HBOT for Gut Healing: Why Oxygen Helps With Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, and IBD
Reviewed by: Elizabeth Chan, NP (Medical Director, MD Hyperbaric)
If you’ve been living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), whether it’s Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or another form, you don’t need anyone to tell you how much it takes over your life. The cramping, the urgency, the fatigue, the feeling of never being able to fully trust your own body. Medications help a lot of people, but they don’t work for everyone, and even when they do, flares still happen.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is getting a lot of attention as a way to help the gut heal from the inside out. Here’s why oxygen plays a bigger role in gut health than most people realize.
Your Gut Needs More Oxygen Than You’d Think
Your gut lining is one of the hardest-working tissues in your body. It completely replaces itself every three to five days. That’s an enormous amount of cell turnover, and it requires a steady supply of oxygen to keep up.
In IBD, chronic inflammation damages the tiny blood vessels that feed the intestinal wall. This sets off a vicious cycle: inflammation chokes off blood flow, less blood flow means less oxygen gets to the tissue, oxygen-starved tissue can’t heal properly, and tissue that can’t heal stays inflamed. Round and round it goes.
HBOT interrupts that cycle. By having you breathe pure oxygen under pressure, it saturates your blood with far more oxygen than normal. That extra oxygen can reach deep into inflamed, poorly supplied tissue, including the gut wall, and give it what it needs to start repairing itself.
What the Research Shows
The clinical evidence for HBOT in IBD is strong and growing. A 2014 systematic review found an overall response rate of 86% among IBD patients treated with HBOT: 85% for Crohn’s and 88% for ulcerative colitis.[1]
A more detailed 2022 review in the journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases looked at different types of IBD separately. It found remission rates of 87% for ulcerative colitis and 88% for luminal (intestinal) Crohn’s disease. For perianal Crohn’s, which involves painful fistulas and abscesses that are notoriously hard to treat, 48% of patients saw complete fistula healing and another 34% saw significant improvement.[2]
A separate 2022 meta-analysis comparing HBOT plus standard care against standard care alone confirmed significantly better outcomes in the HBOT group, with only 15% of patients experiencing minor side effects.[3]
A comprehensive 2024 review covering 780 patients found that HBOT not only reduced inflammation markers in the blood but also appeared to help the gut lining regenerate by promoting stem cell activity in the colon.[4]
HBOT and Your Gut Bacteria
One of the most exciting areas of new research looks at how HBOT affects the gut microbiome, the community of trillions of bacteria that live in your digestive tract. In healthy people, these bacteria help regulate the immune system and keep the gut lining strong. In IBD, that bacterial community is often out of balance, with too many inflammatory species and not enough beneficial ones.
A 2022 study on ulcerative colitis patients found that HBOT boosted the activity of protective factors in the gut lining, including a protein called HIF-1α that helps cells adapt to low-oxygen conditions and protects the mucosal barrier.[5]
Even more promising, a 2024 study in the Journal of Translational Medicine showed that HBOT actually shifted the gut bacteria of Crohn’s patients in a healthier direction. After treatment, patients had higher levels of beneficial bacteria (Bifidobacterium and Clostridium XIVa) along with significant drops in inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein.[6]
This is a big deal. If HBOT can help heal the gut lining AND shift the bacterial balance back toward health, it’s working on the problem from two directions at once.
What Patients Are Experiencing
The numbers are compelling, but what really matters is how people feel. At MD Hyperbaric, we’ve worked with IBD patients who came in after years of medication changes, hospital stays, and in some cases, being told surgery was their only option left.
Many report real, noticeable improvements: fewer trips to the bathroom, less cramping and urgency, more energy, better appetite, and something that’s hard to put a number on but matters more than anything, a feeling of stability they hadn’t had in years.[7]
Everyone responds differently, and HBOT isn’t a magic bullet. But for people who feel like they’ve tried everything, it’s a scientifically solid option that’s worth having a conversation about.
Is HBOT Right for Your Gut Health?
If you’re living with Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, or another form of IBD and your current treatment isn’t giving you the relief you need, HBOT is worth looking into. It’s especially relevant if your disease has been resistant to standard therapies, if you’re dealing with perianal complications from Crohn’s, or if you want to add a non-drug approach to your existing care.
Ready to learn more? Schedule a consultation at MD Hyperbaric to find out if HBOT is right for you.
References & Supporting Research
[1] Defined N, et al. “Systematic review: The safety and efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for inflammatory bowel disease.” Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2014;39(11):1266-1275.
[2] Defined N, et al. “The Effectiveness and Safety of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Various Phenotypes of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Systematic Review With Meta-analysis.” Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. 2022;28(4):611-621.
[3] Defined N, et al. “Addition of hyperbaric oxygen therapy versus usual care alone for inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” Heliyon. 2022;8(11):e11007.
[4] Labrousse-Arias D, et al. “New insights of hyperbaric oxygen therapy: focus on inflammatory bowel disease.” Precision Clinical Medicine. 2024;7(1):pbae001.
[5] Gonzalez CG, et al. “The Host-Microbiome Response to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Ulcerative Colitis Patients.” Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2022;14(1):35-53.
[6] Xu J, et al. “Hyperbaric oxygen therapy ameliorates intestinal and systematic inflammation by modulating dysbiosis of the gut microbiota in Crohn’s disease.” Journal of Translational Medicine. 2024;22:517.
[7] Weissman S, et al. “The role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in inflammatory bowel disease: a narrative review.” Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology. 2021;14:17562848211023772.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or insurance advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider for personal recommendations and check with your insurance company for current policy details.
What Our Patients Say
Real Patients. Real Results
Post-Surgical Recovery“Getting HBOT helped me a lot with my wound healing. I noticed my scars remarkably lightened. My mood and energy levels improved as well in just three weeks of getting two sessions each week — despite my demanding work schedule, I felt like I had more energy.”Namae
Inflammatory Bowel Disease“I was prescribed HBOT by my specialist to treat a complex and traumatic issue stemming from IBD and reconstructive GI surgeries. I did a full course and absolutely saw improvement right away. The staff are amazing, very professional and caring.”Kathleen
Injury Recovery“I broke my wrist playing tennis and came to MD Hyperbaric Westchester to help speed up my recovery. After a few sessions I have felt a tremendous improvement in energy, sleep — and my doctor says my wrist is healing remarkably well.”John
Cancer Adjunct“I'm a breast cancer survivor, and after radiation near my lungs, I thought this treatment might be useful. I can feel a difference in my breathing and cognition. I definitely recommend it if your body has gone through a traumatic experience.”Aziza
Wellness“I recently began using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at MD Hyperbaric, and it's been one of the most unique and impactful wellness treatments I've explored. I was drawn in by the potential benefits for anxiety, fatigue, and overall cellular repair, but I didn't expect it to feel this restorative — and my skin is glowing too!”Olesia
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Frequently Asked Questions
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a proven treatment that enhances healing by flooding the body with oxygen. Used for over 100 years, it supports brain health, anti-aging, athletic recovery, and medical conditions by boosting oxygen in blood, tissues, and organs. Patients breathe 100% oxygen in a pressurized chamber, accelerating recovery and promoting cellular repair.
HBOT is FDA-approved for 14 conditions like burns, carbon monoxide poisoning, and non-healing wounds. Emerging research also supports its use for post-surgical recovery, brain injury, fatigue, inflammation, athletic recovery, and anti-aging. Our medical team will assess if HBOT is right for you.
Yes, HBOT is safe when properly supervised. At MD Hyperbaric, treatments are protocol-driven, medically overseen, and administered by certified staff. Our Medical Director and onsite Safety Director ensure every session is carefully monitored, and we continuously update our protocols based on the latest research to prioritize patient safety.
Typically, most treatment sessions are approximately 60 minutes, though some conditions may require up to 90 or 120 minutes. Pressurization and depressurization may add about 20 minutes to the appointment, so you should plan for about 90 minutes for your visit.
The number of sessions depends on the condition being treated. Some patients may benefit from a few sessions, while others may require a more extended treatment plan. A typical protocol will involve 10-40 daily sessions to build up oxygen in the cells. Our Medical Director will recommend a specific treatment plan to address your goals and needs.
Prior to treatment, please try to avoid alcohol or carbonated drinks. It is best to avoid smoking and other tobacco products during your treatment period, as they may interfere with the body's ability to transport oxygen. Otherwise, there are no restrictions for food or activity before or after your treatment. We encourage you to have healthy meals and stay hydrated.
Most patients find HBOT sessions relaxing. You will rest comfortably in a 7.5-foot-long steel chamber, breathing 100% pure oxygen through a mask. During pressurization and depressurization, you may feel pressure changes similar to airplane travel. A trained technician will monitor you throughout the session.
The term "dive" is used because the process simulates the experience of a deep-sea dive in a pressurized environment. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has deep roots in diving as an important therapy for treating divers experiencing decompression sickness.
At MD Hyperbaric, we use the FDA-cleared OxyHealth Fortius420, a spacious hard-shell chamber delivering 100% medical-grade oxygen via mask. It operates up to 3.0 ATA, allows tailored pressures, supports air breaks, and includes three windows for comfort and safety.
At MD Hyperbaric, we use hard-shell chambers that deliver 100% medical-grade oxygen at higher pressures for superior therapeutic benefits. Soft-shell chambers operate at lower pressures without medical-grade oxygen, making them less effective for medical treatment.
Our team will assess your medical history and specific circumstances through an intake process. An initial evaluation with certified staff and the Medical Director will determine your eligibility for HBOT.
No referral is needed. Our Medical Director will review your intake forms and prescribe HBOT if appropriate. If you have a prescription from a provider, we will coordinate with them. For serious health conditions, we may recommend getting clearance from your physician.
Some MD Hyperbaric centers accept insurance for certain on-label conditions — the FDA-recognized indications for which HBOT is an established standard of care. Whether insurance applies depends on your diagnosis, your plan, and the center you visit, so please contact your local center to confirm. Where insurance does not apply, HBOT is a self-pay treatment: most FSA/HSA plans allow reimbursement, and we can provide a superbill and receipt to help you submit a claim.
It depends on how you pay. For insurance-covered treatment at participating centers, your cost depends on your plan's deductible, copay, and coinsurance — the center verifies your benefits and explains expected costs before treatment begins. For self-pay treatment, we offer a variety of pricing options designed to suit different medical and financial needs, including pay-as-you-go and package options at reduced rates when purchased upfront. Please contact us to discuss pricing and options. We accept cash, credit, or check.