HBOT Conversations:
Dr. Hemal Mehta & Regenerative Medicine
Dr. Hemal Mehta, MD is a Medical Director and an Independent Medical Examiner who focuses on pain management through a Regenerative medicine approach.
Dr. Mehta is Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Pain Management. He received his Doctor of Medicine Degree from Ross University School of Medicine and completed his residency at East Carolina. He is the Medical Director of Vibrant Health of North Carolina, Tennessee Integrative Pain Institute, and TN Integrative Healthcare: Musculoskeletal and Regenerative Center; additionally, Dr. Mehta is the attending physician at Nashville Regenerative Orthopedics.
Dr. Mehta is the 2013 recipient of the Inaugural Patient Appreciation Award at Nashville Academy of Medicine, and the 2004 Research Resident of the Year for East Carolina University.
Dr. Mehta has extensive experience with stem cell proliferation, and angiogenesis. He has incorporated Ozone Injection Therapy, PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) Injections, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Regenerative Matrix and Regenerative Medicine Procedures – to name a few – into his integrative wellness & longevity medical practices.
Watch the Podcast
We continue our conversation with Dr. Hemal V. Mehta, MD; Medical Director of Vibrant Health of North Carolina. This the third time Dr. Mehta has joined us at HBOT News, so be sure to review his other two segments where he provides fascinating information on the power of fasting — Part 1 & Part 2
In this segment Dr. Mehta dives into all the different types of regenerative medicine that is available for a number of different conditions —
Cardiac
Dr. Mehta’s clinical practice is constantly working with patients to try to improve their cardiac function through primarily exercise. Yet, when they wanted to take it a step further and try implementing oxygen therapy into the mix with exercise therapy; they made an interesting discovery. First, they tried to decrease a patient’s oxygen levels and have them exercise for a few days to try to boost their red cell production; which they had some success doing. Next, they wanted to get the cardiac patients on high-dose Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), and that was when they discovered that the proper chamber made all the difference in the world. Additional research into the topic of HBOT and healthy heart function is discussed, and di Girolamo highlights some research he stumbled across regarding Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy healing the damage from heart attacks. Our host urges anyone listening who knows someone with low heart function to get them into a hyperbaric chamber.
COVID & Vaccine Injuries
Dr. Mehta speaks of long-COVID and how Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is making a world of difference in patients who are still struggling from COVID symptoms years later. But, let’s back up… what about treating patients with active COVID in hyperbaric chambers? In theory, it makes 100% sense. He describes that part of the problem with COVID is the virus gets into the lungs and causes extreme inflammation. It’s your body’s immune response to that virus that is killing people, it’s what we know as a cytokine storm. Hospitals have been giving COVID patients an immunosuppressant to decrease immune function, and Dr. Mehta explains why that’s the exact opposite of what they should be doing. The immunosuppressant is suppressing a patient’s immune system and taking down all of their guards, setting the stage for sepsis. Unfortunately, most people who died of COVID, actually died from sepsis. Dr. Mehta states that if the hospitals were to use Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy instead, they would be increasing the concentration of oxygen in a patient’s body; therefore decreasing inflammation through the oxygen + pressure, and allowing the lungs to rest why their body naturally fights off the infection.
Vaccine injuries from the COVID-19 vaccine are also becoming more and more common. Vaccinated people are developing autoimmune disorders at an alarming rate. Dr. Mehta can’t say for certain that it’s all related, but it certainly makes sense that it would be.
Autism
The conversation of vaccine injuries flowed right into the topic of Autism, as the concern about the relationship between the two is discussed. Dr. Mehta explained that he does see Autism patients at his clinic, and he was doing stem cell therapy for Autism using Wharton’s Jelly. Wharton’s Jelly is the made from the umbilical cord. The umbilical cord used to be considered trash after the baby was born, until somebody decided to study it and found that the umbilical cord is full of young stem cells and regenerative properties, including regenerative tissue that can be injected to help the body naturally regenerate new tissue. Since the stem cells in an umbilical cord are so young they didn’t have any surface markers on them to distinguish one person from another person, so there’s not a cross-reaction. It’s one of the few substances the FDA allows to be used in that manner. However, even though his clinic was witnessing significant Improvement in brain function with the use of Wharton’s Jelly to treat Autism, they had to halt recommending it. The FDA came out with a mandate stating that Wharton’s Jelly should not be used for “upper motor neuron disorders”, which are brain and spinal cord injuries. Autism fell into this category, but Dr. Mehta stresses that all they saw was significant improvement and at no time did Wharton’s Jelly do any harm to a patient. In fact, Dr. Mehta was so impressed with the results that he absolutely would continue to use it on Autistic patients at the patient’s request.
Dr. Mehta further states, “I’ve got to give every patient a chance if they come to me and say, ‘Hey, will you please try this?’. As long as I know I’m not doing any harm to that patient, then I definitely will. And that’s where hyperbaric oxygen therapy, in my opinion, if you do it the right way you’re not going to do harm to these patients and there is no real risk, but other than there’s a benefit that the patient will get potentially from doing this therapy.”
Back Pain
Dr. Mehta explains that if a patient comes in with back pain shooting down the leg, it’s sciatica. And many times the patient will have surgery with an end results of the sciatica going away for a year or two. But, what’s interesting is that the back pain never goes away, and now the patient is stuck with what they call axial back pain (pain localized to the back). Sometimes after a few years, that pain comes back because the surgery promoted degenerative disc disease. Unfortunately there’s not really a cure for a bulging disc through traditional medicine. However, in one of Dr. Mehta’s clinics they have been treating degenerative disc disease successfully with intradiscal injections of bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC), which is basically your own bone marrow. This regenerative approach aspirates the bone marrow taken from you, and then that bone marrow is sent to the lab, where it’s spun down and stem cells are extracted. The stem cells from the bone marrow are then injected intradiscally into the disc and into the surrounding area (the musculature). Dr. Mehta says they are seeing good improvement in a patient’s pain, including improvement in their ability to function. Even the shooting pain down the legs has been getting better, without the complication of long-term axial back pain that surgery can cause . While there is a definite need for surgery in certain cases, Dr. Mehta explains that doctors have promptly overdone surgical needs. In his integrative medicine clinics they are proving that regenerative medicine is the answer for patients who are seeking an non-surgical option.
Dr. Hemal Mehta primarily sees the majority of his patients at the Tennessee Spine & Joint Centers, schedule an appointment with him here.
Guest
Dr. Hemal Mehta
Dr. Hemal Mehta specializes in non-opioid treatment for joint pain, osteoarthritis, spine pain and neuropathy. He is a board-certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician whose goal for patients is to reduce pain while increasing their level of function & quality of life. He received his Doctor of Medicine Degree from Ross University School of Medicine and completed his residency at East Carolina.
Dr. Mehta is the Medical Director of Vibrant Health of North Carolina, Tennessee Integrative Pain Institute, and TN Integrative Healthcare: Musculoskeletal and Regenerative Center; additionally, Dr. Mehta is the attending physician at Nashville Regenerative Orthopedics. He is the 2013 recipient of the Inaugural Patient Appreciation Award at Nashville Academy of Medicine, and the 2004 Research Resident of the Year for East Carolina University. He is a member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, and American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine.
Dr. Mehta has extensive experience with stem cell proliferation and angiogenesis. For years he has incorporated Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy into his integrative approach for pain management and rehabilitation, and he has also preformed the following procedures fluoroscopically: Translaminar Cervical and Lumbar ESI, Transforaminal Lumbar ESI, Lumbar Selective Nerve Root Blocks, Stellate Ganglion Blocks, Lumbar Sympathetic Blocks, SIJ injections, Hip Joint Injections, Piriformis Injections, Cervical and Lumbar Facet Joint Injections, Medial Branch Nerve Blocks, Radiofrequency Ablation of Medial Branch Nerve, Discography, Percutaneous Disc Decompression/ Intradiscal Injections, Spinal Cord Stimulator Lead Trial, PRP/ Regenerative Matrix/ Regenerative Medicine Procedures for Spine, Peripheral Joints, and Nerves, P-Shot/O-shot, Juvederm Anti-aging, and Ozone Injection Therapy.
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Recent HBOT News
Clinical Trial – HBOT Late Radiation Tissue Injury
Background: Radiotherapy is a common treatment for many malignancies. Radiation-related
complications developing months or years after radiation treatment are known as late
radiation tissue injury (LRTI) and are estimated to effect 5%-15% of all long-term survivors
who have received radiation.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a well established treatment of LRTI. Most of the studies
evaluating effect of HBOT on LRTI are focused on survival, resolution of tissue damage and
improvement in LENT-SOMA scale. Very few studies have addressed effect of HBOT on pain in
LTRI. Krahn and colleagues were the first to report the analgesic effect of HBOT in 3 cases
of refractory pain in oncological patients with radiation soft tissue injury. Other studies
showed significant improvement in pain intensity in patients with breast cancer and pelvic
malignancies treated with HBOT for LTRI. In patients that had developed radiation- induced
brachial plexopathy, HBOT elicited an increase in warm pain thresholds and a reduction in
lymphoedema. A prospective case study of 16 patients with gynecological cancer found no
changes with respect to pain and depression outcomes. A trial in patients with radiation
induced proctopathy showed that 75% of patients with rectal pain had some improvement,
although none experienced a complete resolution of pain symptoms.
There are several mechanisms by which HBOT may elicit analgesic effects. There is a growing
body of evidence that HBOT’s analgesic effect related to nitric oxide metabolism and
endogenous opioid secretion. Furthermore, the inhibition of tumor necrosis factor alph
(TNF-α), the production of substance P, and the modulation of serotonergic pathways have all
demonstrated a modification in the pain response following HBOT. In animal studies HBOT
decreased allodynia and hyperalgesia in different models of neuropathic and inflammatory
pain. The long lasting antinociceptive effect of HBOT was found to be dose-dependent in
non-injured tissues.
In human studies, HBOT decreased pain and edema and improved function in patients suffering
from the complex regional pain syndrome, and improved pain scores and range of motion in
patients with idiopathic femoral head necrosis. Women suffering from interstitial cystitis
demonstrated a reduction in pelvic pain following weeks and months of HBOT treatment. In
patients suffering from idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia HBOT produced a rapid reduction in
symptoms and these effects were lasting for 6 months following treatment. HBOT was also found
to be an effective treatment for cluster headaches and migraines and alleviated muscle and
bone pains in patients with myofascial syndrome, fibromyalgia, and biphosphonate-related
osteonecrosis of the jaw.
Based on the evidence presented above and HBOT’s known analgesic effect in many conditions,
the investigators designed this study with the objective to evaluate if HBOT reduces pain,
improves depression and impacts on patients quality of life in patients suffering from late
radiation tissue injury.
Study Design: Prospective observational study (n=300). Patients that have had radiation
therapy for malignancy, developed late radiation injury and suffer from chronic pain.
Clinical Trial – HBOT in Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain condition affecting several millions of Canadians.
Although the etiology and pathophysiology are poorly understood, there is a well-recognized
association between muscular pain in fibromyalgia and muscular hypoperfusion, hypoxia,
abnormal muscle metabolism and oxidative stress. Currently there is no cure for FM.
Pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies are directed to control symptoms such as
pain, fatigue, non-restorative sleep and depression.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is an intermittent inhalation of 100% oxygen in a hyperbaric
chamber at a pressure higher than 1 absolute atmosphere. Physiological effect of HBOT is
based on a dramatic increase in the amount of dissolved oxygen carried by the blood which
enables oxygenation of ischemic areas with compromised circulation. It also activates
oxidant-antioxidant system, stimulates angio- and neurogenesis, modulates inflammatory
response, induces brain neuroplasticity and possesses analgesic effect.
While some interventions offer benefit for some patients, additional treatment alternatives
are needed for patients with FM in whom currently available options are either ineffective or
poorly tolerated. Given its physiological effect, HBOT could be considered as a potential
therapy for treatment of underlying muscular hypoxia, optimizing oxidant- antioxidant system
and controlling FM symptoms. The results from this study could therefore provide new
information supporting the basic science underling the pathophysiology of this disease and
stimulate novel therapies for patients suffering with FM.
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