HBOT Conversations:
Elena Schertz & Extivita RTP

Elena Schertz, NP of Extivita-RTP in North Carolina, discusses how her clinic is actively healing the injured and sick with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), including veterans, sports athletes and COVID long-haulers. She explains the proven benefits of HBOT – what it is, who are candidates for the therapy, and how each session saturates a patient’s blood plasma with oxygen for ultimate healing powers.

Extivita-RTP offers a positive environment for healing, and she encourages anyone seeking a better quality of life to come visit them and experience the wonder of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

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Watch the Podcast

HBOT News podcast host, Edward diGirolamo, talks with guest, Elena Schertz, NP of Extivita-RTP, about how her clinic is actively healing the injured and sick with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), including veterans, sports athletes and COVID long-haulers. She explains the proven benefits of HBOT – what it is, who are candidates for the therapy, and how each session saturates a patient’s blood plasma with oxygen for ultimate healing powers.

Elena reveals their successes treating TBI and PTSD, and why the therapies at Extivita are even leading to the patient’s elimination of suicidal thoughts. Since veterans are at high risk of suicide due to the grave nature of combat, priority is being taken to treat these American heroes with HBOT at low or no cost. North Carolina’s veteran funding is discussed, while Elena expresses her hope that the state will eventually expand funding to include other beneficial therapies.

The topic of treating COVID long-haulers arise, and Elena makes a claim with absolute certainty that 99% of the COVID long-haulers who come through their doors are significantly better after going through HBOT sessions and nutritional IV regiments, with 95% of them eventually returning to their baseline.

Elena ends the podcast interview raving about her experienced clinical staff, explaining how they celebrate every milestone with their patients relishing in the rewards of making a difference and saving lives. They offer a positive environment for healing, and she encourages anyone seeking a better quality of life to come experience Extivita-RTP and the wonder of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Guest

Elena Schertz, NP

Elena Schertz, NP - Clinic Manager at Extivita RTP

Elena attained her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Michigan State University and received her Masters of Science in Nursing from Simmons University in Boston, MA. She has been practicing integrative medicine since 2010 and is currently working on her certification in functional medicine from the Institute of Functional Medicine.

Elena worked as a nurse in the pediatric oncology, cardiac, and surgical units at UNC hospitals for 15 years before deciding to work in integrative medicine. After years of working as a nurse, she decided to pursue her graduate degree, completing her masters with honors. She is board certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) through the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Elena’s passion for integrative medicine comes from her knowledge that the mind, body and psych/social/spiritual systems are not separate. The focus of Elena’s practice is to approach each of her patient’s healing process from the perspective of the whole, supported and grounded in safety and evidence-based medicine. She also maintains close consultative relationships with experts in the field to promote and enhance wellness for her patients. Elena joined the wonderful Extivita team in March 2019 and is thrilled to be a part of advancing health and wellness through hyperbaric medicine.

Extivita-RTP – Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Clinic

2012-D TW Alexander Drive
Durham, NC 27709
919-354-3775
919-354-3776
contact@extivita.org
https://www.extivita.org/

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Recent HBOT News

Clinical Trial – Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Athletes: Standard Versus Low Pressure

Currently, Hyperbaric Oxigen (HBO) is a widely used treatment for several conditions. There
are 14 indications for HBO, officially recognized by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical
Society (UHMS), but research is discovering other interesting applications.

HBO plays an important role in enhancing antioxidant defense mechanisms by increasing radical
oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide species (NOS). This controlled oxidative stress has
been shown to stop the vicious circle of inflammation – damage – hypoxia already seen in
several diseases. Increased neoangiogenesis has been demonstrated at pressures of 2
atmospheres absolute (ATA), while effects helping ischemic tissues need pressures between 2.5
and 2.8 ATA to develop.

During sports activities, metabolism generates waste products – mostly CO2, lactic acid, but
also ROS. HBO could be useful in modulating antioxidant mechanisms and helping cells in the
recovery after training and sportive competitions.

The authors hypothesize that:

1. HBO can reduce oxidative stress in healthy professional athletes

2. HBO can ameliorate the lactic acid clearance after a maximal exercise

3. HBO at low pressures (L-HBO at 1.45 ATA) is at least comparable to conventional HBO (at
2.5 ATA) in reducing oxidative stress and ameliorating lactic acid clearance after a
maximal exercise.

The Authors will include healthy athletes. These will be randomly assigned to a control
group, a L-HBO group, or a HBO group. The Authors will assess oxidative stress changes and
lactic acid clearance (testing it after a maximal exercise) before and after 20 L-HBO/HBO
treatments, and after 2 months after the end of treatments.

Clinical Trial – Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Compared to Pharmaceutical in Fibromyalgia With Emotional Trauma

The investigators have previously studied the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) as
a treatment for Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) in a prospective, active control, crossover
clinical trial. The results demonstrated significant amelioration of all FMS symptoms, with
significant improvement in life quality; furthermore, the investigators were able to
demonstrate significant neuroplasticity on SPECT imaging, with a decrease of the
hyperactivity in posterior regions and elevation of the reduced activity in frontal areas.

In this study, the investigators intend to both repeat and expand the investigator’s previous
findings, treating FMS patients with history of emotional trauma with HBOT, while performing
an extensive of evaluation both before and after treatment.

In the current study, the investigators plan to compare HBOT to current standard of care of
FMS (pharmacological and non – pharmacological).