HBOT Conversations:
Elena Schertz & Tom Fox
(Part 5) – COVID

Elena Schertz, NP and Tom Fox of Extivita-RTP in Raleigh, NC join us in a 5-part series to discuss the extraordinary healing they’ve witnessed through the God-given natural therapy of HBOT. This is Part 2, with a focus on how Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is helping people of all ages heal from concussions.

Elena Schetz, NP is the nurse practitioner, and Tom Fox is the Safety Director at Extivita-RTP. Extivita-RTP offers a positive environment for healing, and they encourage anyone seeking a better quality of life to come visit them and experience for themselves the wonder of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.

Subscribe. Join the discussion. Share the hope.

Watch the Podcast

In a Special 5-part series with Extivita’s Nurse Practitioner, Elena Schertz, and Safety Director, Tom Fox, we dive into the extraordinary powers of HBOT, and the healing they have witnessed for a variety of conditions. The following segments prelude this episode:

Part 1 – HBOT for PTSD (veteran focus)
Part 2 – Concussions & HBOT
Part 3 – Healing Heart Disease with HBOT
Part 4 – Cancer & Cerebral Palsy

In this final episode, we discuss COVID, and how long-haulers are finally finding relief in Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.

Host di Girolamo starts the conversation explaining that people who suffer from brain fog, oxygen shortages, and fatigue are discovering that HBOT is providing them relief.  Tom chimes in that early oxygen delivery and pre-hospitalization was something the Italians saw in COVID as it progressed, and they discovered the role of HBOT in the acute care stage of COVID.  The Italians witnessed patients who were heading in the wrong direction being released from the hospital after only 5 hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatments. The role of hyperbaric oxygen in COVID cases is incredible. Tom reminds us that only about 1,400 of the 6,500 hospital in the US have HBOT chambers, meaning that it is not a standard of care.

Studies out of Britain state ten HBOT treatments are ideal for COVID patients to witness a complete turn-around, and they get their lives back in two weeks.  Tom explains that 40% of their patients are long-haul COVID and they’re coming to a HBOT clinic because there’s no other option. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy DOES return a COVID patient back to their baseline.

Chronic, or long-haul COVID patients (someone who has been dealing with symptoms for months or years) will likely need more treatments, but there is still so much hope.  Elena says that the long-haul COVID patients who have come to see her have all improved. Elena has seen some long-haul COVID patients get better in as little as 4 treatments, and then there are some patients who need 40 treatments.  Just like how everyone responds to COVID differently,  the same goes for HBOT to treat COVID. There’s no magic number; but if you get in quicker then it’s more likely you won’t need as many treatments.  In the end, it’s important to simply know that HBOT hands-down does help COVID patients, and it’s worth a try.

“Elena states, “I want to say it’s kind of easily fixed, you know, the fatigue. I’ve seen it over and over again. Until somebody comes in and disputes that or I see that, then I’ll keep saying, yeah, it really is very effective. I’ve seen it 100% of the time. It really is 100%”

And then there are the vaccine injuries. Tom stresses that he believes in the power of vaccines, he his definitely not an anti-vaxxer.  But, when he looks at what’s going on in the world today it’s concerning. If you were to document a vaccine injury right now, it’s almost like the kiss of death to anybody that reaches out to challenge vaccines.

“We’re downplaying the VAER system. You know, in the current vaccine, with the number of reactions that we’ve seen with the current vaccine, previous vaccines would have been taken off the market.

HBOT News appreciates Tom and Elena joining us in our Conversations podcast and invites you to check out their clinic, Extivita-RTP if you are ever in the Raleigh, NC area.

 

 

Guests

Elena Schertz, NP

Elena Schertz, NP - Clinic Manager at Extivita RTP

Elena attained her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Michigan State University and received her Masters of Science in Nursing from Simmons University in Boston, MA. She has been practicing integrative medicine since 2010 and is currently working on her certification in functional medicine from the Institute of Functional Medicine.

Elena worked as a nurse in the pediatric oncology, cardiac, and surgical units at UNC hospitals for 15 years before deciding to work in integrative medicine. After years of working as a nurse, she decided to pursue her graduate degree, completing her masters with honors. She is board certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) through the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Elena’s passion for integrative medicine comes from her knowledge that the mind, body and psych/social/spiritual systems are not separate. The focus of Elena’s practice is to approach each of her patient’s healing process from the perspective of the whole, supported and grounded in safety and evidence-based medicine. She also maintains close consultative relationships with experts in the field to promote and enhance wellness for her patients. Elena joined the wonderful Extivita team in March 2019 and is thrilled to be a part of advancing health and wellness through hyperbaric medicine.

 

Elena Schertz, NP

Thomas M. Fox, MAS,MS, CHT - Safety Director at Extivita RTP

Tom is the Research Physiologist for the Hyperbaric Institute for Research and Training, a division of Island Hyperbaric Centre in Pincourt QC. He has worked in the field of Clinical Hyperbaric Oxygen for the last 30 years. During this time, he has been intimately involved with the implementation and the development of the US Army’s Clinical Hyperbaric Service at Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center. He has provided contract hyperbaric services since 1997. Prior to accepting his current position in Quebec, Canada, Mr. Fox served as the Chief of the Atmospherics Branch of the U.S. Army School of Aviation Medicine, Fort Rucker Alabama. In this capacity, he was responsible for hyperbaric/ hypobaric operations and training of US and NATO aviators, flight surgeons and flight medics. Mr. Fox is a senior army aviator and flew twelve years as a Medical Evacuation Pilot for the US Army.

Tom joined the Extivita team in 2022 as the Safety Director, helping Extivita to maintain a healthy and safe environment for exceptional patient care.

 

Extivita-RTP – Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Clinic

2012-D TW Alexander Drive
Durham, NC 27709
919-354-3775
919-354-3776
contact@extivita.org
https://www.extivita.org/

Subscribe Now, It’s Free!

[contact-form-7 id="65934" title="Subscribe"]

Recent HBOT News

Healing under pressure: Inside a military hyperbaric chamber

Healing under pressure: Inside a military hyperbaric chamber

At 16, she had a stroke. At 17, her town burned in the Camp Fire. Now, as her community rebuilds, she's healing thanks to hyperbaric therapy. SACRAMENTO, Calif — February 2, 2017, started off as an ordinary day for the Pipkin Family. Patrick and Stacey Pipkin just...

Clinical Trial – High-flow Oxygen for Vaso-occlusive Pain Crisis

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is characterized by recurrent vaso-occlusive pain crisis (VOC),
which may evolve to acute chest syndrome (ACS), the most common cause of death among adult
patients with SCD. Currently, there is no safe and effective treatment to abort VOC or
prevent secondary ACS. Management of VOC mostly involve a symptomatic approach including
hydration, analgesics, transfusion, and incentive spirometry, which was investigated in a
very limited number of patients (<30). The polymerisation of HbS is one major feature in the pathogenesis of vaso-occlusion. Among factors determining the rate and extent of HbS polymer formation, the hypoxic stimulus is one of the most potent and readily alterable. Current guidelines recommend oxygen therapy in patients with VOC in order to maintain a target oxygen saturation of 95%. Low-flow nasal oxygen (LFNO) is routinely used to achieve this normoxia approach, particularly in patients at risk of secondary ACS because they may experience acute desaturation. In contrast, various case series suggest a potential beneficial role of intensified oxygen therapy targeting hyperoxia for the management of VOC, particularly with the use of hyperbaric oxygen, but the latter is difficult to implement in routine clinical practice. A recent high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) technology allows the delivery of humidified gas at high fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) through nasal cannula. The FiO2 can be adjusted up to 100% (allowing hyperoxia that may reverse sickling) and the flow can be increased up to 60 L/min (which generates positive airway pressure and dead space flushing, that may prevent evolution of VOC towards ACS by alleviating atelectasis and opioid-induced hypercapnia). In patients with acute respiratory failure, HFNO has been shown to improve patient's comfort, oxygenation, and survival as compared to standard oxygen or non-invasive ventilation. The aim of the present study is to test the efficacy and safety of HFNO for the management of VOC and prevention of secondary ACS. The investigators will use a multi-arm multi-stage (MAMS) design to achieve these goals. HFNO will be delivered through AIRVO 2 (Fisher and Paykel Healthcare, New Zealand), a device that incorporates a turbine allowing its use in hospital wards.

Clinical Trial – Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Allogeneic Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) Transplant

Subjects with Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) who are
considered eligible for allogeneic stem cell transplant by the transplant team at WCI (Wilmot
Cancer Institute)will be enrolled in the study. Patients will receive Melphalan on day -2 and
HBO (Hyperbaric Oxygen) therapy on day 0 of the transplant. After neutrophil recovery is
documented, the patients will be seen in clinic at least weekly through day +100.