Des Moines location is likely the first non-hospital option in Iowa for off-label HBOT
Monday, April 25, 2022 9:05 a.m.
An emerging health therapy that has gained popularity on the coasts over the past two years has made its way to Iowa. Known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT, the treatments are now available in Des Moines.
Chris LoRang, a Des Moines chiropractor with a penchant for applying innovative approaches to holistic care, started a hyperbaric oxygen therapy clinic, Iowa HBOT, as an extension of the Capital Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Center. Since June 2021, it has been offering the therapy on an “off-label” basis to patients, both to optimize their health and to help patients speed recovery. It has also been shown to be potentially beneficial in treating ‘long COVID’ symptoms.
Non-invasive therapy involves treatments in which patients spend between 60 and 90 minutes in a hyperbaric chamber in which the ambient air pressure is increased while the person lies in the chamber and breathes pure oxygen through a mask. Used as a therapeutic treatment, the increased atmospheric pressure allows oxygen to dissolve and saturate the blood plasma to provide what research studies indicate, with a regiment of repeated treatment, a wide variety of health benefits. Patients need a referral from their doctor for treatment.
“People are looking for it and people are really seeing the benefits of it,” LoRang said. “They read the research, and they come to us and say, ‘I would like to research this treatment at this pressure and with this number of visits, because research shows that X number of visits produces this. [particular] answer.'”
Both UnityPoint Health and MercyOne offer hyperbaric oxygen therapy at their Des Moines hospitals, but treatments are limited to 14 specific conditions approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, such as non-healing wounds, wounds by crushing and carbon monoxide. poisoning.
LoRang found that research supports the use of off-label hyperbaric therapy for some 140 different diagnoses, including traumatic brain injury, concussion, stroke care, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. “Because of the physiological mechanisms, we know it’s good for your skin, it’s good for your brain, it’s good for healing, it’s good for decreasing inflammation – all of those things happen.”
He incorporated therapy into his practice after moving his office in April 2021 from an East Village office to its new location near the Des Moines Playhouse. LoRang, who has been practicing chiropractic since 2013, last year received certification to administer the therapy by the International Board of Undersea Medicine; two members of its clinical staff have also obtained their certification. Iowa HBOT is associated with HBOT USA, a national organization based in New Jersey that promotes the use of HBOT for many conditions.
LoRang began offering the treatments last summer using a soft-sided chamber, and in February added a hard-sided chamber capable of delivering the therapy at higher pressures. He said the only adverse effects have been a few patients suffering from claustrophobia and needing to end a session early, or having trouble balancing the pressure in their ears.
He is finding interest from his regular chiropractic patients as well as people who have been waiting for the technology to become available locally.
“I have a patient who comes here for post-surgery physical rehabilitation, but he also said, ‘I want to get better as soon as possible. From what we know in research, we know his body will have an increased ability to heal if he implements both physical therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy,” LoRang said.
“In contrast, we have people who come here just for HBOT, but they walk past the physiotherapy and chiropractic rooms and maybe after six or seven visits they say, ‘I was actually looking for a chiropractor.’ So it’s a really nice symbiotic relationship.
The soft-sided chamber represented an investment of approximately $25,000 for the clinic, while the hard-sided chamber cost approximately $140,000. LoRang said one of the reasons he went ahead with the investment in the hard-sided chamber was because a patient had paid $20,000 upfront for a regimen of sleep-optimizing treatments. health using chamber.
The cost of a single treatment in the hard-sided chamber, which provides a range of treatment pressures up to 2.2 atmospheres, is $250. The soft-sided chamber, which allows treatments at a lower pressure of 1.3 atmospheres, costs $125 per treatment. Treatments can be prepaid in packages of 10, 20 or more treatments at a discounted rate.Iowa HBOT will celebrate its grand opening from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday at its location within the Capital Chiropractic & Rehabilitation Center at 900 42nd St. The event is free and open to the public. More information about Iowa HBOT can be found at its website.
