My Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Experience (HBOT)
 

I recently completed 40 hyperbaric oxygen treatments at 1.5 atmosphere. I did 5 treatments a week (once daily M-F) for 8 weeks. While I am not 100% yet I have made great progress so far.

I have had PCS before about 3 years ago and hit my head again on a counter top about 6 months ago (4 months out when I started therapy). I also have had countless sub concussive impacts from playing ice hockey and snowboarding my entire life. These reasons are why I feel I am not 100% yet. However my cognitive test scores improved DRAMATICALLY. I attached a picture of them.

Anyone who can afford this treatment (8000$ for 40 treatments) without going broke should really consider this treatment. Here is a link to a study with great results with patients being 2+ years out from injury: http://www.hbot.com/article/phase-i-...i-psc-and-ptsd

In about a month I will be doing 40 more treatments. By the end of that set of treatments I hope to be 100% or close to it.

Wow, Good for you.

I would love to see a double blind study with more subjects and no PTSD complications. I can testify to the increase in symptoms caused by PTSD on top of PCS. The HBOT people have been reporting anecdotal improvements for years.

If a double blind study was done, it would give health insurance companies a reason to cover HBOT. This would definitely bring the cost down.

Totally agree. There are studies underway as I understand it. If this was covered by insurance so many people would benefit. If you can afford it Mark you should consider some treatments your self.

Hope all is well.

If anyone has any questions please feel free to message me.

The challenge to the study you referenced is that the subjects also had PTSD. PTSD is a physiological as well as a psychological condition. If the HBOT is resolving the PTSD, that alone would account for the improvements.

All of the prior studies did not show the level of improvements this study showed. In fact, some showed a negative outcome. A blast injury effects more than just the brain. There may be a synergistic effect from the HBOT causing healing to the rest of the body. HBOT's strong suit is improving capillary blood flow and capillary repair.

Niacin also works to help with capillary blood flow and repair.

The HBOT industry has been trying to sell HBOT for brain injuries and such for a decade or so. Your experience was at an expensive HBOT center. Other centers charge much less.

Not really. Upon research, the norm I found for hard place chambers to be from 150-200 for off label treatment conditions like PCS which comes to 6000-8000 for 40 sessions. This was the only treatment center in the area.

Also I definitely dont have PTSD and I saw great improvements. Not only improvements in my daily life but concrete evidence of improvement. Not to mention this is not my first concussion and is my second round of PCS.

I would like you to post the study that shows it is detrimental. Honestly Im calling bs on that claim. I did extensive research and the only other studys were done with much higher pressure that is flat out the wrong way to do it. The particular one Im refering to is the one the veterans association did and purposely used much higher pressure levels so the results would be poor. The VA has been adimantly against the idea from the get go because of the cost. Honestly disgusting thats how they treat our veterans.

Your point about HBOTs improvement of capillary blood flow is true. The before and after SPECT scans show that brain metabolism/blood flow is significantly restored. In addition to this it helps to get inflammation under control.

Plenty of people have seen great improvements like I have. While theyre may not be a perfect study to scientifically prove it, it certainly has had a huge positive impact on many peoples condition. When done right at the right pressure (1.5 atmospheres) you have a very great chance of improving. Im living proof. One of the veteran women from the Harch study recently won a medal in the warrior games in track. After three years of crippling PCS from multiple TBIs in succession without proper early on care and she ran competed and won an athletic event. Shes currently on an expidition to the south pole. Do you think you could travel to the south pole after taking niacin? ha noooo no I dont think so. Im sorry but discouraging people from considering this treatment is absolutely dangerous. Tnis treatment should not be underestimated.

Hi Teaaquin. Glad you are feeling better.
Did you have vision issues and vestibular and auditory problems (cranial nerve and brain stem issues?)
I am interested in hbot. None in my city so it would be very disruptive to go somehwere else (i have two young kids)

The studies I read about showed the most value of HBOT being with low Glascow score patients. The HBOT improved their recovery time but did not change/improve the level of eventual recovery. The study that showed detrimental effects did not say they were caused by the HBOT. The increase in symptoms could have been because the patient continued to degrade and likely would have without the HBOT. In many studies, the statistic collected were so mixed as to be inconclusive. They could not identify the reasons for the varied results.

The anecdotal evidence of HBOT success is substantial. But, the percent who see improvement was not above the placebo level. Nor was it above the level of spontaneous improvement. The studies showed than any improvement was not statistically evident until 40 to 60 sessions. That is a lot of money to spend hoping for improvement. That is why I would like to see a double blind study. The HBOT industry could sponsor a broad based double blind study and win mightily if the results are as they hope/claim.

I am not doubting the value it has been to you. You are likely an anomaly. As I said, I am glad for you. But, there is no danger caused by not trying HBOT. I was an early follower of HBOT research because I was hoping it would help me. I live at almost a mile high altitude. HBOT would hopefully help my body with capillary growth so my brain would be better oxygenated at my living altitude.

There is also research that shows living at altitude causes capillary growth. So, hypobaric therapy has value, too. It also causes the body to increase the ratio of red blood cells so as to carry more oxygen. Mountain climbers develop these improvements from extended stays at altitude.

As I said, I am glad you are seeing improvement, regardless of the reason for the improvement. And I don't doubt that HBOT has played a part in your improvement.

My best to you.

How am I likely an anomoly?? What evidence do you have to back that claim?? I am someone who has sustained well over 5 concussions in my life if not more in addition to countless sub concussive impacts from 14 years of playing ice hockey snowboarding skateboarding lacrosse soccer basketball passes to the head etc. Not to mention this is my second round of PCS. If anything my results were average or below average due to my extensive history of brain trauma.

Mark you contribute a lot to this forum but discouraging people from considering this treatment it just stupid and ignorant. Again you cite no sources to back up your claims. And you retract a statement about it being detrimental when I call you out on such a BS claim. Stop lying.

There are studies out there that did not use actual placebos because they used 1.2 atmospheres with 100 percent oxygen as placebos. That is why they dont show clinically significant higher outcomes with the 1.5 group.

What makes you think you know more about this than me? What makes you think I didnt do extensive research? I did current research, you did early research. Most early studies were done poorly. Keep telling yourself you have all the answers. The sad fact is you will probably never improve past the point that your at now. I truly feel bad for your situation but some of it you cause yourself by doubting treatments that have been shown to help people tremendously. Sometimes you can be downright arrogant and act like you are a professional when you arent. You're holding people back with these empty claims. Scientific and anecdotal evidence is mounting and this treatment should be considered by anyone who can afford it.

I mostly had visual issues before. I may have underlying vestibular issues but I dont have obvious balance issues. No real auditory problems besides some tinnitus that I can live with. No brain stem issues. My main problems were using the computer and reading music. Before, I couldnt use the computer for more than a minute without losing my memory and ability to think/process. Now I can go for a couple hours. Not perfect but it has improved dramatically. I can also read music much easier now too.

Like I said this is my second round of PCS on top of many concussions/subconcussions. I will be doing 40 more treatments in an attempt to reach 100%. Mark is right in that some people need more than 40 treatments and up to 80-100 (100 for really bad cases/brain bleeds). However while you may not be 100% after 40 treatments you will at least see some results. For most people the results are dramatic if you are within 3 years of injury. If you are further out you will still see results but maybe not as dramatic and you may need 80-100 treatments to see dramatic results.

Feel free to message me and we can email back and forth if you have any questions. Best of luck.

teaaquinn,

Your comments are out of line. I have never said your improvements are not related to your HBOT treatments. As I said, I have been following HBOT for quite some time. HBOT can easily drain a person's finances when they have other financial struggles. I spent $18,000 on diagnostics and treatments but HBOT was not offered nor recommended. There is a HBOT clinic where I meet with my Brain Injury Support Group. I had great hope for HBOT. I know that my brain struggles at altitude so had hoped the opposite was true.

I studied how the cells use oxygen at different altitudes in college as part of an aviation course.

I have a research file on Concussion and mild traumatic brain injury and various treatments that fills a file cabinet. The LSU study showed improvements but did not show great improvements. The SPECT imaging is not the same as cognitive improvements.

I did not retract the comment about HBOT being detrimental to some subjects. The researchers were confounded as to why the detrimental effect was noted. They could not identify a cause. I should have said that some of the subjects showed an increase in symptoms. The coincidental occurrence of worsening of symptoms is no more important than the anecdotal evidence of miraculous improvements.

btw, I am doing fine. I have rehabbed from concussions many times over almost 50 years. My concussions since my 40's have caused me to have less recovery. This is basic physiology of aging brains. My goal is to prevent further deterioration due to age and / or trauma.

You sound like a HBOT clinic owner. Why are you so adamant that everybody should try HBOT ?

I have been examined by one of the premier neuro-scientists in the country. He was doing his research back in the 70's and 80's when everybody said he was a quack because he was presenting concepts that were out of the main stream. Same goes for neuro-scientists like Dorothy Gronwall and Lloyd Cripes. The best often get shut out by the main stream.

As I said, I am glad you have seen improvements. I hope your next $8000 spent on treatments provides benefits. Very few have access to those kind of resources. Chasing after expensive treatments can be a cause of anxiety for many who will do better learning to lower anxiety so their brains can heal. Many struggle to start a nutritional supplements program due to costs of $1.00 to $2.00 per day.

When HBOT is covered by Obamacare so everybody can take an $8000 shot in the hope that it will help, I will promote it for the chance that it might help. Until then, the anxiety of pursuing the ways to afford it are greater than the benefits.

My best to you as you start your next round of treatments.
btw, What symptoms did you see the most improvements ?

Hello Teaaquinn,
My son is 25 years old and had a car accident the 01.01.2012 with a severe traumatic brain injury.
In January 2014 I read this article from Israelien medical research about oxygenic therapy for traumatic injuries.We live in Switerland and here and in Europe nobody knows about this therapy. Even the neurologist thinks nothing about it.
I have asked Assaf arofeh medical center in Tel Aviv and I found too a hyperbaric center in quebec.I had a very good feeling with the center in Quebec but they don't have a medical team. My son goes in Mai to Israel .He will have 3 days of evaluation with a neurologist: SPECT,IRM and cognitive evaluation.If the neurologist is agree he will have 60 cessions of HBOT. Once a day, 5 days, 2 days free.
That means he will have to stay 3 months in Israel..It's the first time I read a recital of such an experience and I am grateful to you.
We feel confident but worried.
Can you tell us if you heard about side effects and how you felt during the 40 cessions.
Thank you for your answer.And excuse me for my English.

DBS,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. I am sorry to hear about your son's injury. This thread has not been active since December 20, 2013. I have not seen teaaquinn post in quite some time.

As you push for therapy for your son, you may look into high dose DHA fish oil. It has as much anecdotal evidence as the success with HBOT. I have not seen research about HBOT so long after a TBI. Usually it is used right after the injury and as such reduces the time to return to consciousness in some patients. I hope it is of benefit to your son.

Please feel free to tell us about your son's struggles. There are plenty of people here who can offer support.

My best to you.

Clinical data supporting HBOT
 

This forum's weird rules prevent me from posting links since I'm now. So anyone interested in actual clinical data I am trying to link below will need to go digging for themselves.

In 2015 Efrati published a study on HBOT for blunt mTBI people without PTSD. The results echo Teaaquinn's improvements.

Furthermore, the study addresses the flaws of prior studies showing no benefit over placebo (as Mark_in_Idaho mentioned). Basically, what was previously thought of as placebo was actually therapeutic dosing of oxygen.

Google this: PMC4499900

Note that isn't reasonable to attempt a placebo for the patient, so a double blind study isn't easy to create. Note that in the study above, objective SPECT scans (and neuropsyc testing to a degree) provide strong evidence without a double blind setup.

Since this post was last active, Dr. Harch also published results similar to Efrati's linked above:
Google this: PMC5674654

Regarding getting worse after HBOT, that is extremely unlikely. Dr. Harch's paper here will shed some light on anyone with enough brain power to read all of it...
Google this: dosage-hyperbaric-oxygen-chronic-brain-injury

Lastly, Dr. Figueroa has these two informative papers:
Google this: 5-Clinical-Results-in-Brain-Injury-Trials-Another-Perspective

Google this: Figueroa-Wright-Neurology-HBOT-Evidence.pdf

Bottom line is that HBOT works for many people. Whether it's worth the cost to one is their own decision. I've seen it as low as $100 per 1 hour session. Rather than look at the cost of it, a better question is "can you afford not to?"

It seems promising, though it'd be nice if there were more a larger number of studies supporting its efficacy. I also worry about long-term effects -- there don't appear to be any short-term adverse consequences, but what if all the extra free radicals it creates increase your risk of brain cancer in like 30 years? (not saying that there's any reason to believe that, just saying it doesn't seem like the long-term effects have been studied).

Personally, I did a total of 30 sessions at 1.5-1.75 atmospheres, from around month 3 to month 7 post concussion (20 consecutive sessions at around month 3 followed by 10 sessions around month 7).

At a minimum, there's unquestionably a short-term benefit -- I felt noticeably better on the days that I had HBOT. There was also a withdrawal effect. Whenever I stopped treatment, I would feel awful for a day or two afterwards (but then that passed).

I did see long-term sustained improvement over the course of my treatment, but it was relatively early in the course of my injury -- so I have no idea how much of the improvement came from the HBOT vs. natural healing or other factors. The improvement over the course of the sessions wasn't dramatic (the HBOT hardly cured me, I still have significant issues) but it was significant and noticeable.

I might try it again at some point. Ultimately I stopped, not so much due to the cost, but more due to the time commitment (it was taking 4 hrs of my day, in terms of the treatment time + commuting to and from the treatment center).

Valid thoughts!
 

I'd love to see studies with more people and consideration of long term effects as well. Unfortunately, it seems quite costly to run so many treatments, and I imagine it's hard to get people to commit so much of their lives for the treatment.

In my opinion, your consideration of long term effects is valid. Granted, I'd worry more about long term effects of medication use or increased potential of early onset dementia or Alzhiemers over HBOT. Hopefully 40 - 80 sessions of HBOT would reduce the need for meds or reduce the risk of neurodegenerative disease. Again, just my speculation!

I did hear the owner of the Rocky Mountain Hyperbaric Institute say that people who stick to a 40 session treatment without pause tend to see better results than those who go through fewer. Meaning, the results you got from 30 might have been better if they were done without a break (and with a few more sessions). I'm by no means criticizing your decision to get 20 then 10 later!!!! I understand it's a huge time and financial commitment! I'm just trying to say that I've heard a guy in the industry say that results come from consistent treatment. Granted, that's just one guy's observation...

Whatever the case, I'm glad to hear you experienced improvement!

The Harch and Efrati studies I tried to link treat 86 people with 40 sessions. Harch did two sessions a day M-F over 4 weeks. Efrati did 1 session / day M-F over 8 weeks. Both have before and after neuropsyc testing that some very worthwhile cognitive improvement over the course of 40 sessions! That doesn't include the other improvements people report such as fewer headaches, better sleep, less photosensitivity, reduced hyperacusis, better emotional control.

Also...
 

The 86 people in the Harch and Efrati studies were more than 1 year post injury, so it's hard to argue that natural healing produced the improvements.

The Efrati study was also a cross over design, which also shows the improvements weren't produced from natural healing.

Also...
 

I'd love to see a study or report of individuals who have went through 40 sessions of 60 minutes at 1.5 ATA over 8 weeks who have NOT experienced improvements or have experienced minimal improvement. I'm curious how little one can expect to get out of that treatment. If such as study showed that 95% of TBI patients 1+ year out experience significant improvement, I think that helps people feel comfortable committing the time and money.

I haven't heard of someone going through 40 treatments and not experiencing improvement they were happy with.

My daughter is almost 8 yrs out and she went to Dr Harsch about 3 years ago. She was in one of his studies and she benefitted from the HBOT.

Since then, she has been diagnosed with 4 different types of migraines. It turns out that there are migraine genes and her concussion triggered them to become responsive according to her migraine docs at UCSF and the Mayo Clinic. Botox has really helped with the painful headaches. She receives Botox at Stanford.

There are many NEW migraine inhibitors out there that have recently been cleared by the FDA. My daughter turned 26 this year and is now on public assistance. IF YOU HAVE PRIVATE INSURANCE, THE NEW MIGRAINE MEDICATION WILL BE SENT TO YOU FOR FREE. I think you have to get approval from your doctor stating that you have migraines IF IT WORKS FOR YOU, YOUR DOCTOR CAN PRESCRIBE IT. (this is why the companies send it to you for free. Public assistance won't pay for the medication so the company won't send it to you for free. IT'S CRAZY and sad at the same time. Hope this helps you all out there. My best to you..Hopefulmom. She started a blog for people like herself. The pictures are her own taken out at Mavericks. TBI Brain Waves

Who do you see for such diagnosis and how does one get diagnosed with such incredible detail?

I don't really get much pain, but I suspect I maybe suffering from silent migraines or aura-only migraines.
But no doctor that I have visited would go into such detail to actually diagnose me with anything. All of them listen to my symptoms, dispense basic migraine medication and have me report back.

The amount of detail you describe in such diagnosis is nothing that I have experienced...and I'm up to 4 different neurologists to-date.

She was first diagnosed at UCSF through their vestibular testing that lasted 2 days. Yes she too was given prescriptions for pain that had bad side affects.

She was 1.5 yrs from having no private insurance so she looked up doctors who were experts in migraines and decided to go to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Appointments can take months to get so call ASAP. The doctor from the Mayo Clinic was the one who encouraged her to try Botox.

Hope this helps