Concentrated Oxygen to Support Recovery and Resilience.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has you breathe oxygen inside a comfortable, pressurized chamber. The added pressure lets your blood and body fluids carry more oxygen than they can at normal air pressure — and oxygen is one of the fundamental inputs your body uses to produce energy, maintain function, and support its own repair.
At Harper MD in Weston, FL, HBOT is delivered under medical oversight and offered only when it’s an appropriate fit — as a complement to your broader care, never a replacement for proven medical treatment.
How Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Works
Most of the oxygen you breathe is carried by red blood cells, which are already close to full at normal air pressure. Inside a hyperbaric chamber, the pressure is raised above normal — and under that pressure, oxygen also dissolves directly into your blood plasma and other body fluids. The result is that your body can carry and deliver substantially more oxygen than usual, reaching tissues throughout the body.
Oxygen is a basic requirement for how cells generate energy and carry out repair. The idea behind HBOT is straightforward: temporarily raising available oxygen supports the body’s own oxygen-dependent processes. For a plain-language overview of where the evidence for HBOT is strong and where it is not, Harvard Health’s summary of evidence-based uses and unproven claims is a useful, independent reference.
Book My Free EvaluationEvaluation First
Before anything else, we review your health history and goals to determine whether HBOT is an appropriate fit for you — and whether it belongs in a broader plan alongside your other care. If it isn’t right for your situation, we’ll tell you.
In the Chamber
You recline comfortably and breathe normally while the chamber pressure increases gradually. Many people read, rest, or listen to something. You may feel mild fullness in your ears — similar to an airplane descent — as the pressure changes.
A Planned Course
HBOT is typically delivered as a series of sessions rather than a single visit. The number and cadence are determined during your evaluation and adjusted over time, with your response monitored throughout.
What HBOT Is Established For — and What It Isn’t
We think you deserve an honest picture before you spend a dollar. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a legitimate, well-studied treatment for a specific set of conditions — and it is also widely marketed for many uses the evidence does not yet support. Here is where the line sits.
Established, FDA-Cleared Uses
The FDA has cleared HBOT for a defined list of medical conditions, where it is an accepted treatment and often covered by insurance. These include:
- Decompression sickness
- Serious carbon monoxide poisoning
- Certain non-healing wounds, including some diabetic wounds
- Radiation injury to tissue
- Some serious infections and skin grafts at risk of failing
Investigational & Wellness Uses
Beyond those cleared conditions, HBOT is also used for recovery and general wellness. Research into some of these areas is ongoing, but the evidence is still developing and these uses are not FDA-cleared. We describe them as what they are — not as proven outcomes.
Where HBOT may be a reasonable, adjunctive option for your goals, we’ll say so plainly. Where it isn’t, we’ll say that too.
An important note for families of children with disabilities
HBOT is often marketed online as a therapy for autism, cerebral palsy, and other developmental or neurological conditions. It is not FDA-cleared for these uses, and the available evidence does not support it for them. Harper MD does not offer HBOT as a treatment for these conditions. If you are seeking care for a child with one of these diagnoses, we’re glad to have an honest conversation about options that are appropriate — and to point you toward the proven therapies these children benefit from. For independent background, see Harvard Health and Medicare’s coverage criteria.
Comfortable, Calm, and Straightforward
A session asks very little of you. Here’s what it’s actually like — no surprises.
You Simply Rest
You recline and breathe normally while the chamber does the work. Most people relax, rest, or pass the time quietly. There is nothing you need to actively do.
Gentle Pressure Changes
As pressure increases and eases, you may feel fullness in your ears, much like an airplane descent. Simple techniques — swallowing or yawning — relieve it, and we walk you through them.
Monitored Throughout
Every session is supervised. Your suitability is confirmed beforehand, your response is monitored, and your plan is adjusted over time rather than fixed on day one.
A Professional-Grade Chamber, Properly Supervised.
Harper MD uses an upright, hard-shell hyperbaric chamber built for clinical use — not a soft, inflatable home unit. Every session runs under medical supervision, with your suitability confirmed at evaluation first.
Integrated Oxygen Concentration
Purified oxygen is delivered from a built-in concentrator rather than external tanks — a steady, consistent supply without the logistics of bottled gas.
Continuous Pressure Monitoring
Inside and outside pressure gauges allow the chamber pressure to be monitored throughout every session.
Built-In Safeguards
An emergency pressure-release system and a manual decompression system allow a safe, controlled exit — even during a power interruption.
Medical-Grade Construction
Durable, medical-grade materials built to recognized quality and safety standards, with a padded interior and wide viewing window for comfort.
HBOT is offered only when it is an appropriate fit, determined during your free evaluation, and every session is conducted under medical oversight.
How Families Pay for HBOT
HBOT is a self-pay service at Harper MD, but that doesn’t mean it has to come entirely out of pocket. Most families use one of the following — and we’ll help you figure out which fits your situation.
HSA & FSA Funds
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is generally an eligible medical expense for Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), typically supported by a letter of medical necessity from your provider — which we can help you obtain when appropriate.
Eligibility rules are set by the IRS and your plan, so confirm the specifics with your plan administrator. For a general reference, see the FSA/HSA eligibility listing for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Patient-Friendly Financing
Prefer to spread the cost over time? Harper MD offers financing through Cherry and CareCredit, so you can begin a planned course without paying the full amount up front.
See options and apply on our Payment Plans page, or ask us to walk you through them during your evaluation.
Using a Florida disability scholarship? Read This First
Families of children with qualifying disabilities often ask whether Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) can pay for HBOT. It’s a fair question — and we want to give you a straight answer.
FES-UA is an education savings account. Its funds are meant for a student’s educational needs, and the program’s guidelines cover a specific set of therapies — applied behavior analysis, speech, occupational, and physical therapy — while excluding most other medical services and devices. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a medical treatment and generally falls outside what FES-UA covers, so most families use HSA or FSA funds, or financing, for HBOT instead.
Program rules can change and are enforced strictly, so always confirm current eligibility with your Scholarship Funding Organization before purchasing. You can review the official guidance from Step Up For Students or the FES-UA Purchasing Guide.
This information is provided as a general starting point and is not tax, legal, insurance, or financial advice. Coverage and eligibility depend on your individual plan and current program rules — confirm details with your plan administrator, tax advisor, or Scholarship Funding Organization.
A Considered Approach to HBOT
Hyperbaric chambers are increasingly available in strip-mall wellness studios. What sets Harper MD apart isn’t the chamber — it’s the judgment around it.
Medical Oversight
Your care is directed under licensed medical supervision — not a self-serve booking with no one accountable for whether it’s right for you.
Evaluation, Not Assumption
We start by understanding your history and goals — then recommend HBOT only when it genuinely fits. If it doesn’t, we say so.
Part of a Broader Plan
HBOT is offered as one considered option within your overall care — complementing your other therapies, not standing in for proven treatment.
Straight Talk, No Hype
We describe what the evidence supports and what it doesn’t — no miracle claims, no pressure. You get the full picture and decide for yourself.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy — Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers to what families ask most. If yours isn’t here, our team is glad to answer it directly.
Yes — for a specific set of conditions. The FDA has cleared HBOT for uses such as decompression sickness, serious carbon monoxide poisoning, certain non-healing wounds, radiation injury, and some serious infections. For these, it is an accepted treatment that insurance often covers.
For many other uses you may see marketed online, HBOT is not FDA-cleared and the evidence is still developing. We’re transparent about that distinction — you can read an independent overview from Harvard Health.
Generally, no. Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) is an education savings account, and its funds are meant for educational needs. The program covers a specific set of therapies — applied behavior analysis, speech, occupational, and physical therapy — and excludes most other medical services. HBOT is a medical treatment and generally falls outside what FES-UA covers.
Most families use HSA or FSA funds, or financing, for HBOT instead. Because program rules change and are enforced strictly, always confirm current eligibility with your Scholarship Funding Organization — see Step Up For Students — before purchasing.
In most cases, yes. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is generally an eligible medical expense for HSA and FSA funds, often with a letter of medical necessity from your provider — which we can help you obtain when appropriate. Eligibility is ultimately governed by IRS rules and your specific plan, so confirm the details with your plan administrator.
For appropriate candidates, HBOT is considered safe, and serious complications are uncommon. The most common effects relate to pressure changes — ear or sinus fullness, and temporary vision changes in some people. More serious effects are rare. Because it isn’t right for everyone, we screen for suitability before you begin and supervise every session.
HBOT is not a substitute for proven medical care. If another approach is more appropriate for your situation, we’ll tell you.
A session is calm and undemanding — you recline and breathe normally while the pressure gradually changes. You may feel mild ear fullness, similar to an airplane descent, which is easily managed.
HBOT is usually delivered as a planned series rather than a one-time visit. The number and cadence of sessions depend on your evaluation and goals, and your plan is adjusted over time.
No. HBOT is not FDA-cleared for autism, cerebral palsy, or other developmental or neurological conditions, and the available evidence does not support it for these uses. You may see it marketed this way online; we won’t do that. Harper MD does not offer HBOT as a treatment for these conditions.
If you’re seeking care for a child with one of these diagnoses, we’re glad to have an honest conversation and point you toward the proven therapies these children benefit from. You’re welcome to contact us or call (954) 338-1111.
We view HBOT as one considered option within a broader, individualized plan — not a standalone fix. Depending on your goals, it may complement other services such as IV therapy or the regenerative approaches we offer. Everything begins with a free evaluation, where we look at the whole picture before recommending anything.
Explore our full range of therapy modalities or services to see how the pieces fit together.
Start With an Honest Conversation.
Your first evaluation at Harper MD is free, unhurried, and carries no commitment. We’ll look at your goals, tell you plainly whether HBOT is a sensible fit, and help you understand how to pay for it if it is.
17150 Royal Palm Blvd #3, Weston, FL · Serving West Broward & Greater South Florida