Concussions, classified as mild traumatic brain injuries, are currently a major growing concern. The more we learn about this condion, the more we are able to see its devastating and long-lasting effects - even from just one concussion! Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a very simple and safe procedure that has helped many patients recover from traumatic brain and head injuries. Recently more attention has been focused on hyperbaric oxygen therpay for concussion recovery, with overwhelmingly positive results. This study supports these reported benefits and demonstrated improvement in 21 of 25 neurocognitive test measures that were observed. Subjects received 40-82 one-hour treatments at 1.5 atmospheres absolute 100% oxygen <view study> Read Less

Oxygen plays a central role in many pathological and disease states. This has led to a strong emphasis being placed on hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to help determine the role of oxygen within these states; moreover, to help determine if extra oxygen can help to improve the pathophysioloigcal processes going on within these disease states. In this particular study, researchers looked at oxygen's role in detoxification and its use for withdrawal symptoms in a morphine-dependent rat model. Through the evaluation of withdrawal symptom scores, biochemical indices and neurotransmitters, they found that HBOT was able to cause a significant reduction in both withdrawal symptoms and weight loss. Along with these benefits many key pathophysiological markers including dopamine and other neurotransmitter changes, also showed significant improvements. Together, these findings led the researchers to conclude that HBOT can effectively alleviate withdrawal symptoms induced by morphine dependence. Currently, there are many drug and alcohol centers that are using HBOT for a wide variety of uses, one of which is for addiction control. This study gives us a little more insight towards their rationale and potential benefits <view study>   Read Less

Mild or lower pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy (aka m-HBOT) was able to demonstrate a marked reduction in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) symptoms in just 11 weeks! PD is a common progressive neurodegenerative disease, of which the main neuropathological hallmark is dopaminergic neuronal loss (degeneration or loss of dopamine-producing neuronal cells). When dopamine-producing neurons die, motor functioning is affected and symptoms such as tremor, slowness, stiffness, and balance problems occur. In this 11 week study, m-HBOT at 1.3 ATA (3 hours per day, 3 times per week) was able to protect the dopaminergic neurons from further loss and degeneration. More importantly, researchers observed positive effects in motor function <view study> Read Less

We all know how difficult it can be to multitask, whether it’s at work or in the home environment. For some of us, it comes easily and is almost like a natural instinct, while for the majority of us, this simple exercise is one that takes a lot of effort and becomes a continual and constant struggle to perform. The good news is that a new study has just shown us that we can improve both single task and multitask performance through the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). “The study's findings indicate that even for healthy individuals, oxygen at normal conditions is a limiting factor for brain activity. The ability to perform cognitive and/or motor tasks as a single or a combined task (multitask) was evaluated at a normal air/oxygen environment and at HBO, a hyperbaric oxygen enriched environment. Increasing oxygenation using a HBO environment significantly enhanced both cognitive and motor performance. Significant improvements were found for both single tasks as well as simultaneous multiple tasks” <view study> Read Less

A Near Drowning accident left this 2 year old girl in critical condition. After being intensively treated in the hospital, she was finally discharged 35 days following the accident, but still unresponsive to all stimuli. Fortunately, she was able to have access to hyperbaric oxygen therapy and began a series of 40 sessions over 38 days (a total of 78 days following the near drowning). Her recovery was immediate, and the MRI that was previously taken before being discharged from the hospital was nearly completely reversed following the short course of hyperbaric therapy. Most notably for hyperbaric physicians was the dosage of oxygen that was used to achieve these remarkable results. Each session consisted of 45 minutes at 1.3 ATA (mild hyperbaric therapy — mHBOT). Not only was the pressure a lower pressure protocol, but there was no other breathing apparatus used in the treatment, just regular air breathing. This case report is consistent with many others who have had ‘miraculous recovery’ following hyperbaric oxygen therapy. However, this particular case is an excellent one to give the hyperbaric community a wake up and clearly demonstrates the power of mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The powerful reversal of severe brain damage demonstrates the effectiveness of mHBOT, as seen in this case (New York Post release) "The brain is very sensitive to even slight changes in oxygen tension and this is one key reason why so many neurological conditions are positively affected by m-HBOT." Another key factor for this girl’s quick and nearly complete recovery is that she had quick access to hyperbaric oxygen therapy (within 3 months). Timing is everything and generally speaking, the quicker the access, the better the outcome, particularly if this procedure is applied within the first 2 years following brain trauma. Longer courses of hyperbaric therapy may need to be applied for injuries that have exceeded 2 years, as hyperbaric oxygen therapy is gaining widespread publicity for its neurological regenerative effects and stem cell release. The end result of "new brain tissue" now gives new hope for both recent and long-term brain injury survivors <view study> Read Less