HBOT Reality Check: Separating Science from Snake Oil in Hyperbaric Medicine
Controversial Take: HBOT is simultaneously one of medicine's most overhyped AND most underutilized therapies. Here's what peer-reviewed research actually shows vs. marketing claims. The Oxygen Paradox Explained Basic Physiology Most People Get Wrong: Your body doesn't actually "need more oxygen" under normal conditions—blood is already 97% saturated. HBOT works through physics, not just "more oxygen." Under pressure, oxygen dissolves directly into blood plasma, bypassing damaged circulation and reaching previously hypoxic tissues. Mathematical Reality: Normal oxygen delivery: ~250ml/min to tissues HBOT oxygen delivery: ~2,000ml/min to tissues This isn't just "20% more"—it's an entirely different physiological state Key Mechanism: Plasma-dissolved oxygen creates steep concentration gradients driving oxygen into damaged tissues that hemoglobin-bound oxygen can't reach due to inflammation, swelling, or vascular damage. Evide...