Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

How it works

Breathing oxygen at pressures above atmospheric substantially increases the amount dissolved in blood and plasma, allowing it to reach tissue that a normal oxygen supply struggles to serve. This drives wound healing, and has effects on inflammation, new blood vessel formation and certain infections.

Where the evidence is solid

Hyperbaric oxygen is an established, evidence-based treatment for decompression illness, carbon monoxide poisoning, gas embolism, certain non-healing wounds including diabetic foot ulcers, osteoradionecrosis and radiation tissue injury, necrotising soft tissue infections, and some cases of sudden hearing loss. In these conditions it is properly indicated and delivered in a medical setting.

Where it does not

The wellness market promotes hyperbaric oxygen for fatigue, cognition, athletic recovery, longevity and a broad range of chronic conditions. For most of these the evidence is preliminary, consisting of small studies, mechanistic reasoning or extrapolation from proven indications.

Some emerging research — including work on cognitive outcomes and on cellular markers of ageing — is legitimately interesting and worth watching. Interesting is not the same as established. If you are considering hyperbaric oxygen for a wellness indication, you should do so understanding you are ahead of the evidence, not following it.

Note too that soft-shell chambers operating at low pressure, common in wellness settings, do not reach the pressures used in the studies that produced the established medical results. What is being offered is often not what was tested.

Safety

Assessment before treatment covers ear and sinus function, lung disease including any history of pneumothorax or bullae, uncontrolled seizures, certain chemotherapy agents and claustrophobia. Untreated pneumothorax is an absolute contraindication.

Risks and limitations

No treatment is without risk, and you are entitled to the full picture before you decide rather than a summary afterwards. These are discussed with you individually at consultation, in the context of your own history.

• Middle ear barotrauma — the commonest side effect, causing pain and sometimes perforation
• Sinus pain and dental discomfort
• Temporary short-sightedness, usually reversible over weeks
• Oxygen toxicity seizures — rare at therapeutic pressures
• Pulmonary barotrauma and pneumothorax — rare but serious
• Claustrophobia and anxiety in the chamber
• Limited evidence for most wellness and longevity indications
• Cost and time commitment for courses of treatment

Where you would be seen

Longevity consultations, biomarker review and follow-up take place at CLNQ Manchester at Deansgate Square, and at CLNQ Knutsford in Cheshire. Phlebotomy is done on site at both.

Equipment-based longevity treatments, including hyperbaric oxygen and ozone therapy, are delivered at the Manchester Deansgate Square clinic. Patients attend from across Greater Manchester and Cheshire, and parking at New Jackson car park (M15 4NP) is a short walk away.

• CLNQ Manchester — Deansgate Square 11 Owen Street, Manchester M15 4YB Ground floor of the South Tower at Deansgate Square, Manchester city centre.
• CLNQ Knutsford — Cheshire 49-51 King Street, Knutsford WA16 6DX King Street, Knutsford, serving Cheshire and the surrounding area.

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