Health
Celebrities like Bieber, Bialik are using hyperbaric oxygen therapy: Here’s why it’s trending
Celebrities including performing artist Justin Bieber and former “Jeopardy!” game-show host, actress and author Mayim Bialik have helped bring the practice of hyperbaric oxygen therapy into mainstream awareness as they tout the therapy’s potential health benefits.
Bieber turned to the therapy to assist in treating anxiety and stress, he announced in “Justin Bieber: Seasons” on YouTube, while Bialik has said publicly she’s trying the therapy in hopes of alleviating her inflammation and autoimmune issues.
Olympic athletes such as Michael Phelps and Lindsey Vonn have also used the therapy to “seek a competitive edge,” according to the Hyperbaric Oxygen Institute based in Irvine, California.
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Is hyperbaric oxygen therapy a game-changer for the public beyond medical use?
Here’s what you should know.
Justin Bieber is one of the celebrities who have said publicly that they’ve tried hyperbaric oxygen therapy for specific health reasons. (Kevin Mazur/MG21/Getty Images For The Met Museum/Vogue)
What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not new to medical professionals.
It’s a well-established treatment for decompression sickness, which is a potential risk of scuba diving, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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Other conditions treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy include serious infections, bubbles of air in blood vessels and non-healing wounds caused by diabetes, the same source noted.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps with decompression sickness, which is a risk taken when scuba diving. (iStock)
In a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, the air pressure is increased to two to three times higher than normal air pressure, the Mayo Clinic said.
Under these conditions, a person’s lungs can gather much more oxygen than would be possible if breathing pure oxygen at normal air pressure, the same source cited.
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“Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used for a variety of conditions and ailments,” said Alexa Mieses Malchuk, M.D., MPH, a family physician with One Medical in Cary, North Carolina.
“It works by providing oxygen at high pressure, thus increasing the concentration of oxygen delivered to the body.”
She also noted the treatment can be used in heightened medical situations.
Mayim Bialik has said she’s used hyperbaric oxygen therapy to help with her health. (Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
“The most evidence exists for treatment for significant carbon monoxide poisoning or hydrogen peroxide exposure, air embolism and decompression sickness — life-threatening complications of scuba diving,” Malchuk said.
How can oxygen heal?
A hyperbaric oxygen chamber “is a pressurized tube that looks like a larger version of one of the cylinders you’d use at the drive-thru of your bank,” The University of Kansas Health System says on its website.
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Inside the chamber, a person breathes nearly 100% oxygen while experiencing pressure greater than sea level, the same source said.
“When under pressure, oxygen behaves like a drug with specific indications and side effects,” said Steven M. Orr, M.D., director of wound care and hyperbaric medicine services at The University of Kansas Health System on the organization’s website.
The hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber allows a person to breathe nearly 100% oxygen. (iStock)
The doctor also said that hyperbaric oxygen “heals wounds that require a higher oxygen level than patients are able to generate themselves.”
Why is the treatment catching celebrity eyes?
Obsessions with finding the “holy grail” of good health are spurring an interest in all types of treatments. The interest is coming from celebrities as well as curious Americans who are health savvy.
“In this day and age, humans have become obsessed with biohacking and wellness,” said Malchuk with One Medical in North Carolina. “People are investigating things outside the realm of conventional medicine to not only stay healthy but to stay ahead.”
Regarding hyperbaric therapy specifically, Malchuk told Fox News Digital that “some folks also use it with the intention of speeding up healing or enhancing athletic performance.”
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a treatment catching the eye of celebrities who are health savvy. (Getty Images; iStock)
Yet as the hype spreads regarding hyperbaric oxygen, she said that expectations need to be kept in check.
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“Hyperbaric therapy is a treatment option with strong evidence behind it for certain conditions — but mixed or no evidence behind it for other conditions,” reported Malchuk.
“That’s why it’s so important to talk with your family medicine physician who knows your specific medical and personal history and can give you the best advice about whether this treatment is right for you.”
Is hyperbaric oxygen safe?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is relatively safe, said Malchuk, but it does come with some rare but serious risks.
These may include pressure trauma to the sinuses, middle ear and lung; oxygen toxicity; reversible vision changes; seizures; and decompression sickness.
Always consult first with a medical professional
The most common complication after the therapy is trauma to the middle ear, noted Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.
Justin Bieber has used hyperbaric oxygen therapy to help with his health, he’s told his followers on social media. (iStock; Getty Images)
Other possible complications can include eye damage, lung collapse, low blood sugar and sinus problems.
In severe and rare circumstances, a person can get oxygen poisoning, the same source said.
Before jumping into a hyperbaric oxygen treatment chamber, weigh the possible risks and benefits.
“Anyone considering hyperbaric oxygen treatment should absolutely consult with their family physician first,” Malchuk emphasized.
“This is especially true for folks with any sort of medical condition, but especially patients who have lung issues, claustrophobia or sinus or ear issues,” she added.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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