HBOT blog

[Guest guest]

hmmm food for thought - items from a blog. But if you do some research

on HBOT,

you'll turn up some interesting information on it.

I guess it can't be any worse than the article I read on voles causing

GBS ....

doris

<CUT>

It's obvious to me that hyperbaric oxygen (HO) is one of those altie

therapies that has actual medical uses (usually for a limited number of

conditions) but gets coopted as supposedly being great for everything,

even for warding off the aging process. Never mind that prolonged

exposure to HO would be more likely to cause premature aging, not ward

it off, given the increased free radicals it would cause. Maybe that's

part of the reason why looks the way he does.

The whole idea behind HO is to treat diseases for which decreased blood

flow or a low oxygenation is major part of the pathophysiology and for

which higher oxygen tension might reasonably be thought to help. This

also includes conditions for which high oxygen tension can displace a

specific toxin from a binding site, like CO bound to hemoglobin. That

means that HO is useful for nonhealing wounds, decompression sickness,

severe anaerobic bacterial infections, necrotizing fasciitis (the

" flesh-eating " bacterial infection), or carbon monoxide poisoning.

There's also evidence that it can be helpful in increasing the efficacy

of radiation therapy in certain cancers, but only for head and neck tumors.

It's only marginally scientifically plausible that HO would be good for

autism. In fact, some evidence in the literature suggests that increased

oxidative stress may have relevance to the pathophysiology autism. If

that is actually true, then HO might potentially even be harmful to

autistics. (Certainly the known possibility of neurotoxicity from HO

should give any parent contemplating this therapy for autism pause.)

However, there are also studies that suggest decreases in regional

cerebral bloodflow in autistics, but the significance of these findings

are unclear. Even if these results are consistent and confirmed, it does

not necessarily follow that hyperbaric oxygen will do anything to

reverse the pathophysiology.

....

<CUT>

Dr. Jeff Bradstreet, is offering HBOT for autistic children. This is not

the same hyperbaric oxygen therapy that is given to divers with the bends.

http://www.icdrc.org/hbot.html

You can see that Dr. Bradstreet's HBOT chamber looks a bit like the

" home version " , this kind delivers less pressure than the kind found in

hospitals

<http://www.healthsciences.okstate.edu/research/cahm/hyperbarics_research.htmlf>\

..

Here's a photo

<http://www.sanibeldayspa.com/images/hyperbaric_oxygen_therapy.jpg> of

one of the " home version " types of HBOT it's from a " day spa " website.

See also:

http://www.1st-in-hyperbarics.com/1st-in-hyperbarics/index.htm

for a sales pitch on how an HBOT chamber brings in the patients and how

they refer their family and friends. You will also learn that HBOT cures

wrinkles!

" Dr. Jeff Bradstreet, is offering HBOT for autistic children. This

is not the same hyperbaric oxygen therapy that is given to divers

with the bends.

<http://autismdiva.blogspot.com/2005/11/eneman-knows-hbot.html#11309411667408215\

3>

I believe that the disclaimer on Dr. Bradstreet's website is a clue

to the sort of " HBOT " that he is doing.

In real HBOT, higher pressures are used to attain supranormal levels

of blood and tissue oxygenation. This sort of pressure is not only

an effective treatment for a limited range of conditions (including

" the bends " ), it is also potentially dangerous. It also requires

heavy, expensive equipment, trained personnel, safety protocols,

etc., etc...

In pseudo-HBOT, the pressures are much lower, often just a bit over

atmospheric pressure. The " chambers " are lightweight, often being

made of clear plastic. Since there is very little pressure used, the

equipment is lighter, much cheaper and doesn't require much training

to use.

The risks of pseudo-HBOT are lower, although people can still suffer

damage to the type II pneumocytes in their lungs and there is also

the danger of fire in an oxygen-enriched atmosphere(ala Apollo 1).

Likewise, the potential benefits from pseudo-HBOT are also lower -

ranging from non-detectable to none. The additional oxygen delivery

(over getting oxygen from a mask at atmospheric pressure), is not

enough to be of significant benefit for any known disorder.

Given the real, though small risks and the negligible or

non-existent benefits, pseudo-HBOT has a very unfavorable

risk-benefit ratio.

However, given the hype and mystique attending pseudo-HBOT and the

amazing array of disorders it has been alleged (but never

demonstrated) to cure, the profit-loss ratio is very favorable.

[Guest guest]

I live in AZ and could go to half a dozen local places to get HBOT, but if my

son is a candidate, we would come to LA to see the doctor I have been referring

to. His name is Dr. Gunnar Heuser & he is a neurotoxicologist and clinical

professor at UCLA. He has published studies on brain changes in Chronic Fatigue

Syndrome, Autism and several other disorders. He is a big believer in HBOT for

people with autism. He did not feel my son was a candidate at the present time,

but he will re-evaluate that in 6-8 months. I have heard him referred to " the

best in the business " when it comes to spect scans -- he was one of the pioneers

of that technology. I wouldn't take lightly the therapeutic use of HBOT, but I

wouldn't dismiss it either.

-

Doris and Steve <sjsmith@...> wrote:

hmmm food for thought - items from a blog. But if you do some research

on HBOT,

you'll turn up some interesting information on it.

I guess it can't be any worse than the article I read on voles causing

GBS ....

doris

<CUT>

It's obvious to me that hyperbaric oxygen (HO) is one of those altie

therapies that has actual medical uses (usually for a limited number of

conditions) but gets coopted as supposedly being great for everything,

even for warding off the aging process. Never mind that prolonged

exposure to HO would be more likely to cause premature aging, not ward

it off, given the increased free radicals it would cause. Maybe that's

part of the reason why looks the way he does.

The whole idea behind HO is to treat diseases for which decreased blood

flow or a low oxygenation is major part of the pathophysiology and for

which higher oxygen tension might reasonably be thought to help. This

also includes conditions for which high oxygen tension can displace a

specific toxin from a binding site, like CO bound to hemoglobin. That

means that HO is useful for nonhealing wounds, decompression sickness,

severe anaerobic bacterial infections, necrotizing fasciitis (the

" flesh-eating " bacterial infection), or carbon monoxide poisoning.

There's also evidence that it can be helpful in increasing the efficacy

of radiation therapy in certain cancers, but only for head and neck tumors.

It's only marginally scientifically plausible that HO would be good for

autism. In fact, some evidence in the literature suggests that increased

oxidative stress may have relevance to the pathophysiology autism. If

that is actually true, then HO might potentially even be harmful to

autistics. (Certainly the known possibility of neurotoxicity from HO

should give any parent contemplating this therapy for autism pause.)

However, there are also studies that suggest decreases in regional

cerebral bloodflow in autistics, but the significance of these findings

are unclear. Even if these results are consistent and confirmed, it does

not necessarily follow that hyperbaric oxygen will do anything to

reverse the pathophysiology.

....

<CUT>

Dr. Jeff Bradstreet, is offering HBOT for autistic children. This is not

the same hyperbaric oxygen therapy that is given to divers with the bends.

http://www.icdrc.org/hbot.html

You can see that Dr. Bradstreet's HBOT chamber looks a bit like the

" home version " , this kind delivers less pressure than the kind found in

hospitals

<http://www.healthsciences.okstate.edu/research/cahm/hyperbarics_research.htmlf>\

..

Here's a photo

<http://www.sanibeldayspa.com/images/hyperbaric_oxygen_therapy.jpg> of

one of the " home version " types of HBOT it's from a " day spa " website.

See also:

http://www.1st-in-hyperbarics.com/1st-in-hyperbarics/index.htm

for a sales pitch on how an HBOT chamber brings in the patients and how

they refer their family and friends. You will also learn that HBOT cures

wrinkles!

" Dr. Jeff Bradstreet, is offering HBOT for autistic children. This

is not the same hyperbaric oxygen therapy that is given to divers

with the bends.

<http://autismdiva.blogspot.com/2005/11/eneman-knows-hbot.html#11309411667408215\

3>

I believe that the disclaimer on Dr. Bradstreet's website is a clue

to the sort of " HBOT " that he is doing.

In real HBOT, higher pressures are used to attain supranormal levels

of blood and tissue oxygenation. This sort of pressure is not only

an effective treatment for a limited range of conditions (including

" the bends " ), it is also potentially dangerous. It also requires

heavy, expensive equipment, trained personnel, safety protocols,

etc., etc...

In pseudo-HBOT, the pressures are much lower, often just a bit over

atmospheric pressure. The " chambers " are lightweight, often being

made of clear plastic. Since there is very little pressure used, the

equipment is lighter, much cheaper and doesn't require much training

to use.

The risks of pseudo-HBOT are lower, although people can still suffer

damage to the type II pneumocytes in their lungs and there is also

the danger of fire in an oxygen-enriched atmosphere(ala Apollo 1).

Likewise, the potential benefits from pseudo-HBOT are also lower -

ranging from non-detectable to none. The additional oxygen delivery

(over getting oxygen from a mask at atmospheric pressure), is not

enough to be of significant benefit for any known disorder.

Given the real, though small risks and the negligible or

non-existent benefits, pseudo-HBOT has a very unfavorable

risk-benefit ratio.

However, given the hype and mystique attending pseudo-HBOT and the

amazing array of disorders it has been alleged (but never

demonstrated) to cure, the profit-loss ratio is very favorable.