Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: Light at the end of the tunnel
By Sara Flindt
What originated in the 17th century as a compressed air chamber expanded over the years to alleviate deep sea divers’ decompression sickness by not only compressing the air, but also pumping oxygen into the chamber.
With further research and knowledge, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, also known as HBOT, is now used to offer wellness for people with diseases and injuries.
HBOT is meant to improve one’s quality of life and well-being, rather than reducing disease progression. The therapy is meant to give the body a boost to heal itself over time.
Normally, the atmosphere at sea level allows for 21% oxygen to be inhaled with each breath. In HBOT chambers, users breathe in a significantly increased amount of pressurized oxygen that mimics the action of diving deep under water.
This is done to create an environment where oxygen can dig deeper into the tissues with the purpose of repairing and regenerating the body.
Personal testimony
Jonathan Sauerwein, a former Clark County resident, discovered hyperbaric oxygen therapy when a physical therapist recommended he give it a try for the injuries he suffered from a car accident.
The 64-year-old has dealt with a fair number of injuries throughout his life. “As far as pain goes, I’ve been over 10 constantly,” Sauerwein said.
Sauerwein was leaving work one evening in October 2023 when he stopped his vehicle to let a person cross the road. A co-worker was driving behind him and didn’t see that he had stopped and smashed into the back of his vehicle. Sauerwein suffered a bulged disk pressing on his sciatic nerve that caused pain all the way down his right leg to his foot. He also had pain in his left shoulder and arm from holding the steering wheel during the accident.
It wasn’t until January 2024 that he discovered the therapy — and it changed his life. He was referred to In Light Hyperbarics, a local wellness clinic, where he did a total of 10 sessions in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber. This, coupled with 10 sessions of infrared light therapy and a few shockwaves of tissue regenerative therapy, left him feeling better than ever.
“I’d wake up before with aches and pains, but not anymore,” he said.
Sauerwein urges people to do their own research to find what works for them when Western medicine and over-the-counter prescriptions don’t seem to benefit their situation.
Local care available
Wellness clinics, such as In Light Hyperbarics, supported Sauerwein on his road to recovery and can help aid in the healing process for patients with a wide variety of conditions and injuries.
In Light Hyperbarics is located in downtown Vancouver at the corner of Broadway and East 16th Street. The business began 12 years ago and is co-owned by Edna Ness and Cait Wilson.
They say their journey with hyperbarics started with light therapy, hence the name of the company. In fact, they were introduced to hyperbaric chambers when they attended a light therapy conference. Ness, who had experienced frequent migraines, hopped inside a chamber at the conference and experienced what it was like to dive deep. Afterward, she said she didn’t have a migraine for months.
Ness and Wilson believe in providing patients with the modalities they need to improve their health from the inside out.
“We’re not healing anybody,” Ness said. “Your body is healing itself.”
Some of the services offered include hyperbaric oxygen therapy, infrared light therapy, tissue regenerative therapy, sauna pods and sculpting devices. Information is available at inlighthyperbarics.com.
They recommend doing hyperbaric therapy sessions as close together as possible and offer a variety of package deals, which can include some of the other equipment like the light therapy beds.
People of all ages can use HBOT, from infants to 100-year-olds. Ness and Wilson often see cancer patients and people suffering from brain trauma, various illnesses, concussions and injuries to the body.
“There’s always a positive benefit, no matter what,” Wilson said.
In medical terms
Another local wellness clinic is Healing Air Hyperbarics, a 12-year-old business located off Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard. Jaime A. Nicacio, who is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and his wife Maria purchased the business in July 2024.
Nicacio started researching hyperbarics for his mother as an alternative treatment for Park-inson’s disease and read that it could help mitigate her symptoms. He described how HBOT works in medical terms.
“Hyperbarics is a potent anti-inflammatory that promotes local blood flow all over the body to increase new blood-cell formation in a process called angiogenesis,” Nicacio said. “It’s also reported to increase stem cell production.”
He said most businesses that offer HBOT have two types of chambers: soft and steel. Each have similar healing properties, but are can reach different atmospheric pressures.
In the soft chambers offered at Healing Air Hyperbarics, patients lie down and dive deep for 10 minutes to reach a controlled pressure of 1.3 atmospheres, which is equivalent to approximately 10 feet below sea level. They stay at that level from 40-90 minutes and then ascend over the course of 10 minutes to reach sea level again. Soft chambers have been used to offer wellness for brain-related conditions such as Parkinson’s, dementia, concussions, post stroke and autism.
Their steel chambers allow patients to dive deep at 2.0 atmospheres which is equivalent to 33 feet below sea level. Patients dive for 20 minutes and stay in their chosen atmosphere for an hour, then ascend for 20 minutes to reach sea level. These hard-shelled chambers are mainly used for patients with muscle and bone conditions such as fractures, sports recovery and facial palsy, as well as neuropathy, cancer, Lyme disease and after plastic surgery.
They screen each patient before the use of the chambers to make sure that it’s safe for them.
HBOT can cost anywhere from $110 for the soft chambers to around $240 for the steel chambers per session. They offer multiple discounts for services, specifically for college athletes, veterans, first responders and widowers.
“We don’t want a lack of resources to get in the way of a person receiving this therapy,” Nicacio said.
FDA approved disorders include:
• Air and gas bubbles in blood vessels
• Burns
• Anemia
• Decompression sickness
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Crush injury
• Gas gangrene
• Hearing loss (complete hearing loss that occurs suddenly and without any known cause)
• Infection of the skin and bone
• Radiation injury
• Skin graft flap at risk of tissue death
• Vision loss (when sudden and painless in one eye due to blockage of blood flow)
• Wounds (non-healing, diabetic foot ulcers)
(Source: Taken from FDA recommends UHMS-accredited hyperbaric facilities for treatment of specific illnesses - Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society)
Editor’s Note: Some specific disorders and conditions treated in the chambers may not be included on the FDA clearance list. Please inquire within and contact the provider for more information. Both clinics mentioned are off-label, meaning they use the chambers for disorders and conditions not included on the FDA clearance list. Insurance does not cover the services provided at both businesses.
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The International Hyperbaric Association is holding their 16th annual hyperbaric therapy and functional medicine conference, which is located in Florida in September of 2025. To look for more information about this convention and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, visit www.ihausa.org
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Sara Flindt is a Clark County writer who enjoys reading, dancing, singing and all sorts of outdoorsy activities. She attends the University of Montana, where she is a double major in journalism and dance.
