Hyperbaric Healing
at Alki Wellness
Dr. Marc Grandle Integrates Pressurized Oxygen Sessions into Chiropractic Practice
By Matt Kettmann
Read all of the entries in our “Self-Care in Santa Barbara, 2023 Edition” cover here.
Squeezing oxygen into the human body to promote healing sounds space-age, but the roots of hyperbaric therapy go back nearly 500 years, when a British doctor first pressurized a room to treat lung and stomach problems. It gained traction in the United States during the 20th century, thanks in part to JFK’s late infant son, scuba-diving mishaps, and Michael Jackson’s burns.
Today, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT, is federally approved for treating a wide range of illnesses, from serious wounds, burns, and infections to diabetic ulcers and carbon monoxide poisoning. But it’s also effective in promoting healing for other ailments as well, according to Dr. Marc Grandle, a chiropractor whose Alki Art & Wellness Institute has been in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone since 2006.
Already comfortable with integrating technologies like digital spinal x-rays and cold laser therapy into his practice, Grandle discovered HBOT about seven years ago after seeing it help his son, who was struggling with Lyme disease. Since then, he’s become an authorized retailer of the most popular unit in the country, which costs about $25000, installing about 15 so far.
“It’s natural; it’s safe; it’s effective,” said Grandle, who uses a 94 percent oxygen mix, compared to the 21 percent we breathe outdoors. (The more intensive chambers found in hospitals use 100 percent oxygen.) Then he ups pressure to 1.3 atmospheres which is like being 45 feet under water.
“The magic is taking it in under pressure,” he said, explaining that the supercharged oxygen can reach all of the body’s fluids, lymphs, and tissues, including damaged areas where circulation is weak. HBOT can help with autism, insomnia, migraines, fatigue, and much more, believes Grandle, who is also seeing people fighting long-COVID show improvement.
I didn’t have any specific issues to address when I climbed into the tube, including claustrophobia, which is a common hurdle for first-timers. I found it perfectly spacious inside — more warm stand-up-shower size than cold coffin — and was able to listen to a podcast while huffing the cleanest air of my life. I emerged noticeably refreshed, with a bit crisper vision and a little spring to my step.
209-A Santa Barbara St.; (805) 403-7399; alkiwellness.com
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