Thank you for taking your time! It seemed to me the abstracts all had favorable results for HBOT and RSD/CRPS. I was wondering did you come across anything on HBOT and the effects on the brain? As a long time user of HBOT, I'm beginning to wonder about long term use, the benefits or side effects.
Thanks again, Mike. I really appreciate you giving me your time. All the best Di

Di -

I think this abstract might then be of greater interest:

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy might improve certain pathophysiological findings in autism, Rossignol DA, Med Hypotheses, 2007;68(6):1208-27. Epub 2006 Dec 4.

University of Virginia, Department of Family Medicine, P.O. Box 800729, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA. dlross7@hotmail.com

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder currently affecting as many as 1 out of 166 children in the United States. Numerous studies of autistic individuals have revealed evidence of cerebral hypoperfusion, neuroinflammation and gastrointestinal inflammation, immune dysregulation, oxidative stress, relative mitochondrial dysfunction, neurotransmitter abnormalities, impaired detoxification of toxins, dysbiosis, and impaired production of porphyrins. Many of these findings have been correlated with core autistic symptoms. For example, cerebral hypoperfusion in autistic children has been correlated with repetitive, self-stimulatory and stereotypical behaviors, and impairments in communication, sensory perception, and social interaction. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) might be able to improve each of these problems in autistic individuals. Specifically, HBOT has been used with clinical success in several cerebral hypoperfusion conditions and can compensate for decreased blood flow by increasing the oxygen content of plasma and body tissues. HBOT has been reported to possess strong anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to improve immune function. There is evidence that oxidative stress can be reduced with HBOT through the upregulation of antioxidant enzymes. HBOT can also increase the function and production of mitochondria and improve neurotransmitter abnormalities. In addition, HBOT upregulates enzymes that can help with detoxification problems specifically found in autistic children. Dysbiosis is common in autistic children and HBOT can improve this. Impaired production of porphyrins in autistic children might affect the production of heme, and HBOT might help overcome the effects of this problem. Finally, HBOT has been shown to mobilize stem cells from the bone marrow to the systemic circulation. Recent studies in humans have shown that stem cells can enter the brain and form new neurons, astrocytes, and microglia. It is expected that amelioration of these underlying pathophysiological problems through the use of HBOT will lead to improvements in autistic symptoms. Several studies on the use of HBOT in autistic children are currently underway and early results are promising.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

Forgive me if I had lost track of what you were really looking for. (This is one of the articles that you can link to the publisher through the PubMed site if you want to buy it in full text, if you don't have ready access to a medical school library.) I imagine that the citations alone in the article could very well prove to be worthwhile in their own right.

Mike

Mike,
This I find very interesting. I think it will take a bit for me to digest it. So far it seems there are many advantages of HBOT, but I still wonder in the back of head will there be negative side effects for long term use. I also wonder what were the percentage of oxygen, nitrogen and other gases say, 100 years ago or more. I asume we are all receiving less oxygen now with the air we breathe at 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen and other gases, than maybe we were years past. I just always do better at sea level, oh, its not an excuse to dive, just the truth, altitude is a killer for me now that I have rsd and I have climbed almost every 14 er in Colorado. Mike, thanks again...I'm rambling so I'll say bye...Di

Hi Mike,

I find this area of research on the brain and pain quite interesting. I just stumbled across this article posted on the American Academy of Pain Management newsletter, Currents.


Pain is in the eyes of the beholder
November 25, 2008 [Source: Current Biology]
By manipulating the appearance of a chronically achy hand, researchers have found they could increase or decrease the pain and swelling in patients moving their symptomatic limbs. The findings—reported in the November 25th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication—reveal a profound top-down effect of body image on body tissues, according to the researchers.

http://www.bio-medicine.org/biology-...older-6044-1/#

Additionally there was a very interesting documentary on CBC TV "The Nature of Things" show a couple of weeks ago. The special was titled "The Brain that Changes Itself " about the new research going on in the science of "neuroplasticity" - a concept that expands not just our knowledge of how our brains work, but how we use them. While it is not necessarily about chronic pain, I found the research shows great promise for those of us who do suffer from pain moving forward. http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/natu...hangesitself/#

MsL

Hi ya'll,
I know I don't show up too often here, but since reading the header on this thread it has made me think about a book that my PM Doctor wanted me to get last year & read. But of course I haven't done it yet. He suggested my reading this book & feels that I am a good candidate to use what this book can teach a person about helping to rewire my brain into working with myself instead of against myself as far as pain is concerned. The name of the book is "The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science". Perhaps someone else will have read it & make a coment as to whether this book helped them or not. I do still plan on buying the book & reading it , just not sure when that will be. I do tend to think that from what my doctor told me that we can help to rewire our brain into not letting the pain be as bad as it is.

I hope this made sense at all as I am really exhausted tonight.

DebbyV