Hard-Shell Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Chambers Vs Soft-Shell Chambers
Don’t Be Misled!
If you are considering Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) treatments, don’t be misled by companies promoting the use of “mild-hyperbaric” in soft-shell chambers as equivalent to TRUE Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. There is a significant difference between the two.
At Cerulean, our first concern is always your safety, followed by our continuous drive to deliver the best healing outcomes. Soft-shell chambers support neither. Virtually all published medical studies recommending the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy have been conducted using hard-shell hyperbaric chambers, and their results and various outcomes DO NOT APPLY to Inflatable Soft-shell chambers. At Cerulean, we use Hard-shell, FDA approved Chambers that are of the same medical grade as the hyperbaric chambers you would find in a medical or hospital setting.
The inherent problem with Soft-Shell chambers and “Mild-Hyperbaric”
Mild-hyperbaric that is delivered with the use of soft-shell chambers results in limited healing benefits, and in some cases no benefits at all. The reason is simple: Soft-shell chambers cannot reach pressure and oxygen concentration levels high enough to produce meaningful health outcomes.
As proven by the entire body of scientific literature on Hyperbarics, the minimum pressure level required to produce healing outcomes is 1.5 ATA, or 1.5 atmospheres absolute. Soft-shell chambers can only reach maximum atmospheric pressure levels of 1.3 ATA ,increasing oxygen intake to 26%, or +5% more than the 21% your body normally breathes at sea level. This limitation is intrinsic to the design of soft-shell chambers and imposed by safety standards regulations. Unlike Hard-Shell Chambers, inflatable bag and soft-shell chambers are not FDA approved for any medical conditions except altitude sickness, which was their initial intended application.
Why only Hard-shell chambers can deliver true Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
In contrast to soft-shell chambers, FDA-approved Hard-Shell Chambers apply pressure levels of 1.5ATA and above, as science and research-based protocols dictate.
The threshold of 1.5ATA is the minimum amount of pressure needed to induce healing and produce meaningful outcomes. By increasing the levels of oxygen available to cells by 10, 15, or even 20 times the typical quantity, hard-shell HBOT supercharges the body’s natural healing ability exponentially, through a process that is called “hyperoxygenation”. This hyperoxygenation process causes more oxygen to reach each cell in the body, thereby, stimulating faster and more complete rejuvenation and self-healing.
Safety
Your health and safety while visiting Cerulean is our top priority, which is another reason that we are outfitted with Hard-Shell Chambers only. When utilizing multi-use medical equipment, sanitation is a constant consideration. Due to the nature of 1.5ATA HBOT, our Hard-Shell Chambers naturally stop bacteria from reproducing, increasing the sanitation and overall cleanliness of our chambers
The inadequate pressure levels in soft-shell and inflatable chambers allow for possible exposure to Bacterial Infection during your session. Scientific studies show that oxygen becomes bacteriostatic (stops bacteria from reproducing) at 1.5ATA. As Inflatable chambers cannot achieve internal pressures over 1.3 ATA, it cannot kill bacteria but will enhance the growth of certain molds, fungus and aerobic bacteria. This means that you could be receiving a concentrated exposure to a number of harmful substances during soft-shell sessions.
Inflatable bag soft-chambers are not certified as PVHO-1 (Pressure Vessels for Human Occupancy) devices by the ASME. This means they do not have the qualifications necessary to meet National quality and safety standards.
