HBOT for autism
Hyperbaric therapy is not a new kid in the block and has been used by medical practitioners for years to counter several health conditions. Initially, it was used to treat deep-sea divers of decompression sickness. Subsequently, HBOT was then used to treat a host of other ailments like chronic infections and wounds as a result of radiation therapy and diabetes, the presence of air bubbles in blood vessels and many more.
Currently, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved 13 health conditions and ailments that are to be treated with HBOT. They are as follows,
- Gas Embolism
- Gas Gangrene
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Exceptional loss of blood
- Compartment syndrome, advanced stage ischemias, and crush injury
- Diabetic chronic wounds
- Decompression sickness
- Thermal burns
- Radiation injury
- Necrotizing fasciitis
- Skin grafts and flaps
- Osteomyelitis
- Intracranial abscess
While these are FDA approved health conditions for HBOT, medical practitioners for long have been pushing HBOT for the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders, Stroke, Cerebral Palsy, Brain Injury, and many more such ailments. While these ailments are yet to get approval from the FDA, which means insurance companies won’t be covering the cost of hyperbaric treatment for these conditions, the ASD community has nothing but great things to say about HBOT.
Samuel David Lehrer Helps People how HBOT for Autism can Make Things Better
Samuel David Lehrer has worked for decades with high-tech medical equipment. Thanks to those decades of experience, he has an in-depth understanding of novel treatment methods and the new technologies that are coming to the forefront for patient care.
Recently, he explained how HBOT for autism can help in relieving the symptoms of this health condition and improve the overall well being of the patient. But before we jump into what Lehrer says about HBOT for autism, let us learn a little more about this treatment and how it works.
What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and how does it Work?
In the hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the patient is placed in an airtight compartment called the hyperbaric chamber where he or she breathes in pure oxygen. The atmospheric pressure inside the compartment is three times higher than the normal air pressure found at sea level.
The patient is made to breathe pure oxygen under heightened atmospheric so that the lungs can gather in more oxygen than what is possible under normal circumstances. The increased air pressure helps the pure oxygen to dissolve in all body fluids including blood as this gas helps in fighting bacteria and releases a substance known as the growth factor that promotes and enhances the healing capabilities of our body.
Samuel David Lehrer on HBOT for Autism
Lehrer says that while hyperbaric therapy is not new in the medical community and has been around for more than a century; its use for treating conditions like autism is a recent development. While the effects of HBOT for autism are still being explored in detail by researchers and doctors, this alternative treatment has already had a significant impact on the children affected with this disability, their parents, and caregivers.
He further says that during the hyperbaric sessions, the patients are asked to be a part of a group in a specially designed room or lie down together in hyperbaric chambers for the treatment to start. Once the treatment starts pure oxygen is released in the compartment and the air pressure is increased two to three times higher than the normal scale.
Lehrer says that in group hyperbaric sessions as many as dozen people are placed in a single room that has been specially fitted with equipment to allow the passage of pure oxygen and to adjust the pressure. All the patients undergo HBOT for autism simultaneously. However, patients can also undergo HBOT for autism individually in hyperbaric chambers.
“The therapy has been especially popular among parents of children with disabilities like autism in recent years,” said Lehrer.
He was also quoted saying that after undergoing hyperbaric sessions, many a time, parents reported improvement in their child in various areas. There have been positive reports of autistic children socializing more, performing better in school, and playing with their siblings after undergoing HBOT for autism.
However, Lehrer also states that recovery is not the same for everyone and that should not be something parents must expect when their kids undergo HBOT sessions. Regardless, HBOT for autism has improved many lives that have been affected by autism. Autistic individuals, who have undergone hyperbaric sessions have grown in terms of health and social skills. Based on such positive reports from parents and caregivers of autistic children, HBOT for autism is being adopted as a complementary treatment for ASD cases in several hospitals and clinics all over the nation.
