Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ

Octopus require more oxygen than other animal in the phylum Mollusca. This cephalopod uses 4 times the amount of oxygen of any other mollusk and have 3 hearts, 2 of which are dedicated to pump blood through the gills just for oxygen. Octopus actually have blue blood as they use copper to carry the oxygen as opposed to iron like mammals.  These oxygen loving creatures make for the perfect mascot for Under Pressure Hyperbarics.  Be sure to check out our adopted octopus when you visit.

250 N Robertson Blvd #104, Beverly Hills, CA 90211, USA

Just north of Wilshire Blvd. between Clifton Way and Colgate Ave.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a full body treatment that helps in many ways. HBOT has shown to reduce swelling and increase the amount of oxygen in your tissues, which in turn, stimulates healing. HBOT stimulates collagen synthesis, stem cell proliferation and can even repair parts of our DNA . With the proper protocols HBOT acts as a bactericidal/bacteriostatic agent and can even stimulate the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis.). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has shown to improve clients quality of life in many sectors. Conditions such as head injuries, chronic fatigue, stroke, cerebral palsy, cancer, diabetes and more have responded favorably to HBOT in many studies and contentious real life use.

Our medical staff will evaluate each patient to determine if Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is right for you and customize a treatment plan depending on what you come in for.

For a list of conditions, please see our applications page.

For in-depth information on what hyperbaric oxygen therapy is, please see our Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy page.

Below are the FDA-approved conditions that are covered by your insurance:

  • Air or Gas Embolism
  • Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
  • Clostridial Myositis And Myonecrosis (Gas Gangrene)
  • Crush Injury, Compartment Syndrome And Other Acute Traumatic Ischemias
  • Decompression Sickness
  • Arterial Inefficiencies: Central Retinal Artery Occlusion
  • Select Problem Wounds
  • Severe Anemia
  • Intracranial Abscess
  • Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections
  • Osteomyelitis (Refractory)
  • Delayed Radiation Injury (Soft Tissue and Bony Necrosis)
  • Skin Grafts and Flaps
  • Acute Thermal Burn Injury
  • Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Below are off-label conditions that may or may not be covered by your insurance:

Diabetes
Cancer
Autism
Cerebral Palsy
Lyme Disease
Recovery from Plastic Surgery
Sports Injuries
Stroke
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

If you do not see your condition above, you may still have a chance to be covered by insurance as approved conditions are growing.

Here are 3 ways to see if you may be covered:

  • Please call your insurance and ask if your condition is covered.
  • Talk to your primary care physician.
  • Contact us with your current condition and any questions you may have.

There are many ways to check if Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is right for you. Either you are in for a specific condition or you want to come in for the overall benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. You may also have a covered condition that is paid by your insurance. There is lots of research and studies available for many Non-Covered conditions that support HBOT’s use.

If your coming in for a specific condition and wonder if your condition falls within the FDA-covered and insured treatment,  you can check the FDA approved Applications page for a full list.

If you have a condition that is not listed in the FDA Approved Applications, you can consult with your primary care physician or come in for a consultation where our physicians and certified-HBOT technicians will answer all questions needed before treatment.

Relax. Lay Down. Enjoy a movie. Breath 100% oxygen! Sounds simple enough right?

Every visit, you will undergo a quick assessment to make sure your fit to dive into the chamber that day.  Our goal is to treat you as safely and comfortably as possible.

Next you will change into a set of our scrubs and lock your belongings, including cell phone in one of our lockers.

When entering the Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber, there are several stages during the treatment:

  1. The first stage is compression, where the chamber is pressurized to the prescribed pressure (or depth), most commonly set to 2.0 atmospheres absolute (ATA).  Your ears will start to be affected by the pressure just like being on a plane and you will need to clear your ears by swallowing, drinking water or holding your nose.  We will coach you through this process.
  2. Treatment Depth: Once you reach your prescribed depth you will remain at this pressure (depth) and will breath 100% oxygen for the prescribed time, usually one to two hours.  During this time you can watch TV, nap, meditate, etc…
  3. Decompression.  During decompression there is nothing you need to do.  As we slowly decompress the chamber your ears will naturally clear on their own.

Under Pressure uses hospital grade Sechrist hyperbaric chambers and our facility is set up to hospital standards satisfying all NFPA, OSHA and ASME requirements.  To date we have passed all inspections, including Medicare.  As such we are able to bill insurance and Medicare for hyperbaric treatments that fall under their protocols.

Just like with any treatment, side effects are possible after treatment, however after decades of research and innovation, side effects have become minimal. To stay on the side of caution, before you start your treatment plan, our physician will do a full exam to see if you are accepted as a candidate.

Most Common Side Effects

  • Ear or sinus pain
  • Claustrophobia
  • Fatigue

Other Rare Side Effects

  • Oxygen toxicity 
  • Myopia
  • Lung damage
  • Blood sugars may drop too low in diabetic patients

Other Areas of Concern​

  • Being Pregnant
  • Asthma
  • Congenital spherocytosis
  • Emphysema
  • Fever
  • History of middle ear surgery or disorders
  • History of seizures
  • Optic neuritis
  • Pneumothorax

When coming for your treatment you will dress in our HBOT approved garments.

Please avoid makeup, perfumes, hair preparations, deodorant, wigs, jewelry when going into the chamber.

The technician needs to know if any change in your medical history since you last checkup.

If you are a smoker, we suggest quitting smoking during the treatment period.

Please avoid carbonated beverages and caffeine 2 hours prior to treatment. You are also notified to not smoke during the treatment  duration of planned visits or it will compromise on your absorption of oxygen. Good nutrition and balanced diet will be excellent for your healing.  For those looking to augment their nutrition we have a variety of IV therapies available that can be done in conjunction with your hyperbaric treatment.

A normal treatment for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy lasts between 60 to 120 minutes or 1-2 hours long. Patients usually visit for treatment in the suggested increments of 20 or 40 sessions. You are more than welcome to come in for a 1-time session as well. Our physicians will monitor your progress and adjust your treatment course as necessary.

The price of treatment varies based upon a number of factors including treatment time, depth, and number of treatments.  During consultation our physicians will help set a treatment protocol that fits your needs based on your desired outcome and treatment indication.  From there we will help determine if insurance will cover for this indication.  If not, there are a number of other options we can explore. 

We are in network with Medicare.  We are out of network with all other insurances currently. During consultation we will do our best to determine what if any co-insurance or co-pays you may owe for treatments.