Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) forces oxygen into areas of impaired microcirculation because it does not require red blood cells to carry the oxygen. Rather, at high barometric pressure the oxygen is dissolved in the blood serum and the extracellular fluid outside of cells. This raises the oxygen level significantly in hypoxic areas.

During time in the HBOT chamber, oxygen opens narrowed blood vessels by lowering inflammation — which is the cause of the impaired microcirculation.

Once a person is out of the chamber, these new blood vessels remain open and able to deliver oxygen-rich blood where it is needed.

By reducing inflammation, the catalyst for many diseases is removed. For example, we know that activation of immune cells called microglia and macrophages is at the root of most neurological disorders, including strokes, head injuries, brain infections, autism spectrum disorders, autoimmune disorders (like multiple sclerosis), and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases.