How Many HBOT Treatments Do You Actually Need?

“How many treatments am I going to need?”

Al gets this question all the time.

There really isn't a magic number.

Before recommending anything, Al wants to know what has brought you to HBOT. What's been going on? For how long? What's your health history? What are you hoping to accomplish?

Because, you see, everybody comes to HBOT with a different story.

After almost 15 years of working with HBOT, there is one thing Al knows for sure: two people can be dealing with similar issues and have very different experiences.

So, where does the idea of 40 treatments come from in the first place?

Why 40?

The number isn't made up.

Forty-treatment protocols have been used in published HBOT research. One example is research led by Dr. Paul Harch involving military subjects experiencing persistent symptoms following blast-related traumatic brain injury.

In a 2012 preliminary study, 16 subjects underwent 40 HBOT sessions at 1.5 ATA, with each session lasting 60 minutes.[2] Later controlled research has also investigated a 40-session protocol in people with persistent post-concussion symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury.[3]

But this is where we need to be careful.

A study that uses 40 treatments isn't proof that everybody needs 40 treatments.

It means researchers studied a particular protocol, with a particular group of people, for a particular purpose. In fact, the researchers behind the earlier Harch study described their findings as preliminary and said further research was needed.[2]

Health Canada doesn't give one universal number for HBOT treatments either. It states that the duration, number of treatments and pressure used vary depending on the patient's condition.[1]

So, 40 isn't magic. But it isn't random either.

Can You Notice Something After One Treatment?

Maybe.

Some clients tell Al they've noticed something very quickly. Others don't notice much early on at all.

That difference is actually one of the reasons Al is reluctant to answer the “How will I feel after X treatments?” question with a prediction.

He doesn't know.

Nobody can tell you exactly how your body is going to respond before you've even started.

What another O₂xy client experienced after one treatment, 10 treatments or 40 treatments is their experience. One person’s HBOT experience does not necessarily carry over to another.

And that's an important distinction, particularly when we're talking about HBOT for health concerns outside its established medical indications.

Health Canada recognizes HBOT as an established treatment for specific conditions, including decompression sickness, carbon monoxide poisoning, certain non-healing wounds, delayed radiation injury and thermal burns, among others.[1] Research continues into other conditions.

Why Can the Number of Treatments Vary So Much?

Even within recognized hyperbaric medicine, treatment protocols vary. Health Canada notes that the pressure, duration and number of treatments depend on the condition being treated.[1]

At O₂xy Wellness, people aren't walking in as identical case files.

Some are coming in with something relatively recent. Others have been dealing with health concerns for years. Their histories are different. Their goals are different. And their experiences with HBOT can be different.

That's why Al would rather talk to somebody about what's actually going on than simply tell everyone, “You need 40.”

So, How Many HBOT Treatments Do You Need?

There isn't one answer.

Forty-session protocols have been used in HBOT research, but that doesn't make 40 a universal prescription.

And one person's experience can't tell you what yours will be.

The best place to start is with a conversation.

Tell Al what's going on. Tell him your history. Ask your questions. Then you can talk about whether HBOT makes sense for you and what an appropriate starting point might look like.

Better call Al: 403-352-8755

O₂xy Wellness I Red Deer, Alberta

References

[1] Health Canada. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Government of Canada. Health Canada describes recognized uses of HBOT and notes that treatment duration, number of treatments and pressure vary depending on the patient's condition.Health Canada: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

[2] Harch PG, Andrews SR, Fogarty EF, et al. “A Phase I Study of Low-Pressure Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Blast-Induced Post-Concussion Syndrome and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” Journal of Neurotrauma. 2012;29(1):168–185. doi:10.1089/neu.2011.1895.View the published study

[3] Harch PG, Andrews SR, Rowe CJ, et al. “Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for mild traumatic brain injury persistent postconcussion syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.” Medical Gas Research. 2020;10(1):8–20. doi:10.4103/2045-9912.279978.View the full study on PubMed Central