Get started with HBOT – just a few steps
We’ve received your intake form. Next, you’ll receive an introductory email with some FAQs and important information on what to wear, what you can bring into the chamber, etc. and some of the information that is presented on this static web page.
Our process
- We’ll review your intake form answers, and then,
- We’ll call you and do quick phone interview and discuss a protocol for you.
- Please pick a date for your first session – a 90-minute window between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm M-F.
- Pay $125 for your first one-hour session (on-site, right here, or over-the-phone).
What is entailed in Hope-Connection HBOT session?
Our main goal is to make you comfortable. HBOT ‘diving’ is simple and the only thing we ask is that you abide by simple rules posted, like not bringing into a chamber any mechanical devices (phones, iPads, things like that). Safety is our main concern. Because we’re dealing with oxygen, we just want to be ultra conservative in our approach.
Protocol – the outline of your HBOT session. Generally, you’ll hear phrases like ‘one hour at 33 feet (fsw)’ or ‘2.00 ata for one hour using 100% oxygen’), because HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen therapy) originated with the US Navy and pressure is measured in ‘fsw’ (feet of saltwater) among other gauges like ‘atmospheres absolute’ or ‘ata.’ Since 2006 when we started Hope, folks confuse ‘ata’ with ‘atm,’ so we want to make sure we’re all on the same page with the protocol. We use 100% hospital grade oxygen with our chambers, and these chambers are capable of any depth.
Soft chambers – or home unit chambers. These are capable of depths of 1.30 ata only. The do not provide 100% oxygen. But, they are very helpful for conditions where the user wishes to do multiple sessions at home each day or during the week. Autism, Lyme disease, Covid long-haul symptoms, ME/CFS, and post-concussion syndrome are good reasons to explore renting a home unit. We install, service and manage all aspects of your rental or purchase experience.
Sensitivity – you answered a question about sensitivity (chemical or other), and we asked this question because a lot of the folks we’ve seen over the years stumbled across hyperbaric oxygen therapy and have long histories of medicine use which we believe weakened their immune symptoms. So, we’re sensitive to your sensitivity to any type of stimulus, including pressure and oxygen, which is all that HBOT is – – hyper (high) baric (pressure) oxygen. As an example, if you listed Lyme disease as a condition on your intake form, it’s common to experience herxing (see herxheimer reaction on Wikipedia), which can make you feel like you’ve got the flu. But this is a good reaction, since this is a result of the oxygen killing off the bacteria – in the short-term, it’s rough, but in the long-term, it’s a good thing because it tells you that, yes, HBOT is effective. ‘Sensitivity’ to us is important, because we do not want you to experience too much discomfort after your first session – – thus, we’ll start you at a lower pressure than is common, and then slowly increase your pressure over your next sessions.
Frequency – refers to how many times a HBOT client-patient wishes to come in a given week. Often, the question is, Should I come more frequently if I have such and such a condition, or should I just shoot for X number of sessions? Our answer is that the frequency, in almost all cases, is not as important as the cumulative number of hours attained over time. The reasoning is that we believe the human body can take days or weeks to digest and make sense of what it has been given: highly saturated, highly oxygenated cells throughout the entire body. HBOT is like a new tool that the body needs to figure out what to do with, depending on your body’s unique symptoms and degrees of those symptoms. No one should be telling you that you should do 7 days per week of HBOT based on such and such a study. The body needs to consume and figure out what to do with the new tool it’s been given, so we at Hope operate under the principle that back-to-back-to-back sessions (i.e. frequency) are not as important as the total number of hours received (accumulated). Medical studies are executed according to resource planning, so the resulting makeup of most all studies is that the doctors, the nurses, the patients, the techs (and all other stakeholders) are present over a compacted time period – usually five days a week; this makeup is how the study was carried out, but it does not represent the best approach for you as an HBOT diver to carry out your unique HBOT program (or dive plan). Simply put, we encourage you to not put any added stress on yourself, in order to try to perfectly match the a study that you might be referencing.
Your first session – a time for you to relax and simply breathe 100% oxygen for an hour (in some cases, we can do ninety minutes on oxygen). If you’re a mom or dad of at child who is using the chamber, you’ll have plenty of time (minutes to days) to get used to the whole chamber thing. Do not think that you or your child needs to do a full hour your first time, because a lot of people need to come in multiple times to get one hour under their belt. This is common, and we’re totally fine with the extra time it takes to get you a good experience. That said, bring or wear 100% cotton clothing, do not wear any perfumes or colognes (or any nice-smelling sprays), and bring a water bottle and/or a snack. Bring a book, a magazine, or a DVD if you wish (we do not allow newspapers in a chamber, due to most having petroleum-based inks). We’ll ask you to pull out your pockets, so there’s nothing foreign or petroleum based brought into the chamber; you won’t be allowed to bring anything electrical or mechanical like a cell phone, either. Prior to coming, it is a good idea to try clearing your ears; if you cannot clear your ears, still come, and we’ll work with you on clearing during your session. The most important thing to prepare for your first session is to not worry about it – HBOT is simple and all you need to do is show up – on-time – and we’ll do the rest.
I hope this helped. Please remember to check your email’s Spam folder for an email from hope-connection.com and feel free to call or text Cheryl at (508) 574-3391 if you don’t hear from us soon.
Note: Our ‘discount days’ are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm. The rate for a one-hour session on ‘discount days’ is $125 per hour.
Hope Connection | 21 Main Street | (978) 664-8100 | Facebook Page | Private FB Group
