Does anyone have any experience doing this? I know it is used from anything from wound care to overall health and wellness/well being?

TIA!

Very limited evidence it does anything in most situations. Maybe for wound care but even then it is dubious.

I double checked with AI and it is proven in some pretty rare and specific cases that I have not had to deal with in my couple of decades in pediatrics.

AI Clip :

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment, typically in a hyperbaric chamber. It's used in medical settings for specific conditions, and research supports its efficacy for some indications, though benefits depend on the condition being treated. Below is an overview of proven benefits based on available evidence, with an emphasis on conditions recognized by medical authorities like the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) and peer-reviewed studies.

### Proven Benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

1. **Wound Healing (e.g., Diabetic Foot Ulcers, Chronic Non-Healing Wounds)**
- **Benefit**: HBOT increases oxygen delivery to tissues, promoting angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation), reducing inflammation, and enhancing tissue repair.
- **Evidence**: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews, such as those published in *Diabetes Care* (2016), show HBOT improves healing rates in diabetic foot ulcers compared to standard care. A 2020 meta-analysis in *Wound Repair and Regeneration* found significant improvement in wound closure rates for chronic wounds.
- **Conditions**: Effective for diabetic foot ulcers, venous ulcers, and other hypoxic wounds.

2. **Decompression Sickness (The Bends)**
- **Benefit**: HBOT reduces nitrogen bubble formation in tissues and blood, alleviating symptoms like joint pain, neurological issues, or respiratory distress.
- **Evidence**: HBOT is the gold-standard treatment for decompression sickness, supported by decades of use in diving medicine and guidelines from the UHMS. Studies, such as those in *Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance* (2018), confirm its efficacy in resolving symptoms.
- **Conditions**: Primarily used for scuba divers or workers in high-pressure environments.

3. **Carbon Monoxide Poisoning**
- **Benefit**: HBOT rapidly removes carbon monoxide from the body by displacing it from hemoglobin, restoring oxygen delivery to tissues and preventing neurological damage.
- **Evidence**: A 2002 study in *The New England Journal of Medicine* showed HBOT reduced cognitive sequelae in carbon monoxide poisoning compared to normobaric oxygen. UHMS lists it as a primary treatment.
- **Conditions**: Acute carbon monoxide poisoning, especially with neurological symptoms.

4. **Gas Embolism**
- **Benefit**: HBOT compresses and eliminates gas bubbles in the bloodstream, restoring normal circulation and preventing tissue damage.
- **Evidence**: Case studies and clinical guidelines (e.g., UHMS, 2020) support HBOT as the standard of care for arterial or venous gas embolism, often caused by medical procedures or diving.
- **Conditions**: Iatrogenic or diving-related gas embolism.

5. **Radiation-Induced Tissue Damage**
- **Benefit**: HBOT promotes healing in tissues damaged by radiation therapy, reducing symptoms like pain, fibrosis, or ulceration.
- **Evidence**: RCTs, such as a 2016 study in *The Lancet Oncology*, showed HBOT improved outcomes in radiation-induced soft tissue necrosis and osteoradionecrosis (bone damage). A 2019 systematic review in *Radiotherapy and Oncology* confirmed benefits for head and neck radiation injuries.
- **Conditions**: Osteoradionecrosis, radiation cystitis, proctitis.

6. **Severe Infections (e.g., Necrotizing Fasciitis, Gas Gangrene)**
- **Benefit**: HBOT delivers high oxygen levels to kill anaerobic bacteria, reduce tissue hypoxia, and enhance antibiotic efficacy.
- **Evidence**: Studies, like those in *Clinical Infectious Diseases* (2005), demonstrate HBOT reduces mortality and amputation rates in necrotizing soft tissue infections when combined with surgery and antibiotics.
- **Conditions**: Necrotizing fasciitis, clostridial myonecrosis (gas gangrene).

7. **Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL)**
- **Benefit**: HBOT may improve hearing recovery by increasing oxygen to the cochlea, reducing ischemia-related damage.
- **Evidence**: A 2018 *Cochrane Database Systematic Review* found moderate evidence supporting HBOT as an adjunct to corticosteroids for SSNHL, particularly when started early. Benefits are more pronounced in severe cases.
- **Conditions**: Acute idiopathic hearing loss.

8. **Thermal Burns**
- **Benefit**: HBOT reduces edema, promotes wound healing, and decreases infection risk in severe burns.
- **Evidence**: A 2015 study in *Burns* showed HBOT reduced healing time and complications in second- and third-degree burns. UHMS supports its use in specific burn cases.
- **Conditions**: Severe thermal burns, typically in specialized burn centers.

### Conditions with Limited or Emerging Evidence
For some conditions, HBOT is used off-label, but evidence is less conclusive or mixed:
- **Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)**: Small studies (e.g., *Journal of Neurotrauma*, 2014) suggest potential cognitive improvements, but a 2019 meta-analysis in *Frontiers in Neurology* found inconsistent results, requiring further research.
- **Stroke**: Some trials (e.g., *Stroke*, 2013) report improved neurological outcomes, but systematic reviews (e.g., *Cochrane Database*, 2014) show no consistent benefit.
- **Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Autism, etc.**: Anecdotal reports and small studies exist, but rigorous RCTs are lacking, and these uses are not FDA- or UHMS-approved.

### Risks and Considerations
- **Side Effects**: Generally safe but can include ear pressure/pain, temporary vision changes, oxygen toxicity, or, rarely, seizures.
- **Contraindications**: Untreated pneumothorax, certain lung diseases, or specific medications (e.g., chemotherapy drugs like doxorubicin).
- **Access and Cost**: HBOT is expensive and not always covered by insurance for off-label uses, limiting accessibility.

### Notes on Evidence
- **Approved Indications**: The FDA and UHMS recognize 14 indications for HBOT, including those listed above, based on strong clinical evidence.
- **Off-Label Use**: Some clinics promote HBOT for unproven conditions (e.g., anti-aging, athletic performance). These lack robust evidence and may involve financial exploitation, as noted in FDA warnings (2013).
- **Research Gaps**: Ongoing trials are exploring HBOT for conditions like COVID-19-related lung injury or neurodegenerative diseases, but results are preliminary (e.g., *Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine*, 2021).

If you're considering HBOT, consult a medical professional to verify its appropriateness for your condition and ensure treatment occurs in a certified facility. For real-time updates or specific studies, I can search the web or X posts if you'd likelet me know!

I went in a chamber once during part of my training in the military. The dive doc espoused it's benefits for recovery and random things. I didn't feel any different after.

One thing to watch out for you if you do decide to do it is making sure that whoever you do it with has a certified chamber and all the safety certs and knows what they are doing. There have been a few recent deaths in chambers due to people operating it not knowing what they were doing or just not being safe.