Hyperberic Oxygen Therapy

[Allison]

While I'm posting about alternative therapies, I wanted to ask about this one. I just have an instinctual hunch that it will help. Has anyone ever tried it or seen anything about it helping Pandas?

 

Thanks!

 

A

[EAMom]

While I'm posting about alternative therapies, I wanted to ask about this one. I just have an instinctual hunch that it will help. Has anyone ever tried it or seen anything about it helping Pandas?

 

Thanks!

 

A

 

here's an old thread http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?...art=#entry31678

[Suzan]

Our Dan! wanted to do it for my dd7 but since she has a history of seizures the neurologist was not willing to try at this point. Our Dan! thought it would help with her impulsive, sensory and other behavioral issues.

 

Susan

[MichaelTampa]

I haven't done HBOT, but I have done 2 hours per day of breathing with an oxygen mask from an oxygen concentrator. It has helped me a lot. I should point out that it looks a lot like I have lyme and baronella in addition to PANDAS. I really believe the oxygen treatments are great for any chronic condition, and would put PANDAS in that category.

 

Michael

[Sheila]

Here’s a good resource on hyperbaric oxygen therapy; it includes info on its use for autism:

http://www.healing-arts.org/children/hyper...py_Introduction

 

It is recommended by some for Lyme, based in great part on work by Dr. William Fife at Texas A & M University (now retired). He developed the protocol that is often used for Lyme and reports a high rate of significant improvement. This is the only study article I've seen by him, and it appears to be preliminary--if someone finds additional articles, please post them:

 

http://hbotoday.com/treatment/clinical/res...ctsonlyme.shtml

 

Note that Dr Fife reported: “All except one of the 91 subjects developed severe Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction [symptoms getting worse before better] usually appearing within the first 5 days of the beginning of hyperbaric oxygen treatment. In most cases, the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction continued throughout the series of treatments, and in many instances continued for up to a month after the treatments were finished. (Italics mine)

 

In EAMom's post above, she gives a previous thread that includes a post by Ratlehum indicating that a DAN doctor did not recommend HBOT for PANDAS, saying that strep is an “aerobic bacteria and thrives in high oxygen environments.” Might there also be a herx reaction when PANDAS/PITAND kids try HBOT? Is it possible to avoid an increase in symptoms if a more gentle protocol is used? I don’t have the answers to these questions. But if someone wishes to pursue HBOT it seems it would be important to find a highly qualified and experienced practitioner for protocol development and monitoring.

[Fixit]

In EAMom's post above, she gives a previous thread that includes a post by Ratlehum indicating that a DAN doctor did not recommend HBOT for PANDAS, saying that strep is an “aerobic bacteria and thrives in high oxygen environments.” Might there also be a herx reaction when PANDAS/PITAND kids try HBOT? Is it possible to avoid an increase in symptoms if a more gentle protocol is used? I don’t have the answers to these questions. But if someone wishes to pursue HBOT it seems it would be important to find a highly qualified and experienced practitioner for protocol development and monitoring.

 

So as another hypothesis, your thought is that maybe because the herxing is bad or more so for pand/pits that maybe the protocoal was stopped early and there still might be a benefit in the long haul. But because conditons worsened, it could have only been temporary set back, and if they were able to push threw?

[smartyjones]

Note that Dr Fife reported: "All except one of the 91 subjects developed severe Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction [symptoms getting worse before better] usually appearing within the first 5 days of the beginning of hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

 

 

so the million dollar question - maybe with all treatments but seemingly with alternative -- how do you know if it's a herxheimer reaction or if it's worsening of symptoms?

[Sheila]

In EAMom's post above, she gives a previous thread that includes a post by Ratlehum indicating that a DAN doctor did not recommend HBOT for PANDAS, saying that strep is an “aerobic bacteria and thrives in high oxygen environments.” Might there also be a herx reaction when PANDAS/PITAND kids try HBOT? Is it possible to avoid an increase in symptoms if a more gentle protocol is used? I don’t have the answers to these questions. But if someone wishes to pursue HBOT it seems it would be important to find a highly qualified and experienced practitioner for protocol development and monitoring.

 

So as another hypothesis, your thought is that maybe because the herxing is bad or more so for pand/pits that maybe the protocoal was stopped early and there still might be a benefit in the long haul. But because conditons worsened, it could have only been temporary set back, and if they were able to push threw?

 

It seems it's a possibility, Fixit. But as SmartyJones says, it's always a tough call for parents to make as to what is happening when symptoms increase.

 

HBOT is often used by mainstream medicine for strep infections (and other bacterial inflammation) in extremeties. Several reports support its use for making antibiotics more effective. While I saw one study that questioned its effectiveness, I haven't seen any that suggest it makes strep worse. Still, I'm no expert on it--so I'll see if I can find out more about this.

[MichaelTampa]

I want to chime in a little more with my experience on an oxygen concentrator. This works by breathing in from a mask or tube which is connected to a machine. It is about 93% pure oxygen this way. Something similar is breathing that way from an oxygen tank of 100% pure oxygen. I was a little scared by that, so went the concentrator route. I expect this is really a very similar idea, but not as powerful. If one is concerned about getting worse before better kind of thing, maybe that is the way to go, it is gentler.

 

I started using it a couple months before antibiotics, would use it for 2 hours generally before bedtime. Most nights, I was a little lightheaded and tired and fuzzy afterwards as I headed to bed following the treatment. A gentle herx? I don't know, maybe. The thing I noticed most immediately as a benefit was it helped me sleep better. When I started antibiotics, about days 3-5, I noticed in my left foot having some pulsing pains here and there. My left foot has had pulsing pains for a few years, off an on, various things would correlate with the pain, sometimes so severe and sudden people would think I was having a heart attack, sometimes gentle and dull and not too big of a deal. I could talk or write for hours trying to describe it, but let me say it has been a big mystery for many doctors. No pain in the foot since those days. I am still on antibiotics, and I still occasionally feel some squirrelly feelings under my skin during the oxygen treatment, often in arms and legs. We are all free to interpret, but there is no doubt in my mind that this is an example of the oxygen treatment really interacting with the antibiotics in a good way, as Sheila was mentioning above. I do want to point out, though, there was plenty of benefit even before I was on antibiotics.

 

Michael

[Fixit]

where did you get the machine?//

 

there is an online doc out of ca, who i think is really on the right track in regards to the brain controls all disease...

anyway he has a weekly email i get, some great quotes,,some recent research...but he does taught this perosnal oxygen thing...

which i would get if it were like 200...but i think it's $600ish

[MichaelTampa]

For a while I was renting for $170 per month, I'm sure that varies by location. I just purchased one for $530 used delivered from somewhere out of state. I'm sure there are some a little cheaper and a little more expensive. They do use up some electricity. Used is not only cheaper but also will have less offgassing of plastics.

 

Michael

[MichaelTampa]

I am feeling the need to add just a little bit more information, in case someone here ends up actually deciding to rent or purchase an oxygen concentrator. The protocol I was using involved using a machine that was set to produce 5 liters of oxygen per minute. Most users of oxygen do not need this much, and use more in the range of 1-2 liters per minute. Because of this, most oxygen concentrators only produce something like 1-2 liters per minute, and can't do the 5 liters per minute protocol. Anyone getting oxygen needs a prescription (at least in the US), and so you will be discussing this with your doctor, but, for the record, I was using 5 liters per minute. This recommendation actually came from the protocol for treating chronic fatigue syndrome through carbon monoxide poisoning. This is a guy who sees carbon monoxide poisoning in every person with symptoms that look a little bit like that, including chronic fatigue. That said, from subsequent reading, I do feel that it is excellent treatment for chronic fatigue and also for PTSD, but do believe bacterial infections can result in the same need, particularly long-term infections. It's not just for carbon monoxide poisoning anymore.

 

Michael

[Fixit]

I am feeling the need to add just a little bit more information, in case someone here ends up actually deciding to rent or purchase an oxygen concentrator. The protocol I was using involved using a machine that was set to produce 5 liters of oxygen per minute. Most users of oxygen do not need this much, and use more in the range of 1-2 liters per minute. Because of this, most oxygen concentrators only produce something like 1-2 liters per minute, and can't do the 5 liters per minute protocol. Anyone getting oxygen needs a prescription (at least in the US), and so you will be discussing this with your doctor, but, for the record, I was using 5 liters per minute. This recommendation actually came from the protocol for treating chronic fatigue syndrome through carbon monoxide poisoning. This is a guy who sees carbon monoxide poisoning in every person with symptoms that look a little bit like that, including chronic fatigue. That said, from subsequent reading, I do feel that it is excellent treatment for chronic fatigue and also for PTSD, but do believe bacterial infections can result in the same need, particularly long-term infections. It's not just for carbon monoxide poisoning anymore.

 

Michael

 

The Personal Oxygen Bar...as this is called....does not rquire a persericpoin....i don't know how much it puts out per miinute...but there are no refills??? it somehow regenerates it out of the aire itself????..i'lll try to figure it out sometime....it's $598

[MichaelTampa]

I am feeling the need to add just a little bit more information, in case someone here ends up actually deciding to rent or purchase an oxygen concentrator. The protocol I was using involved using a machine that was set to produce 5 liters of oxygen per minute. Most users of oxygen do not need this much, and use more in the range of 1-2 liters per minute. Because of this, most oxygen concentrators only produce something like 1-2 liters per minute, and can't do the 5 liters per minute protocol. Anyone getting oxygen needs a prescription (at least in the US), and so you will be discussing this with your doctor, but, for the record, I was using 5 liters per minute. This recommendation actually came from the protocol for treating chronic fatigue syndrome through carbon monoxide poisoning. This is a guy who sees carbon monoxide poisoning in every person with symptoms that look a little bit like that, including chronic fatigue. That said, from subsequent reading, I do feel that it is excellent treatment for chronic fatigue and also for PTSD, but do believe bacterial infections can result in the same need, particularly long-term infections. It's not just for carbon monoxide poisoning anymore.

 

Michael

 

The Personal Oxygen Bar...as this is called....does not rquire a persericpoin....i don't know how much it puts out per miinute...but there are no refills??? it somehow regenerates it out of the aire itself????..i'lll try to figure it out sometime....it's $598

 

 

I see a couple things on the internet with that name. The ones I see provide maybe 40% oxygen, a bit below the 93% provided by oxygen concentrators I am familiar with. Perhaps that is why no prescription is required. One said it provided 3 liters per minute flow rate. These work by taking the oxygen out of the air and concentrating it, so there really is nothing to refill.

 

Michael