Brain Report

The Injured Brain

Table of Contents

About Dr. Ratansi, ND

Testimonials

The Hyperbaric Difference

Find the Cause

Stem Cell Research

HBOT and Traumatic Brain

Injury (TBI)

HBOT and Autism

HBOT and Stroke

Other Articles

My Ten YearHyperbaric Journey:About Dr. Zayd Ratansi, ND

In 1999 when I first started in the field of hyperbaric

medicine, there was very little known on the affects ofHyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) on conditionsoutside of the 13 hospital approved by theUHMS(Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society). For the pastten years I have been seeing patients in the first andlargest private multi-place hyperbaric chamber inCanada, primarily for neurological conditions and braininjuries like Cerebral Palsy, strokes, and head injuries.At first, we only understood the affects of HBOT oninjured tissue through its application for non-healingwounds. We only knew that HBOT would cause anincrease in partial pressure of oxygen (P02) in thewound which would start a process of collagenformation (new tissue production). Plus it would causethe body to both reduce any swelling to the injuredtissue along with producing new blood vessels to theinjured area resulting in long term healing of thewound. It would take around 20 to 60 daily treatmentapplications to heal the wound.

Can Be Repaired

Dr. Zayd Ratansi, ND

Medical Director

Advanced Hyperbaric

& Recovery CentreVancouver, BC Canada

1-866-309-9115www.HyperbaricExperts.com

www.HyperbaricExperts.com

The chamber at Advanced Hyperbaricis the largest in western Canada.

My Ten Year Hyperbaric Journey:About Dr. Zayd Ratansi, ND c

The healing beliefs of HBOT were acceptable and worked

brilliantly at the time for wounds that conventional medicine couldnot cure. So much so that it became an approved hospitaltreatment for those wounds that were so severe that they couldonly be cured by either HBOT or amputation. This success gaveway to a pro-active group of physicians practicing in the field ofhyperbarics that argued against limiting HBOT to non-healingsurface wounds. These physicians, me included, argued that if theapplication of this procedure could be so powerful for tissue inhealing wounds, then how about the brain tissue? You see,knowing that the brain is one of the highest consumers of oxygen(25% of your oxygen in the body is used up by the brain), then itstands to reason that it can be even more crucial to use thehyperbaric technology for brain disorders.

This is where my "real journey" began. Using HBOT to healbrain injuries was one of the most controversial issues inmedicine, yet I proceeded with treatments. In my mind, there wasenough scientific research and it made rational sense. The nextstep was to confirm that it worked. And boy did it work! In the firstmonths of opening, I saw patients make more than astoundingimprovements. Interestingly, it was the words of the patient'scaregivers (like the mothers and fathers) that expressed thegreatest successes. I, myself was at a loss for words. I could notbelieve what I saw. Spasticity decreased, spontaneous speechbegan, mothers reported that their kids looked at them for the firsttime. From minor improvements to major improvements, they wereall substantial in the perspectives of all who were involved. I was abeliever, even with my medical scrutiny.

Over the past 10 years of practicing in the field of hyperbaricmedicine, much has evolved. Documented research comes outeach day proving that the injured brain can be repaired along withmany other conditions by using Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy.In terms of clinical improvements, more and more privatechambers are now opening up and all are reporting positiveresults.

Through very little funding and a few private chambersbeing made available, thousands of patients suffering fromneurological disorders were given access to hyperbaricmedicine. It became apparent from clear results early on thatHBOT is a key to recovery from brain injuries along withmany more conditions as the field evolves in research andclinical applications. Based on this limited research data andthe amazing results that were seen, the era of HBOT forbrain injuries was born.

www.HyperbaricExperts.comPage Two

My Ten Year Hyperbaric Journey:About Dr. Zayd Ratansi, ND c

Many HBOT clinics including the Advanced Hyperbaric &Recovery Centre are documenting with video the improvementsbeing made by brain-injured patients. After ten years, I can saywithout a doubt that "The Injured Brain Can Be Repaired"

My career results show that these are the neurologicalconditions in which 'the injured brain'has been repaired:

The following pages are filled with testimonials and researchresults on how Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has changed the faceof healing for patients with traumatic brain injury, autism andstroke. Patients given little to no hope by traditional medicine haveseen tremendous results proving that indeed ... the injuredbrain CAN be repaired.

Testimonials

Head InjuryAutismStrokeParkinson's diseaseAlzheimer's diseaseMultiple SclerosisHuntington's choreaCerebral PalsyFetal Alcohol Syndrome

www.HyperbaricExperts.comPage Three

Tram's Stroke Recovery

Condition: February 2008 hemorrhagic stroke caused by a

subdural hemorrhage secondary to left occipital.Injury from Stroke: Paralysis of the entire left side caused by the

shifting of the brain to the right side of the head. At the time, totalloss of eye sight.Treatment Results: Tram started HBOT treatments in Sept 2008

at The Advanced Hyperbaric and RecoveryCentre. Remarkableresults could be seen early on as her overall balance improvedconsiderably. The vision in her left visual field improved as wellthough dark and blurry at times. She gained back 5 to 10% ofher right visual field. Prior to HBOT,she experienced completedarkness. After 80 treatments as of June 1, 2009, Tram's conditionhas improved even more dramatically. She is walking on her ownwith practically no balance issues; her left vision is almost clear(with eye glasses); and she gained back about 30% of her rightvisual field. Tram now has her life back! Today she is back to goingto the grocery store, gardening, cooking and reading. Tram has afantastic attitude and refuses to give up.

Tram - June 2009 after

80 HBOT treatments

at AHRC

Tram - March 2008

before HBOT

treatments

Page Four

Tait's Recovery from Autism

Condition: Autism (age 18 months)

Treatment Results: (voice of mother) Tait's health and developmentwere starting to improve after getting his food allergies under control,but we remained concerned with his GI Track health and lack of vocali-zation. Friends and family reassured us that he would "catch-up" and"talk in his own time"; but we decided to try early intervention and startedHyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in conjunction with the Tomatis listening programavailable right next door to your Clinic. Within a few treatmentsTait was babbling away most of the day and saying "mama" withoutbeing prompted. By twenty treatments, Tait said, "Da Da" for the first time andwas using over ten words with more coming daily. In addition to his improvedvocalization, and much to our surprise, we were witnessing incrediblecognitive development and improvement in his social engagement.

Tait's world became filled with enchantment and wonder. Even with all thedevelopment we were witnessing what really moved me and made all thishard work worth while was the "sparkle" that came back in Tait's eyes afterbeing gone for over a year.

Tait - May 2009 in the

AHRC HBOT Chamber

Stephanie Martin's TBI Recovery

Condition: 1999 traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by horse-back riding accident. The horse kicked Stephanie in her head.

Injury from TBI: Wheelchair bound unable to speak or walk.Complete loss of motor skills. Could only breathe.

Treatment Results: After the accident Stephanie's doctorspredicted she would never walk, talk or be able to feed herself. During the160 HBOT treatments in 2000-01 taken with Dr. Ratansi, Stephanie regainedher motor skills and is now able to walk, run, speak, write and communicate.Her remarkable recovery showed itself when she first spoke at 120treatments and first walked at 140 treatments.

Stephanie - 2001

recovered from TBI

at the AHRC

Byron's Post-TBI Recovery

Condition: Post-traumatic brain Injury at 9 years of age - born 1971.

Injury from TBI: Mobility-problems walking; reduced mental acuity and speech.

Treatment Results: (voice of mother) There have definitely been improvementsafter the 40 HBOT treatments at AHRC taken in May 2009 2009 (28 yearsfollowing the car accident). On Sunday morning Byron woke at 5:00 am, cameinto our bedroom to tell us he was cold. Since the accident, Byron has not beenable to identify how he felt and then tell us. That was quite amazing. Then, onSunday afternoon, Byron played catch and 'blew us away' when he threw theball. Since the accident, he has not been able to let go of the ball, and when hefinally did, the ball would go in any direction. Sunday, he threw right toward Jeffand then toward me, and each time we would catch it. It sounds so simple, butfrom where Byron was to seeing him throw, was profound!

When I picked Byron up at the Rec Center today, the elderly gentleman whoworks with him kept saying, "simply amazing, simply amazing." The steps wenotice are so small, no one else might notice. To us, they are profound. Thankyou so much for believing in Byron.

Page Five

The HyperbaricDifference

by Dr. Zayd Ratansi, ND

People often ask ‘why hyperbaric?’ Why not justbreathe 100% oxgen like they give in the hospitalor when you are put on oxygen by the para-medics. Isn’t that good enough? My answer isNO. There is a big difference: it is what I call‘the hyperbaric difference.’

In a normal setting, breathing 100% oxygen (asopposed to 21% oxygen in air), does not makea real difference in the oxygen that goes intothe blood stream. When the blood goes to thelungs to get oxygen, the red blood cells canonly carry so much and leave the lungs around97% full. Note that even the oxygen, in the airthat you breath (which is 21% in composition),is still not fully used up.

When you breathe out you exhale C02 and O2(oxygen). This is why you can re-breathe lifeinto someone (called CPR). You are re-breathingthe oxygen that is not absorbed into the redblood cells. The red blood cells are full whenthey leave the lungs and cannot carry any more.

In a hyperbaric environment, the pressure aloneforces the extra oxygen to be dissolved into theplasma (the fluid that carries the red blood cell).When oxygen gets into the blood, it is dissolvedinto two areas: the red blood cells and the bloodplasma. In a hyperbaric chamber, you canbreathe air, which is 21% oxygen, or you canbreathe 100% oxygen. Either way, you are notonly significantly increasing your blood oxygenlevels, but you are taking it one step further. You are getting the oxygen to areas that yourred blood cells and your body can't get tobecause of the size of the red blood cells. Tome, this is the biggest breakthrough in medicine.We can heal with more oxygen and the onlyreal way to get more oxygen is to be in a

hyperbaric chamber. You can't eat more oxygen,you can't drink more oxygen, and you can'tbreathe more oxygen. You can only breathemore oxygen under pressure to cause a signifi-cant increase in your oxygen levels. In a hyper-baric environment, the oxygen that you breathesupersaturates above and beyond your redblood cell carrying capacity and spills into thefluids that carry the red blood cells. The increasedpressure combined with the increased percentageof oxygen will cause a net increase in the oxygencontent.

The brain is one of the most unique organs thatwe have. It is basically submersed and bathedin fluid. This fluid is called CSF or cerebrospinalfluid. As its name indicates, it bathes not onlythe brain, but the spinal cord and every one ofits nerves that comes out. So if hyperbaric oxy-gen causes a significant rise in oxygen in bodyfluids and we know that the brain is bathed by abody fluid known as cerebrospinal fluid, then itis easy to understand that a hyperbaric environ-ment is absolutely crucial to the recoveringbrain that needs the extra oxygen for repair andregeneration. It is the only way to get a signifi-cant amount of oxygen into the brain. So pres-sure, whether it is 1.3 ATA absolute or it is 3.0 ATA absolute, will significantly increase the oxygen in the body, more particularly the bodyfluids that red blood cells cannot deliver to, regardless of breathing 21% oxygen (normal air) or 100% oxygen (oxygen in a mask).

Bottom line is that if you have a brain injury, get yourself into a hyperbaric chamber, whether you are breathing air or 100% oxygen,just get yourself into a chamber. 'The hyperbaricdifference' will help allow you to 'soak up' theextra oxygen into your brain.


Page Six

Brain Food:it's ok to be a fathead

by Dr. Zayd Ratansi, ND

When repairing 'the injured brain', we must lookat the actual composition and tissue of thebrain. Oxygen is important to the brain cell justas gas is important to a car. However, it wouldbe extremely unwise not to look at the composi-tion of the brain cell itself and all of its intricateconnections. Just as well, it would be unwise tonot look at the motor of a car and just fill it upwith gas after it stopped working. You see, thebrain is actually made up of mostly fat. In addi-tion, it is not only this fat that causes the struc-tural component and framework but also the fatthat helps to speed up the connections withinthis network. So in other words, fat is good forthe brain. So much so that the brain in optimalfunctioning is composed of around 60% fat.That means that your brain is actually mostly fatand this is a good thing. However, there is onebig thing to note. As you may already know,there are 'good fats' and there are 'bad fats'.

That holds true to the brain fat as well. So thereare good fatheads and bad fatheads. In general,the omega 3 families of fats are the ones thatare good for the brain. We call this 'brain food'and this can be from fish, nuts and seeds. Fishoil supplementation is of particular interest as ithas been given not only much research oppor-tunities but also shown subsequently much clini-cal results.

The main structural component of fats that haveemerged in recent research is a composition ofthe omega 3 fats and EPA called DHA. Thiscomponent is much higher in fish oil concen-trates and thus it is now the brain food of choiceto help 'repair the injured brain'. The brain andthe whole nervous system rely on adequateDHA for structural support and integrity. Clearlythen, the injured brain would require more foroptimal repair and regeneration.

Find the Causeby Dr. Zayd Ratansi, ND

As I have said in numerous statements, theinjured brain can be repaired. Now for thosewho suffered a head injury from trauma, thecause is quite clear. However, for those sufferingfrom other neurological disorders particularlyautism, PD, MS, ALS, MS, the cause is not asapparent. So here is a start ...

DietCheck for food sensitivities and food allergies. Icannot stress how important this can be, partic-ularly for those suffering from developmental

delay disorders like autism. It is true, I haveseen patients just take a couple of foods out oftheir diet and improvements were immense. Mybest example is of an autistic patient who justtook gluten, wheat, and dairy out of the diet andalmost instantly the child started speakingagain. Now I have others that don't make assignificant progress from eliminating foods butstill have improvements. The major food culpritsare wheat, dairy, citrus, corn, eggs, and soy. Tryeliminating these and you may just be pleasantlysurprised.


LifestyleThe way we live our life has a major impact onour health. When I mean lifestyle, I speak ofstress levels, sleep, nicotine/cigarette smoking,alcohol, recreational drugs. Also, even thoughthey are a part of dietary, I also include exces-sive caffeine and or soda pop consumption andpoor water intake (dehydration). The brain isvery susceptible to not having enough sleep,being dehydrated or being stressed out, etc.The results are not only immediate but cancumulative over time and may impact you moreat a much later age. Alcohol/smoking/drugabuse can cause significant damage to thebrain and we might attribute it more to a fall orsome kind of head trauma. This is not alwaysthe case and the head trauma might be nowhere as severe as when combined with theseother factors. Cigarettes have significant carbonmonoxide levels which again can have cumulativelong term effects on the functioning of the brain.

Here is the bottom line, if you have a braininjury or neurological condition, it is just asimportant to try to clean up your lifestyle as it is to eliminate potential food allergies and reactions

EnvironmentWe all know that the environment is polluted,but how does that affect the body. I will tell youin a nutshell - MAJOR HEALTHCARE CRISIS.The 3 most susceptible parts of our body toenvironmental chemicals is the brain/centralnervous system, the immune system and thehormonal system. Since this report focuses on'the injured brain' I will focus on this topic. It isproven and clear evidence shows that chemi-cals like solvents, pesticides, herbicides, lead,mercury and many more common exposuresthat we are in contact with, can not only have

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Find the Cause con’tby Dr. Zayd Ratansi, ND

detrimental effects on the functioning of thebrain, but can also be a significant contributor tothe disease at hand, whether it's a chronic dis-ease like parkinsons, MS, ALS, autism, or justplain getting old, 'starting to forget things' or 'myson is normal but has problems focusing' or 'Ijust feel anxious a lot of the time'.

The list of diseases and/or symptoms related to environmental influences in health is toolarge to list. Everyone should look at their envi-ronment, both past and present, and immediate-ly clean their body of these harmful chemicaltoxins. Find out what's in your brain that shouldnot be and eliminate it. Not only that, if you arein constant exposure to these chemicals theneliminate your exposure.

In my extensive experience in treating theinjured brain, I can say that without a doubt, theinjured brain cannot be repaired fully if there is still a large presence of neurotoxins(chemical toxins in the brain).

SummaryFor full repair of the injured brain, we must lookat diet, lifestyle, and environmental applications,where applicable.


AHRC also provides

full nutritional counseling to support the success of your hyperbaric oxygen treatments.


Page Eight

HBOT &Stem Cell ResearchArticles & Research

Stem Cell research -''Hyperbaric Medicine showing promise' by Dr. Zayd Ratansi, ND

This is truly an exciting field of research thatHyperbaric Medicine is now in the middle of.Research clearly shows that a typical course ofhyperbaric oxygenation therapy (HBOT) canincrease circulating stem cells by up to 800%.Not only that, the newest research shows usthat this increase in stem cells holds particularlytrue to human brain cells and what we can call'New Baby Brain Cells.'

So much has recently been made on the con-troversial issue regarding human embryonicplacental stem cell therapy. There is a harshdivision on both sides. However, the majority onboth sides, believe in the advancements inscience and research and thus both sides arein favor of medical research, it's just that theone side does not want the research to involveembryonic tissue. It is for this very reason thatthe research coming out on hyperbaric oxygentherapy and stem cells is so exciting for me.You see, this is something that both groups canagree on and now there is no controversy onthis issue. What you get is pure science andresearch with a movement toward a cure for'the injured brain' (and many other disorders).This is what is exciting. Let me elaborate further.

As earlier discussed in "My Journey”, originallyin my clinical practice of using hyperbaric oxygentherapy for brain injuries, our understanding wasthat HBOT could heal the brain and patientswith brain injuries improved immensely. We

knew that swelling was reduced and new bloodvessel growth was promoted by adding HBOTto a patient's treatment protocol, but the mainexplanation that we gave at the time was thatHBOT caused a significant reduction in oxygendebt that was scientifically shown in areasfollowing brain injuries. These areas of oxygendebt or lowered oxygen tensions were calledpenumbra areas of the brain. In essence, it wasall recoverable tissue that would lead to amazingclinical results of improvements. However thecentral area of injury was called 'dead' or'necrotic tissue' that was unrecoverable by theapplication of HBOT.

Now, with the new research on stem cells,particularly brain stem cells, we have tore-evaluate the last part of the statement. Thisis of extreme significance because it shows thatbrand new brain tissue can be formed withHBOT and this means that there could be apotential for not just partial recovery but fullrecovery from brain injuries - 'the injured braincan be repaired.'

Penn Study Finds Hyperbaric OxygenTreatments Mobilize Stem Cells - RReeccoovveerryy ooffIInnjjuurreedd aanndd DDiisseeaasseedd TTiissssuuee tthhee UUllttiimmaattee GGooaallPhiladelphia, PA

According to a study to be published in TheAmerican Journal of Physiology - Heart andCirculation Physiology, a typical course ofhyperbaric oxygen treatments increases byeight-fold the number of stem cells circulating ina patient's body.


Page Nine

HBOT & Stem Cell ResearchArticles & Research

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Stem cells, also called progenitor cells are crucialto injury repair. They exist in the bone marrow ofhuman beings and animals and are capable ofchanging their nature to become part of manydifferent organs and tissues. In response toinjury, these cells move from the bone marrow tothe injured sites, where they differentiate intocells that assist in the healing process. Themovement, or mobilization, of stem cells can betriggered by a variety of stimuli - including pharmaceutical agents and hyperbaric oxygentreatments. Where as drugs are associated witha host of side effects, hyperbaric oxygen treat-ments carry a significantly lower risk of sucheffects.

"This is the safest way clinically to increase stemcell circulation, far safer than any of the pharma-ceutical options," said Stephen Thom, MD, PhD,Professor of Emergency Medicine at theUniversity of Pennsylvania School of Medicineand lead author of the study. "This study providesinformation on the fundamental mechanisms forhyperbaric oxygen and offers a new theoreticaltherapeutic option for mobilizing stem cells."

"We reproduced the observations from humansin animals in order to identify the mechanism forthe hyperbaric oxygen effect," added Thom.

"We found that hyperbaric oxygen mobilizesstem/progenitor cells because it increases synthesis of a molecule called nitric oxide in thebone marrow. This synthesis is thought to triggerenzymes that mediate stem/progenitor cellrelease."

Hopefully, future study of hyperbaric oxygen'srole in mobilizing stem cells will provide a widearray of treatments for combating injury and disease

Proliferation of neural stem cells correlateswith Wnt-33 protein in hypoxic-iischemicneonate rats after hyperbaric oxygen therapy.Neuroreport, 2007

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy promoted brain cellproliferation. Results showed that stem cells proliferated and peaked 7 days after hyperbaricoxygen therapy. We propose that hyperbaric oxygen treatment promote stem cells to proliferate,which is correlated with Wnt-3 protein.

Hyperbaric oxygen induces endogenous neuralstem cells to proliferate and differentiate inhypoxic-iischemic brain damage in neonatalrats. Undersea Hyperb Med. 2008

Studies suggest that after brain injury, hyperbaricoxygen (HBO2) is neuroprotective by stimulatingcell proliferation. We examine whether HBO2promotes neural stem cells (NSC) to proliferateand differentiate in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic(HI) rats. HBO2 was administered (2 ATA (atmos-pheres absolutes), once daily for 7 days. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that HBO2treatment may promote neurogenesis of theendogenous NSC in neonatal HI rats, contributingto repair of the injured brain.

Special accommodationrates for out-of-towners

to help reduce costs during hyperbaric oxygen treatments.



HBOT &Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Articles & Research

Brain-ddamaged Crash Survivor MendingJanuary 02, 2009 by Andria Simmons

Oxygen chamber treatment in California is making'a huge difference.' Sometimes a fresh startbegins with a few deep breaths. DemetriusRandle -- a 45-year-old Lawrenceville man whosuffered brain damage last spring in a wreckthat killed his daughter, son and grandson --has taken a lot of deep breaths lately. He andhis wife, Falleen, moved to Malibu, Calif., rent-ing a house there in October so he could under-go a series of treatments in a hyperbaric oxygenchamber at Malibu Hyperbaric Medical Center.Such treatments were once reserved for deep-sea divers recovering from the bends, ordecompression sickness, but now they are alsoused to stimulate healing of brain injuries andother ailments by saturating the body with oxy-gen. The Randles decided to move toCalifornia because they couldn't find a medicalfacility in Georgia that offers the treatments,Falleen Randle said, noting that the resultshave been "amazing." "I just see a huge differ-ence in him. He will carry on a conversation,and his speech is clearer and his ability to wantto take part in the conversation is so much high-er than it was," she said.

Brain-IInjury Treatment Changes Brandon Woman's LifeJanuary 06, 2009 by Laura Frazier

BRANDON - Mary Ellen Gottlieb spent fiveyears mired in frustration, dealing on a dailybasis with the lasting effects of a stroke she suf-fered in 2003. Until recently, the Brandonwoman, 50, was resigned to the notion that shemight never fully recover or work again. But oneday in November, she pressed the "play" button

on a YouTube video, and serendipity came tocall. "They showed a young man who [beforetreatment] was strapped to a wheelchair allslumped over. He couldn't even track a flash-light with his eyes," she said. Segments shotmonths later - after dozens of daily treatmentsand intensive physical therapy - show the manwalking, talking and playfully teasing his doctor."He was in a horrible car accident and had beencomatose, but he went from a nearly vegetativestate to having so much sparkle and life. Ithought, 'If this treatment can do that for some-one so severely damaged, what could it do forme?

'Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, commonly used topromote the healing of wounds from surgery,injury, disease or infection, is not approved bythe Food and Drug Administration for the treat-ment of brain injuries or neurological disorders,but Harch and other doctors across the countryreport using the therapy for such conditions withgreat success. Because insurance companiestypically will not pay for such "off label" uses,the treatment is cost-prohibitive and not widelyavailable. To inquire about the therapy, Gottliebcalled Harch Hyperbaric Research Foundationin New Orleans. Harch formed the nonprofitgroup to study and document the effects ofhyperbaric medicine in the treatment of strokepatients and those with brain trauma, cerebralpalsy, autism, carbon monoxide poisoning andother neurological conditions. Staff members atthe research center noted Gottlieb's high levelof post-stroke function, and when they learnedof her background in marketing, economics andnonprofit management, they started asking thequestions. The kicker: They had a full-timeposition to fill at the research foundation. Wouldshe be interested?

Page Ten

HBOT & Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)Articles & Research

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She wouldn't draw a salary, but in exchange forcoordinating patient travel, accommodationsand in-kind donations for research programs,she would receive the regenerative therapy forfree. Gottlieb jumped at the out-of-the-blueopportunity and packed her bags the weekbefore Christmas to prepare for a move to NewOrleans.

In December at her mother's apartment inBrandon, Gottlieb gushed with hope for her ownrecovery and for participants in the foundation'slatest study - a clinical trial to document theeffectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy onsoldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistanwith brain trauma and post-traumatic stress dis-order. "I'm going to be like their house mom,"she said. "I know what it's like to have a trau-matic brain injury. I know how terrifying anddemoralizing it is when you can't add or subtractand you keep falling down and bumping intothings and forgetting things. I thought I wasgoing crazy, and I was so frightened. My heartis with these people." Physician Allan Spiegel ofPalm Harbor treats patients with traumatic braininjury, stroke and other conditions at NationalHyperbaric-Tampa Bay, one of four facilities inthe nation recruited to participate in Harch's clin-ical trial. Spiegel said almost every patient hehas treated during the past 11 years has seenpositive results. Some, he said, experience dra-matic recoveries nothing short of miraculous."With brain injuries and neurological disorders,nothing works all the time," Spiegel said. "Butnothing works as well as hyperbaric oxygentherapy." Last year, Spiegel formed a charitablefoundation, Healing Heroes Network, to helpfund the treatment for brain-injured soldiers. Hesaid doctors and patients and their familiesacross the country are eager to see the clinicaltrails completed and brought before the FDA forapproval. Spiegel lobbied with Harch and other

hyperbarics proponents for a bill introduced byCongress in November that would require theDepartment of Defense to pay for or reimbursewounded soldiers for any procedure proven andavailable to treat their injuries. The group hopesthe results of the clinical trial under way will bemore than enough to push the bill through sosoldiers can start receiving treatments. Gottliebcan barely believe she will receive the therapyand have a hand in a study with the potential tobenefit military men and women with traumaticbrain injuries. "This treatment basically regrowsdamaged brain tissue," she said. "We can giveso many of these severely wounded veteranstheir lives back."

Baby Steps to RecoveryFebruary 02, 2009

It can take years for the body and mind torecover from a traumatic brain injury, and inmost cases, patients never regain full control.But physicians are finding that breakthroughs inhyperbaric oxygen therapy are helping more TBIvictims bring their lives back to normal. Thistype of treatment is helping one Rapid City mantake small steps toward rebuilding his life.

A year ago, he was just a face in the crowd ofstudents at the South Dakota School of Minesand Technology. A senior studying civil engi-neering ready to graduate in December. Afather, a fiance. Shaun Herrod led a normal life."I was just an ordinary guy," Herrod said. Until,in an instant, the snapshots in Herrod's familyphoto album changed.

"Nothing's the same, since May. Everythingchanged. Our daily routine, our whole life,"fiancee Agnes Steele said.

Herrod and his son, then four-year-old Keenan,were driving last May when an SUV camebarrelling toward them. Police believe thedriver was doing around fifty-miles per hour in a

Page Eleven


BBaabbyy SStteeppss ttoo RReeccoovveerryy ccoonntt’’ddfifteen mile an hour zone. That SUV was quicklyin Herrod's lane, and soon, smashed into thedriver's side. The driver had blacked out. Herrodwas knocked into a coma, leaving fianceeSteele to wait and wonder about their futuretogether and whether the love of her life wouldever walk or talk again.

"They really had no idea. They really couldn'ttell me anything about that. When he slippedinto his coma, they told me all I could do waswait. They couldn't say when he'd wake up, ifhe'd wake up, or what kind of condition he'd bein if he did wake up," Steele said.

Not only did he wake up, but he's beating theodds; teaching himself how to talk, eat and eventake steps less than a year from the accident."That's the funny thing: I have to learn to walkagain. Like a baby," Herrod said. Each babystep is the result of hours of pain-staking work.In addition to multiple occupational therapy ses-sions each week, Herrod is using HyperbaricOxygen Therapy, a technique Therapist BrettSzymonski says is being used on more traumat-ic brain injury patients as they return home fromthe Global War on Terror.

"The hyperbarics, it's just a process of putting aperson in a chamber that's under pressure andthat forces oxygen into the cells of the body,which promotes the healing process,"Szymonski said. A process that's showingprogress for Steele every week.

"The hyperbarics have been tremendously help-ful in him becoming more independent. I didpractically everything for him, I still do most of it,but he does a lot more by himself than he usedto," Steele said. And even if it doesn't alwayscome easily, Herrod says he's thankful to havethe chance to struggle through his recovery. "If Igive up, there's no use to go on," Herrod said.


"We're not gonna think negative, and that's whatI always kept telling him, 'We're going to keeppositive. You're going to get through this. We'regoing to go home and get our lives back to nor-mal. You're going to go back to school.' That'sall I can really do and keep his humor up,"Steele said.

By this fall, Herrod hopes to once again be justa face in the crowd of students at his old campus.

Karla Ramaekers: "Do you want to walk acrossthe stage to get your diploma on graduationday?"Herrod: "Yes, yes, very much."Karla Ramaekers asks, "Think you can do it?"Herrod: "Yes. It's taking time. I understand that itwill take time."

Time well spent to rebuild a life put on hold.

Maconnell Baker, the person who was responsi-ble for Herrod's accident, was sentenced inDecember for vehicular battery. He was given a10-year suspended prison sentence, six monthsin jail, 300 hours of community service andordered to pay restitution

Texas Soldier Gets Hyperbaric ChamberTreatment In Bay AreaMarch 11, 2009 By Katie Coronado, News Channel 8

Bradley Thomas was an athletic man who lovedthe outdoors, but that all changed when theinfantry soldier's tank was struck by a roadsidebomb in Iraq. Doctors say the explosion left the23-year-old semi-comatose, so the Texas manwas brought to Tampa's James A. Haley V.A.Hospital for treatment. Day after day, he istransported to University Community Hospital inCarrollwood where he undergoes hyperbaricchamber treatment. "He's going each day into apressurized oxygen chamber," said Dr. AjayPatel. "That pressurized oxygen chamber puts

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him down to about one-and-a-half atmospheres,and in doing so it increases the amount of oxy-gen he receives and increases the amount ofoxygen that healing tissue needs, such as thebrain itself."

There are risks associated with the treatment,Patel noted. The eardrum could be injured, andpatients can develop seizures because of thepressure, he said. But he added that Bradleyhas not had any complications. "The goal forhim is try to get him as much function back aspossible," said Patel.

Since the start of his treatment, Bradley hasshown dramatic improvement, doctors say. Hewent from being semi-conscious to respondingby blinking his eyes. Bradley's mother, VeronicaThomas, said "it's just another day closer torecovery," adding that even small signs ofprogress give her hope Thomas said her son isresponding to verbal commands, "He's smiling,squeezing a hand," she said. "We're seeingmore spontaneous [reactions]. He just seemslike he's more with us."

Medical Watch: New treatments helping tocure brain injuries for soldiersFebruary 10, 2009, by Meg Farris, Eyewitness News

NEW ORLEANS - It's been called the signaturewound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Traumatic brain injury may have affected320,000 service men and women, costing asmuch as $32,000 a year to treat. Now a localdoctor and injured soldier are part of a ground-breaking study that hopes to find a new treatment.

At 17 years old, Jake Mathers enlisted in theMarine Corps, the youngest in his division of20,000. He served in Iraq twice. "Until like thelast two months that we were there, we literallygot shot at and blown up and mortared everysingle day," Mathers said.

His role models: A father who flew U-2 SpyPlanes in the cold war and a grandfather,George "Bud" Day, who was highly decorated inthe Marine Corps Air Force. He served in Koreaand Vietnam.

Day was a POW with Senator John McCain,earned several Purple Hearts and theCongressional Medal of Honor. Like his grandfa-ther, Jake now too has the Purple Heart, andthe same terrible post war nightmares.

"You think you're going to die?" I ask.

"Oh yeah, those dream - I always have thosedreams, you know. They probably will never goaway. My grandfather still has them, and he's inhis 80s," Mathers said. That's why Jake hascome to New Orleans from his home in Monroe.He is part of a pilot study with LSU HealthSciences Center's Dr. Paul Harch.

As an emergency medicine expert, Harch hasbeen studying in animals and humans for yearsif Hyperbaric Oxygen treatments, the kind usedto heal wounds of diabetics and divers, can alsoheal brain damage. "If you lose consciousness,you will lose brain cells. You lose brain tissue,"Harch said. And that's exactly what happened toJake in Iraq. Nearly two dozen times he wasknocked unconscious. So, along with the posttraumatic stress disorder known as PTSD, hehas brain damage. "You forget where you putyour cell phone, like, 10 times a day. You can'tfind your car keys. You can't really do anythingproductive without screwing it up a couple oftimes," Mathers said.


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MMeeddiiccaall WWaattcchh:: NNeeww ttrreeaattmmeennttss hheellppiinngg ttoo ccuurreebbrraaiinn iinnjjuurriieess ffoorr ssoollddiieerrss ccoonn’’tt

A video with music recorded on it, put onYouTube, shows a suicide bomber in a truckloaded with artillery shells and barrels of gaso-line that hit Mathers' observational post. Fellowsoldiers lost eyes, limbs, fingers and toes. "The gasoline went everywhere and startedburning all around my body, and so I could stillfeel that pain in my unconscious state and it feltlike I was burning. So I thought I was going tohell and it was really bad," said Mathers, whosaid he thought he had died.

Jake is one of the first soldiers in the study tocomplete the testing, brain imaging and 40 socalled "dives" in the hyperbaric oxygen cham-ber. And he believes it's made a difference. "My sleep is better, I'm sleeping longer, I'm notdreaming about mean and angry things con-stantly," Mathers said. "My memory, I don'teven have a memory problem anymore. I don'thave headaches at all any more."

Harch said the results have been encouraging. "Two of the three have had an over 40 percentreduction in PTSD symptoms in a 35 day periodusing the military's PTSD check list, which is ahuge reduction in symptoms," Harch said. "Andwe are also seeing improvements in memory,attention and some of the other factors."

Harch has many critics who don't believe hyper-baric medicine can help the brain. He hopes thisstudy will lead to bigger military studies andpublished scientific evidence to convince them. At only 21, Jake hopes to convince his critics aswell. "A lot of people see all the bad things thatU.S. Marines do. But nobody ever sees all theschools that we build and all the medical suppliesthat we give," Mathers said. "I must have givenout 10,000 soccer balls alone myself, and hun-dreds of pounds of candy to little kids. Butnobody ever shows that."

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Hyperbaric oxygen in traumatic brain injury Neurol Res. 2007

Division of Neurosurgery, Department ofSurgery, Hennepin County Medical Center,Growing evidence, however, shows that HBOmay be a potential treatment for patients withsevere brain injury. Further investigations,including a multicenter prospective randomizedclinical trial, will be required to definitively definethe role of HBO in severe TBI.

Pilot case study of the therapeutic potentialof hyperbaric oxygen therapy on chronicbrain injury J Neurol Sci. 2007

BACKGROUND: Recently, the effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO(2) therapy was exploredin the treatment of chronic TBI. It has beenspeculated that idling neurons in the penumbrazone remain viable several years after injuryand might be reactivated by enhanced oxygenation.We studied the therapeutic potential of HBO(2)therapy in a 54-year-old man who had sustainedtraumatic brain injuries one year before testingthat resulted in permanent neurological symptoms.CONCLUSION: The present single-case studyprovides preliminary evidence of neuropsycho-logical and electrophysiological improvementsafter series of 20 and 60 treatments

Hyperbaric oxygen in neurosurgery. 2009 Mar 11

Department of Neurosurgery, UniversityHospital, Germany. CONCLUSION: With theuse of modern biological methods and newstudy designs, HBO has a place in evidence-based treatment of patients with neural tissuedamage.



Hyperbaric oxygen therapy assists withtraumatic injury May 7, 2008, Ivanhoe BroadcastNews Service.

HBOT has also been found to be effective fortraumatic brain injury, strokes, cerebral palsy,autism, near drowning, near hanging, birthinjury, genetic disorders like mitochondrial disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue,among other conditions.

First successful treatment for chronic traumatic brain injury October 14, 2007

CA research team led by Dr. Paul Harch,Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine atLouisiana State University Health SciencesCenter New Orleans and Director of the LSUHyperbaric Medicine Fellowship Program, haspublished findings that show hyperbaric oxygentherapy (HBOT) improved spatial learning and

memory in a model of chronic traumatic braininjury. In conclusion, a 40-day series of 80 low-pressure HBOTs caused an increase in vasculardensity and an associated improvement in cog-nitive function. These new findings could holdenormous significance not only for the million+who sustain TBI from falls, motor vehicle accidents and assaults in this country each year, but also for returning US military veterans.

Researchers Report First SuccessfulTreatment of Chronic Traumatic BrainInjury Oct. 11, 2007

The findings, published in Brain Research arepurportedly the first-ever demonstration ofimprovement of chronic brain injury in animal.This demonstration is a landmark achievementthat reverses 100 years of neurology and theinstitutionalized belief that chronic brain injury inuntreatable.

HBOT & AutismArticles & Research

Oxygen tanks improve autism symptoms,says research March 13, 2009 by Adfero DirectNews

New research published in the journal BMCPaediatrics has shown that putting children withautism into pressurized oxygen tanks reducessymptoms of the learning disability. Eighty per centof those children aged five to seven treated withhyperbaric oxygen chambers, much like thoseused by divers, saw improvements, with 30 percent being "very much improved" or "muchimproved". Symptoms such as hyperactivity and

anger were decreased when the children wereplaced in the tanks twice a day for four weeks,and speech and social interaction also increased.The researchers, from the International ChildDevelopment Resource Centre in Florida, said:"In the light of the positive results of this studyand those of several previous studies, the useof hyperbaric treatment appears to be a promis-ing treatment for children with autism."A recentdiscovery by researchers at the University ofCalifornia found a gene that is thought toincrease the risk of autism.

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Oxygen Therapy Benefits Children withAutism Sep 20, 2007 By Beth Hillyer

HONOLULU (KHNL) - A new treatment is givinghope to parents of children diagnosed withautism. We meet with a family whose child'sdevelopment is improving thanks to the benefitsof oxygen therapy. Some are talking for the firsttime, and interacting with their families. There isnew hope for autistic children treated with oxy-gen therapy in pressurized chambers. The 7-year-old child crawls into her play cave, nick-named her blue tunnel. A therapist stays withher.

A new study proves spending time in capsulesat the Hyperbaric Medical Center helps autisticchildren. Study Coordinator Helen McCrackenexplains, "There are high incidents of autism inchildren 1 in 150 and we just can't ignore it andwe felt here at the center it was important to dothe study." Alyshia Busby's daughter completedthe study, "We saw some amazing results fromthe first round of treatment. We have beenthrough the gamut of treatment from biomedicalto dietary, conventional, unconventional, wehave done it all and this was the first time wehave actually seen immediate undeniableresults." McCracken demonstrates how it works,"These children are in this chamber pressurizeddown to about 18 feet of seawater and theywear a mask. It gives them 100 percent oxygenand at this level are the healing properties ofhyperbaric therapy.

" For the Busby's the results are amazing,"Everything from spontaneous language toattention and focus increase."

The families completed 20 hours of therapy,now most are continuing successful sessions inthe blue tunnel.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy might improvecertain pathophysiological findings in autism. Med Hypotheses. 2007

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder currentlyaffecting as many as 1 out of 166 children in theUnited States.. HBOT has been reported to pos-sess strong anti-inflammatory properties andhas been shown to improve immune function.There is evidence that oxidative stress can bereduced with HBOT through the upregulation ofantioxidant enzymes. HBOT can also increasethe function and production of mitochondria andimprove neurotransmitter abnormalities. In addition,HBOT upregulates enzymes that can help withdetoxification problems specifically found inautistic children. Dysbiosis is common in autisticchildren and HBOT can improve this. Impairedproduction of porphyrins in autistic childrenmight affect the production of heme, and HBOTmight help overcome the effects of this problem.Finally, HBOT has been shown to mobilize stemcells from the bone marrow to the systemic circulation. Recent studies in humans haveshown that stem cells can enter the brain andform new neurons, astrocytes, and microglia. Itis expected that amelioration of these underlyingpathophysiological problems through the use ofHBOT will lead to improvements in autisticsymptoms. Several studies on the use of HBOTin autistic children are currently underway andearly results are promising.

Oxygen therapy benefit in autism : A decompression chamber may help childrenwith autism, say researchers. March 2009

After 40 hours of hyperbaric treatment autisticchildren showed significant improvements insocial interaction and eye contact comparedwith controls.

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OOxxyyggeenn tthheerraappyy bbeenneeffiitt iinn aauuttiissmm ccoonn’’tt

The BMC Pediatrics study could not show if theresults were long-lasting but should prompt furtherinvestigation of the treatment, the US team said.

One theory is that oxygen can help reduceinflammation and improve flow of oxygen tobrain tissue.

Hyperbaric treatment - effectively giving highconcentrations of oxygen at increased atmos-pheric pressure - has been shown to have somebenefit in other neurological conditions such asfoetal alcohol syndrome and cerebral palsy. Some studies have looked at the treatment inchildren with autism but they have not com-pared with a dummy procedure raising ques-tions around a "placebo effect".

In the latest study, carried out at six centres inthe US, 62 children aged two to seven withautism were randomly assigned to receive 40hours of treatment over a month with 24% oxy-gen at increased atmospheric pressure (1.3atm) or normal air in a slightly pressurised room(1.03 atm).

Children who received the treatment showedsignificant improvements in overall functioning,receptive language, social interaction, eye con-tact, and sensory or cognitive awareness. In all, 30% in the treatment group were rated bydoctors as "very much improved" or "muchimproved" compared with 8% of those in thecontrol group. Overall, 80% in the treatmentgroup improved compared with 38% of controls.

Behaviour

Study leader, Dr Dan Rossignol from theInternational Child Development ResourceCentre, in Florida, said the use of hyperbarictherapy for autism has been gaining popularityin the US where parents can buy their own

hyperbaric chamber if they have a spare $14-17,000.

He said the findings would be quite controversialand he too was initially very sceptical of theidea but was prompted to do more researchafter the treatment showed benefits for his twosons who have autism.

"We're certainly not talking about a cure, we'retalking about improvements in behaviour,improving certain functions and quality of life. "The next step is to try to find out which kids dorespond, because it's an expensive treatment -it may be that kids with more inflammationrespond better. "It would also be nice to knowhow long the treatment lasts, and the findingneeds to be confirmed."

Richard Mills, research director at ResearchAutism, said this was the first well-designedstudy looking at the therapy. "We know this kindof therapy is useful in a number of neurologicalconditions and that's been well established. "What we don't know is how useful it is inautism, what we could be seeing is an improve-ment in other neurological conditions that goalongside autism. "We also don't know aboutlong-term effects - it could be a transitoryeffect."

Professor Philip James, an expert in hyperbaricmedicine at the University of Dundee, said thepressure used was no more than that used topressurise an aircraft cabin on the ground. He added that oxygen was the "controller ofinflammation" but also had other effects on regulation of genes and tissue regeneration.

But even if proven, the treatment may not be for everybody. "When you have any condition,there are people who have too much damage toget better." "All the oxygen is doing is bringingthings towards normal."

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CCoonnttrroovveerrssiiaall ttrreeaattmmeennttss ffoorr aauuttiissmmLinda Ann Chomin, O&E, February 8, 2009

Biomedical treatment for autism is controversial.For that reason Heidi Scheer is telling her storyat the first international conference on the disor-der which stole her son from their family at 15months. It was then she says Gannon started tofade into his own world.

Scheer ran on the platform of defeating autismfor Mrs. Michigan USA 2008. She continues tospeak on the neurological disorder wheneverthe opportunity presents itself, as 1 in 150 chil-dren are affected.

The conference came about after she asked Dr.Phillip DeMio, president of the AmericanMedical Autism Board, to talk at a meeting ofthe Autism Society of America, Macomb chapter.DeMio and the AMAB are presenting the week-end event that offers separate sessions forphysicians and families of children with autism.Gannon stopped responding to his name andhis speech came to a halt more than six yearsago. Devastated, Scheer began researchingtreatments and found many children with autismhave food sensitivities.

The Commerce Township mother removedgluten from his diet even though the speechtherapist told her there was no scientific evi-dence it would work. In three weeks Gannon's3-year battle with diarrhea ended. He spoke hisfirst sentence and behavioral problems such asbiting other children began to subside.

With further research, Scheer discovered DAN(Defeat Autism Now), a project of the AutismResearch Institute to educate parents and clini-cians about biomedically-based research andsafe and effective treatments.

Gannon underwent a variety of alternative ther-apies from supplements to chiropractic, chela-tion (removal of heavy metals from the body),and hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat underly-ing causes of symptoms. Today Gannon, age 8,can speak fully. He is above grade level aca-demically. Scheer's advice to parents is nevergive up.

"I want parents to know there is help," said

Scheer who still is uncertain if vaccines causedGannon's problems. She believes some childrenhave stronger immune systems, like her olderson Carson, and are not affected by certainadditives such as mercury. Daughter Ella thoughhad 23-days of diarrhea after her 6 monthvaccination

TThhee ddooccttoorr''ss cchhaammbbeerrssBy Kim Archer, World Staff Writer March 9, 2009

One looks like a white submarine ready to diveinto the depths, with a small circular port win-dow to peer out on an imaginary sea. The otherone - not so much.

They are both hyperbaric oxygen chambers,and true to their U.S. Navy roots, time spent inone is called "a dive."

Even the pressurization inside is measured bydepths of the sea. Two clinics in Tulsa havehyperbaric chambers that are used to aid inhealing wounds: St. John Medical Center andOSU Medical Center.

"It forces oxygen into malfunctioning limbs. Fordiabetic wounds and wounds in general, it canstart building new blood vessels in that area,"said Dr. Gerald Wootan of Jenks Health Team,715 W. Main St.

Page Eighteen



TThhee ddooccttoorr''ss cchhaammbbeerrss ccoonn’’tt

At a price of at least $400 per dive, hyperbaricoxygen therapy can be expensive. But for a dia-betic seeking to ward off amputation of a limb, a40-dive protocol can save money and a limb,Wootan said. "The cost is about one-fourth ofwhat a diabetic would pay for an amputationsurgery and hospitalization," he said.

While Wootan treats diabetic wounds, he hastaken hyperbaric oxygen therapy even further.

His patients are stroke victims, children withautism, patients with peripheral vascular dis-ease, people whose bones or soft tissue havebeen damaged by radiation, people with cere-bral palsy, patients with skin grafts or burns, andthose with any condition created or worsenedby a lack of blood flow.

By immersing the patient in 100 percent oxygenat more than twice the normal atmosphericpressure, the hyperbaric oxygen treatment dis-solves oxygen in the blood plasma and in allbody cells, tissues and fluids at up to 10 timesnormal concentration, he says.

In fact, more parents of autistic children acrossthe country are turning to hyperbaric oxygentherapy, chelation and a special diet to helptheir children. It is called the Defeat Autism Nowor DAN protocol.

As one of only two licensed health care profes-sionals in Oklahoma listed on the DAN clinicianregistry, Wootan sees between 100 and 200autistic children on a regular basis. Autism is abrain-based disorder that affects a person'sbehavior, social and communication skills.

The parent of one of those children, Yvette Hillof Shawnee, has been thrilled with how her 11-year-old autistic son Trent is progressing due to

hyperbaric oxygen therapy. "Within a week, Inoticed a big difference in Trent. Before, hisspeech was very basic and babyish talk. Hewould stare and laugh inappropriately. Hewouldn't look you in the eyes and he wouldzone out," she said.

After a month of the therapy, "Trent was a com-pletely different little boy," Hill said. The earliermannerisms had faded and he was better ableto focus during occupational and speech thera-py, she said.

One day, Trent even told his mother they werelate for an appointment. "I turned around andsaid, 'Since when can you tell time?' " Hill said."What I've found is that he's actually goingthrough the social development steps now thathe didn't go through earlier. Now he's engagingand reaching out to people."

U.S. researchers are launching studies of theuse of hyperbarics both for traumatic headinjuries and for autism. A 2006 pilot study by aVirginia researcher saw statistically significantimprovements among its autistic subjects inmannerisms, health and physical behavior,sensory and cognitive awareness and speech,language and communication.

Still, some label the treatment's use amongautistic children as quackery. But Wootan, anOklahoma-licensed osteopathic physician ingood standing, says its benefits for thesepatients are significant.

"There really is no downside to treating withoxygen," he said. While oxygen is considered adrug, this treatment's risks are minimal, he said.

The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society,the governing body of hyperbaric medicine, hasapproved the therapy for the treatment of 13select conditions. Those are covered by

Page Nineteen



Medicare and most insurers, he said. So-calledoff-label uses, such as for autism, are accept-able as long as prescribed by and conducted bylicensed physicians, he said. "It's like any otherprocedure. It has to be done correctly," Wootansaid. Both he and hyperbaric technician BrianEnglish were trained in proper protocols.

In his practice, Wootan says he has seen anec-dotal evidence that hyperbaric oxygen therapyimproves the function of autistic children.

"About 60 percent of the autistic children we'veseen do better in behavior and function afterhyperbarics as evaluated by their parents," hesaid.

Wootan hopes more research will be done tosupport this treatment for autistic spectrumdisorders. "It's criminal to withhold therapy thatcan help somebody," he said. "Hyperbarics islike watering your yard. When it's dry andbrown, it looks dead. But if you water it again

soon enough, it starts growing. Why? Becausethe root wasn't dead.

HHyyppeerrbbaarriicc ooxxyyggeenn tthheerraappyy iinn TThhaaii aauuttiissttiicc cchhiillddrreenn.. J Med Assoc Thai. 2008 Aug

HBOT can increase plasma oxygen to the tissuesincluding the brain. CONCLUSION: HBOT is anew treatment for Thai autistic children. Manyscientific studies recently have shown that HBOTcould be an effective treatment for autistic children.It could improve the major autistic symptoms.

HBOT & StrokeArticles & Research

PPoossssiibbllee NNeeww TThheerraappyy ffoorr SSttrrookkee PPaattiieennttssJune 30, 2007 By Kristen Johnson

A type of therapy known to heal diabeticwounds and treat people with carbon monoxidepoison could now be used to treat strokepatients. Doctors at Erlanger Medical Centerrecently used the Hyperbaric Chamber Therapyto help a 23-year-old stoke patient make somelarge strides in her recovery. "Oxygen is a drugand it goes to sites of injury and it improves the

oxygenation...does a lot of good things for thecells." "There's an awful lot of research thatneeds to be carried on with this therapy…there's off label programs around the countrythat have done a lot of this...but for HBO to beaccepted this has to be undergo scientific scrutinyat a research institution," Creel states. As one ofthe most active research stroke centers in thesoutheast, Doctor Creel says he hopes Erlangercan be part of developing the HyberbaricTherapy for stroke patients further.

Page Twenty

AHRC is located right next door to a Certified Learning

Therapy Center to help speed results during

hyperbaric oxygen treatments.



Page Twenty-One

New life for long-tterm coma patientsJune 4 2007; By Guo Lei

Two long-term comatose patients have finallyawakened in Changhai Hospital's hyperbaricoxygen therapeutic center, hospital officialsannounced over the weekend. "Hyperbaric oxy-gen therapy is one of the most effective meth-ods to wake up people in a vegetative state,"said Wang Guisong, a respected neurosurgeonat Renji Hospital

Hyperbaric oxygen reduces tissue hypoxiaand hypoxia-iinducible factor-11 alphaexpression in focal cerebral ischemia. Stroke. 2008

CONCLUSION: Measurement of extrinsic andintrinsic markers of hypoxia revealed that HBOimproves penumbral oxygenation in focalischemia. Modification of the transcription factorhypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha and its down-stream targets may be involved in effects of HBO.

Neuroprotection by oxygen in acute transientfocal cerebral ischemia is dose dependent andshows superiority of hyperbaric oxygenation. Cerebrovasc Dis. 2008

The neuroprotective effect of oxygen after acutestroke in rats has been shown previously.However, the question of optimal dosing stillremains unanswered. A statistically significantand long-lasting reduction in infarct volume wasseen in the HBO 2.5 ATA and 3.0 ATA groupsover a period of 7 days. The reduced infarct volume was accompanied with a statistically significant improvement in clinical outcome inthe high-dose oxygen-treated groups. Thesedata are important for the development of newacute stroke treatment studies in humans.

Neuroprotection by oxygen in acute transientfocal cerebral ischemia is dose dependent andshows superiority of hyperbaric oxygenation.Cerebrovasc Dis. 2008

The neuroprotective effect of oxygen after acutestroke in rats has been shown previously.However, the question of optimal dosing stillremains unanswered. A statistically significantand long-lasting reduction in infarct volume wasseen in the HBO 2.5 ATA and 3.0 ATA groupsover a period of 7 days. The reduced infarct volume was accompanied with a statistically significant improvement in clinical outcome inthe high-dose oxygen-treated groups. Thesedata are important for the development of newacute stroke treatment studies in humans.

Ohio State University Medical Center toTest Efficacy of Hyperbaric OxygenMedicine on Stroke Victims Tue, 20 May 2008

Currently utilized for the treatment of chronic,non-healing wounds, carbon monoxide poisoning,crush injuries as well as other indications, theuse of hyperbaric medicine for stroke victims isat the forefront of hyperbaric research.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the treatment ofthe entire body with 100-percent oxygen atgreater than normal atmospheric pressures.Hyperbaric medicine greatly increases oxygenconcentration in all body tissues, even withreduced or blocked blood flow, stimulates thegrowth of new blood vessels to locations withreduced circulation (improving blood flow toareas with arterial blockage) and causes arebound arterial dilation after treatment, resultingin an increased blood vessel diameter greaterthan when therapy began, thus improving bloodflow to compromised organs. The CMIS team ishopeful that these benefits of hyperbaric oxygentreatments will positively affect stroke patients.



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Possible New Therapy for Stroke PatientsJune 30, 2007 By Kristen Johnson, WDEF News 12

A type of therapy known to heal diabeticwounds and treat people with carbon monoxidepoison could now be used to treat strokepatients. Doctors at Erlanger Medical Centerrecently used the Hyperbaric Chamber Therapyto help a 23-year-old stoke patient make somelarge strides in her recovery.

"Oxygen is a drug and it goes to sites of injuryand it improves the oxygenation...does a lot ofgood things for the cells."

"There's an awful lot of research that needs tobe carried on with this therapy..there's off labelprograms around the country that have done alot of this...but for HBO to be accepted this hasto undergo scientific scrutiny at a research insti-tution," Creel states.

As one of the most active research stroke centers in the southeast, Doctor Creel says hehopes Erlanger can be part of developing theHyberbaric Therapy for stroke patients further.

Edward Teller and HBOTby Carlo Lingiardi, Sunday, May 31, 2009

It turns out that Edward Teller who developedthe atomic bomb used to end WWII used a100% oxygen rigid hyperbaric chamber, and aportable one when he was travelling, to be better after he had strokes. I'm renting thechamber from the very person who gave thesetreatments to Mr. Teller who eventually also hadone for himself. He did treatments until he died.

So even if I certainly don't need any reinforce-ment of my conviction of the efficacy of HBOTfor TBI I know that one of the most intelligentmathematicians who ever existed after Einstein

used it himself during his entire life. I'm not adoctor, I've just always been above average inmath, but the logic of the effect of oxygen toinjured parts, brain included, is too simple not tobe understood.

Strokes- Statistics and PreventionMay 9, 2009, by Dr. Ramsey

In order of predominance, the leading causes ofdeath in the U.S. are (1) cancer (2) cardiovas-cular disease and (3) stroke. The main cause ofstrokes are blocked carotid arteries (80%) andmore than half of the people who have strokeshave absolutely no symptoms prior to strokeonset.

Half of the Medicare costs go directly topatients with strokes. Strokes are either causedby ischemia (poor blood flow from the carotidarteries), a clot from local or distant tissues orfrom a bleed (arterial hemorrhage within thebrain from weakened vessels or injury).

Since most of the strokes in the US are causedby narrowing carotid arteries, we look first atpreventing this. Lifestyle plays a large role here.First, make sure your blood pressure is nothigh. Second make sure that you have plenty ofessential fatty acids in your diet. If you are athigher risk than normal (overweight, smoker,high blood pressure), consider an enzymecalled nattokinase to go along with the fish oiland it works as good as taking Coumadin, betterthan aspirin at preventing clot formation andplaque buildup.

If you are reading this article and you or some-one you know suffered a stroke, the absolutebest medicine you will ever receive for this isHyperbaric Oxygen. Very few hospitals will offerthis care to stroke victims, yet it shouldabsolutely be the first line treatment to restoreoptimal oxygenation to the starving tissue.


SSttrrookkeess- SSttaattiissttiiccss aanndd PPrreevveennttiioonn ccoonn’’tt

There are genetic predispositions to strokes thatgo completely unknown until the first stroke,called Atriovenous Malformation. The only wayone would know of such a condition is to havean angiogram to look for backflow of the vesselsor to have an MRI, which does have some falsenegative outcomes.

Therefore, knowing which symptoms may suggest an onset of a stroke, or a transientischemic attack (TIA) is as follows:

Sudden…numbness or weakness of anywhere in the bodydizziness, loss of balancetrouble speaking or understanding speechconfusionsevere headacheloss of vision or sudden dimness

PPrreevveennttiioonn iiss kkeeyy

If you have any of the above listed symptoms,get to a hospital within 2 hours of onset andinsist upon an MRA (magnetic resonanceangiography) - although expensive to yourinsurance company, can save your life

If you have a family history of stroke, or if you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or are overweight, have a simple carotid artery test called a Dopplerstudy.Assure that your blood pressure hasn't changed significantly in the past yearAssure that your cholesterol is monitored yearly and maintained at optimal ratio of good to bad cholesterol with lifestyle and supplement measures, avoiding statin drugs as much as possible

Page Twenty-Three

If you suffer heart fluttering at all, have an echocardiogram to rule out atrial fribrillation.Use increased precaution if you smoke (with fish oil and nattokinase) and try to decrease if possible.Exercise daily - even if it is a simple walk around the blockOptimize body composition, which means to increase your lean to fat ratio, regardless of your overall weightBe mindful of alcohol consumption and decrease when possible

Without fail, minimize your stress as this is amajor contributor to alterations in heart health,blood flow, nutrient depletion, cholesterol management etc.

Here is an affirmation for you to use daily aswell. When you say the words, feel their vibration in your cells. If you can feel them withease and don't notice any resistance in yourbody when you recite the words, you are invibration alignment with prevention of strokes:o Life is change, and I adapt easily to the new. I accept life - past, present and future". [takenfrom You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay]

HHyyppeerrbbaarriicc OOxxyyggeenn TThheerraappyy aanndd SSttrrookkeess

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) works bysaturating a person's blood and plasma withoxygen resulting in increased oxygen delivery totissues. In fact, because HBOT forces oxygeninto the body under pressure, oxygen dissolvesinto all of the body's fluids including the bloodplasma, the lymph, and the cerebrospinal fluidsurrounding the brain and spinal cord. All ofthese fluids carry the extra oxygen to the tissues and cells of the body, even where circulation is poor or blocked.



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The extra oxygen in the tissues helps the healingprocess in many ways, including: Enhancing thewhite blood cells' activity at wound sites andability to fight infection; promoting the develop-ment of new blood vessels for increased circula-tion to hypoxic areas; assisting the body to buildnew connective tissue in damaged areas; reducing edema by vasoconstriction; and blockingcytotoxic effects of many harmful gases/poisons.

No matter what causes a stroke, the result is alocalized area of damage in the brain called aninfarct. The injured area has a central core ofdamaged tissue that cannot be repaired, surrounded by an area that is not as heavilydamaged. Between the damaged tissue and theunaffected, normal brain tissue is a zone calledthe penumbra. The penumbra contains dormant/idling neurons that are intact but nonfunctioning.

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HBOT, by providing extra oxygen under pres-sure, helps wake up these idling cells so theycan recover their function. Once these neuronsbegin working again, many of the symptoms ofstroke disappear.

HBOT also has many other benefits for thetreatment of strokes, which include:

Relief of oxygen starvation or hypoxiaIncreased microcirculation or capillary development to increase blood flowDecreased brain swelling or edema by constricting nearby blood vesselsRelief of muscle spasticityReduction of free radicals that continue tocause tissue damageStimulation of nerve impulses through the brain and spinal cordProtection of the integrity of cell membranes so they can function properly

Other ArticlesNew life for long-tterm coma patientsJune 4 2007; By Guo Lei

TWO long-term comatose patients have finallyawakened in Changhai Hospital's hyperbaricoxygen therapeutic center, hospital officialsannounced over the weekend.

Zhang Shifen, 30, from Jiangyin, JiangsuProvince, came to the hospital just after the Mayholiday break. She was in a coma after beingpoisoned by hydrogen sulfide at work.

Cai Zhongliang, 35, from Jiading, on the out-skirts of Shanghai, woke up at the end of lastmonth after three months in coma caused by atraffic accident.

Both of them were treated with hyberbaric oxy-gen therapy. "We feel overjoyed now becausedoctors at our local hospital said my daughterwill never wake up," said Tang Rendi, Zhang'smother. Liu Qingle, the center's director, under-stands the joy and excitement but considers thetwo just normal cases.


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"We help comatose patients regain conscious-ness just like other doctors treat diseases suchas colds," said Liu.

The hospital's statistics show that an averageone or two patients in a vegetative state haveawakened every month since 2002, when thecenter's hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatmentswung into full operation.

According to Liu, their wake-ups account formore than 50 percent of patients.

"We can tell whether the patient can wake up inmost cases based on our experiences," saidLiu. Liu explained that the therapy helps causea saturation of oxygen in the plasma and tissuefluids so the body can function more effectively.

"Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is one of the mosteffective methods to wake up people in a vege-tative state," said Wang Guisong, a respectedneurosurgeon at Renji Hospital.

Neuroplasticity shows 'the injured brain canbe shocked back to normal' by Dr. Ratansi, ND

Of recent interest is the understanding of neuro-plasticity. This is an important model that we arenow gaining an incredible amount of knowledgein and that changed our viewpoints on the'injured brain model'. Up until recently, if youspoke to a neurologist on the injured brainmodel of repair, they would uniformly say thatonce a part of the brain has been damaged, sohas its function. In other words, it was originallythought that if you damaged a part of the brain,then the damages would be permanent andthere would be no hope of full repair and recovery. This model of brain injury has nowchanged. Ask most neurologists today and they

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will confirm the model of 'neuroplasticity. Thismodel is one that shows that the brain is muchmore complex than previously believed. The keypoint here being that the brain can 'reorganizeitself' after an injury; thereby, taking over func-tioning of the area that has been lost by thedead brain tissue. So the brain can be re-boot-ed or shocked back to recovery. Please keep inmind that this is a normal process that occursafter a brain injury. However, recent studieshave shown that this process can be accelerat-ed immensely. One major advancement is in theapplication of enhancing neuroplasticity is in theuse of hyperbaric oxygenation therapy. Studieshave confirmed that the medical procedureinvolving the use of hyperbaric oxygenationtherapy can significantly enhance neuroplasticitythat normally follows an 'injured brain'. So withour understanding of neuroplasticity, onceagain, I can confidently say that 'the injuredbrain can be repaired'.

The Injured Brain Can Be Repaired.

Speed the recovery of you or your lovedone. Contact the Advanced Hyperbaric &

Recovery Centre now.


Dr. Zayd Ratansi, NDwith clinic practitionersLorraine and Kelly.


Brain Report

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