As we age, we lose the ability to effectively obtain adequate oxygen. Some disease conditions impair oxygen utilization, which can destroy tissue and slows healing. Hyperbaric oxygen chambers deliver oxygen in a pressurized environment. The increased pressure causes the blood plasma and tissue fluids to become saturated with oxygen. The body begins to function more efficiently as it restores its oxygen balance closer to the natural range it was originally designed to function with. The benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) can be long lasting and can increase the quality of life, as well as aid in general wellness.

Whether you breathe air or pure oxygen, red blood cells can deliver only a limited level of oxygen to tissue cells. Injuries, infections, or diseases can cause a drop in this tissue oxygen level down to almost zero. Areas with a poor blood supply, such as nerves, bones, tendons, and ligaments can be slow to heal, in part due to their low oxygen supply. A pressurized hyperbaric oxygen chamber causes the body's plasma to more easily transport oxygen to these areas.

The hyperbaric chamber helps reverse the physical and psychological effects of oxygen deprivation. Increasing oxygen helps to eliminate harmful toxic substances and stimulate capillary growth and tissue repair. It helps promote healing and improves health, fitness, stamina, and endurance.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has been used for such things as high altitude sickness, decompression sickness (the "bends"), injuries, stroke, autism, and other brain injuries. Each treatment generally lasts an hour, and it can require more than a hundred treatments to notice results, depending on the symptoms.

There are two main kinds of hyperbaric oxygen chambers: hard and soft. Hard chambers usually operate with 100% oxygen, while soft chambers use a lower concentration of oxygen, mixed with pressurized air. A hard chamber can offer swifter results, however they are normally operated by hospitals and clinics, and can cost hundreds of dollars per session.

Soft chambers can be easily operated in a home, and used as often as necessary. A typical hyperbaric system includes a soft chamber and an air compressor, and can also include an oxygen concentrator. The concentrator is used for drawing pure oxygen from the air and pumping it into the chamber. A mask can be used inside the chamber, for breathing oxygen. Over time, a soft chamber system can prove to be more economical than hard chamber treatments.