Recently, Louisiana State researchers brought a powerful new weapon into the fight against Alzheimer’s Disease: bariatric therapy.
With Alzheimer’s being just one of the dozens of challenging conditions doctors are using this space-age therapy to treat, interest in hyperbaric oxygen therapy cost, effectiveness, and accessibility is skyrocketing.
It’s not just the sick and injured who are curious, though. From professional athletes to weekend warriors, the health and fitness world is abuzz with the possibilities of bariatric treatment. Read on to find out whether this new technology is right for you or someone you love.
How It Works
Hyperbaric therapy is surprisingly simple. Treatment recipients are sealed into a pressurized room or decompression chamber. The chamber is then flooded with oxygen. The combination of oxygen saturation and increased air pressure kicks the body’s natural healing processes into high gear. This promotes new tissue growth and improved immune function.
Most patients find treatments comfortable enough to sleep through. It may not be a good choice for participants with anxiety or claustrophobia, however. These patients may find the enclosed treatment space too stressful.
Who Benefits from Bariatric Therapy?
The FDA formally approved Hyperbaric therapy to treat 13 different medical conditions. This includes:
- Anemia
- Diabetic ulcers
- Sinus infections
- Carbon monoxide exposure or poisoning
- Severe burns
- Skin grafts
- Necrotic tissue
- Bone marrow infections
- Gangrene
- Injuries caused by radiation exposure
“Off-label” use opens up oxygen chamber benefits to other interested parties, as well. This includes:
- Athletes seeking to improve their performance
- Individuals struggling with conditions such as asthma
- Hepatitis patients
- Victims of severe spinal cord injuries
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Cost
Pinning down exact numbers for hyperbaric chamber cost and treatment is tricky. Patients can expect sessions to run from around $100 up to $1,000 depending on their length and setting.
Treatment duration and cost tends to hinge on three factors:
- Health or medical condition
- Insurance coverage
- Provider options
Let’s take them in order.
Factor 1: Health or Medical Conditions
Patients with severe or chronic conditions can require daily or weekly treatment. This need for ongoing hyperbaric sleep chamber sessions can last for months.
The costs of such treatment can pile up quickly. Related expenses such as transportation to and from treatment can add to the burden.
Factor 2: Insurance Coverage
Insurance may cover a portion of treatment costs for patients with conditions approved for bariatric therapy by the FDA. How much insurance will cover varies between plans and providers. Often, the devil is in the details.
Insurance may cover only a limited number of visits. It may place caps on the duration or frequency of treatment sessions. Co-pays, deductibles, and other stipulations may apply.
Anyone without an approved condition can expect to pay out of pocket for all treatments.
Factor 3: Provider Options
Patients seeking hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatments have two primary choices. They can get therapy at a hospital or from a private provider.
Hospitals typically provide care only to patients with approved medical conditions whose care is being managed and authorized by an attending physician.
Private providers range from independently owned and operated clinics to health and beauty spas. As the technology’s popularity grows, facilities may become more readily available at gyms and other fitness-oriented establishments.
Hyperbaric Therapy at Home: Costs and Considerations
Hyperbaric oxygen chambers are unique in that, unlike much of the high-tech medical equipment on the market, they are safe and easy to operate at home.
- No special wiring or power supplies are necessary to install or run them
- Users do not need to obtain any form of license, degree, or certification to operate a chamber
- Even highly effective chambers take up no more space than a twin bed, making them easy to fit into almost any home
- Properly cared for chambers can last for years with minimal maintenance costs
Chambers designed for home use start around $7,000 and can cost substantially more depending on their make, model, and features. When compared to the long-term cost of professionally-sourced treatments, however, the total cost of a home unit can turn out to be a bargain.
Moreover, patients with chambers in their own homes often report saving large amounts of time, money, and stress by cutting out the scheduling, commuting, and wait time involved in receiving treatment from a professional facility.
While patients with serious medical conditions will still need to coordinate their hyperbaric sessions with their physician to ensure compliance with larger treatment plans, having a home chamber can be the most cost-efficient and user-friendly option for individuals or families who need extensive treatment.
Home chambers may not be appropriate for all patients, however. Individuals who are unable to safely maneuver themselves into and out of a chamber or who cannot reliably operate the chamber to manufacturer’s specifications may need to continue receiving treatment in professional facilities.
Choosing a Home Hyperbaric Sleep Chamber
To reap maximum oxygen chamber benefits from the comfort of your own home, select a chamber that:
- You find easy to operate
- Fits well in the available space in your home
- Doesn’t break the bank
While more expensive chambers may have great bells and whistles, the best hyperbaric chambers are the ones you are confident and comfortable enough to use regularly.
How to Start Benefitting from Hyperbaric Therapy Right Now
With so many options available, hyperbaric oxygen therapy cost doesn’t have to stop you from harnessing this powerful new technology to improve your health and the health of your family today.
Check out the complete list of FDA-approved conditions and talk to your doctor about whether a hyperbaric chamber might be right for you.
Don’t qualify for official treatment? Stop by your local health spa and book an oxygen therapy treatment for yourself anyway! There’s no better way to find out what this incredible treatment option can do for you than to get in a chamber and give it a try.
