MD HYPERBARIC
From elite athletes and biohackers to fitness enthusiasts, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has become one of the hottest trends in recovery and wellness. Originally developed to treat serious medical conditions such as decompression sickness, carbon monoxide poisoning, and non-healing wounds, HBOT has increasingly moved into the mainstream, where it is promoted for sports recovery, athletic performance, cognitive health, and overall wellbeing.
Inside a hyperbaric chamber, atmospheric pressure is increased to levels two to three times above normal sea level pressure, allowing the body to absorb significantly more oxygen than it can under ordinary conditions. HBOT is often prescribed after surgery because the increased oxygenation in the bloodstream helps promote cellular repair, reduce inflammation, and stimulate tissue regeneration. But its potential benefits extend beyond medical recovery and have numerous overall health benefits as well.
The protocols for treatment, however, and the chambers themselves, differ significantly between a medical facility and a wellness spa. I have done HBOT several times at Restore Hyper Wellness. A recent visit to MD Hyperbaric gave me the opportunity to experience how a medical-grade treatment differs from the wellness version.
MD Hyperbaric offers comprehensive, medically supervised HBOT, often working closely with patients and their physicians to create customized treatment plans for a wide range of conditions from traumatic brain injuries and COVID-related brain fog, to Lyme disease and autoimmune disorders, to post-surgical recovery and chronic pain. They do also offer hyperbaric therapy for wellness, performance, and recovery.
The first thing I noticed was the chamber itself. Unlike the soft, inflatable chambers commonly found at wellness centers, the hard chamber at MD Hyperbaric resembles a small deep sea vessel. Electronics are prohibited—no phones allowed—and the pressure is substantially higher. Most wellness centers operate soft-sided inflatable chambers at approximately 1.3 atmospheres of pressure. Medical-grade hard chambers operate at pressures up to 3.0 atmospheres.
My treatment was conducted at 2.0 atmospheres, and instead of breathing oxygen through a small nasal cannula, I wore a mask covering both my nose and mouth, delivering 100 percent oxygen throughout most the session. “We use the word hyperbaric to describe everything from the mildest therapeutic treatment to the most intensive medical intervention,” explained Dr. Jason Sonners, Chief Clinical Officer of MD Hyperbaric. “At two atmospheres, you went roughly three times deeper than you’ve ever gone before.”
More important than just the atmospheric pressure is the treatment protocol. Oxygen concentration, session length, and treatment frequency are all tailored to an individual’s health goals or medical condition. It’s the latter, Sonners says, that many underestimate. Many wellness users drop into a chamber once a month or whenever they feel run down, but that approach is unlikely to unlock the therapy’s long term benefits.
“A majority of the benefits of hyperbaric are not from a single session,” he says. “They’re from repetitive sessions over time. Yes, you can boost the immune system a little bit. You can start to reduce chronic inflammation. You can certainly get some energy production going. But if you’re not creating clusters of sessions in relatively short periods of time, you’re never going to get the real benefits of hyperbaric.”
According to Sonners, the body’s response to hyperbaric oxygen therapy—and its long-term benefits—can be grouped into four primary categories.
1. Reducing Swelling
Increased pressure can help reduce edema and swelling, often within just a handful of treatments. “If we have swelling and edema that we need to control, three to five sessions can make a significant impact,” he says.
2. Supporting the Immune System
Hyperbaric therapy can reduce inflammation, enhance the immune system’s ability to fight infection, and create an oxygen-rich environment that is less hospitable to certain bacteria and molds.
3. Improving Metabolism and Energy Production
According to Sonners, with hyperbaric therapy there is a metabolic impact which can shift the body’s fuel preference away from sugar and toward fat utilization, while also increasing cellular energy production.
4. Repair and Regeneration
The final category — and perhaps most relevant to athletes — involves tissue repair and regeneration. Hyperbaric therapy has been associated with increased growth factor production, collagen synthesis, stem cell mobilization, and the activation of fibroblasts, the cells responsible for building connective tissue.
Sonners also points to research showing improvements in telomere length, often considered a marker of biological aging. “Telomeres are like the plastic caps on the ends of your shoelaces,” he explains. “They protect your DNA from damage. There was a study showing roughly a 20 percent increase in telomere length after about sixty sessions of hyperbaric therapy. That’s pretty remarkable.”
So where does that leave the occasional wellness user? “If you have a membership and you’re going twice a month, you’re probably not getting most of the benefits we just talked about,” says Sonners. “That doesn’t mean the sessions are useless. They may provide temporary recovery, relaxation, improved energy, and mild anti-inflammatory effects.”
For someone who enjoys the occasional hyperbaric session, that’s an important distinction. The experience itself is quite different from a medical treatment. Rather than wearing a full oxygen mask in a hard chamber operating at high pressure, to be zipped away in a soft chamber, lying down with cozy pillows and blankets, the soft hissing sound of the oxygen in the background can be quite a relaxing escape from the outside world.
While the physiological effects may not be as profound as those achieved through a structured medical protocol, the sessions can still feel restorative. The key is understanding the difference — and choosing the approach that aligns with your goals.
