Has anyone heard of the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

[Mzungu80]

My mom has PPMS. I have been doing a lot of research on this therapy and it seems to have helped a lot of people. Has anyone else heard about it or tried it?

[Poppy7402]

Hyperbaric oxygen

I haven't actually spoken to anyone whose tried hyperbaric oxygen but I have read a wonderful non fictional account of a lady who has.

The book is called 'Awkward ***** - My life with MS' by Marlo Donato Parmelee. It's such a delightful book that I've read it about three times now.

[Mzungu80]

Thank you. I will look into that.

[SNOOPY]

Hello Mzungu80 and welcome to MSWorld.

From the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, page 3:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Nat...cine-in-MS.pdf

Therapies in which there is no strong evidence for a beneficial effect in MS include calcium EAP, chelation therapy, craniosacral therapy, enemas, hyperbaric oxygen, and dental mercury amalgam removal.

Many people with MS use Complementary, Alternative Medicine (CAM). Some has been shown to be helpful for MS, some have not and others are Scams.

There is a forum here at MSWorld that is specifically for Primary Progressive MS:
http://www.msworld.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=24

Feel free to post questions on any of the forums.

[Mzungu80]

Thank you. I will look at that forum. I have read what the MS Society has written about HBOT but, the positive results that patients experienced were not emphasized in the study. All of the numbers from the study can be found in an article titled, "The Controversy over Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis". (Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.vol. 10, num 4. Winter, 2005.) I couldn't post the link.

[Seasha]

Welcome to MSWorld Mzungu80! It's good to hear you are doing some research for your mom. I notice you are trying to post this thread also in the SP and PPMS forum. Instead I'm going to move this thread to that forum since you already have some replies.

If your mom does this treatment, I hope that she gains much from it.

[Mzungu80]

Thank you for moving this! I am not really familiar with posting in forums.

[Kimba22]

Hi Mzungu80,

Welcome to MSWorld. It's wonderful to see that you are researching information for your mom. I hope you'll find this site very informative and supportive.

I have heard of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (aka as HBOT treatment) being used for MS, but have never tried it. At one time, it was a topic of interest for my husband. A brief explanation of this treatment can be found here: http://www.mstrust.org.uk/atoz/hbo.jsp. I did some digging myself and came up with this info~

Here is some background information:

"In 1983, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggested that hyperbaric oxygen therapy produced benefits for people with MS. Seventeen people with MS were treated with hyperbaric oxygen in this study. Improvement was observed in 12 people. Long-lasting improvements were noted in five. Some work in animals has produced similar findings, with hyperbaric oxygen protecting against an experimental form of MS.

Despite the initial positive findings, seven studies since then have not shown consistent benefits. Some suggested a mild improvement in bladder function. In 1995, a review of all research of this therapy in MS concluded that hyperbaric oxygen should not be used to treat MS.

Another review, published in 2004, found no consistent evidence of benefit and concluded it should not be used routinely. These researchers also suggested that hyperbaric oxygen treatment for MS did not warrant further investigation."
http://www.neurologycare.net/hyperbaric-oxygen.html

Because of this, HBOT is not recommended as a MS treatment by any of the MS Societies, including the National MS Society and the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America. It is not an FDA approved treatment for MS and is not a covered therapy for MS from private health insurance or government plans. MS is also not one of the 13 conditions approved for HBOT treatment by The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, the governing body of hyperbaric medicine (position statement on the Treatment of MS with hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment can be found here:
http://membership.uhms.org/?page=position_statements) There is no strong clinical evidence supporting it's use in MS. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20415839.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14974004

Patients who were followed long term in the article you referred to were in the UK. There it is offered in over 60 MS treatment centers. Treatment consists of an initial series of a 20 sixty minute sessions, followed by one or two treatments each month. Patients in the UK are asked to make a "small donation" because it is not an approved MS treatment by the National Health Service.

There are MS patients who claim it has eased some of their symptoms, such as fatigue, pain, or bladder control. But, there are also those others who did not gain any benefit from it. It is not a cure.

Further studies ARE ensuing regarding this type of therapy, and if you Google: New Research Spring 2014 - NMSS , you'll find that they recently issued a research grant to investigate this topic further. Here are a few excerpts found on page 5 (Sorry, but I haven't figured out a way to copy url's from a pdf with my tablet):

"Kenneth Smith, PhD, of University College London, has received a research grant from the National MS Society to investigate if increasing the oxygen concentration in the brain can help to prevent injury without causing additional damage."

"The research is reminiscent of earlier trials involving high pressure (hyperbaric) oxygen therapy in MS, but the new research is founded in a different and new understanding of the mechanisms involved."

I hope some of this info was helpful to you. All we can do is make the best, most informed decision we can that fits our individual circumstanstances. Good luck in your quest to find answers that might help your mom. We're here to support whatever decision you and your mom make.

Best wishes

[DianeD]

Michael Jackson

I seem to recall that pop star Michael Jackson used oxygen therapy.. I don't know a lot about it, but it seems to make sense. I don't think it will cure or change the course of MS, but it probably could make a person feel better and that's a good thing.

Going to look it up.

Regards, Diane

[Myoak]

Hypoxia is low oxygen. There is a good deal of scientific lit about hypoxia causing neurological problems in autoimmune diseases. HBOT is one of those things which oddly attract emotion so you have to short out the issue on your own to reach a proper conclusion. Below are two links and a book title (too expensive for me but I’ve heard good reports) which might help.

I can definitely tell you there are neuros who believe that increasing oxygen will shorten MS exacerbations. My wife has an oxygen machine (respiration) which she uses 20 minutes a day several times a week as part of a regimen to prevent MS relapse. JMHO, but I believe the future will see more research in the area of HBOT because the science behind it has become more solid in the past two years. One study below is 2013.

I definitely would not discount HBOT based on recommendations of disease societies which are often years behind science. That is not a criticism; it is an observation and an understandable one. Clinicians and disease societies are not going to advocate anything unproven in large trials. That is why they will always be years behind whatever is proven in the first, smaller trials for whatever demonstrates benefit.

Also, larger trials often only take place when financial return looks promising. Since HBOT appears unpatentable we likely will never see large trials; they are just too costly. Thus, wordings like “shows no strong benefit” when actually “no big trials proving efficacy” would better describe their position. So you have reach your own conclusions about possible benefits.

Probably, HBOT is beneficial for many people because generally people stop using things which are not beneficial; HBOT is widely offered and used in the UK. American MS clinicians operate almost exclusively in the expensive drug realm.

One thing for sure… HBOT is very unlikey to harm you. Increased oxygen has benefits, science does prove that fact. But for some strange reason HBOT is an emotional issue so expect a few woofers.

Neurological deficits caused by tissue hypoxia in neuroinflammatory disease.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24038279
Long Term Hyperbaric Oxygenation (HBO) Retards Progression in Multiple Sclerosis Patients.
http://drcranton.com/hbo/HBO_MS_UK.htm

Immune Regulation and Immunotherapy in Autoimmune Disease
By Jingwu Zhang

[Mzungu80]

Kimba22 Thank you for the links. I know that the National MS Society is not supporting this therapy for MS. I know about the research that has been done in the US. The research in the UK has been more accurate, I think, just because they have made it more available and it is less political to them. If so many people are being treated with it there, why would the US be so dismissive of it? I would think the results of the trials would be universal. I will look at those links, though. Thank you.

DianeD Yes. Michael Jackson did use it but that makes the therapy seem more like a fad, unless he was being treated by an educated neurologist for a diagnosed condition. But, unfortunately, all people know is, Michael Jackson did that. You are right about the science. I agree. It seems very logical.

Myoak I have read and talked to people a lot about the controversy and reasons that HBOT is not approved and used more in the US for MS. But, I could not have summed it up better than you did. Does your wife's oxygen machine do the same thing that a chamber would do for her? She isn't getting as much oxygen from the machine, right? Since my mom has PPMS, we are trying to keep her from getting worse. I am not sure if she will be able to regain anything. As people have said, treatments will have different effects on different people with MS. I will look up your links, too. I am glad your wife has found something to prevent relapses. Thank you.

[Myoak]

Mzungu,

Thank you for your good wishes. My wife breaths oxygen in hopes of preventing relapse. She has had no relapse but most likely it is due to Tysabri. Oxygen, vitamin D, exercise, eating well, keeping stress to a minimum are all things we do in hope of preserving good health.

Breathing oxygen is not the same as HBOT. Those chambers are expensive. But oxygen concentrators are common on craigs. If interested, be sure to buy from non-smoker or it will stink and be unusable.

Don’t be afraid to look at LDN. It is exceedingly safe. Learn about it. Many, many MSers are taking LDN; especially those not on a FDA drug for MS.

Also, omega-3 with omega-6 and vitamins was shown protective against brain atrophy. Many MSers are using 5,000 IU of Vitamin D daily safely.

Thinking of you and praying for your Mom.