Experience the Healing Power of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

The number of sessions varies depending on individual health goals and conditions. Our team will recommend a plan tailored to your needs.

Yes, there is no downtime required after HBOT sessions.

Before you come into the clinic, you will need to register as a patient in our patient portal. Here you will enter your medical history and primary reason(s) for starting HBOT.   When you complete the portal registration, you will then be able to schedule a consultation with Elena Schertz, FNP to obtain your oxygen prescription.  Because oxygen is considered a drug by the FDA, patients must obtain a prescription from a licensed healthcare professional for these therapeutic treatments. The specific pressure for your HBOT treatment is also included in the prescription.

After the consultation, your HBOT journey begins!

Review our Welcome Letter for more information. 

All Extivita patients have their very own hood or mask through which 100% medical grade oxygen is administered. These will be provided after your consultation.

The combination of oxygen and pressure is what creates a Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy environment. The majority of our dives at Extivita are at a 2.0 ATA, which is the equivalent of being 33 feet below surface level; hence why the industry uses the term “dive” when referring to a HBOT treatment.

At Extivita we have two hard-shell, multi-place chambers. Our biggest chamber can seat up to 12 patients, while our smaller chamber can seat up to 8 patients. We are a NFPA compliant facility; meeting all necessary safety rules and PVHO mandates required for clinical HBOT operation in North Carolina.

It’s important to know there are two types of chambers (hard and soft shell) that administer HBOT in the Health & Wellness industry. There are physical and therapeutic differences between them both, and different states enforce different mandates.  In North Carolina, the PVHO (Pressure Vessels for Human Occupancy) mandate is enforced for every operational clinical hyperbaric chamber in the state. Mild HBOT or mHBOT chambers that are “soft-sided” are not compliant with ASME PVHO-1 or NFPA 99.

To learn more on the importance of this information, reference –

What is the Difference Between Hard & Soft Shell HBOT Chambers

Why PVHO Mandates are Enforced in 11 States for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Whether it’s reading, watching a movie, or sleeping, there is plenty to do during your HBOT session. All of our chambers have a tablet at each seat, and we provide free chamber-approved headphones! If you want to watch movies or shows on your personal streaming account (like Netflix, Disney+, etc), just be sure you have your login information handy.  You are also more than welcome to bring your own book to read during treatment, or a small pillow for catching up on some sleep.  We provide blankets to all patients. 

No newspapers or cell phones are allowed in the HBOT chambers

There will always be a trained Extivita dive tender with you during your HBOT session. While you may be the only patient in the chamber on some days, most sessions will have other patients in the chamber with you. 

Most HBOT sessions will last roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes, which includes the time it takes to pressurize the chamber, 1 hour at the prescribed depth, and the time it takes to depressurize the chamber. Certain conditions may require shorter or longer durations at depth.

Covered conditions are conditions that have been approved by the FDA for HBOT. There are currently 13 covered conditions in the U.S. including carbon monoxide poisoning, burns, osteomyelitis, and radiation injuries to name a few. If you fall into any of these categories and would like to try to be reimbursed for HBOT treatment by your insurance provider, please let us how we can help support you with a self-claim.

Non-covered conditions are conditions that have large bodies of research and patient experiences in support of HBOT as an effective therapy. Many of our patients receive treatment for non-covered conditions (also known as “off label” treatment). For a full list of the conditions we treat at Extivita, visit our Conditions page.  Additionally, the National Institute of Health (NIH) typically has hundreds of ongoing clinical trials for the use of hyperbaric medicine covering the treatment of conditions such as stroke, cancer, ulcerative colitis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and traumatic brain injuries. For a complete listing, visit the NIH Clinical Trials website.

This depends on the condition that you are receiving treatment for, as well as how your body responds to HBOT. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of HBOT can typically be felt within the first few sessions.

Some post-COVID Long Haulers or patients who are using HBOT within days of a head injury for concussion healing can feel the positive results in as little as 3-5 treatments. Benefits for acute injuries and soft-tissue damage can typically be seen in 5-10 sessions, while chronic injuries typically require 10-20 sessions. Many conditions require 20-40 HBOT sessions for full healing effects such as stem cell increase.  During your consult, Elena Schertz will provide you with a suggested HBOT dive schedule to help you achieve optimal healing.

HBOT is generally considered one of the safest therapies in use today. Any serious side effects can be prevented by pre-HBOT screening that all patients receive during their consultation. One side effect that is some people experience is mild ear pain while the chamber pressurizes. However, this can be reduced through proper sinus clearing and it typically goes away as you receive more treatments.