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Hyperbarics 101: What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
HBOT is a medical treatment in which the patient breathes 100% pure oxygen, administered under increased
atmospheric pressure inside a pressurized chamber. Treatments usually last from 60-90 minutes and are administered by a qualified
hyperbaric technician. Patients receive treatment in either a monoplace (single person) or multiplace (two or more people)
pressurized chamber. Patients must be approved for treatment by a medical doctor.
During HBOT therapy, there is substantial increase in the amount of oxygen carried in all body fluids,
including plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, lymph and intracellular fluids. The increased pressure (typically 2 times normal atmospheric
pressure) causes an increase of up to 2,000% in plasma oxygen concentrations with a resultant increase in tissue oxygenation.
This allows increased oxygen levels even in areas with poor or compromised blood, as well as in areas of tissue oxygenation.
The effect is delivered via the lungs to the developing capillary bed where it helps capillaries proliferate white blood cells
and fibroblasts create new tissue. It can reach bone and tissue, which are inaccessible to the blood cells, enhance white
blood cells, enhance white blood cell function, and promote the formation of new capillary and peripheral blood vessels. This
results in increased infection control and faster healing of a wide range of conditions.
Originally developed during the 1930's, HBOT has long been recognized as the definitive treatment for
decompression sickness, air embolism (diatrogenic and diving related) and carbon monoxide poisoning. During the last few years,
HBOT has emerged as a helpful, and many times curative, therapy for such additional conditions as: cerebral palsy, burns,
cerebral edema (brain swelling), sickle cell anemia, gangrene, near drowning, severed limbs, smoke inhalation, spinal cord
injury, organic brain syndrome, stroke, coma, multiple sclerosis, hearing loss, radiation myelitis, crush injuries, soft tissue,
non-healing fractures, tendon and ligament injuries, delayed wound healing, decubitus ulcers, frostbite, diabetic retinopathy,
migraine and cluster headache, myocardial infarction, chronic fatigue, HIV-related fatigue, Bell's palsy, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia,
autism, Crohn's disease, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, and osteoradionecrosis (bone degeneration after radiation exposure),
to list a few. It is recommended that HBOT be used as an adjunctive therapy to those treatments already being given to the
patient.
The Laws, They Need A-Changin'
Just think about it...think about the masses and masses of people in the world at this moment who've
suffered neurological damage. Think of the gamut of emotions these people and their loved ones have experienced as
they go through recovery, rehabilitation, dedicating time, love and energy to getting better.
Sometimes, the rewards are great...then again, sometimes disappointment is the result.
And all the while, a therapy exists...a promising therapy with solid medical and scientific research
to back it up, yet it's unattainable for so many. Why? Because the wheels of procedure turn slowly, and the red
tape runs thick.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is not a cure all, but it's a solid, promising treatment for victims of
neurological injury. It is a treatment that can be performed on the young and the old, is non-invasive, and involves
less overall time than many of the traditional treatments. It is a treatment that may give many renewed hope for
a better future.
THOUGHTS AND CONCEPTS ON: No child left behind,…
The "No child left behind" Act is intended to include every child and adult. Unfortuately,
this has not been the case with family members who have been "labeled" by their physicians or teachers as having "brain
damage", declared standardly 'unfit' for therapies and educational assistance, unless parents become proactive beyond standard
means and retain a lawyer to fight the injustice of the "politically correct" system.
And in the cases of those families who do have the resources to fight the system, most end up returning
home both financially and mentally exhausted.
The fight for reform in our country has been waged mostly against the medical insurance companies
of Medicare and Medicaid, county and state social services, as well as the local educational system.
The same fight continues today, but as we learn more, the battlefield becomes more level.
Only a select few are able to afford specialized medical treatment if they have money to pay, because
most families no longer have the energy or finances to fight the system in order to obtain therapies for neurological conditions
such as cerebral palsy, autism, near-drowning and traumatic brain injury.
Adults often have been institutionalized and forgotten; we've seen it happen all too often, and many
times, it's because the medical community will not recognize hyperbaric medicine as an acceptable therapeutical approach for
neurological conditions such as stroke, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, coma, and brain injuries.
Both children and adults have seen dramatic improvements when hyperbaric medicine has been prescribed for
neurological conditions. Some doctors are willing to reach out to provide "off-label" treatment to children and adults, but
they can only do so much financially without medical insurance reimbursement.
"It takes a village to raise a child" – Hillary Clinton
Well said.
The purpose of the "Decade of the Brain" - was to investigate treatment for brain injuries and to find
therapies to improve quality of life – hyperbaric medicine for neurological conditions and cellular hypoxia is one solution.
Dr. Edward Teller mentioned:
"Oxygen under pressure is a mechanism by which the oxygen is delivered directly to the cell for
immediate metabolic use without energy exchange even with compromised circulation."
Dr. Paul Harch and other physicians have brought before Congress information regarding hyperbaric medicine
for neurological conditions and has been repeatedly turned away without the realization of a positive outcome.
-Patty Weible
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