Facts on Oxygen Bars

Oxygen bars offer customers the chance to inhale pure oxygen in ambient atmosphere. While for a normally healthy person, inhaling oxygen may not be like a dangerous activity, health experts and the FDA have discovered some alarming health concerns with this practice for those with health issues.

What is an Oxygen Bar?

• Customers pay typically by the minute to inhale oxygen through a plastic tube that fits into your nostrils. On the other end of the tube is a oxygen concentrator, which pumps oxygen purer than ambient air.

Health Benefits of Oxygen Bars

• While the FDA does not allow businesses to claim that the oxygen has any medical benefits for a customer, many health clubs, spas and chiropractors have adopted its use in their practices. According to the American Lung Association, inhaling oxygen for recreational use does not seem to have beneficial effects, but it also doesn't seem to have any negative effects for a healthy person.

Health Concerns with Oxygen Bars

• If you have health problems such as heart disease, asthma, congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, emphysema or are undergoing chemotherapy treatment, you should not use recreational oxygen because it is not regulated or medically supervised.

  If the oxygen is flavored with aroma oils, it could lead to serious inflammation of the lungs due to irritants or allergens.