Immune function is a balance, not a volume knob.
A healthy immune system responds hard when it needs to and calms down when the threat is gone. Too little response leaves you open to infection. Too much drives inflammation and autoimmune disease. So a claim that any therapy simply turns immunity up misses how the system works.
Research on hyperbaric oxygen therapy and the immune system reflects that. Some studies suggest HBOT may support certain immune cells in fighting bacteria in low-oxygen tissue. Other studies show it dampening parts of the immune response. Suntree offers HBOT as a wellness service and does not present it as a way to prevent illness.
Where oxygen and infection meet.
White blood cells called neutrophils use oxygen to kill bacteria. In wounds and damaged tissue where oxygen is low, they work less well. A 2019 review describes how HBOT may help in that setting and how some antibiotics may work better alongside it.
That is why several cleared uses of HBOT involve infection: necrotizing soft tissue infections, gas gangrene and refractory osteomyelitis, a bone infection that has not responded to standard care. These are serious conditions treated in hospitals with surgery and antibiotics. Our wound healing page explains how selected non-healing wounds fit in.
What a study in healthy volunteers found.
A 2022 study gave 10 healthy young men three HBOT sessions and tested their blood. The neutrophils produced fewer reactive oxygen molecules and took up bacteria less actively after repeated sessions. Circulating inflammatory proteins did not change.
The authors read this as a temporary tiring of those cells, not as stronger immunity. It was a tiny study with a protocol different from a wellness session. It is a useful reminder that immune effects can run in more than one direction.
That does not mean HBOT weakens immunity in a way that matters for daily life. It means the effects are more complicated than marketing suggests. Anyone who tells you HBOT will make you sick less often is going beyond what the research shows.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, immune system research, and what is unknown.
A 2026 review of immune research described HBOT shifting the balance of some immune cell types, including regulatory T cells, across infection, autoimmune and cancer research models. The authors noted that studies varied widely in pressure, session count and what they measured, and that most human studies were short.
Put simply, researchers are studying real effects, but no one yet knows what dose, if any, helps a healthy person's immune system in daily life. Much of the detailed work comes from animal models and lab samples, which often do not carry over to people. Results vary. If your interest is inflammation rather than infection, see our inflammation page.
If you are sick, immunocompromised or on immune medicines.
HBOT is not a substitute for vaccines, antibiotics or care from your physician. If you have a transplant, take drugs that suppress the immune system, are receiving cancer treatment or live with an autoimmune condition, talk with your specialist before considering any session.
The Suntree team reviews your health history first, including ear and sinus problems, collapsed lung history, pregnancy, medications and claustrophobia. Questions about payment go to the team; the insurance page explains that coverage depends on the plan and diagnosis. You can also request an appointment online.