Veterans Special Report

Clinical Trial – The Effects of Meditation and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Chronic Wounds

by | Sep 14, 2018 | Clinical Trials, HBOT Research, Wound

In Ontario, wound care support has steadily increased over the years. With the growth of the
aging population, the financial and psychological burden related to wound care will continue
to rise. Studies have shown that structured meditation programs can improve on the recovery
process for both physical and psychological disease. Therapeutic treatments like Hyperbaric
Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) for chronic wounds have shown to promote angiogenesis, cerebral blood
and neuroplasticity in patients with stroke, traumatic brain injury and chronic pain. By
combining meditation and HBOT, this have been independently shown to improve healing and
reducing costs associated with chronic wounds.

Clinical Trial – Effect of Intrathecal Morphine on Chronic Pain After Elective Caesarean Section

by | Feb 20, 2018 | Chronic Pain Post-Procedural, Clinical Trials, HBOT Research

The incidence of chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) after caesarean section (CS) is reported
to be as high as 18%, reflecting it to be a significant clinical problem. Studies related to
prevention of progression of acute post-CS pain to its chronicity are sparse. Current
guidelines on post-CS analgesia recommend the use of intrathecal (IT) opioids to spinal
anaesthesia for improved post-CS pain relief. Despite its frequent use, studies related to
the IT morphine use and its association with post-CS chronic pain are lacking.

A recent prospective observation study revealed a significant reduction in persistent pain
after CS when IT morphine was used as an adjuvant to spinal anaesthesia. However, there is no
any randomized controlled trial (RCT) that has explored this association to date. We
hypothesized that spinal morphine would reduce the incidence of persistent pain after CS.

Case control study: hyperbaric oxygen treatment of mild traumatic brain injury persistent post-concussion syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder.

by | Nov 21, 2017 | Concussion, Key Concussion Research, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) persistent post-concussion syndrome (PPCS) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are epidemic in United States Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans. Treatment of the combined diagnoses is limited. The aim of this study is to assess safety, feasibility, and effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HBOT) for mild TBI PPCS and PTSD. Thirty military subjects aged 18-65 with PPCS with or without PTSD and from one or more blast-induced mild-moderate traumatic brain injuries that were a minimum of 1 year old and occurred after 9/11/2001 were studied. The measures included symptom lists, physical exam, neuropsychological and psychological testing on 29 subjects (1 dropout) and SPECT brain imaging pre and post HBOT.