In this week’s edition of Wellness Wednesday, Action News Now anchor Hayley Watts speaks with Dr. Shane Smith, a chiropractor at TrueU Wellness in Chico, about the positive benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to improve both health and athletic performance.
CHICO, Calif. – Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is gaining popularity in the wellness community as a tool for improving health and athletic performance.
Dr. Shane Smith, a chiropractor at TrueU Wellness in Chico, explained to Action News Now how this therapy works and its benefits.
“It helps equalize the pressure in your body,” Dr. Smith said.
This medical tool, often used for scuba divers, is now being used to enhance oxygen intake. Smith described the process, saying, “It’ll take you down as if you’re diving around 33 feet and what that does is it doubles atmospheric pressure.”
The increased pressure allows the body to absorb more oxygen with each breath. Smith noted, “They’re breathing but it’s not getting to the cells that need it. And what this will do is saturate your blood.”
Once the blood is saturated with oxygen, the brain responds by creating new pathways, which can improve circulation. “It tells your brain ‘hey, we need more pathways’ so you build more blood vessels around blockages in your heart or brain,” Smith said.
Smith shared that the therapy feels similar to the pressure experienced when descending on an airplane. He also highlighted its benefits for those with chronic illnesses, saying, “The folks that would see the most benefit are folks suffering from chronic systemic illness, things like Epstein Barr or chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain syndromes like fibromyalgia.”
Smith personally experienced the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. “I did have mold exposure in my home, my hands and feet were burning and numb.
Within about 10-12 sessions, my hands and feet are back to normal and I feel calm,” he said.
Sessions in the hyperbaric chamber last 75 minutes, and patients may require 3-5 sessions to notice results, with up to 40 sessions recommended for serious conditions.
