A growing number of parents are trying
hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on their kids with autism, reports
The Wall Street Journal, believing it could be a part of the cure.
One mom of a child with autism interviewed said that before her son,
now 5, got HBOT in 2013, he communicated by screaming, biting and
slapping. These days, she says, he can speak in sentences and dress
himself. His treatment also included dietary changes.
The article didn't mention that parents of kids with cerebral palsy
and similar disorders are also doing hyperbaric oxygen therapy. My
friend Kate at Chasing Rainbows used to have a hyperbaric oxygen
tent in her living room where she'd hang out with Gavin. For six
months, starting when Max was nine months old, Dave and I brought
him to a hyperbaric oxygen treatment center. The hope was that
oxygen could spark dormant neurons in the parts of Max's brain
damaged by the stroke. (Traditionally, HBOT has been used to heal
divers with brain embolisms from decompression illness.)
Dave or I would lie down on a stretcher, with Max cradled in the
crook of an arm, and the technician would slide it into the glass
tube. Then she'd flick a switch and it would fill with 100 percent
oxygen (compared to 21 percent in normal air). The air felt so
clean, like you were in the Swiss Alps. Only, no, I was lying in a
glass chamber next to my beautiful brain-damaged baby, desperate to
help him however I could. Max was distracted by Thomas the Tank
videos for the hour, and to this day every time I hear "They're two,
they're four, they're six, they're eight," I picture that glass
chamber.
There's been some research out there on hyperbaric oxygen therapy
and children with cerebral palsy. One 2003 study done in India noted
that previous research had shown hyperbaric oxygen treatment had
been shown to improve gross- and fine-motor skills for children with
CP, along with attention and language. This study found that, done
in conjunction with occupational therapy, HBOT improved gross motor
skills for kids with CP.
There's also been research on the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen
therapy for stroke victims. In one small 2013 study done by Israeli
researchers, 74 patients who had stopped improving six months to
three years after their strokes and who HBOT showed visible
improvements after two months including paralysis reversal and
renewed language use. Brain imaging revealed increased activity. I'm
no scientific expert, but perhaps other factors contributed to
recoverysay, muscle memory that played into walking something an
infant who'd suffered brain damage wouldn't have.
Cerebral Palsy Testimonials
HBOT is a hot field, and hopefully more research will be coming out.
A university in Burnaby, BC, plans to start a brain-imaging study in
2016 on the effects of HBOT in autism patients. For now, caveat
emptor, because there are surely plenty of medical spas and
alternative medicine centers out there looking to take advantage of
desperate patients. In 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
issued a consumer alert stating that hyperbaric oxygen therapy "Has
not been clinically proven to cure or be effective in the treatment
of cancer, autism, or diabetes."
But proof isn't necessarily a concern for parents who've tried this.
There are so few treatment options for kids with CP (and autism)
that Dave and I felt we owed it to Max to try. Our neurologist
thought it was worth a shot and after doing some research he didn't
see any downsides, other than the cost. Sessions ran $150 a pop,
although we got discounts for buying a bunch at once. Given that
it's unknown how many treatments are needed, we decided to cap them
at 40. At some point, insurance did pay for some of the costs; to
this day I'm not sure why, since it's rare for insurance companies
to cover hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
If you're considering doing hyperbaric oxygen therapy for your
child, I think it's important not to get your hopes up. We didn't.
We have no idea whether or not the HBOT helped Max. There were no
astounding bursts of development, and we will never know whether it
played into his cognitive or physical capabilities. But as we've
always felt with treatments we've done for Max, if it couldn't hurt
and might help, it's worth a try.
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