Hyperbaric PHP

Planning your visit

New clients contact the center through its website or by phone to book an appointment and complete the patient intake form before the first visit. Sessions last about 60 minutes, and clients may stay up to an extra hour per session at no extra charge. The chamber inflates within about a minute and leaves room for an adult to sit upright or lie fully extended; sessions take place in an open room where other clients are also in chambers. Clients are asked to wear comfortable, loose clothing and not to wear perfume or cologne, and they may read, listen to music, use a phone, laptop or handheld game, or nap during the session. Clients should not enter the chamber while intoxicated, with ear canal problems or an ear infection, or with cold or flu symptoms. The consent form does not allow sessions during the first trimester of pregnancy, requires clients with insulin-dependent diabetes to check their blood sugar before and after each session, and requires a doctor's clearance for anyone with an existing collapsed lung or compressive brain lesion. The intake form asks clients to continue only if they are not taking bleomycin, disulfiram or mafenide acetate and do not have or suspect hereditary spherocytosis, sickle cell disease, anemia or COPD. Clients who are prone to seizures must tell staff before the first visit; under the center's seizure protocol they work up to full pressure and the standard one-hour session over a series of staged visits. Staff recommend how often to schedule sessions after an initial evaluation.