Every cell in your body relies on oxygen for survival, and all metabolic processes are oxygen-driven. But there is more to getting enough oxygen than simply breathing. Your ability to deliver oxygen to your cells depends on multiple factors, including lung and heart health, red blood cell count and hemoglobin levels, a healthy vascular system, and the capacity of cells to uptake and metabolize oxygen.
Reduced delivery of oxygen to cells throughout your body is a primary driver of aging, as cells perpetually deprived of oxygen become dysfunctional and begin to die. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy enhances oxygen delivery to aging cells, improving their function and slowing the aging process.
The Link Between Oxygen Delivery and Aging
Your cells need oxygen to remain viable and to produce ATP, the energy molecule. Athletes and people who exercise regularly tend to have above-average VO2max – maximal oxygen consumption – a function of the oxygen delivery system and the capacity of cells to uptake oxygen from nearby capillaries and utilize it for energy production.
According to one recent study, as you age, your body becomes less efficient at delivering oxygen to your cells due to multiple factors:
- Decreased capacity of your arteries to constrict and dilate, to steer oxygen to cells where it is most needed
- Dysfunction of the endothelial cells that line your arterial walls and facilitate blood flow
- Reduced production of nitric oxide, a gas produced by your body that relaxes blood vessels
- Decreased number of capillaries where cellular O2 and CO2 are exchanged
- Reduced mitochondrial function due to declining NAD levels
Enhancing the efficiency of your cardiovascular system to deliver blood to your cells, and improving the ability of cells to uptake and utilize oxygen, are key to slowing and even reversing the aging process.
How Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Reverse Aging?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy exposes your body to 100% pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber, to increase oxygen delivery to your lungs and circulatory system. As cells absorb pure oxygen, collagen production increases, blood vessels and capillaries grow and become more resilient and functional, and cellular aging is delayed.
At the same time, NAD plays an important role in the capacity of your cell’s mitochondria to utilize oxygen. Mitochondria are organelles within the cell body where fats and carbohydrates are metabolized to produce energy, and NAD is a driving force for mitochondrial function. When combined with NAD therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help to stall or even reverse the aging process.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Anti-Aging Treatment is Now Available to Everyone
Until recently, hyperbaric oxygen therapy was only available in clinical settings, to treat a limited range of specific conditions. But as of July 2021, the FDA has declared hyperbaric chambers to be safe for treating a broad range of conditions, including:
- Anemia
- Burns
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Crush injuries
- Decompression sickness in deep sea divers
- Gas gangrene
- Sudden hearing loss
- Severe skin and bone infections
- Radiation injuries
- Skin grafts
- Sudden vision loss due to blood flow blockage
- Non-healing wounds and diabetic foot ulcers
- Peripheral nerve regeneration
- Stroke
- Cancer
- Many more
In addition to medical disorders, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is effective for treating a broad range of non-medical conditions, including:
- Recovery from sports and exercise
- Chronic stress and inflammation
- Anxiety and depression
- Chronic fatigue
- Fibromyalgia
- Cognitive acuity and brain fog
- Aging skin
- Musculoskeletal conditions
- General health and wellness
- Beauty and anti-aging treatment
Today, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is available to everyone, without a medical prescription. Hyperbaric oxygen chambers are popping up in spas and clinics across the USA, and people are flocking to them in hopes that a session in a hyperbaric chamber can reverse aging.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Contraindications and Side Effects
While hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is generally considered safe, there are a few caveats for people with certain conditions. HBOT is absolutely contraindicated for people with pneumothorax (collapsing lung syndrome), and relatively contraindicated for people taking certain prescription medications, including a number of cancer drugs.
You should avoid hyperbaric oxygen therapy if you are pregnant, as changes in air pressure may affect your pregnancy. Consult your physician if you are being treated for metabolic disorders or other chronic diseases.
Side effects are normally mild, but may include lung damage, fluid buildup/rupture in the middle ear, sinus problems, changes in vision, and oxygen poisoning.
Get Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Anti Aging in NYC
Life in the fast lane can cause premature aging, especially if you live in NYC. Chronic stress, the anxieties of urban living, and exposure to toxins in air, food and water can all take a toll. But you don’t have to resign yourself to feeling and looking older than your years.
InVita Wellness has everything you need to combat the aging effects of urban living. We have been serving busy clients for years with cryotherapy, nutrient IV therapy and injection therapies, to help you look and feel your best. Now, our clinic features a hyperbaric chamber, to reverse aging, combat stress and improve your quality of life.
Contact InVita Wellness today to try our hyperbaric chamber for anti-aging therapy, or to simply improve your vitality and overall health. And be sure to ask about NAD therapy, to repair DNA, combat aging, and boost energy production.
Sources:
Salvatore, Sabrina S., Kyle N. Zelenski, and Ryan K. Perkins. “Age-Related Changes in Skeletal Muscle Oxygen Utilization.” Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology 7.4 (2022): 87.
