HBOT Conversations:
Dr. Paul Harch & Traumatic Brain Injury
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 Traumatic Brain Injury is the third in a nine episode series that will be released weekly with Dr. Harch.
Watch the Podcast
In episode 3 of 9, host Edward di Girolamo speaks with world renowned HBOT expert, Dr. Paul G. Harch on treating Traumatic Brain Injuries and PTSD with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
di Girolamo starts the conversation telling a story about him, Sergeant Major Simon Lemay and retired Navy Captain Jim Hooker visiting the Durham VA, near Duke Hospital, in North Carolina. They had a sit-down meeting with three heads of the Psychiatry group at Veteran Affairs. They asked the question, “Does traumatic brain injury involve any sort of inflammation?” and the response they received was, “Next thing you’re going to tell me is that hyperbaric oxygen is good for every indication. And that’s when I glaze over and say I’m not interested in talking about it.” di Girolamo shakes his head at the negligence; and vocalizes his frustration that this powerful, natural anti-inflammatory treatment exists in hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and the VA won’t even consider learning more about the benefit of using it on veterans with a traumatic brain injury.
Harch agrees that the VA is completely oblivious to the evidence that HBOT works to treat inflammation and that inflammation absolutely exists as a result of PTSD and TBI. He explains that hyperbaric oxygen is highly effective for neurological applications, and it’s most effective in white matter diseases such as brain decompression illness, traumatic brain injury, and even in cases like multiple sclerosis and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Veteran suicides are a growing number that we must get under control. di Girolamo gives praise that at least the North Carolina Legislature acknowledged HBOT as an effective treatment for PTSD and TBI. Under Senate Bill 442 they allocated $150,000 to help veterans get 40 or more Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy treatments. These veterans are improving like never before, lives are being saved and stories are being told. They are finally getting their lives back, thanks to the power of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy!
But, how will HBOT help the average person – sport athlete, car accident victim, etc – with a concussion or TBI? Dr. Harch refers to the brain like a head of broccoli sitting on its stem. If it’s shaken on the stem, then the torque forces cause the flimsy white matter tracks to be damaged and many of them can then divide, resulting in the formation of wounds. Essentially a bruise is formed on the brain…. and inflammation is present, even years later. But, when we expose that area to oxygen and pressure you now get gene stimulation, inhibition of inflammation, and stimulation of repair and growth of tissue. You start growing new axons, or nerve fibers, which is the cable transmission of neurons in the brain.
Dr. Harch stresses that if you or someone you know has recently had a brain injury, please find a hyperbaric facility as soon as possible. If done early enough, the brain does not need too many HBOT treatments to repair itself; but if you wait years, when you’re still having headaches and other post-concussive syndrome symptoms, it could take 40 or more HBOT treatments to reverse the damage. Dr. Harch exclaims with confidence that HBOT is a “Slam Dunk” for TBI and PTSD recovery and 99% of the time it will absolutely help every patient who comes through his doors.
Subscribe Now, It’s Free !
Guest
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 – Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Athletes: Standard Versus Low Pressure
Currently, Hyperbaric Oxigen (HBO) is a widely used treatment for several conditions. There
are 14 indications for HBO, officially recognized by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical
Society (UHMS), but research is discovering other interesting applications.
HBO plays an important role in enhancing antioxidant defense mechanisms by increasing radical
oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide species (NOS). This controlled oxidative stress has
been shown to stop the vicious circle of inflammation – damage – hypoxia already seen in
several diseases. Increased neoangiogenesis has been demonstrated at pressures of 2
atmospheres absolute (ATA), while effects helping ischemic tissues need pressures between 2.5
and 2.8 ATA to develop.
During sports activities, metabolism generates waste products – mostly CO2, lactic acid, but
also ROS. HBO could be useful in modulating antioxidant mechanisms and helping cells in the
recovery after training and sportive competitions.
The authors hypothesize that:
1. HBO can reduce oxidative stress in healthy professional athletes
2. HBO can ameliorate the lactic acid clearance after a maximal exercise
3. HBO at low pressures (L-HBO at 1.45 ATA) is at least comparable to conventional HBO (at
2.5 ATA) in reducing oxidative stress and ameliorating lactic acid clearance after a
maximal exercise.
The Authors will include healthy athletes. These will be randomly assigned to a control
group, a L-HBO group, or a HBO group. The Authors will assess oxidative stress changes and
lactic acid clearance (testing it after a maximal exercise) before and after 20 L-HBO/HBO
treatments, and after 2 months after the end of treatments.
Clinical Trial – Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Compared to Pharmaceutical in Fibromyalgia With Emotional Trauma
The investigators have previously studied the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) as
a treatment for Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) in a prospective, active control, crossover
clinical trial. The results demonstrated significant amelioration of all FMS symptoms, with
significant improvement in life quality; furthermore, the investigators were able to
demonstrate significant neuroplasticity on SPECT imaging, with a decrease of the
hyperactivity in posterior regions and elevation of the reduced activity in frontal areas.
In this study, the investigators intend to both repeat and expand the investigator’s previous
findings, treating FMS patients with history of emotional trauma with HBOT, while performing
an extensive of evaluation both before and after treatment.
In the current study, the investigators plan to compare HBOT to current standard of care of
FMS (pharmacological and non – pharmacological).
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy gets Lincoln CPA back in business for tax season
17 years ago Tom Shotkoski was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. But, when his surgical site became infected, Shotsoski was left with a life of debilitating pain that restricted him from even being able to sit. His doctors recommended Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to...