Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy or HBOT, as it is better known as, is gaining tremendous popularity for curing autism these days. In the earlier phases of its inception, people had difficulty understanding the importance of this revolutionary technique or therapy. Now it has been regarded as one of the most efficient treatment of different kinds of traumas and Autism.
Basics:
So first of all let us try to figure out what essentially this HBOT is. If we take the etymology of the word Hyperbaric, we can say that it is composed of two words- Hyper and Baric. The first one means “incremented” and the latter one is related to “pressure”. In this therapy 100% pure oxygen is delivered to the body, at the pressure levels which are higher than the atmospheric pressures. This pure oxygen is absorbed by the tissues in an excellent way and thus this pure oxygen helps the medications and antibiotics to work in a much improved manner. The WBCs are also charged up, so that they can fight infections in a better way.
Importance of HBOT for Treating Autism:
It has been found in studies that developing brains have an aversion for oxygen free radicals as these radicals destroy the brain cells. However, there are certain antioxidants in the body which help to balance the concentration of these radicals by attaching to them. In Autistic children the levels of these antioxidants are alarmingly low.
Now when 100% pure oxygen is delivered to the autistic children, it stimulates the formation of superoxide dismutase which happens to be one of the most useful antioxidants which the body produces. The free oxygen radicals are balanced out by this SOD.
What is the Treatment Like?
The pictures available online, which show the Hyperbaric Oxygen Chambers are a bit scary and can adversely affect the decision of caring parents who have decided to opt for this therapy for the treatment of their child. However, the process is not complicated. At times children find it exciting to spend time in the space shuttle like HBOT chamber. The treatment usually takes around an hour. For this period the patient is made to lie in the HBOT chamber and 100% oxygen is delivered to the patient. Throughout this process, the pressure is increased in a gradual way and after one hour decompression takes place and the patient is taken out of the chamber.
All this while the patient can watch TV or he/she can talk to the near and dear ones. He can take a nap or read a book. it is mentioned here that the treatment does not hamper the normal activities of the patient. Also, the chamber is provided with all round vision, so that patient does not feel claustrophobic.
How Efficient the Treatment is:
HBOT is used for many conditions which include Cerebral Palsy, Sickle cell anemia, Multiple Sclerosis and Stroke. There are more than 100 conditions in which the HBOT treatment is implemented. Now we come to the question of treating Autism with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
It would have been great if this could be declared that “YES, HBOT WORKS FOR ALL”, but as with every therapy and treatment there are some who support this treatment and some who do not. The most fundamental principle of free radicals and their elimination by 100% pure Oxygen is 100% true. Scientifically speaking, this principle makes sense, but again, the success rate of the treatment depends on the body chemistry of the child. However, the treatment has been found to be beneficial for many patients around the globe. So, the treatment can be treated as a silver lining and can be definitely given a try.
