Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

[stazmatic]

Well, I posted this under a different heading and I think it got lost. So I am going to try to post it again here under "general discussion."

Has anyone on this board tried hyperbaric oxygen therapy to help heal their symptoms of MS that haven't gone away on their own? I have been doing some research online and have found that many people, especially in the UK, routinely use HBOT to help their MS symtpoms. It also seems as though HBOT has significantly helped many MSers that have bladder problems.

Any insight on HBOT and how it helped you is appreciated.

[pmouse]

I have tried it and I am still yisiting the chamber. There were some improvements, but the pressure is important. Everybody has different usefull presure. Sorry for my english.

[Kiyaan]

I don't have any personal experience with HBOT, but based on a meta-analysis that I recently read, unfortunately it is not beneficial.

[Scott1]

Hi,

About 11 years ago I tried HBOT at enormous cost twice weekly for 60 minutes a time and continued for 2 years. I found it very hard to objectively measure if anything changed in how I felt.
My thinking was that if an anerobic bacteria was playing a role in my MS then flooding my body with Oxygen was a good idea as that would impact that sort of infection. The second reason was HBOT does promote wound healing. It is a recognised last line treatment for Gangrene prior to amputation as it can be effective and elite sports people use to speed healing from tears and heavy bruising. An MRI I had done towards the end of the period showed some resolution of white matter in my brain had occurred but as I was doing several things I can't say the HBOT on it's own did anything. I suspect it helped a little but I can't be definitive about it.
Ultimately, I decided the benefits I was experiencing came from the combination of Avonex and Valtrex and followed that path. After all this time time I still wonder about the HBOT but haven't gone back to it. I don't think it did any harm and I think I got some vague benefit but I can't say "yes, it helped my MS".

At the facility I went to I saw many infants with Cerebal Palsy being treated. They were generally too young to fake either symptoms or reactions. Clearly they benefited and their parents were generally over the moon. Again, they weren't cured but they could do some things after a time that they couldn't do at the start such a turn their bodies or lift their heads so I'm convinced it has a place for some things.
The authority is a man called Perlmutter. This is a link to his facility - http://www.perlhealth.com/perlmutter-hyperberic-center/

Regards

[stazmatic]

Thanks all who responded. I am 3 weeks in to a 4 week HBOT treatment. I go M-F for 1 hour a day. It has definitely helped reverse some of my symptoms but none are 100% reversed at this point. But I still have hope that they will. I have met another MS patient at the clinic who has been periodically going there for about 3 years and she feels as though it has helped her too. Unfortunately, the cost will keep me from going as much as I would want to in the future. I am also doing the Antibiotic protocol too. We all have to fight this dumb disease with everything that we think can help us.

[cervocuit]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23335971

CONCLUSIONS:
The results indicate that HBOT can lead to significant neurological improvements in post stroke patients even at chronic late stages. The observed clinical improvements imply that neuroplasticity can still be activated long after damage onset in regions where there is a brain SPECT/CT (anatomy/physiology) mismatch.

[pmouse]

I stoped visiting HBOT in november 2012. When I was last there for 5 times a week I hoped I will notice anything, bu I did not. So I decided that I stop it. It is expensive and if there is nothing to feel I am stoping.

[vesta]

Swimming is the only OXYGEN therapy I've tried and it works wonders.

The only time when I have the impression that my brain has been "oxygenated" is after a good swim when the BLOOD CIRCULATION must be at full force. My right side is handicapped, but I can do the crawl by using my good left arm to stretch out the right arm after which I use my back to advance the right arm and then turn to extend the left arm in good form The water holds up my body. During the summer I can swim every day and that is the only time I can really exercise my entire body, as well as feel clear headed and alert. An added plus is that the body doesn't overheat.

See CCSVI thread for theory that MS damage caused by blood reflux into the brain/spinal cord. Poor blood circulation implies lack of oxygen. This idea transformed my life.

MS Cure Enigmas.net
See MS Cure Enigmas.net

[MSUK]

HI, you may like to read MS-UK's MS Choices Leaflet on HBOT - http://www.ms-uk.org/index.cfm/choiceshdot