Technology at Home – Cerebral Palsy (CP) and HBOT Chambers

Excerpt: Train The Brain With Latest Technology by Spencer Feldman
Ref: www.cerebralpalsymagazine.com

Hyperbaric oxygen treatments, also referred to as HBO or HBOT, have been a controversial topic for many years now. Treatment centers, individuals and studies all vary in their practices and beliefs in reference to the amount of pressure to be utilized, types of chambers, and other topics. So what is the difference?

The simple answer is this:
Pressure delivered -more is not better,
the use of medical grade oxygen,
proper training.

What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and how, if at all, can it help with CP?”

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy involves breathing in oxygen while your body is under 4 to 15 pounds of additional pressure per square inch. To do this, a person typically goes into either an inflatable fabric or rigid steel chamber, sits up or lays down depending on the size and configuration of the chamber, and breathes oxygen in through a mask for 45 to 90 minutes at a time while
additional air is pumped into the chamber, raising the pressure to the desired level.

About Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy –

Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is low pressure, with or without the use of medical grade oxygen. This can vary based on the options offered by the manufacturer of the chamber. For example, there are some chambers, such as the one pictured, which medical grade oxygen can be added as an option.

What is the best option?

Many have asked if one chamber is better than another. Only you can decide which chamber is best for you. If you are considering doing hyperbarics at home with a steel or acrylic hard shell chamber, plan on completing some extensive reading and training on operating a home mill. If you want to operate a mild chamber, there is still a learning curve but it is not insurmountable.

Most people end up learning how to use them from manuals and DVD’s supplied by the manufacturer. Some manufacturers also offer in home training and installation as an option. If you arc not interested in learning to operate a home chamber, visit a facility which offers hyperbaric oxygen services.

A word of warning:

Do not try to purchase a chamber, skip the directions and stumble through understanding the operation without instruction. A mild hyperbaric oxygen chamber is a class II medical device. You could injury yourself or someone you care for by using it without the proper knowledge. Given these variables, is one chamber better than another? It’s a matter of opinion, regarding design, durability, function and accessories.

HBOT is recognized by the medical establishment as the gold standard therapy for difficult to heal wounds. Whether burn injuries, crash injuries, electrical injuries, radiation injuries or diabetic wounds, clinics around the world turn to HBOT and with excellent results. This is because of the unique effects of hyperbaric therapy on injured tissue.

HBOT has also shown to reduce edema, increase removal of dead tissue, decrease free radicals, generate new blood vessels and cause an 800% increase in circulating stem cells.

Can HBOT help heal Cerebral Palsy (CP) as well ?

The question to ask is; If HBOT helps heal injuries, and CP is an injury to the brain, can HBOT help heal CP as well? Look at the term CP. It refers to a spectrum of clinical neurological syndromes, characterized by abnormalities in movement and posture caused by a non-progressive insult to the immature brain.

It has been assumed that the brain has a completely different set of tissue reactions to injury than the rest of the body. This is false. While there may be subtle differences in acute injury between electrical, chemical, ischemic, hypoxic, traumatic and other injuries, after a short period of time the inflammatory processes are very similar.

While brain tissue may go through the same inflammatory processes as other tissues, there arc two complications that are unique to brain injuries that must be addressed if we are ever to unravel the mystery of healing the injured brain.

First, inflammation and edema are far more destructive in the brain than they are in other areas. In the brain, the increased pressure caused by inflammation and edema have nowhere to go and end up compressing the delicate brain tissue against the rigid and unyielding skull. This can cause a self-reinforcing scenario where inflammation causes pressure, pressure lowers circulation and lower circulation causes inflammation.

Fortunately, HBOT has been shown to  have the unique ability to decrease excessive brain pressure.

A second complication is the extreme sensitivity of brain tissue as oxygen levels decrease. Brain tissue requires 10 limes as much blood flow as most other tissue; and unlike a foot for instance, that may fall asleep for ten minutes due to an uncomfortable position, and alter a moment of “pins and needles” be 100% back to operation when blood flow is restored. Ten minutes without bloodflow to the brain can kill the affected neurons.

In the past it was assumed that brain tissue has two distinct states: Living and functional (healthy) and dead and non-functional (infarct).

Based on advances in diagnostic imaging, specifically SPECT scans, we now know that there is a third state called the pneumbra where the tissue is living, but not functional. These have been labeled ‘idling” neurons. They are receiving enough oxygen to slay alive, but not enough to fire electrically and properly function.

Here is the fantastic news. These idling neurons are recoverable with HBOT. While it is best to get HBOT as soon as possible after a brain injury, even years later, these idling neurons can be recovered!

Related posts