November 22, 2022 • 25 mins
Dr. Derek Guillory of Root Causes Medicine in San Antonio returns to our Believe Big podcast today to talk about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT).
Find out:
- what is hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
- what issues is it used for?
- can cancer thrive in a highly oxygenated environment?
- how can a patient get the maximized benefit of HBOT?
- are there risks to HBOT?
- and much more!
Connect with Dr. Guillory at Root Causes Medicine:
Root Causes Medicine
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- Environmental Working Group (EWG)
- Believe Big Affiliate: Berkey Water Filter
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ivelisse Page (00:35):
Welcome to today's episode on the Believe
Big podcast.
My name is Ivelisse Page and ourfriend Dr.
Derek Guillory is back on theshow with us to discuss the
benefits of hyperbaric oxygentherapy.
You may not have heard muchabout hyperbaric oxygen therapy,
you may even think it's a newlydiscovered medicine.
But it's not.
(00:55):
Can you believe it's been usedsince the late 1600s?
Dr.
Guillory is the founder andmedical director of Root Causes
Medical Clinic in San Antonio,Texas.
He became one of the firstcertified functional medicine
practitioners in Texas in 2015,and has also been board
certified by the American Boardof Emergency Medicine since
(01:18):
2005.
Welcome, Dr.
Guillory to the show.
Dr. Guillory (01:23):
Thanks for having me.
Good to see you again.
Ivelisse Page (01:25):
Yes.
So our listeners are alwaysinterested in discovering what
our guest favorite health tipis.
And the last time you were here,you shared a great one.
You shared that we haveincredible power over our health
and that disease has two causes,deficiency and toxicity.
Do you have another one you canshare with us?
Dr. Guillory (01:45):
Wow.
It's a great question.
I think if I had to give you ahealth tip right this second, I
would say that water is one ofthe most important nutrients
that we have, and I've beendoing a lot of research on water
for quite some time actually.
But focusing on clean, purewater in your home, all the
(02:08):
water that you consume and allthe water that is put on your
body and in all of the productsand your cosmetic line and
everything, it needs to be purewater.
And then the other thing ishydrogen water.
It's been an area of interestfor mine for a long time, and so
I'm coming up with some reallygood, the best, equipment.
I'm trying to find the bestequipment for hydrogen water,
(02:28):
but be on the lookout forhydrogen water because it has
some really broad reaching,exciting health benefits across
many different conditions andfor longevity and regenerative
medicine.
But for everyone else, just makesure the water you're drinking
is pure and plenty of it.
Ivelisse Page (02:46):
That's a great tip.
And what do they say?
You're supposed to drink half ofyour body weight a day?
Dr. Guillory (02:50):
I go back to the the old thing, make sure that
you drink when you're thirsty,don't wait.
And it's better to drink rightbefore you're thirsty.
So when you're thirsty itprobably means you're a little
bit behind.
64 ounces a day is probablyplenty depending upon your
activity level.
Ivelisse Page (03:04):
And one last question on water, super
interesting.
We're gonna definitely look outfor the hydrogen water.
You'll have to let us know onceyou find the right machine.
But would you say clean, purewater you're saying is purified
or do you recommend springwater?
Dr. Guillory (03:18):
It's a great question.
I think that you want to drinkthe best purest water that you
can drink for your budget andyour location.
So if you look up on theEnvironmental Working Group
website, you'll find thechemicals in your zip code, and
it's remarkable.
In my zip code here, there's 25chemicals.
(03:38):
Of course, they're listed asbelow the EPA limit of safety.
But the point is they're presentin the water.
And many of these chemicals, Iwould say there is no safe
level.
Ivelisse Page (03:52):
Yep.
Dr. Guillory (03:52):
And so you just wanna have as clean water as you
can.
So at my farmhouse, we haverainwater collection with a
highly purified, I don't usereverse osmosis cuz I feel like
that wastes a lot of water.
But I have another filtrationsystem that really cleans the
water so that it's as clean as Ican get.
And that's gonna be differentfor every person.
Ivelisse Page (04:14):
That's a great tip.
And we'll add that environmentalworking group link for detecting
your water in the show notes.
Even here at the office, I don'tknow what purification system
they use, but we have a Berkeywater filter.
So if you're not wanting toinvest into something very
expensive, like for your homeand you wanna do something
that's good for your office,then you know that's a great
(04:35):
solution.
And it's not too expensive, butyou're right.
Dr. Guillory (04:37):
I'm sorry to interrupt you.
At minimum, I would have a bonechar charcoal filter that
removes fluoride from municipalwater supplies.
And then a Berkey to drink, thatwould be a minimum
Ivelisse Page (04:49):
Okay.
Dr. Guillory (04:51):
filtering system.
Ivelisse Page (04:51):
Yeah, I mean, it's amazing how it even affects
your skin.
So we have a whole home waterfilter that we have when we
built our house.
We added it after the fact.
You can buy it on Amazon, and wehad a plumber that installed it.
Because you think, okay, I justhave to drink purified water,
but, the water that's cominginto your shower and it's
steaming and it's getting intoyour skin.
(05:12):
I even bought a portable one formy daughter at college cuz the
water where she was at herschool was affecting her skin as
well.
So there's so many options thatare out there, thankfully now,
but that's a hidden toxin that alot of people don't realize.
Even the water that you'reshowering in.
So that's really greatinformation.
(05:33):
Maybe we have you back on tojust talk about water next time.
There's so much that can beshared.
Dr. Guillory (05:39):
It's a miracle of creation and of life.
Ivelisse Page (05:41):
Definitely.
So hyperbaric chamber what is ahyperbaric chamber for people
who don't know what it is?
Dr. Guillory (05:49):
So, hyperbaric chamber is a closed chamber
where you push air in to raisethe pressure surrounding your
body, which, forces oxygen intoyour tissues at a level that's
much higher than breathingregular oxygen.
It's really, the only way toachieve tissue concentrations of
(06:10):
oxygen at that level.
And so there's a commonmisconception even among
physicians when I get docs thatcall me and want their patients
to get in the chamber.
The common misconception is thatthe oxygen is working topically.
So it's commonly used for woundcare healing, but the oxygen is
not working topically.
The chamber is actually filledwith air, but the oxygen
(06:34):
molecules are pushed closertogether, and when we breathe
that it, it pushes oxygenthrough our lungs, into our
blood, and deep into the tissuesat levels that are much, much
higher than even breathing ahundred percent oxygen by face
mask.
Athletes on the football field,in the NFL, sometimes when
(06:54):
they're winded, they'rebreathing that oxygen mask.
hyperbaric oxygen is much, muchhigher than even breathing a
hundred percent oxygen.
So that's basics of the chamber.
You get in a chamber, it's aclosed chamber, and we pump air
in there, and you breathe oxygenthrough a mask.
Ivelisse Page (07:12):
that's incredible.
So when Jimmy and I visited yourcenter a few months back, you
had ones that you lay inside of.
I have never gotten into onebecause I'm very claustrophobic,
but I know they have so manydifferent kinds.
Can you share with thoselistening what types there are,
and I believe you were gettingone that you can sit in.
Maybe that one I won't feel soclaustrophobic in.
Dr. Guillory (07:33):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So we have a couple chambersnow.
The basic distinction is a softchamber and a hard chamber.
So there are soft chambers thatare relatively affordable, that
you can purchase for home use.
Obviously they don't toleratethe higher pressures.
And then the hard chambers cango up to very high pressures for
particular indications that needhigh pressure.
Ivelisse Page (07:55):
Okay.
Dr. Guillory (07:56):
And then, there's settings on the chamber to
determine how much oxygen you'rebreathing and then what pressure
you want to achieve a tissueoxygenation level.
Basically some real importantthings, again, the framework,
right?
Ivelisse Page (08:11):
Yes.
Dr. Guillory (08:12):
There are two priorities for all disease.
It doesn't matter which disease,but in cancer, this is true.
Same two priorities, symptomsand causes.
Important thing in cancer isthat tumors are symptoms.
Okay, so you have to treat thetumor, which is a symptom, and
then you have to treat thecause.
And oxygenation or oxidativetherapies, and particularly
(08:33):
hyperbaric oxygen, actuallytreats both.
So it's a symptom treatmentbecause it has direct effect on
tumor cells and it's a causetreatment because hypoxia has
actually been known for a reallylong time to cause cells to
become cancerous and also tocause cancer cells to become
(08:55):
more aggressive and tometastasize.
So hyperbaric oxygen is a reallyexciting treatment that treats
both symptoms, which are tumorsand causes of tumors.
Ivelisse Page (09:06):
I also read that there's published research in
neuroregeneration thathyperbaric oxygen therapy may
also be useful in the treatmentof Alzheimer's disease and, so
many different kinds of injuriesand indications.
So what other things besidescancer, do you typically use at
your practice, the oxygentherapy?
Dr. Guillory (09:26):
It is actually approved for use by the FDA for
a number of conditions, and thenit is commonly used for many
conditions.
And the reason for that is wehave to remember oxygen is a
nutrient, so it's essential fornormal or optimal cellular
function.
So that's the nutrient functionof oxygen.
(09:49):
But it's also a signalingmolecule, and so it does some
really powerful things as far asmessaging between the little
parts of the cell and betweencells and between tissues and
organs in our whole complicatedbody system, right?
So I use hyperbaric oxygen forneurodegenerative disease like
(10:10):
dementia and others.
Actually there are some studiesshowing benefit for peripheral
neuropathies, for wound care,for sports injuries, for
traumatic brain injury, forstroke, and then obviously for
cancer.
There's quite a bit of researchthat's published on hyperbaric
oxygen.
The most important bit ofresearch, I would say, right off
(10:30):
the bat is that there is noconvincing evidence that shows
that cancer promotes tumorprogression.
So there are some conflictingstudies and there's a big
misconception in the cancercommunity that you don't want to
use hyperbaric oxygen because itmight make your tumors worse.
(10:52):
There are a couple of goodreview articles showing that
there's no convincing evidencethat would happen.
There are some conflictingstudies.
There are some invitro studies,some cell line studies, some
animal studies that there'sconflicting evidence, but
there's no convincing evidence.
And the really important thingwith, of course, cancer
(11:14):
treatment, but all patientconditions is when you treat a
person, not a condition, you'reway ahead because synergy is
what we're after.
So when we are treating a personwith cancer, with hyperbaric
oxygen, we're not using it as astandalone therapy.
(11:35):
Which is what almost all trialsare looking for.
They're looking to see, doesthis treatment affect this
disease?
And they remove all othervariables, but real importantly,
in whole person and root causesmedicine and integrative
oncology, we're treating aperson and we're using more than
(11:55):
one modality and carefullythinking about that person,
which is totally different fromjust using oxygen to see if it
helps with cancer.
Ivelisse Page (12:06):
Yeah, that is excellent.
I love that you said that you'retreating the person not the
condition and that it's not astandalone treatment.
And I was always told, and isn'tthis true that cancer can't
thrive in a highly oxygenatedenvironment?
Is that true?
Dr. Guillory (12:20):
It's a little bit of a misrepresentation of the
truth.
It's close to the whole truth.
Hypoxia, areas of low oxygenseem to promote cancer.
And the cancer itself actuallyseems to create areas of low
oxygen.
One of the reasons it does thatwe think, because cancer is
(12:41):
smart, is that it promotesangiogenesis.
When you have low oxygentension, blood vessels want to
be created.
So all these little signalingmolecules get created to help
the tumor to spread or grow,right?
Invade, adjacent tissues.
And it seems as though hypoxiaor low oxygen tension is an area
(13:04):
where cancer thrives.
but that the reverse is notentirely true because cancer can
live in an area where there isoxygen, right?
A subtle difference, but we usethat to our advantage, and
particularly in a thoughtful orsynergistic way for just a few
things.
Like I always will combineoxidative therapies with immune
(13:28):
supportive therapies andmetabolic therapy, because it's
very simple to do and you'readding pressure to the tumor
cell.
So that's three things, right?
Immune, oxidative and metabolic.
But in this situation, one plusone is not three.
(13:48):
It might be 50 because of thesynergistic effect of those
three treatments at the sametime.
And so real important for peoplethat are curious about
hyperbaric oxygen, two reasonsnot to go get a chamber and just
get in it and not just go buy abunch of sessions in somebody's
hyperbaric oxygen.
(14:09):
Because number one, it's costly.
Number two, you need to go seesomebody that knows what they're
doing.
And number three, maximize thattime in the chamber because if
you can do something reallysimple and get additional
benefit from that time in thechamber, it's a huge win.
Ivelisse Page (14:29):
So how would they get additional benefit in the
chamber?
Dr. Guillory (14:32):
By combining a metabolic therapy and an immune
therapy with hyperbaric oxygen.
Ivelisse Page (14:37):
So give me an example of a metabolic and then
an immune therapy for those whoaren't familiar with those two.
Dr. Guillory (14:43):
Immune therapy is like mistletoe.
Ivelisse Page (14:45):
Yes.
Dr. Guillory (14:45):
Anything that's immune supportive could be
considered immune therapy there.
There are many things that wedo.
Mistletoe is the most commonone.
And a metabolic therapy wouldbe, it's actually required in my
patients, they need to be in astate of therapeutic ketosis to
get into the hyperbaric chamberbecause you're adding this
additional pressure to the tumorcell.
(15:08):
Tumor cells have a hard timedealing with ketones and they
love sugar.
And so you make the ketones highand the sugar low, and then I'll
add high dose melatonin, whichis way more than just an
antioxidant in a sleep agent.
It's also a metabolically activeagent.
So that puts a little bit ofpressure on the glycolysis
(15:32):
process, which is what the tumorcell likes to use for energy.
So you add this metabolicpressure with the oxygen
pressure and then a little bitof immune support with mistletoe
or mushroom extract, like turkeytail, something like that, that
you're cycling in.
I'll use peptides and otherthings, but those synergies
(15:54):
really duplicate the benefit ofthe hyperbaric oxygen.
Ivelisse Page (15:59):
Yes, it's like a one two punch I love that.
Dr. Guillory (16:02):
Yeah, it's more more like a, like one eight
punch or one eleven punch
Ivelisse Page (16:08):
There you go.
Let's knock it out.
Let's knock cancer out.
You mentioned it and so I wantto make sure people who are not
in the San Antonio area whereyou are what should someone who
has cancer, what should theylook for in a practitioner or in
a facility that's doing HBOT orhyperbaric oxygen therapy?
What are some guidelines thatyou would say they should look
(16:31):
for?
Dr. Guillory (16:31):
I think the main one is just that they have
someone thinking about theirindividual unique scenarios.
Our network that we're buildingwith some providers,
naturopathic doctors or medicaldoctors that have just spent
some time thinking about thatscenario.
And then the main one is you dowant to have somebody available,
(16:52):
like a technician.
We use a certified technicianthat's trained in hyperbaric
oxygen, so that would be abonus.
Those two things, the main oneis that somebody has thought
about their condition.
And is hopefully thinking aboutsynergies that might work.
And this is in the research.
There are some papers that showhyperbaric oxygen has no
(17:13):
benefit, for instance, in thisparticular colorectal cancer
study.
But when you add hyperbaricoxygen to thoughtful
chemotherapy or radiotherapy,radiation therapy, you get an
obvious, statisticallysignificant benefit.
Ivelisse Page (17:30):
Yes.
Dr. Guillory (17:31):
So that is what we call adjuvant therapy.
When you put two therapiestogether and they're both better
than the individual ones addedto the other one.
That's the main thing is justthat somebody's brain that cares
about you as a patient isthinking about your scenario.
Ivelisse Page (17:50):
Yes.
that's really good advice.
I read that inside thepressurized chamber, your lungs
are able to gather up to threetimes more pure oxygen than it
normally would.
What is the typical treatmentprocess?
So you mentioned that yourequire your patients to go into
ketosis then what happens?
Dr. Guillory (18:06):
Actually it's higher than that in certain
cases.
Very high levels of tissueoxygenation are possible
depending upon the pressure.
There really is one thing that'ssuper important for people
getting in the chamber, and thatis you have to be able to clear
your ears.
You don't want to go in therewhen you have a sinus infection
or an ear infection or a lot ofmucus and drainage.
(18:28):
That is very painful and you getin the chamber, you sit and you
clear your ears early and oftenwhile the pressure is going up
in the chamber.
And other than that, it's a verypeaceful, good time to focus on
yourself and meditate or pray.
and you just sit there for anhour or 90 minutes.
Ivelisse Page (18:52):
Does the patient feel anything during the
treatment?
do you feel like a breeze or isit just you're just laying there
breathing air?
Dr. Guillory (19:00):
We have all of our patients breathe with an oxygen
mask.
And, you just breathe.
You feel the pressure, like ifyou're diving to the bottom of a
swimming pool.
Ivelisse Page (19:10):
Yes.
Dr. Guillory (19:10):
You feel that pressure in your ears, and so
you have to pop that to releaseit.
And so we just make sure we takethe pressure up very slow ly and
then it gets a little warm whenyou're diving, when you're
raising the pressure, and itgets cold when you're coming out
of the chamber because the airmolecules are moving closer
(19:31):
together, that's heat and movingfarther apart, that's cold.
Other than that, you don'treally feel anything.
Ivelisse Page (19:38):
Okay, so I know that the number of treatments
will vary based on the stage ofcancer that a person is in or
even a condition, but how manytreatments on average have you
found to be the most beneficialfor cancer patients?
Dr. Guillory (19:52):
That's a great question because it really is a
process.
And it depends on the person.
So in some people we'repressing, and then we take a
break and we press, press andtake a break.
And in other people it's astability.
We just are going over time.
So I find it across the board Inmost conditions, you get a lot
(20:14):
of benefit from between 20 and40 sessions in the chamber.
But cancer is its own thing.
And so generally speaking, wework in six week cycles and we
try to put some pressure, putsome pressure and then take a
break and see where we are andreassess.
Many times people are doing itquite a bit because, it's a
(20:35):
different way of thinking,right?
What we're doing.
It's living with cancer, it'smanaging your symptoms.
Of course, we're always aimingfor remission or the resolution
and that happens.
But every person is so unique,it's hard to say.
Ivelisse Page (20:51):
Yeah, but is it expensive?
I know you said it, it can becostly.
So what's a typical session orwhat do most facilities charge
on average?
Dr. Guillory (21:00):
There's quite a bit of variability based on
geographic area, but on averageit's about$200 for an hour
Ivelisse Page (21:07):
Okay.
Dr. Guillory (21:07):
to be in the chamber.
Ivelisse Page (21:09):
Okay.
Dr. Guillory (21:10):
Some places are a little bit more like hospitals
for instance in the big hospitalchambers, it's$3,000 per hour.
Ivelisse Page (21:17):
Wow.
Oh my goodness.
Dr. Guillory (21:18):
Yeah, that's what insurance companies are being
charged, because it requires somuch regulatory effort and
staffing and everything.
For the lifestyle wellnesscenters and things like that,
there are places that might sella hundred dollars for the soft
chamber.
Which is a very low pressureWe're$200 per hour, which is
about average.
(21:39):
There are some places that$250,maybe$300, those are generally
in big cities and high dollarareas.
Ivelisse Page (21:46):
Okay.
And is it covered by insurance?
So you were saying thathospitals, when they're, it's
done in a hospital maybe, buthow about at your center or
others?
Would insurance cover it?
Dr. Guillory (21:56):
No, it's only covered for the FDA approved
indications, which there are notvery many.
Ivelisse Page (22:03):
And cancer's not one of those?
Dr. Guillory (22:05):
Cancer's not one of them, no.
Ivelisse Page (22:06):
Okay.
So are there any risks or sideeffects to this therapy?
Dr. Guillory (22:12):
As with every medical treatment, there's
always a benefit and a risk.
So the risk with hyperbaricoxygen therapy is mainly the
cost and the time and discomfortwith your ears and sinuses.
Other than that, it's anextremely safe, very low risk.
There are a few things that wehave to watch out for certain
people.
(22:32):
People with underlying lungdisease, with big cysts in their
lungs and things like that.
But the main one is you have tobe able to clear your ears and,
heart disease, lung disease,things like that, they can cause
trouble.
But, in most patients, verysafe.
Ivelisse Page (22:47):
Okay.
Super interesting.
I know our time is alreadycoming up to a end and so I
wanted to ask you, is thereanything that I didn't ask you
that you think would bebeneficial for people to know
about this therapy?
Dr. Guillory (22:59):
I think, the main thing I always love to educate
people with is, I want them tohave hope, and to feel how much
power they have over their ownhealth.
And so you're not alone in this.
There's so many resources like,Ivelisse, what you're doing with
education and with charitablegrant funding.
(23:21):
There's so many people out theredoing this sort of thing, but I
want people to feel that power.
And then for just a minute, ifthey can recognize that synergy.
So the most important thing isthat people have this incredible
power, and when you put athoughtful plan together, you
can have great success.
(23:41):
I talk about this a lot, withevery condition, we're all stuck
in a trap.
And the trap is the acute caremedical model, which is asking
the question, what is the nameof my condition and what's the
cure for my condition?
And it's a trap.
It's every minute of every hourof every day working out the
(24:03):
causes of disease.
Does that make sense what I'msaying?
Ivelisse Page (24:07):
Yes, definitely.
Dr. Guillory (24:08):
We have such power when we have peace and joy and
contentment and forgiveness,right?
When we eat nutritious food,when we fast, when we deal with
environmental and emotionaltoxicity.
This is the solution to chronicdisease.
It is not what is the next pilland the next magical treatment?
(24:29):
I mean, we see a lot of patientswith end stage disease, and we
have to put together complicatedhealing plans that are
thoughtful and synergistic usingall these different tools.
But even in those people, whenwe get them over the hump, it's
hour to hour, working out thecauses of disease.
Ivelisse Page (24:47):
Yeah, and many of them aren't what we assumed, we,
again, we always focus on thephysical side of healing.
But there's so much on theemotional and the mental side
that we have to address thatsometimes we kind of stuff down
in there.
So I'm glad that you spoke aboutthat with forgiveness which
brings to peace.
So thank you so much.
You are absolutely right.
It's the person, not thecondition.
(25:08):
I think that's something thatwe'll remember, when we're
talking about all thesedifferent therapies that can aid
a patient in their wellnessjourney.
And so thank you again forjoining us and taking time out
of your busy schedule to sharewith us about hyperbaric oxygen
therapy.
So thank you.
Dr. Guillory (25:24):
It's my pleasure.
Thank you, Ivelisse.
Welcome to today's episode on the Believe
Big podcast.
My name is Ivelisse Page and ourfriend Dr.
Derek Guillory is back on theshow with us to discuss the
benefits of hyperbaric oxygentherapy.
You may not have heard muchabout hyperbaric oxygen therapy,
you may even think it's a newlydiscovered medicine.
But it's not.
(00:55):
Can you believe it's been usedsince the late 1600s?
Dr.
Guillory is the founder andmedical director of Root Causes
Medical Clinic in San Antonio,Texas.
He became one of the firstcertified functional medicine
practitioners in Texas in 2015,and has also been board
certified by the American Boardof Emergency Medicine since
(01:18):
2005.
Welcome, Dr.
Guillory to the show.
Dr. Guillory (01:23):
Thanks for having me.
Good to see you again.
Ivelisse Page (01:25):
Yes.
So our listeners are alwaysinterested in discovering what
our guest favorite health tipis.
And the last time you were here,you shared a great one.
You shared that we haveincredible power over our health
and that disease has two causes,deficiency and toxicity.
Do you have another one you canshare with us?
Dr. Guillory (01:45):
Wow.
It's a great question.
I think if I had to give you ahealth tip right this second, I
would say that water is one ofthe most important nutrients
that we have, and I've beendoing a lot of research on water
for quite some time actually.
But focusing on clean, purewater in your home, all the
(02:08):
water that you consume and allthe water that is put on your
body and in all of the productsand your cosmetic line and
everything, it needs to be purewater.
And then the other thing ishydrogen water.
It's been an area of interestfor mine for a long time, and so
I'm coming up with some reallygood, the best, equipment.
I'm trying to find the bestequipment for hydrogen water,
(02:28):
but be on the lookout forhydrogen water because it has
some really broad reaching,exciting health benefits across
many different conditions andfor longevity and regenerative
medicine.
But for everyone else, just makesure the water you're drinking
is pure and plenty of it.
Ivelisse Page (02:46):
That's a great tip.
And what do they say?
You're supposed to drink half ofyour body weight a day?
Dr. Guillory (02:50):
I go back to the the old thing, make sure that
you drink when you're thirsty,don't wait.
And it's better to drink rightbefore you're thirsty.
So when you're thirsty itprobably means you're a little
bit behind.
64 ounces a day is probablyplenty depending upon your
activity level.
Ivelisse Page (03:04):
And one last question on water, super
interesting.
We're gonna definitely look outfor the hydrogen water.
You'll have to let us know onceyou find the right machine.
But would you say clean, purewater you're saying is purified
or do you recommend springwater?
Dr. Guillory (03:18):
It's a great question.
I think that you want to drinkthe best purest water that you
can drink for your budget andyour location.
So if you look up on theEnvironmental Working Group
website, you'll find thechemicals in your zip code, and
it's remarkable.
In my zip code here, there's 25chemicals.
(03:38):
Of course, they're listed asbelow the EPA limit of safety.
But the point is they're presentin the water.
And many of these chemicals, Iwould say there is no safe
level.
Ivelisse Page (03:52):
Yep.
Dr. Guillory (03:52):
And so you just wanna have as clean water as you
can.
So at my farmhouse, we haverainwater collection with a
highly purified, I don't usereverse osmosis cuz I feel like
that wastes a lot of water.
But I have another filtrationsystem that really cleans the
water so that it's as clean as Ican get.
And that's gonna be differentfor every person.
Ivelisse Page (04:14):
That's a great tip.
And we'll add that environmentalworking group link for detecting
your water in the show notes.
Even here at the office, I don'tknow what purification system
they use, but we have a Berkeywater filter.
So if you're not wanting toinvest into something very
expensive, like for your homeand you wanna do something
that's good for your office,then you know that's a great
(04:35):
solution.
And it's not too expensive, butyou're right.
Dr. Guillory (04:37):
I'm sorry to interrupt you.
At minimum, I would have a bonechar charcoal filter that
removes fluoride from municipalwater supplies.
And then a Berkey to drink, thatwould be a minimum
Ivelisse Page (04:49):
Okay.
Dr. Guillory (04:51):
filtering system.
Ivelisse Page (04:51):
Yeah, I mean, it's amazing how it even affects
your skin.
So we have a whole home waterfilter that we have when we
built our house.
We added it after the fact.
You can buy it on Amazon, and wehad a plumber that installed it.
Because you think, okay, I justhave to drink purified water,
but, the water that's cominginto your shower and it's
steaming and it's getting intoyour skin.
(05:12):
I even bought a portable one formy daughter at college cuz the
water where she was at herschool was affecting her skin as
well.
So there's so many options thatare out there, thankfully now,
but that's a hidden toxin that alot of people don't realize.
Even the water that you'reshowering in.
So that's really greatinformation.
(05:33):
Maybe we have you back on tojust talk about water next time.
There's so much that can beshared.
Dr. Guillory (05:39):
It's a miracle of creation and of life.
Ivelisse Page (05:41):
Definitely.
So hyperbaric chamber what is ahyperbaric chamber for people
who don't know what it is?
Dr. Guillory (05:49):
So, hyperbaric chamber is a closed chamber
where you push air in to raisethe pressure surrounding your
body, which, forces oxygen intoyour tissues at a level that's
much higher than breathingregular oxygen.
It's really, the only way toachieve tissue concentrations of
(06:10):
oxygen at that level.
And so there's a commonmisconception even among
physicians when I get docs thatcall me and want their patients
to get in the chamber.
The common misconception is thatthe oxygen is working topically.
So it's commonly used for woundcare healing, but the oxygen is
not working topically.
The chamber is actually filledwith air, but the oxygen
(06:34):
molecules are pushed closertogether, and when we breathe
that it, it pushes oxygenthrough our lungs, into our
blood, and deep into the tissuesat levels that are much, much
higher than even breathing ahundred percent oxygen by face
mask.
Athletes on the football field,in the NFL, sometimes when
(06:54):
they're winded, they'rebreathing that oxygen mask.
hyperbaric oxygen is much, muchhigher than even breathing a
hundred percent oxygen.
So that's basics of the chamber.
You get in a chamber, it's aclosed chamber, and we pump air
in there, and you breathe oxygenthrough a mask.
Ivelisse Page (07:12):
that's incredible.
So when Jimmy and I visited yourcenter a few months back, you
had ones that you lay inside of.
I have never gotten into onebecause I'm very claustrophobic,
but I know they have so manydifferent kinds.
Can you share with thoselistening what types there are,
and I believe you were gettingone that you can sit in.
Maybe that one I won't feel soclaustrophobic in.
Dr. Guillory (07:33):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So we have a couple chambersnow.
The basic distinction is a softchamber and a hard chamber.
So there are soft chambers thatare relatively affordable, that
you can purchase for home use.
Obviously they don't toleratethe higher pressures.
And then the hard chambers cango up to very high pressures for
particular indications that needhigh pressure.
Ivelisse Page (07:55):
Okay.
Dr. Guillory (07:56):
And then, there's settings on the chamber to
determine how much oxygen you'rebreathing and then what pressure
you want to achieve a tissueoxygenation level.
Basically some real importantthings, again, the framework,
right?
Ivelisse Page (08:11):
Yes.
Dr. Guillory (08:12):
There are two priorities for all disease.
It doesn't matter which disease,but in cancer, this is true.
Same two priorities, symptomsand causes.
Important thing in cancer isthat tumors are symptoms.
Okay, so you have to treat thetumor, which is a symptom, and
then you have to treat thecause.
And oxygenation or oxidativetherapies, and particularly
(08:33):
hyperbaric oxygen, actuallytreats both.
So it's a symptom treatmentbecause it has direct effect on
tumor cells and it's a causetreatment because hypoxia has
actually been known for a reallylong time to cause cells to
become cancerous and also tocause cancer cells to become
(08:55):
more aggressive and tometastasize.
So hyperbaric oxygen is a reallyexciting treatment that treats
both symptoms, which are tumorsand causes of tumors.
Ivelisse Page (09:06):
I also read that there's published research in
neuroregeneration thathyperbaric oxygen therapy may
also be useful in the treatmentof Alzheimer's disease and, so
many different kinds of injuriesand indications.
So what other things besidescancer, do you typically use at
your practice, the oxygentherapy?
Dr. Guillory (09:26):
It is actually approved for use by the FDA for
a number of conditions, and thenit is commonly used for many
conditions.
And the reason for that is wehave to remember oxygen is a
nutrient, so it's essential fornormal or optimal cellular
function.
So that's the nutrient functionof oxygen.
(09:49):
But it's also a signalingmolecule, and so it does some
really powerful things as far asmessaging between the little
parts of the cell and betweencells and between tissues and
organs in our whole complicatedbody system, right?
So I use hyperbaric oxygen forneurodegenerative disease like
(10:10):
dementia and others.
Actually there are some studiesshowing benefit for peripheral
neuropathies, for wound care,for sports injuries, for
traumatic brain injury, forstroke, and then obviously for
cancer.
There's quite a bit of researchthat's published on hyperbaric
oxygen.
The most important bit ofresearch, I would say, right off
(10:30):
the bat is that there is noconvincing evidence that shows
that cancer promotes tumorprogression.
So there are some conflictingstudies and there's a big
misconception in the cancercommunity that you don't want to
use hyperbaric oxygen because itmight make your tumors worse.
(10:52):
There are a couple of goodreview articles showing that
there's no convincing evidencethat would happen.
There are some conflictingstudies.
There are some invitro studies,some cell line studies, some
animal studies that there'sconflicting evidence, but
there's no convincing evidence.
And the really important thingwith, of course, cancer
(11:14):
treatment, but all patientconditions is when you treat a
person, not a condition, you'reway ahead because synergy is
what we're after.
So when we are treating a personwith cancer, with hyperbaric
oxygen, we're not using it as astandalone therapy.
(11:35):
Which is what almost all trialsare looking for.
They're looking to see, doesthis treatment affect this
disease?
And they remove all othervariables, but real importantly,
in whole person and root causesmedicine and integrative
oncology, we're treating aperson and we're using more than
(11:55):
one modality and carefullythinking about that person,
which is totally different fromjust using oxygen to see if it
helps with cancer.
Ivelisse Page (12:06):
Yeah, that is excellent.
I love that you said that you'retreating the person not the
condition and that it's not astandalone treatment.
And I was always told, and isn'tthis true that cancer can't
thrive in a highly oxygenatedenvironment?
Is that true?
Dr. Guillory (12:20):
It's a little bit of a misrepresentation of the
truth.
It's close to the whole truth.
Hypoxia, areas of low oxygenseem to promote cancer.
And the cancer itself actuallyseems to create areas of low
oxygen.
One of the reasons it does thatwe think, because cancer is
(12:41):
smart, is that it promotesangiogenesis.
When you have low oxygentension, blood vessels want to
be created.
So all these little signalingmolecules get created to help
the tumor to spread or grow,right?
Invade, adjacent tissues.
And it seems as though hypoxiaor low oxygen tension is an area
(13:04):
where cancer thrives.
but that the reverse is notentirely true because cancer can
live in an area where there isoxygen, right?
A subtle difference, but we usethat to our advantage, and
particularly in a thoughtful orsynergistic way for just a few
things.
Like I always will combineoxidative therapies with immune
(13:28):
supportive therapies andmetabolic therapy, because it's
very simple to do and you'readding pressure to the tumor
cell.
So that's three things, right?
Immune, oxidative and metabolic.
But in this situation, one plusone is not three.
(13:48):
It might be 50 because of thesynergistic effect of those
three treatments at the sametime.
And so real important for peoplethat are curious about
hyperbaric oxygen, two reasonsnot to go get a chamber and just
get in it and not just go buy abunch of sessions in somebody's
hyperbaric oxygen.
(14:09):
Because number one, it's costly.
Number two, you need to go seesomebody that knows what they're
doing.
And number three, maximize thattime in the chamber because if
you can do something reallysimple and get additional
benefit from that time in thechamber, it's a huge win.
Ivelisse Page (14:29):
So how would they get additional benefit in the
chamber?
Dr. Guillory (14:32):
By combining a metabolic therapy and an immune
therapy with hyperbaric oxygen.
Ivelisse Page (14:37):
So give me an example of a metabolic and then
an immune therapy for those whoaren't familiar with those two.
Dr. Guillory (14:43):
Immune therapy is like mistletoe.
Ivelisse Page (14:45):
Yes.
Dr. Guillory (14:45):
Anything that's immune supportive could be
considered immune therapy there.
There are many things that wedo.
Mistletoe is the most commonone.
And a metabolic therapy wouldbe, it's actually required in my
patients, they need to be in astate of therapeutic ketosis to
get into the hyperbaric chamberbecause you're adding this
additional pressure to the tumorcell.
(15:08):
Tumor cells have a hard timedealing with ketones and they
love sugar.
And so you make the ketones highand the sugar low, and then I'll
add high dose melatonin, whichis way more than just an
antioxidant in a sleep agent.
It's also a metabolically activeagent.
So that puts a little bit ofpressure on the glycolysis
(15:32):
process, which is what the tumorcell likes to use for energy.
So you add this metabolicpressure with the oxygen
pressure and then a little bitof immune support with mistletoe
or mushroom extract, like turkeytail, something like that, that
you're cycling in.
I'll use peptides and otherthings, but those synergies
(15:54):
really duplicate the benefit ofthe hyperbaric oxygen.
Ivelisse Page (15:59):
Yes, it's like a one two punch I love that.
Dr. Guillory (16:02):
Yeah, it's more more like a, like one eight
punch or one eleven punch
Ivelisse Page (16:08):
There you go.
Let's knock it out.
Let's knock cancer out.
You mentioned it and so I wantto make sure people who are not
in the San Antonio area whereyou are what should someone who
has cancer, what should theylook for in a practitioner or in
a facility that's doing HBOT orhyperbaric oxygen therapy?
What are some guidelines thatyou would say they should look
(16:31):
for?
Dr. Guillory (16:31):
I think the main one is just that they have
someone thinking about theirindividual unique scenarios.
Our network that we're buildingwith some providers,
naturopathic doctors or medicaldoctors that have just spent
some time thinking about thatscenario.
And then the main one is you dowant to have somebody available,
(16:52):
like a technician.
We use a certified technicianthat's trained in hyperbaric
oxygen, so that would be abonus.
Those two things, the main oneis that somebody has thought
about their condition.
And is hopefully thinking aboutsynergies that might work.
And this is in the research.
There are some papers that showhyperbaric oxygen has no
(17:13):
benefit, for instance, in thisparticular colorectal cancer
study.
But when you add hyperbaricoxygen to thoughtful
chemotherapy or radiotherapy,radiation therapy, you get an
obvious, statisticallysignificant benefit.
Ivelisse Page (17:30):
Yes.
Dr. Guillory (17:31):
So that is what we call adjuvant therapy.
When you put two therapiestogether and they're both better
than the individual ones addedto the other one.
That's the main thing is justthat somebody's brain that cares
about you as a patient isthinking about your scenario.
Ivelisse Page (17:50):
Yes.
that's really good advice.
I read that inside thepressurized chamber, your lungs
are able to gather up to threetimes more pure oxygen than it
normally would.
What is the typical treatmentprocess?
So you mentioned that yourequire your patients to go into
ketosis then what happens?
Dr. Guillory (18:06):
Actually it's higher than that in certain
cases.
Very high levels of tissueoxygenation are possible
depending upon the pressure.
There really is one thing that'ssuper important for people
getting in the chamber, and thatis you have to be able to clear
your ears.
You don't want to go in therewhen you have a sinus infection
or an ear infection or a lot ofmucus and drainage.
(18:28):
That is very painful and you getin the chamber, you sit and you
clear your ears early and oftenwhile the pressure is going up
in the chamber.
And other than that, it's a verypeaceful, good time to focus on
yourself and meditate or pray.
and you just sit there for anhour or 90 minutes.
Ivelisse Page (18:52):
Does the patient feel anything during the
treatment?
do you feel like a breeze or isit just you're just laying there
breathing air?
Dr. Guillory (19:00):
We have all of our patients breathe with an oxygen
mask.
And, you just breathe.
You feel the pressure, like ifyou're diving to the bottom of a
swimming pool.
Ivelisse Page (19:10):
Yes.
Dr. Guillory (19:10):
You feel that pressure in your ears, and so
you have to pop that to releaseit.
And so we just make sure we takethe pressure up very slow ly and
then it gets a little warm whenyou're diving, when you're
raising the pressure, and itgets cold when you're coming out
of the chamber because the airmolecules are moving closer
(19:31):
together, that's heat and movingfarther apart, that's cold.
Other than that, you don'treally feel anything.
Ivelisse Page (19:38):
Okay, so I know that the number of treatments
will vary based on the stage ofcancer that a person is in or
even a condition, but how manytreatments on average have you
found to be the most beneficialfor cancer patients?
Dr. Guillory (19:52):
That's a great question because it really is a
process.
And it depends on the person.
So in some people we'repressing, and then we take a
break and we press, press andtake a break.
And in other people it's astability.
We just are going over time.
So I find it across the board Inmost conditions, you get a lot
(20:14):
of benefit from between 20 and40 sessions in the chamber.
But cancer is its own thing.
And so generally speaking, wework in six week cycles and we
try to put some pressure, putsome pressure and then take a
break and see where we are andreassess.
Many times people are doing itquite a bit because, it's a
(20:35):
different way of thinking,right?
What we're doing.
It's living with cancer, it'smanaging your symptoms.
Of course, we're always aimingfor remission or the resolution
and that happens.
But every person is so unique,it's hard to say.
Ivelisse Page (20:51):
Yeah, but is it expensive?
I know you said it, it can becostly.
So what's a typical session orwhat do most facilities charge
on average?
Dr. Guillory (21:00):
There's quite a bit of variability based on
geographic area, but on averageit's about$200 for an hour
Ivelisse Page (21:07):
Okay.
Dr. Guillory (21:07):
to be in the chamber.
Ivelisse Page (21:09):
Okay.
Dr. Guillory (21:10):
Some places are a little bit more like hospitals
for instance in the big hospitalchambers, it's$3,000 per hour.
Ivelisse Page (21:17):
Wow.
Oh my goodness.
Dr. Guillory (21:18):
Yeah, that's what insurance companies are being
charged, because it requires somuch regulatory effort and
staffing and everything.
For the lifestyle wellnesscenters and things like that,
there are places that might sella hundred dollars for the soft
chamber.
Which is a very low pressureWe're$200 per hour, which is
about average.
(21:39):
There are some places that$250,maybe$300, those are generally
in big cities and high dollarareas.
Ivelisse Page (21:46):
Okay.
And is it covered by insurance?
So you were saying thathospitals, when they're, it's
done in a hospital maybe, buthow about at your center or
others?
Would insurance cover it?
Dr. Guillory (21:56):
No, it's only covered for the FDA approved
indications, which there are notvery many.
Ivelisse Page (22:03):
And cancer's not one of those?
Dr. Guillory (22:05):
Cancer's not one of them, no.
Ivelisse Page (22:06):
Okay.
So are there any risks or sideeffects to this therapy?
Dr. Guillory (22:12):
As with every medical treatment, there's
always a benefit and a risk.
So the risk with hyperbaricoxygen therapy is mainly the
cost and the time and discomfortwith your ears and sinuses.
Other than that, it's anextremely safe, very low risk.
There are a few things that wehave to watch out for certain
people.
(22:32):
People with underlying lungdisease, with big cysts in their
lungs and things like that.
But the main one is you have tobe able to clear your ears and,
heart disease, lung disease,things like that, they can cause
trouble.
But, in most patients, verysafe.
Ivelisse Page (22:47):
Okay.
Super interesting.
I know our time is alreadycoming up to a end and so I
wanted to ask you, is thereanything that I didn't ask you
that you think would bebeneficial for people to know
about this therapy?
Dr. Guillory (22:59):
I think, the main thing I always love to educate
people with is, I want them tohave hope, and to feel how much
power they have over their ownhealth.
And so you're not alone in this.
There's so many resources like,Ivelisse, what you're doing with
education and with charitablegrant funding.
(23:21):
There's so many people out theredoing this sort of thing, but I
want people to feel that power.
And then for just a minute, ifthey can recognize that synergy.
So the most important thing isthat people have this incredible
power, and when you put athoughtful plan together, you
can have great success.
(23:41):
I talk about this a lot, withevery condition, we're all stuck
in a trap.
And the trap is the acute caremedical model, which is asking
the question, what is the nameof my condition and what's the
cure for my condition?
And it's a trap.
It's every minute of every hourof every day working out the
(24:03):
causes of disease.
Does that make sense what I'msaying?
Ivelisse Page (24:07):
Yes, definitely.
Dr. Guillory (24:08):
We have such power when we have peace and joy and
contentment and forgiveness,right?
When we eat nutritious food,when we fast, when we deal with
environmental and emotionaltoxicity.
This is the solution to chronicdisease.
It is not what is the next pilland the next magical treatment?
(24:29):
I mean, we see a lot of patientswith end stage disease, and we
have to put together complicatedhealing plans that are
thoughtful and synergistic usingall these different tools.
But even in those people, whenwe get them over the hump, it's
hour to hour, working out thecauses of disease.
Ivelisse Page (24:47):
Yeah, and many of them aren't what we assumed, we,
again, we always focus on thephysical side of healing.
But there's so much on theemotional and the mental side
that we have to address thatsometimes we kind of stuff down
in there.
So I'm glad that you spoke aboutthat with forgiveness which
brings to peace.
So thank you so much.
You are absolutely right.
It's the person, not thecondition.
(25:08):
I think that's something thatwe'll remember, when we're
talking about all thesedifferent therapies that can aid
a patient in their wellnessjourney.
And so thank you again forjoining us and taking time out
of your busy schedule to sharewith us about hyperbaric oxygen
therapy.
So thank you.
Dr. Guillory (25:24):
It's my pleasure.
Thank you, Ivelisse.
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