Hello, everyone! I am excited to share with you some information I discovered, while at the 11th Annual International Hyperbaric Medical Association Conference down in New Orleans, about hyperbaric oxygen therapy and its uses for treating some of America’s most prevalent diseases. As you may know from my previous monthly columns, we at The Oxford Center offer a diverse range of therapies, one of which is hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

   Here’s a quick refresher: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy puts the body in an environment in which one breathes pure, medical-grade oxygen under greater than atmospheric pressure for about 60-90 minutes. Breathing pressurized oxygen, in this modality, super saturates the blood and carries this vital gas to the cells. The medical community has gradually expanded the use of this therapy for the many conditions listed on our website: www.OxfordRecoveryCenter.com/conditions.

   At the conference, we heard lectures by leaders in hyperbaric medicine about new research in the field. These studies focused on cancer treatments, the ketogenic diet, treatments for autism, enhancing the athletic performance of athletes, acute and post concussion treatment, hyperbaric therapy in veterinary medicine, and the combination of intensive neuro-physical therapy with hyperbaric oxygen therapy for cerebral palsy.

   The presented cancer research examined the changes that different types of cancer cells go through that prevent them from easily processing fats and oxygen. Dominic D’Agostino, Ph.D., referred to the ketogenic diet and hyperbaric oxygen as a shock therapy to cancer cells that places the body in a state in which the cancer cells cannot easily survive. Combined with traditional therapies such as chemo and radiation, his work shows promise in gaining greater insights into how cancer cells work and how we may be able to fight against this disease.

   The research presented on autism had to do with a relatively new term in the scientific community: epigenetics. This term refers to the new finding that though the genetic coding of a gene typically does not change throughout a person’s lifetime, the genetic expression of a person’s genes frequently changes due to environmental factors. Through the use of hyperbaric oxygen and diet, changes may occur in the gene expression that can alleviate some of the symptoms of autism.

   Cerebral palsy has been a significant condition treated at The Oxford Center for some time now. Research presented about this condition at the conference showed that hyperbaric oxygen combined with an intensive neuro physical therapy program can lead to some tremendous results in these children’s lives, up to 45 times the expected gain. That’s huge! This was measured by improvements in the child’s ability to maneuver and perform everyday tasks with the Gross Motor Functional Measure (GMFM) evaluation.

   Veterinary medicine has adopted hyperbaric medicine for a broad range of conditions. Veterinarians speaking at the conference have shown examples of burns healing much faster with the use of hyperbaric. Furthermore, cancer having longer than expected lives with enhanced quality; spinal damage healing, even some with paralysis; and crush injuries returning to normal at amazing speeds. We watched videos of injured dogs, who most centers would have recommended putting down, return to normal after hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

 To find out how The Oxford Center can help you, call for a no charge consultation. Call Dr.Tami Peterson’s team today at 248-486-3636 to schedule an appointment at the new state-of-the-art Troy Location at 165 Kirts Blvd., Suite 500 or visit www.OxfordRecoveryCenter.com. Let your healing begin!