Hyperbaric Therapy (HBOT) is a safe, effective way to get more oxygen into the body at the cellular level by using pressurized chambers. According to the Laws of Physics, an increase in atmospheric pressure allows more gas to be dissolved into any given liquid. Oxygen exists as a gas at room temperature, and the human body is made up almost entirely of water. Hyperbaric treatments have been safely and effectively used for a wide variety of conditions, including autistic spectrum disorders and ADHD, stroke, Lyme disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, cerebral palsy, cancer, migraine, gastrointestinal problems, and more. By enhancing oxygen penetration into otherwise oxygen deficient areas, improvement in many symptoms can occur. HBOT improves the body's ability to carry out all oxygen dependant processes (which is essentially all of human biochemistry) by increasing the amount of oxygen dissolved into the blood plasma. Oxygen is also dissolved into the cerebrospinal fluids, which enhances neurologic functioning. |  |
 | Oxygen is necessary for all of the body's vital functions. We can survive weeks without food, days without water, but only a few minutes without oxygen. The average adult consumes six pounds of oxygen per day. Ninety percent of the energy produced by the body comes from oxygen alone - only 10% comes from food. Oxygen feeds the body, supports the immune system, destroys toxic substances, and promotes new cell growth. Oxygen is our primary source of energy, and is the fuel required by the body for the proper operation of all of its major systems. The combination of the increase in atmospheric pressure and the increase in the percentage of inhaled oxygen provides an optimal combination to enhance blood oxygenation and blood flow or perfusion to all tissues, including the brain. All you have to do is breathe normally. All microorganisms that infect the human body depend on creating or enhancing an oxygen-deprived environment in us to enhance their survival this includes viruses, bacteria, yeast, and parasites. |
Especially anaerobic bacteria (such as Clostridia) cannot survive in an oxygen rich environment. As you know, infections with many of these microorganisms are associated with worsening the symptoms of autism. Treating those infections with hyperbaric oxygen is a wonderful and natural way to help improve the immune system, clear the body of chronic infections, and improve detoxification. All detox pathways require oxygen and blood flow to take out the trash.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is very safe when administered properly. Many professional athletes travel with the mild hyperbaric chambers and use them before and after every game, as it improves their sports performance and injury recovery. HBOT is FDA approved for treating many conditions (see the list of FDA approved indications), but these focus mainly on its wound-healing properties. Despite a lot of published research showing its benefit for neurologic conditions, it is not yet FDA approved for this, and is therefore considered experimental for this use. HBOT is helpful for a wide variety of brain dysfunctions, including developmental delays and ADD, with improvements reported in all areas, including cognitive ability, socialization, sleep, calmness, decreases in stimming, improved language, etc. Most patients report improvement in the first 10-20 sessions, but it usually takes a minimum of 40, and up to 100-200 sessions or more to get full benefit. Some patients start using HBOT through home rental, and then are so impressed with their response that they decide to purchase their own chamber. Sessions can be done daily, every other day, or even more than once a day with a four-hour gap in-between sessions. After getting started, it is best not to let more than a few days lapse between sessions. Hyperbaric oxygen treatments are completely compatible with all other traditional medical and DAN!-based treatments, and can greatly enhance the effectiveness of other medical treatments. If you have a condition that can be improved by hyperbaric oxygen therapy, give Developmental Spectrums a call today. Although use of HBOT for treating autism is still considered an “off-label” use, HBOT does many positive things at the same time that address many of the issues that affect people on the autism spectrum: - Improves antioxidant status through upregulation of antioxidant enzymes
- Decreases inflammation
- Helps heal “leaky gut” and improves dysbiosis
- Strengthens the immune system
- Enhances the body’s natural detoxification mechanisms
- Improves oxygenation and blood flow to the brain
“Soft” vs. “Hard” HBOT Many children do very well with mild, or soft-sided HBOT alone. There are some situations where the increased pressure and oxygen levels of the hard-sided chambers may be more effective, but those chambers can only be used in a clinic setting, are more expensive, and are not universally available to everyone. Safety Mild HBOT is a very safe procedure that is FDA approved for home use under a doctor’s prescription. It has an excellent safety record. As with any medical procedure, there are contraindications, meaning conditions under which it should not be used, and potential side-effects. The main situation in which you should not use home HBOT is if the child’s ears are plugged. It is essential to be able to equalize the pressure in the ears during pressurization and depressurization of the chamber, or else this process will cause ear pain. Therefore it is important to make sure that the child is free of ear infections or sinus congestion prior to using the chamber. We will review with you the complete list of contraindications and possible side-effects at the time of equipment rental.
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Developmental Spectrums is pleased to offer the popular Vitaeris soft-sided or “mild” hyperbaric chambers for home rental to our patients, by prescription only. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is emerging as the most exciting new medical treatment for autism spectrum disorders in the past several years. Convenience and Accessibility Home use of the soft-sided chambers offers the advantage of accessibility to those who live far away. In the past, patients often had to travel long distances, often at great inconvenience, to be able to find a hyperbaric center that could treat their child. Even if a center is close by, we all know how hectic the schedules are for families with children on the spectrum. Sometimes it is impossible to make time for one more treatment, when you already have to do OT, ABA, Speech, APE, AIT, biomedical treatment, and more. With home rental you can get the benefit of HBOT without having to travel.
Efficiency and Affordability Another advantage of home HBOT is that you can do more than one hour of treatment in a day. In a center, usually only one hour can be scheduled at a time. There is some new evidence that for mild HBOT, there may be even more benefit to the therapy if it is done for 2-3 hours per day. When a family does that, they get two - three times the number of sessions per treatment period than they would get if they came to a center. This makes the cost per treatment very affordable. Some families will even do ABA or homework in the chamber. Some of that time can even be done when the child is asleep. This ability to multi-task at home makes it a very efficient use of your treatment time. Also, for families that have more than one child who needs treatment, home rental is very cost-effective.
HBOT Chamber Purchase Through home rental, mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be done in your home at your convenience for as long as it is needed, without having to make the larger investment of purchasing the chamber. When many families find out how beneficial home HBOT really is for their child, however, they end up wanting to buy the chamber after all. Developmental Spectrums has arranged with the manufacturer of the chambers to be able to sell new chambers to our patients at a discount. If you are interested in purchasing a new chamber, please contact us for information.
HBOT Rental Policies The complete HBOT Retal Policies document is included in the HBOT Intake packet, which will be emailed or sent through regular mail after you call to investigate or schedule an appoinment. As an overview, HBOT rentals require that the person be a patient of Developmental Spectrums, and get a prescription for HBOT treatment from Dr. Mielke. Rentals are done on a monthly basis, with significant discounts offered for extensions of the rental period. A deposit, applicable to the rental cost, is required for the equipment, as is special training in its operation. There is an added fee for operational training and chamber inspection/cleaning. Rental families are asked to fill out a symptom tracking form weekly, to help document their child’s progress. You may call the staff with any questions during the rental period. We ask that you be prompt for your pick-up and drop-off appointments. Summary Overall, we hope that you will be very favorably impressed with the effects of mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy for your child. We have found that this intervention is beneficial to the majority of patients who try it. While the results do vary as with any other treatment, most families feel that it was definitely worthwhile, and many are so impressed, they opt to continue the treatment indefinitely through purchasing their own chamber. Please call our office for exact prices and to answer any additional questions you may have about HBOT rental. |
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What It's Like in the Chambers |
 | The soft-sided Vitaeris chambers available as rentals at Developmental Spectrums use oxygen-enriched filtered ambient air via an oxygen concentrator to safely administer extra oxygen to the body at relatively low pressures (1.3 atmospheres). An adult is required to accompany all children in the chambers. The child can wear a mask or hood to breathe oxygen-enriched air, or the oxygen tube can be held by the parent and blown on the child's face if they won't wear the mask. Although the accompanying adults will not be wearing the mask themselves, they will be getting many of the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen treatment also and often report feeling better themselves. With the mask on, the oxygen concentration in the blood increases dramatically. Even without the mask, the oxygen concentration in the blood increases, just from the increased pressure. So even if the child won't wear the mask the entire time, they will still be getting benefit from the treatment. |
What it's Like in the Chambers: We have found that most children have no problem wearing the mask after they get used to it. The chambers are large enough for an adult to sit up, and long enough to lie down comfortably. One can lie down and take a nap, or sit up and read a book or listen to music , whatever you like. All of our chambers at Developmental Spectrums are "flow-through" chambers, so the oxygen level inside the entire chamber never reaches 100%. Therefore, there is minimal fire risk, so non-sparking electronic devises are allowed. |  |
 | Children and/or adults can use electronic equipment such as a Game Boy or CD player, DVD player, lap-top computer, cell phone, etc., anything that is battery operated. Batteries should be charged or changed prior to entering the chamber. Children are also allowed to eat snacks and drink fluids in the chambers, as long as care is taken not to spill. You can bring other sheets, blankets, or comfortable pillows to lean on or sleep on, whatever you need to feel comfortable.Due to the size and shape of the chambers all patients must be physically capable of climbing in and out of the chambers unaided. Good measures of whether a patient will be able to do this or not are if the patient can crawl, scoot or stand up after sitting on the floor. |
Changes in Pressure: The mild HBOT chambers increase the pressure in the chamber to a maximum of about 4 psi, (pounds per square inch) or 1.3 ATA (atmospheres), which is the equivalent of diving to a depth of about 9-10 feet. An oxygen concentrator is used with the soft-sided chambers, which increases the oxygen concentration inside the mask to about 60% (regular room air is about 21% oxygen). Remember, even with the increased pressure alone without any additional oxygen beyond room air, the patient is getting the benefit of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.Because the chamber is an enclosed space, some people may feel some anxiety or "claustrophobia" at first. If you have had difficulty in the past entering an airplane or an elevator, this might be an issue for you. The chambers have windows and are roomy enough to sit or lie down. If the adult accompanying the child suspects that they will have difficulty in the enclosed space, it is recommended that the adult come once or twice alone to get used to the experience before bringing the child, so that the child does not pick up on the adult's anxiety. |  |
The vast majority of people are able to get used to it after one or two sessions, and most are comfortable right away. Many children enjoy the feeling of going in the "spaceship" or "submarine." As the chamber is pressurizing, the ears may "pop" just as they do when flying in an airplane, or going up a tall building in an elevator. Some children may find this process uncomfortable at first, until they learn how to equalize the pressure. You can read our article on how to "pop" your ears during pressurization. If anyone in the chamber has slightly blocked sinuses that they are unaware of, it can cause temporary sinus pain as the chamber is inflating. This can feel like a stabbing pain behind the eyes or in the forehead. If that occurs, it is necessary to gently depressurize the chamber a bit, and then re-pressurize it more slowly. If the pain persists, then the session may be terminated. If a person has a known ear infection or blocked sinuses, they should not enter the chamber until the situation has resolved. Once the chamber is up to full pressure, then all pressurization sensations cease, and it is just a matter of keeping the child engaged and happy for the hour of the session.
Communication with someone outside the chamber Walkie-talkies are provided so that the people inside have easy access to communication with an outside person, but it is possible to hear each other by simply talking loudly through the chamber wall. There is some noise from the compressors that pressurize the chamber, but it is not overwhelming for most. However, it can be difficult to hear the speakers on small electronics, so sometimes headphones work better.Occasionally people may feel warm in the chamber or sweat a bit as they are detoxing. It may be helpful to bring a small hand towel to wipe yourself with, and/or an ice pack or sprayer fan to cool yourself off with. It is recommended that everyone go to the bathroom before entering the chamber, and bring a bottle of water in case you get thirsty. |  |
Overall, the hyperbaric experience can be a very positive one, with patients looking forward to entering the chamber, as they learn how good it makes them feel! Summary list of what to bring with you in the HBOT chamber: - Water bottle and/or non-spill cup with drink. A straw, if desired.
- Snacks, if desired.
- Books, music, and/or toys, enough to keep your child entertained for an hour. Any battery-operated electronics are OK. Headphones are recommended. Please make sure batteries are fully charged or you have extra batteries before entering.
- 1-2 pillows as you prefer for your own comfort.
- Ice pack, sprayer fan, hand towel, ear plugs all optional.
Cautions:In the extremely unlikely event of a rapid decompression, patients should exhale which is the body's natural response. Do not hold your breath.Do not unzip the inner zipper in the soft-sided chambers until the chamber is completely de-pressurized. |
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See How HBOT Helped These Two Children |
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For a touching video of how HBOT treatments provided hope for two children whose doctors had given up on them, click here:http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/34422984.html |
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Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Corrects Brain-Injury |
 Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the signature wound of the Iraq
War--yet the United States government itself is preventing access to
the veterans from accessing HBOT--the most effective tool for
correcting brain-injury, so strongly evidenced by this video. Attending
physician is Dr. Paul Harch, MD of New Orleans.
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