HBOT Conversations:
Dr. Paul Harch & Autism

Dr. Paul G. Harch, M.D. has used hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat more than 100 different conditions, including stroke, dementia, autism, and traumatic brain injury. His goal is to help his patients get their lives back using hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

He is the author of The Oxygen Revolution and is considered an International expert and pioneer in the field of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). His informative, and comprehensive guide on HBOT has helped countless souls better understand what HBOT is and how it directly affects the body at the genetic level.

This episode on Autism is the seventh in a nine episode series that will be released weekly with Dr. Harch.

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In episode 7 of 9, host Edward di Girolamo speaks with world renowned HBOT expert, Dr. Paul G. Harch about Autism.

The percentage of children with Autism is increasing at an alarming rate. In order to successfully treat Autism and navigate around the roadblocks, Dr. Harch explains that it’s important to understand that Autism is not a psychiatric diagnosis. Autism is a wounding condition of the brain, without all of the potential contributors being identified to the wounding process.

Dr. Harch was the first to treat a series of children with Autism using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy; a therapy which in and of itself is neuroplastic (it is a neuroplast — affecting neuroplasticity). He states that there’s a plethora of information on the fact that Autism is a physical brain abnormality, and that’s what’s causing this Autism phenomenon. Functional imaging scans that have been done on these Autistic children shows 90% of them have a problem involving primarily the temporal lobes and frontal lobes; mostly temporal lobes. Dr. Harch has treated a good series of these children with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and about 80% of them will respond to the treatment. There are various causes, which may explain why 100% don’t respond to HBOT, since there are different insults to the brains and/or it’s environmental. But, Dr. Harch stresses that there’s no such thing as a genetic epidemic, so this Autism epidemic we’re seeing must either be caused by environmental factors or infectious agents.

Dr. Harch affirms that the underlying nature of Autism is that there’s a dominant immune dysfunction in these children that often manifests in the GI tract, but also in the brain. Dr. Harch recommends our viewers read this beautiful article by Dr. Dan Rossignol, a Family Practice Physician with two autistic sons. In the article Dr. Rossignol reviews all of the pathophysiology — the disease processes — that have been identified in Autistic children, and he reviews all of the science of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and the effect it has on all of those disease processes. In the end, HBOT is shown to be a good match for the treatment of Autism.

di Girolamo asks Dr. Harch if Autism appears to be an inflammatory issue, with Dr. Harch agreeing that it does seem to appear that way. Dr. Harch went on to explain that of the 8,1001 genes that have been shown to be affected in human cells by a single Hyperbaric Oxygen exposure, the largest clusters involved are the anti-inflammatory genes — upregulation is turned on and there’s suppression of the pro-inflammatory genes.  Plus, there are many genes that are activated within the immune system which also supports the use of HBOT for the treatment of Autism as a dominant immune dysfunction.

The studies have been controversial and complicated on Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Autism. But contrary to the results of these studies, Dr. Harch is here to say that the proof is in the imaging.  He has imaging revealing that after only one treatment — sometimes it’s a series of treatments — changes are seen in these children’s brains, and there’s improvement in profusion (such as in the temporal lobes).

Dr. Harch professes that what he’s been trying to do all these years, these decades, is to answer a simple question, “Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy work for your condition or not?” He explains it’s critical to start with HBOT solely and not throw a bunch of other therapies into the mix because then you have too many variables, and you won’t know exactly what’s helping and what’s not.  He explains Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a foundation biological therapy, and declares there is no identified therapy out there that can do what Hyperbaric Oxygen can do; including activating 40% of our genome. There’s nothing.

Dr. Harch references Chapter 12 of his book, The Oxygen Revolution, and says “I’m sorry but if your doctor is giving you negative information, flatly ignore him! Go get this therapy for your child!” Treating with HBOT is no different than if you dosed the child with a drug, or a drug combination. This is a two component drug we’re dosing with that’s safe and effective — pressure and oxygen.  We encourage you to try it, because it could change your life if you or your child are a part of this 80% success rate.

 

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Guest

Dr. Paul G. Harch

Dr. Paul G. Harch, MD

Dr. Paul G. Harch, M.D. is a clinician in emergency medicine and hyperbaric medicine who is the former director of the University Medical Center Hyperbaric Medicine Department and LSU Hyperbaric Medicine Fellowship. Currently, he is a Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Section of Emergency Medicine at LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. He graduated from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine after graduating from the University of California at Irvine with magna cum laude/Phi Beta Kappa honors.

Dr. Harch initiated and continues to be a private practice that has resulted in the largest case experience in neurological hyperbaric medicine in the world. In this practice, he adapted the concepts of conventional hyperbaric oxygen therapy to wounds in the central nervous system, which spawned the subsequent academic and research practice. Harch HBOT is the best place to receive oxygen therapy treatments, and patients have traveled from more than 50 countries to be treated by Dr. Harch himself.

Harch HBOT – Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Clinic

5216 Lapalco Blvd.
Marrero, LA
504-309-4948
hbot@hbot.com
https://hbot.com/

 

Recent HBOT News

Clinical Trial – Effects of Repetitive Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Patients With Acute Ischaemic Stroke

Background and Rationale:

Cerebrovascular disease is always ranked at the top causes of death and most of hospitalized
acute stroke patients have ischemic stroke [1].

Although the mortality rate of acute ischemic stroke is less than that of hemorrhagic stroke
[1], it still results in patient disabilities and complications that often lead to
significant costs to individuals, families, and society.

Traditional treatment for acute ischemic stroke includes thrombolytic therapy by injecting
tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) within three hours after onset of symptoms [2],
antiplatelets and/or anticoagulant agents administered within the first 48 hours. Clinically,
the narrow time window of thrombolytic therapy and coexisting contraindications limit the use
of t-PA [2]. Thus, searching for an effective supplemental treatment for acute ischemic
stroke is imperative.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is valuable in treating acute carbon monoxide poisoning
[3,4], air or gas embolism [5], facilitating wound healing [6] and has been used as an
adjuvant treatment for many neurological disorders that need further study as concussion [7]
, stroke [8,9], cerebral palsy [ 10],traumatic brain injury [ 11], cerebral air embolism
[12], Autism [13] and multiple sclerosis [14].

Indications of hyperbaric oxygen therapy recommended by undersea and hyperbaric medical
society (UHMS) [15] are 1.air or gas embolism [5], 2.carbon monoxide poisoning [3,4],
3.clostridial myositis and myonecrosis [16], 4.crush injury, compartment syndrome and other
acute traumatic ischemias [17], 5.decompression sickness [18], 6.arterial insufficiencies
[19], 7.severe anemia [20], 8.intracranial abscess [21], 9.necrotizing soft tissue infections
[22],10. refractory osteomyelitis [23], 11.delayed radiation injury [24], 12.compromised
grafts and flaps [25], 13.acute thermal burn injury [26] and 14.idiopathic sudden
sensorineural hearing loss [27].

Known mechanisms of HBOT-induced neuroprotection include enhancing neuronal viability via
increased tissue oxygen delivery to the area of diminished blood flow, reducing brain edema,
and improving metabolism after ischemia [28,29]. Furthermore, a recent study performed on a
rat suggested that upregulation of the expression of glial derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)
and nerve growth factor (NGF) might underlie the effect of HBOT [30].

The effectiveness of use of Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in human ischemic stroke is still
controversial that need further evaluation.

Clinical Trial – Effect of Adjuvant Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Bells Palsy Outcome

This is a randomized, single blinded, non-placebo controlled that will compare one group of
Bells Palsy patients receiving the current standard of care including oral corticosteroids
and oral antivirals against an experimental group receiving the current standard of care in
addition to hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Outcome assessment will be based on both objective
analyses of facial movements as well as subjective quality of life scales.