Jenny McCarthy discusses autism and hyperbarics with Ellen on April 14, 2009.
Worldwide, medical researchers are discovering promising results with the effects of hyperbaric therapy on persons with Autism.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is found to be remarkably effective in autism treatment
In one study, involving brain functionality and recovery for children with chemical exposures exhibiting PDD disorders, hyperbaric oxygen therapy was found to be remarkably effective. Treatments consisted of 10 sessions in a hyperbaric chamber at 1.3 ATA, for one hour per day, five consecutive days for two weeks.
To increase validity to the study results, SPECT scans of each patient’s brain were taken before and after the hyperbaric treatments to quantify physical changes to the brain tissue. The SPECT scan showed an increase to blood flow and oxygen to the temporal lobe. SPECT scans of patients taken before hyperbaric treatments showed a significant amount of dormant activity while scans taken of patient brains after hyperbaric indicated an increase in brain activity and blood flow. After hyperbaric therapy, dormant brain regions were replaced with greater functioning tissues and represented a scan more similar to a healthy individual.