In part one of this Q&A series which we talked about last week, Dr. Jason Donners and Dr. Sanjeev Goel discussed how hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves performance.
This is part 2 of the interview, which talks about how hyperbaric oxygen slows down aging and how it works.
This Q&A blog focuses on how HBOT works and will answer all your questions about how hyperbaric oxygen helps fight aging.
Dr. Jason Sonners of HBOT USA was interviewed by Dr. Sanjeev Goel at the Advanced Anti-Aging and Technology Summit.
Dr. Sanjeev Goel is a practicing medical physician and the founder of Peak Human, a practice dedicated to helping his patients live 100x their potential NOW.
He believes in a holistic approach to wellness as has done training in Anti-Aging, Integrative and Regenerative Medicine.
Dr. Jason Sonners is a doctor of chiropractic and serves as Diplomat of the Chiropractic Board of Clinical Nutrition.
He is also a Diplomat of the International Board of Applied Kinesiology. Dr. Jason Sonners is one of only 250 professionals in the world with this distinction.
Dr. Jason and his wife Dr. Melissa Sonners are co-owners of the Core Therapies Family Wellness Center in Northern New Jersey, a holistic center with eight chiropractors whose specialties include functional neurology, functional medicine, hyperbaric oxygen, pre/postpartum pediatric, and sports injuries.
Core Therapies also offers acupuncture, massage, infrared, sauna spinal decompression, yoga, and laser therapies.
They are also owners of HBOT USA. Dr. Jason serves as a faculty member of the International Hyperbaric Association.
In this interview, Dr. Jason Sonners talks to Dr. Sanjeev Goel about the connection between hyperbaric oxygen therapy and aging. Below are excerpts from part two of the interview:
How does hyperbaric oxygen therapy fight aging?
Dr. Sanjeev Goel:
We’ve heard that you’re doing a study on aging and looking at epigenetics and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Do you want to tell us a little bit about that study?
Dr. Jason Sonners:
Sure. Right now, when you look at populations of elderly people, there’s a difference in health and quality of life among them.
There are 80 year olds that have the strength and looks that make them look like they’re just 60, while there are 80 year olds that seem a lot older than they actually are.
There are two sides to the spectrum of aging.
However, in these modern times, longevity is something that is absolutely possible.
Humans are definitely living longer, but quality of life doesn’t match longevity by a long shot.
The most ideal situation would be longevity combined with a great quality of life.
We see so many people living to a much older age, but we don’t really have an advanced quality of life.
This is what really sent me back to school because I know it’s possible for the elderly to have a great quality of life.
This is proven because we see many people in their old age but still living really well.
So, what can we do to start figuring out what gives people longevity combined with a great quality of life?
I took a look at chronic inflammation and chronic illnesses that can hinder someone’s quality of life.
This includes neurodegenerative illnesses, auto-immune diseases, cancer and the like. So many of these illnesses are rooted in chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction.
This creates an environment that literally speeds up the aging process.
I think if we properly deal with those aspects of our health and reduce inflammation, we will be able to stimulate growth, recovery and repair.
I have three kids aged 4, 8, and 10 and whenever they get a cut or an injury, they heal much quicker.
My son broke his arm a year ago and he was out of his cast in three weeks.
As adults, we’re lucky if we heal in six weeks. So what’s the difference in how we heal compared to those younger than us?
It’s all about how many growth factors we have present, how much energy our cells make, how much inflammation we are burdened with everyday, and the fuel sources that we put in our body.
Blending all these different avenues significantly improves our cellular function.
Let’s take a look at wound care, which is probably the most common condition treated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
If you have a non-healing wound that does not completely heal with antibiotic treatments in increasing intensities, you may be recommended hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
At HBOT USA, we’ve seen even those patients in late stages of injury respond amazingly to hyperbaric oxygen.
What happens is that hyperbaric oxygen therapy promotes healing and recovery by reducing inflammation, rebuilding tissue, releasing stem cells and rebuilding the microvasculature so that oxygen can reach the affected area.
This treatment keeps infection at bay and does all the things that the body needs to heal those wounds.
Hyperbaric oxygen helps us recover from stress, toxins, and the occasional poor choices we may make that hinder our health.
If we made healing and recovery a priority in our daily life, I have no doubt that we would see an improved quality of life as we age.
Dr. Sanjeev Goel:
What is the intervention? How many treatments of hyperbaric do we need and over what time period?
Dr. Jason Sonners:
A study came out in 2020 specifically about telomeres and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Telomeres are found at the tail end of our DNA.
As we get exposed to things that try to break our cells down, these telomeres get gobbled up first before it actually reaches our DNA.
Telomeres play a role in longevity and quality of life because the longer the telomeres are, the less likely our DNA will be damaged.
The shorter they are, the more likely our DNA will be damaged. If we can keep our DNA healthy, then we have a strong set of instructions for cells to continue to function normally over longer periods of time.
In this study, hyperbaric oxygen therapy was done five days a week for 2 months at 90 minutes per session at two atmospheres and one hundred percent oxygen.
In two months, there was a 20% increase in telomere length, which is one of the largest changes in telomere length in one of the shortest periods of time that I’ve ever read about.
It was a monumental study that we were all really excited about.
Dr. Sanjeev Goel:
So you’re gonna be also checking epigenetic aging as well as, as well as telomere length?
Dr. Jason Sonners:
Yeah, epigenetics like the whole, you know that methylation panel.
We are also taking a look at telomere length as well as other markers like cytokine panels for inflammation.
We have about 32 different markers that we’re looking at that are all related to inflammation, stem cell production and epigenetic and genetic protection.
Dr. Sanjeev Goel:
Wow, that’s really exciting. So what do you think the next year will look like?
Like where do you think it’s gonna go now with regards to understanding of hyperbaric oxygen therapies?
Dr. Jason Sonners:
It’s an amazing time to be a part of this, not just through hyperbaric but in so many different modalities and protocols that gets people to a better place away from the typical disease process.
In our practice, we take patients through regenerative processes that take them further away from whatever their initial health issues used to be.
It’s very rewarding.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has really taken off.
It has been around in some capacity for over 300 years.
In the last two to five years, we’ve seen a much larger interest and awareness level for HBOT.
There is much more research now for patients that are looking for it, and we see doctors starting to implement it more.
We’ve seen patients that travel more than two hours coming to our clinic.
Clinics seem to be growing all over the country.
Hopefully, it will be even more accessible to people moving forward.
We’ve turned our attention to really helping certify doctors, where we offer a 40-hour course in hyperbaric and functional medicine.
Our curriculum is really built around giving doctors an understanding of HBOT so they can explore other avenues where hyperbaric oxygen would be helpful to patients.
Combat aging with hyperbaric oxygen therapy
If you are interested in the connection between hyperbaric oxygen therapy and aging, feel free to contact HBOT USA for any questions you may have.
You can also visit our clinic to experience the many benefits of hyperbaric oxygen.
For more information, order the book “Oxygen Under Pressure” by Dr. Jason Sonners on Amazon.
You can also take a look at our YouTube page where we have a lot of helpful informative videos speaking about how hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help you.
Book an appointment with us and see for yourself how much healthier and stronger you are after each session of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
