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 What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
Put simply, HBO therapy is the process of breathing pure oxygen while you are under increased barometric pressure.
How does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy work?
To understand how HBO therapy works, you first need to understand how your body normally delivers oxygen to your tissues. Under normal atmospheric pressure, the air you breathe, which is only 24% oxygen, attaches to hemoglobin cells within your blood via the lungs.
Each cell of hemoglobin can hold four molecules of oxygen. The hemoglobin cells travel through your arteries and smaller vessels called capillaries. The hemoglobin releases the oxygen to the largest tissues first then to the smaller tissues served by the smaller vessels.
This system is adequate in a perfectly healthy state, but when tissues are injured, toxic, or overworked they need much more oxygen that the hemoglobin could ever deliver on its own. HBO therapy allows more oxygen to be delivered to tissues by not limiting the amount to what the hemoglobin can carry or deliver.
This is accomplished by using the pressure to dissolve the oxygen gas into a liquid which absorbs into the blood itself. In essence, the blood is now flooded with oxygen to be delivered swiftly to every tissue in the body.
So how does additional oxygen benefit my body and brain?
Oxygen has a multitude of healing, repairing, and detoxifying effects. It destroys anaerobic bacteria, fungi and viruses. It stimulates the immune system. It awakens senescent (sleepy) brain cells associated with Alzheimer's, dementia, memory loss, and cognitive disorders such as Autism and ADD/ADHD.
Oxygen speeds the repair of injured tissues and increases energy and stamina. It helps restore proper function to the gastrointestinal tract.
 
What diseases or conditions does hyperbaric oxygen therapy treat?
Just like functional medicine, HBO therapy does not treat diseases, it treats patients with diseases. This may sound a bit like semantics, but its not. The strength of our approach, which includes HBO therapy, is that we focus on why you are ill not on what illness you have. So you can either see this as treating no diseases or all diseases.
We feel HBO therapy is important because it fits perfectly into our functional medicine approach of focusing on patients and their underlying dysfunctions rather than chasing each symptom/disease.
Is hyperbaric oxygen therapy safe?
The chamber Dr. Macari has selected has a maximum pressure of 1.3 atmospheres. This is roughly equivalent to the amount of pressure you would feel against your skin if you were to dive into a swimming pool and swim down to about 11 feet in depth. Another way to look at it is 4.2 pounds of pressure per square inch of skin on your body.
This pressure has been shown to be the ideal pressure for the conditions which are treatable in an out-patient setting. This level of pressure is safe when patients are properly screened by Dr. Macari who is trained and experienced in hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Is the chamber the same type of chamber hospitals use?
No, hospital chambers use very high pressures and can be very dangerous, so they are only used for specific conditions such as Carbon Monoxide poisoning or burns covering the entire body. The chamber Dr. Macari has selected has been chosen both for its safety and its increased effectiveness for a broad range of patients and conditions.
Do I have to see Dr. Macari first or can I just come for HBO therapy?
It is important to understand that we are first and foremost a clinic dedicated to functional medicine. So all patients are first evaluated by Dr. Macari from a functional medicine perspective with HBO therapy sometimes being incorporated as part of her prescribed treatment plan.
In other words, we do not simply sell "services". Dr. Macari's approach recognizes that patients need her guidance as a doctor so they are assured to receive the right therapy at the right time in order to yield the highest level of results.
Is the HBO treatment supervised by the doctor?
Yes, Dr. Macari personally orientates every patient to the therapy. She harnesses her expertise to properly acclimate her patients to the pressure of the therapy. Dr. Macari understands that some patients need to be slowly pressurized so they can become accustomed to the pressure without fear or discomfort.
She will also train you in how to adjust your ears to the pressure so you may remain comfortable and relaxed throughout the treatment. It is our opinion that this therapy, although safe, should always be directly supervised by a Dr. trained and experienced in the application of HBO therapy not simply sold as a service with an off-site "medical director".
Do I need a referral?
Because HBO therapy is not part of any medical school curriculum, no doctor of any type or specialty is trained in HBO therapy. As such, a referral is not necessary. In fact, most doctors are reluctant to
refer to or recommend any therapy with which they have no training or
experience.
This alone is a good reason to only undergo HBO therapy under the direction and supervision of a doctor who is has fully evaluated both you and your health, and is experienced in HBO therapy.
How many treatments will I need?
Dr. Macari will prescribe a specific number of treatments based on factors such as your age, health status, health goals, and the specifics of your clinical picture. There is no preset number of sessions.
How much does a single session of therapy cost?
Our fee for a single session is $95.00. For patients who are prescribed forty sessions or more, we offer a discount for prepayment.
If my child is receiving HBO therapy, may I accompany him/her in the chamber?
Our chamber is designed to be both roomy and comfortable enough for you to accompany your child inside. However, Dr. Macari must first clear you of any contraindications before you enter.
If I am cleared by Dr. Macari to accompany my child, is there an additional charge?
No, we do not charge an additional fee for you to accompany your child. However, some restrictions may apply.
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