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

[Gaby]

I can't describe to you what a blessing it is to just move my own body around instead of just lying in bed 24/7, even though it hurts like hell and is the hardest workout I've ever done. First time in 8 years that I'm improving.

That is great to hear, we know how hard it has been for you. I'm glad you're finally having a breakthrough.

 

[worldbridger]

That is great to hear, we know how hard it has been for you. I'm glad you're finally having a breakthrough.

Yes, thank you Gaby.

 

[manitoban]

Wow, Worldbridger this is fantastic news! Very happy to hear that you have had such a great improvement.

 

[Zar]

Ok, done 107 sessions. My plan was to do the 5/2 protocol due to my health problems, go slow and let the body adjust. But since I only got exhausted the first day, and the following days I got instead energised, I continued doing it every day and thought when I feel it is too much I will take a break. Also, since I've been bedridden for 2 years the bodys need for circulation and oxygen is really high.

In the beginning when we placed the order for the HBOT we didn't really know if I was able to get in and out of the chamber. I did. :)

In general my energy level is much better, I recover from pain/inflammation much faster. Skin is starting to shine actually in certain areas, my hair is getting even more thick. Had to change schampoo and start using a brush! First time ever in my life...

I can now go to the bathroom like a normal person for the first time in 2 years, that is a privilege! Also, I can now take regular showers and do 90% of the things myself, which is also a privilege.

I now know how my apartment looks like since moving in 18 months ago, I can walk to the kitchen get myself some tea/supplements or something to eat. I can get out on the balcony and smell the air and see the trees and see where I actually. I also started to practise walking stairs in the stairwell.

I make improvements everyday, small but I notice them.

I can't describe to you what a blessing it is to just move my own body around instead of just lying in bed 24/7, even though it hurts like hell and is the hardest workout I've ever done. First time in 8 years that I'm improving.

After the first 25 sessions I got brutal headache/brain fog/vertigo. I paused a few days and I did everything I know to reduce it, I helped some but I missed the energy from the Bot. After 4 days I thought that maybe this one of these "push through" moments, so I continued. During 4-5 weeks it slowly disappeared, and is now completely gone. Maybe this was from being up much more, using muscles that been dormant, can't tell.

After around 50 sessions I tried doing doing 2 sessions a day a couple of times, since I always feel better after a session. After one week I decided to continue, and I have since then.

After 80 sessions my pancreas/liver/gallbladder started to hurt a lot. I had some really serious pain after quitting painkillers and prednisone a year ago and it slowly got better after 6 months, and now it has kind of come back.

I remembered Chu had some pancreas problems so I plan to "iodine nuke" it for a week, I've already taken herbs and homeopathic remedies for more than 6 months and it doesn't seem to work, and I'm slowly starting to realise that this is my oldest problem, since birth probably. I'm loading up on Lugol's for 2 weeks until I reach around 100 mg/day. I've done the protocol before and had no problems reaching 150 mg…then. Now I'm up to 70 mg and my face reacted, can't explain how they look like, but they showed up 6-7 months ago with burning skin sensation/niacin flush like all over my body, histamine reaction maybe. Always on the the same places, knuckles, finger joints, elbows, face, knees, chest. I can't find any logical pattern really. Never had that in my whole life.

Besides the Bot, I'm doing a Keto diet adjusted to my problems, I'm also doing Buhners Lyme protocol, and taking supplements.

I feel it is not that interesting anymore to count sessions but improvements. I'm optimistic.

Well, long update, next will probably be around Christmas.

Wow, what an ordeal you've been through and it's great to see you're making massive improvements. Keep keeping us posted!

 

[Timótheos]

News from my side.
We unpacked one of our units today and mounted it.
Yes, this was "sportif", which is a french expression which means that this wasn't so easy and I was sweating after putting the chamber up, but we did it ! I'll probably make a first session this friday, but this will be more a kind of training session to play with the valves and learn how to manipulate them correctly to adapt pressure on demand and master the device.

I'll browse again this whole thread to read about testimonies and advises regarding adapting ear's pressure when the chamber's pressure is raising up, i hope i'll succeed to arrive to 1,5 ATA without any problem, or ear disconfort. If any here want to add one more testimony or advise, using a macy pan unit, do not hesitate.

Our machine arrived a few days ago and we set it up this afternoon. Luc and I did our first session, and for my part I found the ear pain came on rather quickly and was intensely uncomfortable. I thought about quitting at first, and opened the release valve a little, but soon realized that the pain decreased as the pressure went down, so after a few seconds closed the valve again.

By manually controlling the valve, and letting the pressure to build up more slowly, allowed me to stay in the unit for the full hour. In total it took the unit 10 minutes to reach 1.5 AT instead of the usual 8 minutes. I also found that sitting up (as much as space would allow) was far less painful during the pressurization phase than lying down. Chewing gum and doing that exercise to equalize by breathing out and closing my nose and mouth, didn't seem to have any noticeable effect on the ear pain.

I also found the temperature inside of the chamber to be quite warm and I was sweating a little. Otherwise the experience was enjoyable and the discomfort experienced in the beginning didn't last very long. So if you can just hang in there and persevere through it, it's really not so bad at all. All in all I found that descending in an airplane (which takes 30-40 mins) is far worse than the the HBOT chamber because the duration is so much longer, even though both pressure change experiences felt similar to me.

 

[Ellipse]

Talking about oxygen, in this RV exploration, they saw (around 12'00), that the oxygen is the interface between neurons and the information field.

"What comes to me is that oxygen forms insulation and at the same time feeds the neurons at the energy level. On a biological level, oxygen allows the other cells that feed the neurons to function. On an energetic level, it also creates the right space for them to have access to information. That's it, it's as if it's the space necessary to be in connection with the energy, with the informational field. It's like a little informational bubble that goes around the neurons, it's like a connecting space, like an information communication interface actually."

French:

"Ce qui me vient c'est que l'oxygène ça forme des isolations et en même temps ça nourrit les neurones au niveau énergétique. Au niveau biologique l'oxygène permet aux autres cellules qui nourrissent les neurones de fonctionner. Au niveau énergétique ça permet aussi de créer l'espace propice pour qu'ils aient accès aux informations. Voilà c'est ça, c'est comme si c'était l'espace nécessaire pour être en connexion avec l'énergie, avec le champ informationnel. C'est comme une petite bulle informationnelle qui se met autour des neurones, c'est comme un espace de connexion, comme une interface de communication d'informations en fait."

 

[Z...]

Skin is starting to shine actually in certain areas, my hair is getting even more thick. Had to change schampoo and start using a brush! First time ever in my life...

In fact this is one of the “side effects” of HBOT according to the book Oxygen revolution, long gone hair starting to regrow. But i think that is the least important comparing to other benefits.

Happy for your improvements - i am sure there will be more.

I only did 5 sessions in total so far - after initial strong fatigue post 2nd session things flipped and I noticed incredible and steady increase in energy and stamina. And many more other good things but i will leave it a bit longer for the full report.

It seems like our HBOT chambers are cocoons for hatching beautiful butterflies

 

[Z...]

I also found the temperature inside of the chamber to be quite warm and I was sweating a little. Otherwise the experience was enjoyable and the discomfort experienced in the beginning didn't last very long. So if you can just hang in there and persevere through it, it's really not so bad at all. All in all I found that descending in an airplane (which takes 30-40 mins) is far worse than the the HBOT chamber because the duration is so much longer, even though both pressure change experiences felt similar to me.

View attachment 65855

I noticed that increase in temperature depends on your mood or state of mind. Sometimes i am sweating and sometimes it is nice and cool inside.
I am still adjusting to non rebreather mask - occasionally It makes me panic and the relaxed breathing turns into big inhales which then interrupt mask normal cycle - but this is getting better. When this happens I am sweating.
ADDED:
The ear thing clears after few sessions and now i don’t have to pop them at all. I can also depressurise faster.

Funny thing i noticed - today i was at the sea and went down about 4-5 meters - normally my ears would hurt really bad at this depth and would have to pop them, but today nothing happened- my ears were just fine - not a slight hurt. I thought that was incredible.

 

[worldbridger]

In fact this is one of the “side effects” of HBOT according to the book Oxygen revolution, long gone hair starting to regrow. But i think that is the least important comparing to other benefits.

Happy for your improvements - i am sure there will be more.

I only did 5 sessions in total so far - after initial strong fatigue post 2nd session things flipped and I noticed incredible and steady increase in energy and stamina. And many more other good things but i will leave it a bit longer for the full report.

It seems like our HBOT chambers are cocoons for hatching beautiful butterflies

There are comments in the transcripts about hair being "antennas", so maybe it might bring some new information.

 

[Nienna]

for my part I found the ear pain came on rather quickly and was intensely uncomfortable. I thought about quitting at first, and opened the release valve a little, but soon realized that the pain decreased as the pressure went down, so after a few seconds closed the valve again.

I had the same problem at first so we only did 1.4 pressure. That's where there was no pain. We increased the pressure the next day to 1.45 with not much problem and, then, on the next day went the whole 1.5 without any bad problems. I've been doing the 1.5 from then on. As time goes on, I think your ears will get used to it and not cause much, if any, of a problem at all. Just let yourself get used to it gradually.

 

[iamthatis]

By manually controlling the valve, and letting the pressure to build up more slowly, allowed me to stay in the unit for the full hour. In total it took the unit 10 minutes to reach 1.5 AT instead of the usual 8 minutes. I also found that sitting up (as much as space would allow) was far less painful during the pressurization phase than lying down. Chewing gum and doing that exercise to equalize by breathing out and closing my nose and mouth, didn't seem to have any noticeable effect on the ear pain.

When I first started doing HBOT sessions, I had some ear discomfort too. I would actively clear the pressure in my ears by pinching my nostrils shut, and gently exhaling against the blockage. Some in the thread have said that this doesn't work (can't remember where or why) but it works for me every time! I do it as often as needed until the pressure has reached 1.5 ATA, and then I'm off into pressurized-oxygen-romance-novel land.

 

[Timótheos]

When I first started doing HBOT sessions, I had some ear discomfort too. I would actively clear the pressure in my ears by pinching my nostrils shut, and gently exhaling against the blockage. Some in the thread have said that this doesn't work (can't remember where or why) but it works for me every time! I do it as often as needed until the pressure has reached 1.5 ATA, and then I'm off into pressurized-oxygen-romance-novel land.

Yes, I tried that during my first session, but it didn't seem to have any noticeable effect on the pain which came on quite suddenly. The second session this morning went a lot easier because kinda I knew what to expect. As the pressure was building up, I didn't even have to adjust the pressure valve. Using that nose-pinching maneuver helped quite a bit and the pain was negligible. Also, I noticed it wasn't as hot inside the second time. So yeah, it's all good. I'm looking forward to the next one!

 

[PopHistorian]

I've done about 80 sessions in my 1.3 ATA chamber now. All I can say for certain is that I am dealing much more easily with the drastic change of seasons experienced where I live, which typically made me feel, every year for two-to-three months, like I had the beginning of cold symptoms coming on. I'm not experiencing this to any noticeable degree this year -- and it's not because of global warming! :)

 

[Stoneboss]

For about the first 120 sessions, I was using the original oxygen mask that the unit came with (the non- non-rebreather mask), so I probably wasn't getting as much of the pure oxygen as what the non-rebreather can provide. I had tried the non-rebreather a few times but it didn't seem to work for me. It seemed too restrictive and I couldn't take any real deep breaths, and the bag wouldn't 're-fill' quickly enough for the next breath. But then, last week, I decided to give it another try. It took a couple of days and for some reason I got used to it and now I'm perfectly fine with it. I did notice that the oxygen output level control (on a Macy-Pan) was turned way up above the 10 l/p but when the chamber is compressed it falls down to the 10 l/p mark - right where it should be - and that's probably why the bag re-fills with oxygen in time for the next breath.

I was wrong about the non-rebreather mask now working for me. The day after I had posted about this, I had the same problem that I originally had when using the non-reabreather mask - breathing was too restricted and the bag was just not filling up with oxygen fast enough before I could take the next breath. I realised that it was because I had just shaved my beard that very morning, thus causing the mask to 'seal' better. While wearing the mask over the beard, it allowed more 'outside' air to enter the mask, thus reducing the amount of the pure oxygen since it was being mixed with the outside air. That's why I was able to breath easily, like I do with the regular mask that comes with the unit.

How do you see that the oxygen concentrator is way above 10 l/min? Is it a little ball suspended in some liquid? That's the wya it is on the
Zoy chamber. When I turn on the OC the ball floats up to the 10 l/min mark.

As I understand it, the flow rate from the OC still 10 l/min but as the oxygen is under pressure inside the chamber, the volume of oxygen that was 10 l/min outside is now around 6,6 l/min inside.

Yes, you are right. I was fooled into thinking that the bag was filling faster, but that was because I was extracting only a portion of the oxygen from the bag so it didn't take much to replace it.

So I'm back to using the original mask (not a 'non-rebreather' mask), but that's okay. HBOT has still done/is doing a lot of good for me.

 

[Thor]

I was wrong about the non-rebreather mask now working for me. The day after I had posted about this, I had the same problem that I originally had when using the non-reabreather mask - breathing was too restricted and the bag was just not filling up with oxygen fast enough before I could take the next breath. I realised that it was because I had just shaved my beard that very morning, thus causing the mask to 'seal' better. While wearing the mask over the beard, it allowed more 'outside' air to enter the mask, thus reducing the amount of the pure oxygen since it was being mixed with the outside air. That's why I was able to breath easily, like I do with the regular mask that comes with the unit.



Yes, you are right. I was fooled into thinking that the bag was filling faster, but that was because I was extracting only a portion of the oxygen from the bag so it didn't take much to replace it.

So I'm back to using the original mask (not a 'non-rebreather' mask), but that's okay. HBOT has still done/is doing a lot of good for me.

I don't quite understand why you switched back to the normal mask. I'm assuming it's the type that has a silicone flap on one of the holes on the side but not on the other side?

With the non-rebreather mask, you inhale all the 65% pure oxygen in the reservoir and once it's empty, you get additional air through the sides of the mask if you're using the same type that Pierre posted earlier in the thread. This type of mask is designed so that as long as there is oxygen in the bag you'll inhale the oxygen but once the bag is empty, you still breathe "regular" chamber air. This way you get 65% oxygen for a portion of the in-breath and 25% oxygen for the rest of the in-breath.

For comparison, the regular masks gives about 30-35% oxygen concentration. The reason why I think you might be better off using the non-rebreather mask is the following:

Assume your in-breath last a duration of 1. With the non-rebreather mask, you spend the first part, x, emptying the bag and the remaining 1- x breathing air from the chamber.

For the two options to give you the same amount of oxygen, you'd need

x*65% + (1-x)*25% = 35%
0,4X = ,10
X = ,25

So this means that if you use the non-rebreather mask and the bag is emptied faster than 1/4 of your in-breath, then you'd get more oxygen per breath using regular mask. However, if the bag is emptied after 1/4 of your in-breath you'd be getting more oxygen using the non-rebreather mask.

Obviously, this is only numbers. If you feel uncomfortable using the non-rebreather mask you might not want to use it. But from a purely oxygen-based perspective, you may very well still be getting more oxygen with non-rebreather mask - even when the bag is emptied part-way through the in-breath.