When More Isn’t Better: Rethinking Recovery, Oxygen, and Aging
Hyperbaric Chambers, Breathing, and the Law of Diminishing Returns
Recently, some of my patients have asked about hyperbaric chambers. I love them and think they are the new thing similar to what we’ve seen over the last few years with therapies like redlight therapy and cold plunges. When you step into a hyperbaric chamber, you’re essentially entering an environment where oxygen is supercharged. The air pressure inside is higher than normal, which allows your lungs to absorb much more oxygen than they would under everyday conditions. That extra oxygen becomes fuel for your body’s repair systems helping tissues heal, fighting infections, and giving cells a boost they might not otherwise get.
It’s like flipping on a turbo button for your body’s recovery.
The Catch: Is More Always Better?
The big question though, is whether this becomes a crutch. If someone with a hypertonic diaphragm (meaning the diaphragm is stuck in a tight, shortened state and the person relies on upper chest or trapezius breathing) steps into a hyperbaric chamber, they’ll still benefit. The chamber bypasses some of their mechanical limitations by forcing oxygen deeper into the bloodstream.
That’s useful, but it doesn’t solve the root cause. The diaphragm doesn’t suddenly relax and restore proper breathing mechanics just because oxygen levels rise. So while the chamber helps, it doesn’t replace the need to release hypertonic muscles or retrain breathing patterns.
This is where the concept of diminishing returns comes in. At first, extra oxygen delivers major benefits. But if someone relies on the chamber repeatedly, without fixing their breathing patterns, the long-term payoff shrinks.
Like overwatering a plant:
necessary in the right amount, harmful if it becomes the substitute for the plant’s natural function.
If you overwater the plant, the roots don’t have to do their job of growing deeper to find water. The plant becomes weaker and more dependent. Translating this back to the body: if we rely too much on external tools, we risk interfering with the body’s natural ability to breathe, repair, and regulate itself.
Balancing Tools and Natural Function
This dilemma shows up across therapies. Red light therapy, braces, supplements, they all offer real benefits, but they can become counterproductive if they replace natural function. The key is using tools as enhancers, not replacements.
Think of a hyperbaric chamber like a back brace: excellent for support during recovery, but not something you’d want to wear forever. The goal isn’t dependency, it’s balance. Support the body in moments of need, but always work toward restoring its innate ability to breathe, heal, and adapt.
Diminishing Returns in Training and Healing
The law of diminishing returns isn’t just a concept in economics, it shows up in physiology too. In the gym, beginners see fast gains, but progress slows as the body adapts. In studying, the first few hours give big insights, while later hours yield less and less. In health, piling on external tools past a certain point delivers less benefit, and can even mask underlying dysfunction.
That’s why manual therapy, muscle reactivation, and breathwork remain so important. They reset the nervous system and release hypertonic muscles, extending the body’s “runway” before it hits the next plateau. Instead of relying on external boosts, you’re reestablishing natural efficiency.
Aging, Stem Cells, and the Fountain of Youth
The idea ties into another fascinating piece of biology: stem cells. Our bodies never completely stop producing them, but their activity declines with age. Children and young adults heal quickly because stem cells are plentiful and robust. As we age, those cells become fewer and less active.
The exciting part? We can influence this process. Resistance training, healthy stress, and movement signals to the body that repair and regeneration are still needed. That’s why strength training has been called the fountain of youth. It keeps repair mechanisms awake and active. It’s not about avoiding decline altogether, but about slowing it down and extending vitality.
There’s a fine line between soreness from an injury and soreness from a great workout. However, you are ALWAYS able to tell the difference.
The Bigger Picture
Hyperbaric chambers, red light therapy, stem cell research, they all remind us of one thing: our bodies are designed with built-in repair systems. External tools can boost the process, but they should never overshadow the body’s own intelligence.
*read about the Somatic Intelligence in previous blogs.
The goal isn’t to escape aging or dysfunction with shortcuts. The goal is to use stress wisely, support the body when needed, and restore natural function whenever possible. That’s where true longevity and resilience live, not in a chamber or a gadget, but in the balance between support and self-reliance.
