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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.

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.

As mpox (formerly monkeypox) has been declared a global public health emergency, some are wondering whether the virus poses the risk of a COVID-like pandemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the mpox outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” on Aug. 14, based on a surge of cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and multiple African countries.

As of Aug. 17, there were 545 reports of mpox cases since the outbreak was declared, 474 of which were confirmed, according to data from WHO.

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Symptoms include a sometimes painful rash on various parts of the body, fever, chills, exhaustion, muscle aches, headache, swollen lymph nodes and respiratory symptoms, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There are two types of mpox: Clade 1 and Clade 2.

Clade 2 was the strain that caused the 2022 global outbreak, the CDC noted. Survival rates for this type are more than 99.9%.

Clade 1, which is responsible for the current outbreak in the DRC and Africa, causes more severe illness and deaths. 

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“Some outbreaks have killed up to 10% of the people who get sick, although more recent outbreaks have had lower death rates,” the CDC noted. 

“The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighboring countries are very worrying,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus when announcing the public health emergency. 

“People are not going to catch mpox by being on the same bus or running into someone at the grocery store.”

“On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”

Is mpox the next COVID?

While health officials have expressed concern about the spread of a new strain of the potentially deadly virus, the consensus is that mpox is not likely to become a pandemic like COVID — primarily because it doesn’t spread in the same way.

“Certainly not,” said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, during a conversation with Fox News Digital.

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“What made COVID so contagious is that it is a respiratory virus spread by aerosols, so that even casual contact — being in the same room with someone for a reasonable period of time — meant you could catch [the virus]” from that person.

Another difference is that COVID is contagious starting from a day or so before someone develops symptoms, Kuritzkes pointed out. 

Symptoms of mpox include a sometimes painful rash on various parts of the body, fever, chills, exhaustion, muscle aches, headache, swollen lymph nodes and respiratory symptoms. (iStock)

“By contrast, mpox requires close contact (skin-to-skin) for transmission in the vast majority of cases,” he said.

“Rarely, heavily contaminated material such as bedding can be infectious, but people are not going to catch mpox by being on the same bus or running into someone at the grocery store.”

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While mpox is far less contagious than COVID, it could potentially cause a “widely distributed epidemic” through sexual contact, according to Kuritzkes.

“HIV is now pandemic (found in all countries across the globe), but as high as the numbers are, it is not transmitted by casual contact,” he said. “The same is true of mpox.”

To prevent transmission of mpox, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccination for men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with men, are age 18 or older, and have other specific risks. (PASCAL GUYOT/AFP via Getty Images)

Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, echoed that mpox is “not the new COVID.”

“It spreads via direct contact or sex, and kissing, and very close respiratory droplets, but not over longer distances by respiratory spread,” he told Fox News Digital.  

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“Clade 1 is currently in DRC and neighboring African countries,” Siegel said. 

“The U.S. has increased surveillance, including wastewater analysis, but there have been no cases [of Clade 1] found here yet.” 

This undated image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases shows a colorized transmission electron micrograph of mpox particles (red) found within an infected cell (blue), cultured in a laboratory at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Maryland. (NIAID via AP, File)

Dr. Brad Perkins, chief medical officer at Karius, a California life sciences company focused on saving lives from infectious diseases, reiterated that mpox is “considerably less infectious” for person-to-person spread than COVID-19. 

“Mpox is primarily spread from person-to-person, usually through direct contact, including intimate contact — but on average, there are fewer people who become infected as a result of contact with a mpox case compared to COVID-19,” he told Fox News Digital.

Who is most at risk?

“While mpox can affect anyone, data has shown that men who have sex with men are disproportionately impacted, with a notable disease burden among Black and Hispanic men,” Perkins noted.

“This highlights the importance of early recognition and diagnosis, in addition to awareness and targeted vaccination of those who are at highest risk.”

“While mpox can affect anyone, data has shown that men who have sex with men are disproportionately impacted.”

As with other viral infections, those who are immunocompromised or very young are at the greatest risk of severe infection, according to Kuritzkes.   

“For mpox, the main concern is for people with HIV who are not currently receiving effective antiretroviral therapy,” he added.

Patients wait outside the consultation room of an mpox treatment center in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on Aug. 16, 2024. Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said in a video message that the country “has recorded 15,664 potential cases and 548 deaths since the beginning of the year,” with all 26 provinces affected. (Getty Images)

Even after the infection has cleared, survivors can face long-term effects and complications, Perkins warned.

“Conditions like vision impairment, encephalitis and scarring have been reported,” he told Fox News Digital. 

“We need deeper research into characterizing and addressing these long-term sequelae.”

To prevent transmission of mpox, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends vaccination for men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with men, are age 18 or older, and have other specific risks.

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Those risks include new diagnoses of sexually transmitted diseases and a recent history of multiple sex partners, among others.

“Second, and most obviously, would be to avoid close contact with people who have mpox lesions,” said Kuritzkes.

Doctors take samples from a patient at an mpox treatment center in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on Aug. 16, 2024. (Getty Images)

“The big issue is getting the vaccine to the people who need it in Central and West Africa to end the current outbreak.”

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has sent 50,000 doses of the JYNNEOS mpox vaccine to DRC, Siegel noted — “but there is still a worldwide shortage of this vaccine, which will prove crucial to stop the spread, especially if the outbreak widens.”

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In addition to the current vaccines and antiviral treatments that are available, Perkins stressed the need for new innovations in mpox diagnostics, therapeutics and preventive measures.