Iron Infusion and HBOT: Why We Combine Them

Iron deficiency is fundamentally an oxygen problem.

When your iron levels drop, your body can't produce enough haemoglobin: the protein inside red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to every tissue in your body. The result: exhaustion, brain fog, breathlessness, hair loss, poor concentration. Your cells aren't getting the oxygen they need.

An iron infusion fixes this directly. It delivers iron into your bloodstream, your body produces haemoglobin, and oxygen delivery through red blood cells is restored. For most patients, that's the treatment: and it works well.

But there's a second pathway for oxygen delivery that most iron clinics don't address.

Two pathways, one goal

Your blood delivers oxygen two ways:

1. Bound to haemoglobin (red blood cells) This is the primary oxygen transport system. Each haemoglobin molecule carries up to four oxygen molecules. When iron is low, haemoglobin production drops, and this system underperforms. An iron infusion restores it.

2. Dissolved in plasma A smaller amount of oxygen dissolves directly in your blood plasma: the liquid portion of your blood. Under normal conditions, this is a minor contribution. But under increased pressure, significantly more oxygen dissolves into plasma: reaching tissues independently of red blood cells.

This is what hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) does. Inside a pressurised chamber, oxygen dissolves into your plasma at levels far beyond what normal breathing can achieve. This oxygen can reach areas where blood flow is reduced or where red blood cell delivery is compromised.

Why the combination makes sense

After an iron infusion, your body immediately begins producing new haemoglobin and red blood cells. But this takes time: most patients notice improvement within 1-2 weeks, with full restoration over 3-4 weeks.

During that rebuilding period, HBOT provides oxygen through the plasma pathway: a parallel route that doesn't depend on red blood cell production. The two mechanisms are complementary:

Neither treatment replaces the other. Iron infusion is the clinical treatment for iron deficiency. HBOT is an optional complement that supports oxygen delivery through a different mechanism.

What is IronOx Therapy?

IronOx Therapy is how we bring iron and oxygen together at IronOx Clinic in Cardiff: every doctor-led iron infusion includes one complimentary hyperbaric oxygen therapy session, with the option to add more.

• IronOx 500: 500mg iron infusion + 1 complimentary HBOT session: £699
• IronOx 1000: 1,000mg iron infusion + 1 complimentary HBOT session: £899
• The Course: 10 additional sessions: £750 (£75 a session instead of £95)

Your iron infusion is a single appointment: 30 minutes for the infusion and 30 minutes of monitoring. Your complimentary HBOT session is booked as a later appointment, not on the infusion day. If you add the Course, reception schedules those 10 sessions against chamber availability after suitability checks.

Everything is led by Dr. Ros Jabar, a GMC-registered doctor with a background in acute medicine and A&E. The same clinician oversees your iron treatment and your oxygen therapy: no referrals between providers, no separate bookings, no duplication.

Your complimentary HBOT session is included in the infusion price at no extra cost. If you want a full course of oxygen therapy, the 10-session Course is £750: £75 a session instead of the £95 standalone rate.

Who is IronOx Therapy for?

Every infusion includes one complimentary HBOT session: but a full course of oxygen therapy (the Course) isn't for everyone, and we don't push it. The iron infusion alone is the core treatment for most iron-deficient patients.

A full HBOT course may be worth considering if:

• You want to complement your iron restoration: you're interested in supporting your recovery alongside the infusion, not just treating the deficiency
• You're recovering from surgery: and your surgeon has flagged low iron. HBOT is used in some post-surgical contexts for recovery support
• You're an athlete or active person: and oxygen delivery is directly relevant to your performance and recovery
• You're curious about HBOT: and the convenience of having it at the same clinic as your iron infusion makes it accessible

If you're not sure, Dr. Ros will advise at your consultation. She'll never recommend a full HBOT course unless it's appropriate for your situation.

No other UK iron clinic offers this

We've researched every iron infusion provider in the UK. The Iron Clinic in London offers iron only. Kratos Medical in Cardiff offers IV drips but no HBOT. Private hospitals offer infusions in clinical settings but nothing beyond the infusion itself.

No UK iron infusion clinic combines iron therapy with hyperbaric oxygen under the same roof. IronOx Clinic is the only provider offering both: led by the same doctor, in the same clinical setting, as a single integrated programme.

This isn't a marketing angle. It's a clinical facility that happens to have both capabilities.

Ready to explore IronOx Therapy?

Start with a consultation. Dr. Ros will review your blood results, assess your iron deficiency, and discuss whether IronOx Therapy: or the iron infusion alone: is the right approach for you.

No GP referral needed. Bring your recent blood results if you have them, or we can arrange blood testing.

Learn more about IronOx Therapy →

Sources

• NHS, Iron deficiency anaemia: the NHS overview of symptoms, the full blood count used to diagnose it, and the pathway of establishing the cause before treating with iron tablets.
• Cochrane, Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for chronic wounds (2015): the Cochrane review found improved healing of diabetic foot ulcers in the short term but not at 12 months, and judged the trials methodologically weak.
• NICE, Multiple sclerosis in adults: management (NG220): recommendation 1.5.11 states "Do not offer hyperbaric oxygen to treat fatigue in people with MS".

Medically reviewed by Dr Rukhsana Jabar ("Dr Ros"), GMC-registered doctor (GMC 7265326).