The use of hyperbaric medical therapy can be traced back to the late 1600s in Britain, but HBOT was not used widely until after World War II, when it was utilized to treat decompression sickness in divers. Since that time, scientific research into the methods and uses of HBOT has been ongoing, with hundreds of facilities providing this therapy since the early 2000s.

Fundamentally, HBOT [delivers] oxygen at greater concentrations than those naturally available in the atmosphere, explains Ahmet Ergin, M.D., an endocrinologist at Heart & Family Health Institute in Florida. Increasing the atmospheric pressure during an HBOT treatment session allows more oxygen to dissolve into the bloodstream, enabling the healing and regeneration of damaged or injured tissues, according to Ergin.

Through this process, HBOT not only increases oxygen concentration, but also reduces inflammation, speeds recovery time and lessens pain, according to Dr. Ergin.

During hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a patient breathes 100% oxygen intermittently while the whole body is pressurized within a hyperbaric chamber to at least 1.4 atmospheres absolute (ATA), explains Dr. Renie Guilliod, a rehabilitation specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Texas and director of the Hyperbaric Medicine Program at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine. ATA is a unit of measurement used to describe the sum of barometric (air) and hydrostatic (fluid) pressures used in hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

With HBOT, we deliver higher amounts of oxygen to the body by increasing the driving pressure of O2 from the lungs through the blood to the tissues, says Dr. Guilliod.

This oxygen delivery results in intermittent hyperoxygenation, which means ones oxygen levels in the blood are higher for a short period. The increase in blood oxygen levels has been demonstrated to promote the healing of injured tissues and can be used for several conditions.

HBOT is part of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society (UHMS). The American Board of Medical Specialties recognizes it under the umbrella of the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) and the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM).

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What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)? Forbes Health - Forbes