BY ROBYN LITTLEWOOD B.B.A, C.E.S, P.T, F.M.S
The Los Cabos area provides many different types of alternative therapy options for living disease and pain-free. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is not new technology by any means but it’s still largely unknown to many who could benefit immensely from it. This is at least partially due to the FDA’s lack of enthusiasm in approving it for use, from 1917 until very recently, for anything other than diabetic wound healing, gas embolisms, acute blood loss anemia and decompression sickness in scuba divers.
If the FDA considers something “off-label use”, your doctor is probably not going to tell you about it and they will not have been educated on it in most medical schools. Drug patents make money and oxygen is not patentable (thank god!). In 2023 the FDA did finally approve 14 uses for hyperbaric chambers but emerging research from Israel has shown it to have a much wider range of uses.
10 Reasons to Try Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
A landmark study published in 2024 at the Aviv clinic in Israel showed that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can reverse one of the major causes of aging, (aka the hallmarks of aging): Telomere shortening. When our cells divide, they lose a little piece at the ends of the DNA strand called a telomere. Cells can divide 50-70 times, (known as the Hayflick Limit), until the telomeres no longer exist and the cell dies. Shorter telomeres are associated with shorter lifespans.
HBOT is “angiogenic” meaning that it causes new blood vessels to grow, increasing blood and oxygen flow. This fact has made it a viable non-pharmaceutical intervention in heart disease, stroke and even erectile dysfunction.
HBOT is “neurogenic” meaning it grows new neurons in the brain and improves brain function. Diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s benefit from this type of therapy. HBOT can help with nerve damage also.
Another new study indicates, for the first time in humans, that HBOT can significantly modulate the pathophysiology of skin aging in a healthy aging population. The 70 participants in this study were healthy adults in their sixties who experienced an increase in collagen which reduced their skin age and the appearance of wrinkles. Increased blood flow from new blood vessels is the most likely cause of skin improvement and the clearing of senescent cells.
HBOT assists in the clearance of “zombie cells”, a popular term for cellular senescence, (another hallmark of aging). Zombie cells are cells that should be dead and gone but they hang around past their expiry date, spewing off reactive oxygen species that damage surrounding tissue and cells, causing all manner of problems including inflammation and many diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
HBOT reduces “inflammaging”, one of the newest hallmarks of aging. Since all chronic pain and disease are associated with inflammation, HBOT is one of the most promising ways to reverse the disease and aging process without drugs. Inflammation is also what causes skin to wrinkle so reducing inflammation subdermally is better than any cream you can buy.
HBOT releases stem cells into our bloodstream for enhanced healing. Stem cell exhaustion is another hallmark of aging. Stem cell proliferation and creation have been observed by using HBOT. Stem cells are drastically reduced through the “normal” process of aging.
HBOT is an effective treatment for neuropathy. By driving oxygen deep into the tissues of the body it reduces cell death and pain symptoms.
HBOT combined with immunosuppression showed improvements for people with systemic lupus causing acute macular neuroretinopathy, (blindness).
A 2023 study showed HBOT helped people with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, MS, Crohn”s disease, Raynauds and scleroderma reduce pain, fatigue, and joint stiffness.
So how does HBOT work? We normally breathe oxygen at around a 21% level, depending on altitude. At sea level, it’s usually about a 21% concentration of what we breathe and at high altitudes about 16%. If you have ever gone hiking at altitudes over 7500 feet, you may have found yourself gasping for breath due to the lower oxygen content of the air.
Hyperbaric chambers oxygenate you at a 100% level plus use pressure to force oxygen into the body’s tissues. Pressure is measured in terms of “atmospheres”. HBOT chambers can push as high as 3 atmospheres but typically they use 2.0-2.5 atmospheres of pressure. One atmosphere is equal to being 33 feet underwater.
I personally use HBOT chambers in Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo when I do stem cell therapy for joint pain and my skin to enhance the number of stem cells available in my body for healing. Anecdotally, the chamber also appears to help me with allergies. Although this is not a known use of the technology, it does seem to reduce my stuffed-up nose, something I discovered by accident. I surmise this has something to do with a reduction in inflammation of my nasal tissues and possibly new blood vessels forming.
To my knowledge, we have two hyperbaric chambers for rent in Cabo San Lucas and two in San Jose del Cabo. The price ranges from $1400 pesos per session to $2800 pesos per session in the ones I have used. Package discounts are offered at two of the providing clinics.
The ideal number of sessions depends on what condition is being treated and the severity of the condition. Trials in Israel looking to reverse aging were up to 60 sessions and if you have Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or other neurodegenerative conditions you will be looking at 30-60 sessions to see an improvement. For those suffering from peripheral neuropathy or diabetic ulcers, 20-40 sessions are recommended.
For healthy adults using it for prevention purposes, anywhere from 1-3 sessions per week will likely suffice. For my own purposes, I tend to do hyperbaric only occasionally, due to the cost, but I would do more if I had the time and the money. I have personally found a huge healing benefit when using HBOT after surgery and subsequently a cosmetic laser procedure.
If you have any questions about this or anything else to do with pain or anti-aging, please feel free to email me at robynlittlewood@yahoo.com or text me at +52 624 211 9435 and I am happy to help.
Robyn Littlewood is a B.B.A, C.E.S, P.T, F.M.S. and Reverse Aging Coach and Pain Specialist.
