CellGym: metabolism, regeneration & resilience.
Local treatment meets whole-body regeneration. Many foot, skin and nail problems have a history that reaches further than the spot that hurts: circulation, metabolism, immune status, resilience, lifestyle. CellGym IHHT, intermittent hypoxia-hyperoxia training, works with controlled alternation between oxygen-reduced and oxygen-enriched breathing phases and is intended to support the body's own adaptation, regeneration and general resilience. It is not a treatment for nail fungus, warts or other foot diseases, but a complementary part of an integrative health concept.
How IHHT works and what research says.
Lying down, you breathe through a mask: intervals of oxygen-reduced air (about 9 to 16 percent oxygen, comparable to 3,000 to 5,000 metres of altitude) alternate with oxygen-enriched air (up to about 34 percent), 30 to 50 minutes per session, with continuous measurement of oxygen saturation and pulse. Brief, controlled hypoxia activates HIF-1, a factor that switches on genes for red blood cells, new capillaries and antioxidant enzymes and renews mitochondria. A systematic review (Behrendt et al., Sports Medicine Open 2022; eight studies in older cardiac and metabolic patients, cognitive impairment and overtrained athletes) reports improvements in exercise tolerance, peak oxygen uptake and global cognition, lower blood glucose and a trend to lower blood pressure, with protocols described as safe and well tolerated; the evidence base is small and heterogeneous, and larger trials are needed. A controlled study in 46 coronary patients (Glazachev et al., Clinical Cardiology 2017) found IHHT about as effective as an eight-week standard rehabilitation programme. No study shows that IHHT extends human lifespan. We quote research as it is: promising, but young.
What CellGym is meant for.
Regeneration and vitality, physical resilience, recovery after intense phases, support of the body's own adaptation processes, holistic treatment concepts, accompanying concepts for individual metabolic and regeneration topics, general prevention, integrative therapy, healthy ageing and longevity. Podiatry remains the core; IHHT is a targeted extension. It does not treat nail fungus, warts, ingrown nails, circulatory disorders or diabetes; where regeneration, resilience and metabolism matter to you, it can be one complementary building block alongside medical treatment.
How a session works.
Initial consultation of 60 minutes with questionnaire, exclusions, resting pulse, oxygen saturation and a short hypoxia test; sessions of 30 to 50 minutes lying down; typically ten sessions over four to five weeks, then a refresher every one to two months as needed. Not used with acute infections with fever, acute headache, acute asthma, heart attack, stroke or pulmonary embolism in the last 24 months, severe cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled hypertension above 160/100, implanted devices, severe blood or systemic diseases, pregnancy, cancer under chemotherapy, or in children; COPD, severe asthma and long Covid only after medical consultation. Sessions are monitored throughout. No particular result can be guaranteed. Prices on request; the Villa Zeltweg reset programme (CellGym and HEALITE II) costs CHF 195 per session.
Your first step.
The initial consultation takes place at Villa Zeltweg in the same building: phone 043 535 44 46 or via podiatry 043 535 44 47. See also Villa Zeltweg and the complementary consultation.