly empties the bag, but the O2 rate is just fine for me too. When breathing regularly, the bag partially deflates/inflates but plenty of O2 is delivered to keep up. So I think 10 L/min ambient is just fine for me. A very large person with big lung capacity might find the rate to be marginal.

 

[Goemon_]

25 minutes oxygen to 5 minutes air, repeated once, is what I've been doing almost since the beginning and it seems to work well for me...

Today was my 77th dive (each dive for 1 hour at 1.5 ATA).
35th firsts sessions: mask on for the entire session.
Following sessions: mask on for 30 min / 5 min off / 25 min on.

I have oredered a non-rebreather mask. When I will receive it I think I will go for 24 minutes mask on and 6 minutes mask off, twice per session. That way it steal perfectly fit in a 1 hour session and the 4 to 1 ratio is respected !

 

[Thor]

Let's not forget that the O2 flow drops to 6l/min under 1.5 ATA. If the bag deflates even just a little bit during inhalation it means that O2 flow provided by the O2 concentrator is not sufficient.

You are right that if the bag deflates it means that the rate of in-breath is higher than the flow rate. I think that is the whole point of the bag is to ensure that you get as much oxygen as possible. As long as you don't empty the reservoir bag and the bag refills before your next in-breath you should be fine as I understand it.

 

[benkostka]

One of the things I’ve noticed from this thread is that most people talking about the HBOT therapy are using linear thinking, which essentially can’t be used when it comes to biological processes so the focus tends to be on maximizing say the oxygen that’s breathed under pressure versus how the extra oxygen interacts in the body. Maybe it’s easier to think in defining parameters for oxygen, for instance below 16% at 1 ATA you will die. Above 40% at one ATA for 24 hours and you’ll get pulmonary oxygen toxicity. Above 1.6 ATA at 100% you risk having a seizure ect…. So now we know the parameters where we can safely breathe this oxygen without serious risk. (There are probably more)

Next we want to understand the mechanisms of how that extra oxygen is put to use which perhaps it’s better to then think in terms of energy. Considering the body as a complex system that automatically prioritizes where to apply that energy you can say some people detox, some rebuild tissues, some repair DNA. In essence everyone will get the response that their specific body needs. Then you can look at other things that will synergistically work with that extra oxygen energy, perhaps iodine, or extra vitamin C and eating grass fed meat…. Or homeopathic remedies.

But to summarize getting away from the linear approach of allopathic medicine and taking a more nonlinear approach to the study of HBOT will yield more results. You’re looking to bring about change in a system(your body) and you can study and find the parameters where that system was optimized to function.

There’s a book called Complimentary in Biology by James Isaacs where the ideas are fleshed out more.

 

[Vinícius]

can someone confirm that these common manometer gauges need to be vented to "armosphere"? i need sth to measure pressure inside the chamber as i don't trust the people running it(could be a kantekkian trying to blow my head who knows)

 

[Vinícius]

@benkostka you said you're a diver do you know if depth gauges for diving would work, i.e do they measure gases??

 

[Z...]

I disregarded old studies and most recent one does confirm myopic shift but this seems negligible comparing to all benefits of HBOT

Myopic shift and lens turbidity following hyperbaric oxygen therapy - a prospective, longitudinal, observational cohort study - PubMed

The transient myopic shift may have been due to lenticular refractive index changes. Reduced lens transparency is a potential consequence of HBOT.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

But then there is evidence HBOT is beneficial for macular degeneration

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Improves Eyesight for Individuals with Macular Degeneration - The Oxford Center

Patients with Macular Degeneration (MD or AMD) have been told there is nothing that can be done to improve your eyesight. Patients that come to Oxford disagree. Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a medical condition which may result in blurred or no...

oxfordrecoverycenter.com

 

[benkostka]

@benkostka you said you're a diver do you know if depth gauges for diving would work, i.e do they measure gases??

It’s just pressure laws. Very easy concepts to understand. Gauges depend on what you’re attempting to measure.

Gas Laws – The Physics Hypertextbook

The pressure, volume, and temperature of most gases can be described with simple mathematical relationships that are summarized in one ideal gas law.

physics.info

 

[Vinícius]

It’s just pressure laws. Very easy concepts to understand. Gauges depend on what you’re attempting to measure.

Gas Laws – The Physics Hypertextbook

The pressure, volume, and temperature of most gases can be described with simple mathematical relationships that are summarized in one ideal gas law.

physics.info

i mean some manometers measure liquids only...and I'm looking at diving depth gauges

 

[Vinícius]

I disregarded old studies and most recent one does confirm myopic shift but this seems negligible comparing to all benefits of HBOT

Myopic shift and lens turbidity following hyperbaric oxygen therapy - a prospective, longitudinal, observational cohort study - PubMed

The transient myopic shift may have been due to lenticular refractive index changes. Reduced lens transparency is a potential consequence of HBOT.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

But then there is evidence HBOT is beneficial for macular degeneration

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Improves Eyesight for Individuals with Macular Degeneration - The Oxford Center

Patients with Macular Degeneration (MD or AMD) have been told there is nothing that can be done to improve your eyesight. Patients that come to Oxford disagree. Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a medical condition which may result in blurred or no...

oxfordrecoverycenter.com

first paper's full text hints at GSH depletion being a possible cause of it, nother reason for taking glutathione/NAC and vitamin C?

i do take a mix of glutathione/VitC/succinic acid
though i'm wary of taking them before the sessions because antioxidants known tendency to mess with positive stress response


Thanks for sharing.

 

[Z...]

though i'm wary of taking them before the sessions because antioxidants known tendency to mess with positive stress response


Thanks for sharing.

I take liposomal C /ALA combo first thing in the morning then NAC after breakfast and intending to do dives in the evening - i think it will still be effective. I think antioxidants late in the day may affect the sleep.

Myopia is not big concern as it seem transitory and mild however lens opacity i.e cataract may be of concern but most of these studies agree its rare and only one mentioned the pressure level - it was 3 ATA.