Does anyone know if mild HBOT (1.3 to 1.5 atmospheres for an hour a day) is safe to do for more than a couple of months?
I know this is a bit off topic, but I think people in this group are more likely to know than anyone else I could ask, so I appreciate your indulgence.
I have a relative who had weird untreatable headaches and decided to try mild HBOT, basically because he was desperate, doctors were out of ideas, and nothing else had worked. The headaches did go away after he did it for a month, but a couple of days after he stopped, they came back.
The longest people have used it in any studies I can find is about three months, and most of the studies I can find are about the higher pressure HBOT machines.
He doesn’t relish the idea of being tied to the machine (he has one at home) and spending an hour a day in it for the rest of his life, but it’s better than having the headaches.
But he asked me to look into whether it’s safe, and I can’t tell. Do any of you know anyone who has done this for a long time, or have you seen any studies of people who have used it longer than a few months? Is it safe? What are the long-term risks?
Have no idea, but my guess would be that it’s a bad idea. The practice of medicine is moving away from supplemental oxygen unless absolutely necessary. Oxygen oxidizes which is bad. There certainly are uses for short term hyperbarics but I’m unaware of long term benefits.
hmmm. lots of studies out of Isreal suggest HBOT lengthens teleomers and reduces scenesence. it’s not about oxidative stress in the way you caution. i have a chamber at home and i haven’t noticed much difference BUT it’s seems really good if you have long covid. I don’t know much about long term use but I would not be too concerned… but then i am not an expert.
In the 1930’s there was a Spherical Hyperbaric Chamber, you would be in your room under pressure for long term.
“The five-story, sixty-five foot, 900-ton sphere was constructed out of half-inch steel plates. Many likened the tank experience to that of a ship. With three tanks in total, light was allowed into the hospital through 350 ten inch portholes.”
I think there have been one or two studies on this out of the same research groups in Isreal
But, have the studies every been replicated by other independent research groups?
I always get a little suspect when only a single group report a given result, and it doesn’t get duplicated. It reminds me of the resveratrol research that David Sinclair does… he gets great results, but many other researchers say they cannot duplicate his results.
Unless you actually hear from the people who have tried and failed to duplicate the results you never hear about the negative results because they don’t get published. The whole issue of “negative results” not getting published is a big issue in scientific research. We think we know what might work, but we never hear about all the research that is not successful in duplicating the efforts.
I was not aware of that. Another good reason to be skeptical.
From the footnotes of the paper mentioned above:
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: AH, BY, ZY work for AVIV Scientific LTD. ES is a shareholder at AVIV Scientific LTD.
FUNDING: The study was funded by a research grant from the Sagol network for neuroscience established by Mr. Sami Sagol.
It sounds like the initial research study was funded by a bunch of angel investors… which to me seems highly odd… and which makes the paper sound more like a piece of marketing literature than a true scientific study.
So - just to be clear, my understanding is that the angel investors funded the research, that was then used to fundraise for the company… hmmmm, this is highly unusual in my experience in the silicon valley. I don’t think you’d never see anything like this here.
Doing a little research - they have a ton of money going into this venture, so they are highly conflicted:
Aviv Scientific Raises $40 Million in Series B Funding to Create the World’s First High Dimensional OMICS Database of the Aging Process
Expansion of Global Network of Medical Clinics Initiates a New Era in Aging and Brain Health
September 22, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
TEL AVIV–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today world leader in research and clinical treatment of age-related cognitive and functional decline to maximize human performance, Aviv Scientific, announces the closing of $40 million in a oversubscribed Series B funding round. Led by Israel’s largest public medical services conglomerate, Danel LTD; Jeff Horing’s Deep Insight Fund; the country’s most successful high-tech angels and entrepreneurs; international longevity and healthspan optimization focused investors; the Series B fundraise will accelerate the global rollout of its network of medical clinics and the development of the Aviv Aging Database. For the first time, in depth comprehensive OMICS data detailing the aging process in healthy adults will be captured, expediting the development of therapeutics and approaches to notably extend healthspan, and ultimately lifespan, in humans.
“The new round of funding is a testament to our outstanding clinical outcomes, world-class team, strategic partnerships and cutting-edge technology. We look forward to seeing sustained success and are inspired by the strong support from investors who share our vision.”
Based on an exclusive partnership with the world’s largest hyperbaric medicine and research facility, the Sagol Center at Shamir Medical Center in Israel, the Aviv Medical Program was developed over the past decade, combining unique protocols of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) with a proprietary personalized program of cognitive and physical training. More than 1,000 people worldwide have already been treated according to Aviv’s progressive twelve-week program, currently offered in Florida and Dubai at Aviv Clinics.
Chronic use is definitely risky, both because of damage from the pressure and from the oxidative stress resulting from the high partial pressure of oxygen. This is a condition where the more you use it the more you risk some accumulating harm. At home chambers in particular can damage the eyes.
