The healing power of oxygen is not something new. The use of hyperbaric therapy dates back nearly 350 years. The very first hyperbaric chamber was created in 1662 with the clinical use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy starting in the mid 1800s. During the 1960s, studies began to show a wide variety of beneficial uses for HBOT therapy. Today, there are over 120 reported conditions for which hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been shown to be effective and beneficial.

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Oxygen is essential for our bodies to perform and function. All the cells in our bodies require an adequate supply of oxygen to function optimally. Unlike other nutrients our body requires, we have no way of storing oxygen inside our body, we bring in fresh oxygen with every breath we take. The air we breathe has 21% oxygen in it. This is taken in through our lungs and then into the red blood cells where it is carried around the body. Whenever there is an injury, our bodies need increased oxygen to help repair damaged tissue.

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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a non-invasive treatment which involves breathing about 97% oxygen through a mask whilst under pressure in a specialised hyperbaric chamber. Due to the pressure and concentration of oxygen being breathed in, the concentration of oxygen in the body is increased. The increased oxygen is carried round the body. All body fluids (plasma, lymph, cerebrospinal and interstitial fluids) become capable of oxygen delivery at the cellular level, so HBOT increases tissue and cellular oxygen levels, which decreases inflammation, initiates the growth of new blood vessels and promotes the healing of tissues, including the brain. Oxygen is able to reach areas of the body previously inaccessible by blood supply or blocked by damage.