You can live weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without oxygen. There’s nothing the body needs more than oxygen and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (hbot) made a dramatic difference in my recovery from a brain injury.
Yes. It is that space capsule like thing Michael Jackson reportedly used to sleep in.
I wish I could tell you that my incredible intelligence and research led me to hbot, but as with most everything in my miraculous journey of recovery, I was guided to it. An insistent, inner voice told me “You have to watch Oprah today. There’s something on there you need.” When Dr.Oz started talking about the benefits of hbot, I knew immediately that was my message.
In hbot, a body is exposed to increased atmospheric pressure in an inflatable chamber. In this pressurized environment, the blood is able to dissolve up to 10 times more oxygen allowing it to pass into tissue, cells, and the brain more readily. In addition to increasing the availability of oxygen, hbot therapy also permits oxygen to reach areas of the body normally difficult to reach drastically improving healing.
Hbot can aid the body with just about any health challenge, but has proven to be especially effective with autism, autoimmune diseases, brain injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, slow-healing wounds and injuries, and surgical and stroke recovery.
Hbot is widely used and part of the established medical systems in most European countries and Canada and there’s a wealth of research world-wide confirming its substantial benefits. The US medical community, however, has failed to accept it as of yet.although research is beginning to be conducted in the US, with promising results, and the Federal Government is utilizing hbot more and more for injured war veterans.
My practitioner has seen what she refers to as many little miracles from hbot therapy. One client post stroke came in using a walker and couldn’t speak or write because she had very little feeling in her hands. Within about a year, she was walking with no aid and speaking normally. She also felt it when she burnt her hand on the stove. Who would have thought burning your hand could actually be a thing to celebrate?
My hbot practitioner has also witnessed autistic or brain damaged children begin to speak and seen people with paralyzed limbs regain use as a result of hbot therapy. Powerfully good stuff! Why aren’t doctors here using this already, I want to know?!?
At first, I completed three, hour long sessions a week until I got the recommended 50 under my belt. Now I do one session for two hours about every other week, and I still feel it working.If My speech, which is still slightly impaired from the brain injury, improves immediately after a hbot session. Hbot therapy is like being in a cozy cocoon where I get to read, listen to my iPod, nap, and meditate. I love it still and find it so rejuvenating.
For more info visit: www.hypertc.com
image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/maechevrette/
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17 Comments
Thanks for the info. I'm currently debating whether I want to find the funds to explore EEG biofeedback or hyperbaric next for my mTBI, both of which I first found out about in the book Brainlash. How did you go about finding a practitioner you like? Were you able to get your insurance to help out?
Hmmm. This is a tough choice. I would say do both simultaneously if you can. They build on each other. The hbot gives the brain some oxygen to do the work the neurofeedback is telling it to do.
Nueurofeedback is not recommended until the brain is stable – until at least 6 months post injury. So that may be a determining factor. Hbot is really helpful as soon after injury as possible.
Unfortunately insurance, does not generally cover either. May in some limited cases like autism. But, to me, it is worth going into debt. This is your life and future you are talking about here. Money should not be the determining factor. Do something!
I have read Brainlash. It is great and has some very good info.
Local practitioners for both can be found on the web. Places to start are:
http://www.hypertc.com
Biofeedback Certification Institute of America-
http://www.bcia.org
Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback –
http://www.aapb.org
International Society for Neurofeedback and Research
http://www.isnr.org
Cool, thanks. It's been over two years since my injury. I feel like I've made some progress with lifestyle changes, exercise and dietary habits, neuropsychiatry, and keeping socially and mentally active (learning new things, etc). But yeah, it might be time to start throwing more money at the problem. If it works, it'll be worth it. Just a question of how confident my wife and I can be in that IF. (I'm in Carrboro, NC, FWIW.)
If you are in Carrboro, there should be a ton of stuff available to you in Chapel Hill and Durham around the Universities. You are in a great area. There is some music therapy I want to do that is available in Chapel Hill and not here in Greensboro. (I am a UNC alumni.) There is no question, you will see improvement with both! Figure out how to make them happen. You are worth it!
I enjoyed your post, Debbie, and wish you and your readers good health. For 2 years we’ve been working to inform healthcare consumers about HBOT treatment centers and diseases and conditions. We’ve covered traumatic brain injury (TBI) pretty thoroughly in our newsblog, and we’re hungry for new clinical evidence from large trials currently under way. Stories like yours inspire us to keep at it. Let us know what you think of the website and how we might improve it. Cheers and thanks. R
Ron, your newsblog is terrific – with a wealth of information. So good! I get very frustrated with the lack of knowledge and under utilization of hbot in this country. Many facilities, hospitals for instance, are just sitting there most of the time unused. Hbot is valuable in healing so much and could be used so beneficially. I have probably done close to 200 treatments. I literally attribute it with my “waking up.” It is miraculous. Thanks for spreading the word.
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Hi Debbie, thanks for having the courage to share your personal challenges and what has helped you recover. It’s inspiring and I’ve enjoyed going through all the info. The HBOT is interesting stuff. I suffered a TBI about a year and a half ago after blacking out for no reason and hitting my head. The doctor called it a mild concussion. I hit my head again on concrete after slipping several months later and emotionally I haven’t been the same since. It’s frustrating to say the least. My naturopath doc urged me to do at least 10-15 HBOT sessions. I did 3 before having issues with ear popping/plugging and couldn’t hear for a few days. I decided to stop, but thinking of trying it again I’m just concerned maybe I’ve waited too long since the injury to do much good. It’s so darn expensive.
There is nothing “mild” about a mild concussion to the person who experiences the symptoms. I would also urge you to give hbot a try again. A seasoned [ractitioner can take the pressure up VERY slowly to avoid ear pain -even stopping and starting again to let your ears adjust. Hbot is miraculous. I still do it 10 years later – as maintenance and a kind of health insurance. It’s not cheap, but I wager that against the cost of cancer or having not recovered at all. You can also try neurofeedback. It’s very effective and was dramatically healing for me. It won’t bother your ears at all but is also expensive. NeurOptimal I understand has units you can rent and do at home.
Thanks for your reply Debbie.. You may have just nudged me to try the HBOT again 🙂 It’s been a long road of trying lots of different things mostly around diet, supplementation, exercise and mindset. I’m thankful for all the good that has come from this adversity. Changes in my life that i’ll carry forward forever and allow me to be a much better person than before the injury. Looking forward to diving deeper into meditation and mindset stuff. The neuroplasticity stuff is interesting and reading a couple books you recommended.
Tate,
I love your attitude. Just keep going and trying different things. You will get there, I have no doubt! All the best to you!