Furious Seasons

October 09, 2008

Hyperbaric Oxygen As Brain Injury, PTSD Treatment

Every so often a reader passes on something that utterly surprises me and this is one of those times. According to the American Association for Health Freedom, researchers are seeing promising results using hyperbaric oxygen therapy--yes, those big chambers sometimes used for treating burns, non-healing wounds and scuba divers--as a treatment for military vets who've suffered traumatic brain injuries and PTSD suffered as a result of concussive blasts in combat. Given how rotten the results are from using standard psych meds for treating PTSD, this sure does sound interesting.

"This year Dr. Harch [an LSU researcher] applied HBOT 1.5 to five combat veterans of the current war who have traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from concussive blasts. So far, all of the veterans treated have had significant recovery. Eighty percent no longer have PTSD and all are improved.
"Recently, Dr. Harch testified in front of the Surgeon General of the Navy and the Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps. He told the stories of the five combat veterans he treated with HBOT 1.5; three of those veterans were in the room.

"One of them, a judge who served as a general in the Army Reserves, endured a year of treatment failures at Walter Reed. He is now back on the bench, fully recovered in 120 days, after 80 HBOT 1.5 treatments. The Health Freedom Foundation, sponsored a Marine machine gunner who experienced seven concussive events from roadside bombs during two tours in Iraq. Now, after HBOT treatments, his migraine headaches have disappeared, his sleep is restored, his PTSD is gone. He is now actively employed. He has his life back, as do other veterans who have undergone HBOT treatment."

Harch is the principal investigator on a new study of HBO in traumatic brain injury cases. I have no idea of how effective this treatment is or how it might pan out over time.

All of that said, a 2003 review of using HBO in brain injuries and strokes concluded that the use of the therapy was not supported.

It'll be interesting to see what Harch's research turns up.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at October 9, 2008 12:01 AM

del.icio.us Digg it reddit

Comments

Hmm. I'll have to pull the source article.
Given the general destructive effects of oxidation in TBI, I'd be cautious. Generally, with brain injury, we want to slow processes and the cascade that follows; therefore we're cooling/slowing processes immediately post-injury. This snippet doesn't specify timeline.

The "Health Freedom" people are 'fringe' at best, and their promotion makes me skeptical. To be fair, I'd be skeptical of big pharma, too.

Compared to, say, Manji's work with lithium and neurogenesis (even in low doses) post brain insult, I suspect this won't prove out.

Still, interesting.

Posted by: Ellie at October 8, 2008 11:38 PM

disclamer:Yes scientifically pressurized oxygen promotes healing in slow to heal injury.

Speculating here, the significant time in the chamber, changing atmospheres, may be a treatment. During the wait and time breathing pressurized oxygen there might be some kind of unscripted therapy going on.
Some people would feel offended or resistant to planned or imposed psychological therapy, therapy to resolve their problem feelings and memories. Sign of weakness to admit emotional difficulties, pride etc.

Posted by: mark p.s.2 at October 9, 2008 04:38 AM

Very interesting. Anything that helps our heroes heal is a positive step. I hope they do more, mainstream research in order to see if this truly is a step in the right direction!

Thanks for posting this!

Sincerely,
Brannan Vines
Proud wife of an OIF Veteran;
Passionate advocate for Veterans & their loved ones;
Founder of www.FamilyOfaVet.com - a site dedicated to helping families survive & thrive after combat!

Posted by: FamilyOfaVet at October 10, 2008 12:20 AM

Dr. Paul Harch has been treating TBI and 70 other neurological conditions for 18 years. He now has 14 'success' veterans in his study - all who improved dramatically. He's also treated several others before he got his IRB approved and they also had tremendous improvement. There are 86 clinics nationwide who are participating in this veteran effort and there is a national IRB getting approval soon. There is a huge movement going on in the military command to get HBOT 1.5 into mainstream veteran care. The body of evidence is astounding. What a little oxygen under pressure does is wonderful. My husband, my youngest son, my ex-father-in-law, my husband's youngest son and brother, as well as several close family friends - have all undergone HBOT 1.5 over the past 10 years. Read Dr. Harch's "The Oxygen Revolution" especially the forward by William Duncan, PhD. As to the American Association for Health Freedom being a 'fringe' element. You couldn't be further from the truth. They've been in existence for 50 years protecting YOUR rights to alternative/complimentary medicine. The consumer's right to choose and the practioner's right to practice. Check out hyperbaricmedicalassociation.org for SPECT brain scans before and after hyperbarics, congressional testimonies, and efforts to get veterans treatment. Clinic in San Diego treated a veteran who then went back for another tour in Iraq and just got another silver star. Our troops (and our children/and other loved ones)deserve the best treatments available and politics, ignorance, and egos have no place in medicine. Once military medicine starts treating and becomes accepted then it will go into civilian practice. Anything that compromised the brain can be repaired, especially acutely. And that includes strokes, near drownings, drugs, accidents. The brain just needs a little oxygen to repair itself.

Posted by: Anita at December 17, 2008 10:04 AM