Dr. Bernard Rimland 1928 -- 2006 Founder of Defeat Autism Now (DAN")  Beloved  by so many and dearly missed. . .

Jennifer Cullen -- see testimonial at the bottom of this page and view FOX News report on Jennifer.

Our Centers . . .  What we have learned in the last ten years

For a number of years, our Centers used the  "Harch"  protocol for neurologically challenged children, with 20 consecutive days of twice daily sessions. However, our professional clinicians now believe that it is far more advantageous to the little  patient to commence hyperbaric treatments with a "loading dose" of ten to twenty 60 minute treatments done once daily.  At this point it is becomes more valuable to taper off the treatments to a series of two to three treatments done weekly for an extended period of time.  As the injured brain of   child goes through a unique developmental process, the course of their treatments should considered a longer road to success rather than an attempt at a "quick fix".  The total number of treatments a child will have depends largely on the results and the progression rate of the patient. Then, as the years roll along, the parents and their medical advisor  choose the times to return for more treatments and decide how many treatments all together.  Some of our patients started as tiny children and are now young adults. An inspiring example is at the end of this page.

Many parents and caregivers are confused  about the claims made by proponents of inflatable chambers, especially since much of the data used by practitioners to justify their use comes from a different type of chamber that provides 100% oxygen at higher pressures. The dramatic results of pioneering HBOT specialists such as Paul Harch M.D. and Richard Neubauer M.D. for their little patients were obtained in "hard" (hospital grade) chambers at oxygen percentages almost ten times those possible in an inflatable chamber (see chart on this page.)   To achieve the results of  Doctor Richard  Neubauer  and Dr. Paul Harch in the treatment of challenged children, almost  double  100%  sea-level oxygen is required and this can only be accomplished in conventional "hard" hyperbaric chambers. Clearly inflatable chambers only deliver marginal oxygen percentages  over breathing room air. 

Notwithstanding, a number of respected pediatric specialists claim to get similar results with their neurologically challenged patients by treating them in inflatable mHBOT chambers. However, our Centers have  treated a number of young patients that had already undergone dozens of treatments in inflatable mHBOT chambers with no observable quantitative or qualitative  positive changes.  After being treated in our conventional (hospital quality) "hard" HBOT chambers, these young patients showed dramatic gains.

Before making a commitment to have your child treated in an inflatable chamber, obtain satisfactory answers  to the following questions from your prescribing practitioner . . . remember, he or she must be a registered physician - M.D., D.O.

•  Any medical center (hospital, clinic, doctor's office) that  uses  hyperbaric chambers of any sort (e.g. compress gas over 2 psig) must comply National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) 99-11 codes with fire walls and certified fire doors, sprinklers and other code compliance. Does  the Center you choose comply with the local Fire Marshal's codes and the City's HAZMAT requirements?

• Some parents have reported that their children became "asthmatic" and had breathing difficulties after mHBOT treatments. If these reports were accurate, could this be caused by inadequate air filters on  the inflatable chambers compressors, failing to provide medical grade compressed air and failing to filter  out mold spores, bacteria and dust from the doctor's office?

• 100% oxygen  pressures  less than 1.3 ata (4.4 psig) promotes the growth of aerobic bacteria in injured tissue within the body.(4) Pressures in "hard" (hospital grade) chambers have to be increased to to sufficient levels for oxygen to become bacteriostatic. Are some young patients suffering from an increase in bacterial and candida albicans ( afacultative anaerobe) proliferation problems because of the lower pressure and oxygen percentages of mHBOT?

•  If the answers to the previous questions show no negative problems from mHBOT, does the tiny increase in  oxygen percentage obtained in mHBOT  produce  quantitative and qualitative gains for  the patients?

• The graph clearly shows that  a mask or hood at sea level delivers approximately four times more oxygen that  mHBOT.  Since it is easier and less costly to increase oxygen percentages in other ways (e.g. nasal prongs, oxygen masks,  hoods, etc),  can these alleged positive results be duplicated  at home without using  an mHBOT inflatable chamber?

It is likely that trials will be undertaken to compare the effects of  both sorts of chambers and even to ascertain whether other low cost oxygen alternatives will provide the same benefits to patients as inflatable mHBOT chambers.

Our Centers do not use nor sponsor the use of mHBOT inflatable chambers for a number of reasons:

•  Laws of Physics do not support the claims of mHBOT advocates.   For more information on the laws of physics that apply to  HBOT . . . 

•  National Fire Protection Codes mandate that all chambers used in a medical setting are certified  by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers -- Pressure Vessels for Human Occupancy - Level 1 ("ASME-PVHO1")

Therefore, the local Fire Marshal has the ability to close down any medical office that is already using inflatable chambers. (Eleven States and three U.S. cities are now enforcing the PVHO-1 codes and  scrutinizing  health care practitioners who advertise for patients.)

Before making a decision to use one of these devices for your treatment, check out the science and the facts . . . .

Let their light shine . . . Princes and Princesses –

If your child differs in behavior, appearance or abilities of other kiddies, do not "hide" that little person away from others, do not be shy nor be embarrassed in the slightest. The days of concealing such a little Prince or Princess belong to another era.

Rather, proudly show your child to the World. The challenged child will be better for it since the young brain assembles itself into circuits through experience. An "enriched" social environment (toys, scuffles with brothers and sisters, interaction with adults in new environments, etc.,) means denser synaptic connections which in turn, translate into improved functional abilities. To understand the power young patients have we especially recommend Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz and Sharon Begley’s “The Mind, & The Brain . . . Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force” published by Regan Books.  Particularly the chapters entitled "Birth of a Brain" and "Survival of the Busiest."

Finally, if you get the chance to view the BBC's splendid  "The Lost Prince," do it. It chronicles the life of the current Queen Elizabeth's uncle, Prince John, a savant and high end aspergers syndrome child with a seizure disorder. But for his older brother Prince Georgie (who later became Britains's World War II King), little "Honest Johnnie" would have been banished to an asylum. To this day, there are no pictures of the Lost Prince in London's Royal Portrait Gallery. Copies can be obtained from www.bbcamerica.com

And, as an aside, our look-alike little Prince  in the picture is now considered to be a "normal" child by both parents and teachers.

Jennifer Cullen is just one of our clinic’s poster young person.

Over an six-year period, we have watched in awe as this strong willed young person and equally determined parents overcame many of her health problems. When Jennifer first started HBOT, her seizure disorder was so intense, her pediatrician was urging a vagal nerve implant.

Jennifer is now seizure free, and taking no medications. A five-day EEG in hospital demonstrated no seizure disorders in Jennifer, a testimony to the power of HBOT as an adjunct to the determination of her family. Jennifer's testimonial is at the bottom of this page and is an inspiration to other parents to never give up. Jennifer's family embarked on a "twenty year program of total support", and include many disciplines into her  daily activities, including "Fast ForWord", (www.scilearn.com) skating, balet and school work.   Her mother, Vicki, keeps a close watch on Jennifer's nutritional intake and advocates the use of  nutraceuticals .

The parents and care-givers are Heroes in our eyes. We encourage you to click here to visit just some of the Heroic parents and care givers that have graced our clinic

1.  Hyperbaric Medicine Today, Volume II, Issue II, April – September 2003, page 12.

2. R. H. Petrucci, General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications, 1st ed., Macmillan, New York, NY, 1972, p. 275.

3 L. Pauling, College Chemistry, 3rd ed., Freeman, San Francisco, CA, 1964 pp 437-438

4 Textbook of Hyperbaric Medicine, page 143,4th Revised Edition,  K.K. Jain, et al.

This entire web-site’s content is copyrighted –  All rights reserved by Hyperbaric O2 Centers, Inc. 2007.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is routinely used internationally as an ADJUNCTIVE  TREATMENT or COMPLIMENTARY ALTERNATIVE MEDICAL (CAM) medical response to the following ailments and trauma:. Lymes Disease, Complimentary alternative medicine, Chronic illness, stroke, autism, pain, chronic pain, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy may help cure , control or stabilize problems associated with . . . Stroke, Crush Injury, Macular Degeneration Vascular Dementia, Autism, Thermal Burns, Laser Skin Resurfacing, Chronic Fatigue, Surgical Trauma, Swelling, Inflammation, Edema, Vascular Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Fast Plastic Surgery Healing, Silicon Poisoning, Severe Anemia, Bone Disease, Healing Bones, Osteoporosis, Migraines, Epilepsy, Pediatric Seizure Disorders, Gulf War Syndrome, Lyme Disease, Diabetic Wounds, Diabetic Maintenance, Infectious Disease, Complimentary Alternative Medicine, Rapid Sports Healing, Toxic Mold Infections, Head Injuries, Spinal Injuries, Breast Surgery, Tummy Tuck Surgery, Chronic Ill Health, Chemical Sensitivity, Smoke Inhalation, Delayed Smoke Poisoning, Chronic Back Pain, Chronic joint inflammation, Off-Label Use of Hyperbaric Oxygen by Physicians, Renauds, Disease, Near Drowning, Asphyxia, Heavy Metal Poisoning, Industrial Poisoning, Cerebral Edema, non-specific lung problems, Obstructive Jaundice, Liver Disease, Heart Problems, Facial Actinomycosis, General Surgey Infections, Problem Wounds, Malignant Neoplasms, Sking Grafta Spinal Cord Neuropathy, Management of Problems of Aging, Bells Palsy, Post-Operative Brain Tumor, Myelitis, Post-Operative Cosmetic Surgery, Acoustic Deafness, Optic Atrophy Periodontal Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Chron’s Disease, Shingles, Hepatic Problems. Rheumatoid Arthritis, Cerebral Palsy, Shingles, Peptic Ulcer.

This page was last updated on 02/11/12.