Our son Zachary is a ten your old boy with a diagnosis of profound Autism and mild Cerebral Palsy. He does not speak and is still in diapers. He was considered by our local school district to be too “retarded to learn”. He has now had 30 hours of HBOT and getting ten more in one week. As our insurance would not pay for a SPECT scan, and he was judged healthy to give it a try, we have to go by the changes that we see. The differences in Zachary have been incredible! He is dramatically calmer, happier and for the longest period ever, completely non-aggressive! His eye contact had improved immensely. He no longer flies into rages and his sensory distortions seem to have been eased. He has hyper auditory syndrome and would go into agony with certain auditory stimulus. Praise God, that seems to have been helped! He follows simple two step directions with more ease than ever before, ex. he can now get a cup and fill it with ice from the dispenser, miracle. He is also babbling more and responding to voices and music like never before HBOT. He is also sleeping a little better. We are thrilled and plan on continuing as long as we see improvement.

Progress Report

Eleven year boy with profound Autism, who is non-verbal, and is still in diapers.

Progress since undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy:

* Major Major Major increase in understanding

* Major More eye contact

* Major Behavioral changes are easier to handle and function in public place, less aggressive, raging stopped and is much happier

* New ability to mimic simple vocal sounds- of major importance as pre-language sounds he makes have more tone & syllables.

* Shows more interest and contact with his brother, increase in all inter-actions with others

* Accepts new people, places and situations easier.

* Plays with a wider range of toys, instead of only one object

* Less sound sensitive

* Higher functioning in all ways.

Zackary McKim never noticed people let alone mimicked anything they did. He now mimics vocal tones and tuning forks and is more aware of sounds and things that people do. Randi McKim gives credit to hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Randi McKim, 2610 Grayfox Rd., Henderson, NV 89014 702-896-5292

Brandon McDaniel is another child that has shown dramatic improvement after only 30 hours. He had the benefit of receiving a SPECT scan and so his progress can be shown in many colors! His brain showed improvement in three major areas of 15 to 50 percent and several smaller areas of 12 to 15 percent. This child had a diagnosis of severe Autism, Cerebral Palsy and deafness. He now is responding to voices and sounds and tones of voice. He has started to use his first word, “open”, and trying a few more out for good measure. He is using his eyes with more confidence and with improved balance he can walk down the stairs in a cross pattern without holding on for the first time in his 12 years of life! Obviously his parents are delighted, in fact as I type this; he is up in Reno at the Hyperbaric Oxygen Clinic of Nevada getting 10 more treatments. Both boys got their first 30 hours at The Hyperbaric Oxygen Clinic of Santa Monica. Trish Planck who is the clinic’s director is fantastic, as is Dr. Cassidy the doctor in charge. The clinic was beautiful and the staff was wonderful and both of our families highly recommend either one of these clinics. We believe that God uses both the natural and the supernatural to heal, so between God and HBOT, our sons have a much brighter future than we ever thought was possible. Thanks for your wonderful newsletter. You were the first voice that we heard about HBOT, and it is changing the very fabric of our present and our future.
Denise & Greg McDaniel, 853 Fonville, Las Vegas, NV 89123 702-617-0201

Progress Report of Brandon McDaniel while undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy Thirteen year old boy hearing impaired, mentally delayed and non-verbal. 3 Spect Scan images were taken of the brain at baseline, mid and after the 115th treatment. After 350 HBOT 9/02 can work computer.

Major improvement in interactions with family members

Plays with family pets

Major improvements in understanding verbal commands

Beginning to verbally communicate

Responds to knocks at the door and answers the door in a normal manner

Major improvements in balance, especially when he starts to fall, he is able to regain his balance with a faster response. He cross patterns down the steps without holding on.

He is no longer raging/destructive of things in the home.

Sits through movies with more understanding

Better understanding of public surroundings

When music is played he responds in singing tones

Hearing has improved and is no longer required to wear hearing devices

Responds to things/awareness like waiting for the school bus in the morning through the window

Plays with various types of toys with more understanding

Loves to work in the house and yard with Dad.

Mimics everything you ask him to do

Is able to dress himself, is caring for himself in an independent manner

Doing better in school with his assignments

Happier child and smiles more

May 2000
Dear Julie,
My sister Liz said that she had spoken to you about the HBOT treatments we had done with our children. I have 2 children with autism and we completed 40 treatments in San Diego in May, 2000. She mentioned that you might like to hear how the children are doing since their treatment. I first want to say that the tanks in San Diego at Sands Hyperbarics are great. I went in with both of the children and all three ofus were relatively comfortable (they were fine, I was a little squished) but, they watched videos and I would read. Without the hoods it was easy. I have a friend treating her son in Santa Maria with the hoods and that is her whole battle.

Anyway, let me say that the kids began to show improvement right away.

My son is 9 and was somewhat verbal before treatments, obsessive behavior, stimming as a norm, my daughter is 2 and a half, nonverbal, somewhat aloof, both children are hyperlexic.

My daughter had very little interest in me before treatment, preferring my husband, her daily routine consisted of watching videos all day and "reading" her magazines and books. My son would typically play obsessive games to amuse himself, screaming to vocalize his needs for the most part, only using nouns to communicate. After the first few treatments my daughter said, "bye-bye". She also began to say, " mama". She is not consistent in her use of these words, but that she said them at all was a positive thing. She also began to seek me out to play. She definitely has shown more interest in her siblings as well. Her interest in videos has slowed down and she is now playing in our sandbox which was taboo before HBOT. She began to run (which was not there prior) and is attempting stairs one foot over the other versus one stair at a time. Overall she is more aware, less aloof, will look at me and smile when I say hello 2 out of 10 times versus not at all. We are pleased with her results and are looking forward to 40 more treatments in February.

My son! Oh how pleased we are with him as well. Because my daughter is so young, we knew developmentally where we were starting and expected her to move along accordingly but my son always seemed on the verge of something great. We believe HBOT helped push him past several hurdles. He is now properly using pronouns, he tries so hard to get those words in order! He is using prepositions, conjunctions, and will repeat his sentences over and over until he is satisfied with how they sound. He has shown real emotion, told a lie! ! !, and is now able to tell me what is wrong when he is upset. His language is really exploding. He says goodnight to me spontaneously, and let me tell you, my son was echolalic almost completely and that he should communicate like this is nothing short of a miracle and that is the point, God heals, and I believe he is using hyperbarics to change my children. For instance we live in Warren IL near Galena, which is a touristy town and they had a Hot Rod car show going on all down the main street. I said to my son "Eric look at that blue car, isn't it cool?" He looked, and in the past we might have gotten that far, but we drove a little further and he said "Look at that green car, it's beautiful". Without any prompting at all, he also told me that he liked a certain game he was playing. I am absolutely thrilled but I must say without hesitation again that I honestly believe only God heals (although I am of the mind that my children are not broken, just different). I believe He is using hyperbarics to do it. We have done every other treatment for my son. ABA, AIT, gluten casein free diet, secretin, biofeedback, vitamin therapy, treatment for yeast control, elimination of food dyes and preservatives, everything except gamma globulin treatment, and although there was always something small or at least something to learn from all these treatments we never, ever, saw the results that we have through HBOT. If you did not know my children before you may not know what has changed, because we are at the beginning of the journey, we do not expect 40 treatments to be the cure an, but it was one heck of a start. Those who know them see a change. We look forward to the next set!

I would gladly talk to anyone who wants to hear more about it because I think it is important to support each other through it all, there are many issues that arise during treatment, before during and after that need addressing, outbursts by the children somewhere around the 8th treatment, plateauing around the 3Oth, and so on and all children will be different but it helps to kind ofknow what to expect. Also, not seeing many results, than going home only to find new skills emerging 2 weeks or so after you get home! My childrens progress has not had a logical order, also chamber burnout form the mom and high expectations and let downs can be stressful. We all want the cure, we all want our kids with Autism kids to wake up and emerge from their world, every treatment brings new hope and new discouragement, I was very skeptical about this treatment, I read about it, prayed about it and left in the Lords hands. He brought it all together for us and has blessed us through it. I would not lead a mother to such an expensive treatment if I did not believe there is something here for our kids. I am nervous to be so positive for fear one might mortgage their home and do the treatment and not get the results they expect as a direct result from my testimony, but please understand I have seen wonderful, long awaited things happen since hyperbarics and have 2 children to measure progress by. I also have strong faith as well so my recommendation is prayer first, if it is what He has for that persons child may He be with them! Thanks for your time and your wonderful website.

Michelle Divino, 409 Galena, Warren, IL 61087 815-745-2221 Email: Divino@aeroinc.net

Editor's Notes: From all the information we have gathered about HBO treatments, MUMS has found out that a monoplace by regulation can only have one person in it at a time. "Mono" means one. More that one person means more carbon dioxide released and therefore less oxygen present. We have heard of up to 5 people going in a monoplace. This is very dangerous and cannot deliver an effective treatment. Also I have personally seen children with Autism, who parents swore would never tolerate a hood (my daughter included as she will not even wear a hat) end up just loving it. One boy would put it on before we even got to depth and we have to remove it and ask him to wait. His mom was amazed.

Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2001 03:05:36 -0600

To: "mums@netnet.net"
From: Michelle Divino
Subject: We did more treatments and would like to update
Dear Julie,
We did HBOT with our two children with Autism last year in May 2000 and have recently returned from San Diego after doing 27 more treatments with them. I would like to tell you how wonderful this has been for the kids.

My son (10) is just really a different child. He has not only acquired more language but is able to show me just how much he knows by verbalizing and now asking questions. He is so much more related. I cannot begin to tell of all the benefits because they daily improve.

My daughter (3) is also improving daily, with her it is difficult because my son's starting point had to be much higher than hers being that he is so much older so I'd like to say that if she stopped progressing somewhere around 1 year of age, she is now more like a 2 1/2 year old as far as her demeanor and like a 1 1/2 year old with language emergence. She says her abc's, counts, says her name, and is starting to sing and dance to music. She gets excited to see us come home when we are away, and is able to engage in play with her 4 siblings. She is understanding the word no, to the degree that we can stop temper tantrums by saying this to her, like our other children. We have now done almost 70 treatments with the kids. The second round showed improvements much more quickly then the first set. Isabel would play peek-a-boo through the porthole with the technician and really was agreeable to going in the chamber now.

We drove into Tijuana one day while in California and my son said "Goodbye California, hello Mexico" showing that he totally understood crossing a border which is a very complex concept, one I thought he may never understand. He loves to memorize the cable guide, and while we were away we brought the current guide with us. We crossed over from February into March and on Feb. 28th when I put Eric to bed he began to cry softly, when I asked him what's wrong (by the way we have totally reached a point where we expect him to answer after years of asking anyway, only to hear more screaming...) and he said, "It's March" and I said "Yes, tomorrow is March 1st" and he said "The cable guide!" and really began to cry, so I said "We can go tomorrow and get a new cable guide from the cable company ok?"

A little background that is probably not necessary for mothers of children with Autism, this sort of answer of "don't worry we'll take care of it" is not usually understood and will create more of a tantrum. But my son simply said "Ok, a new one tomorrow." I asked "are you happy?" he said "yes". This was the FIRST time in 10 years of his life that he ever asked for anything or that we took a trip to get him something he really wanted. We were so thrilled. This type of communication is now a regular occurence at our house and has so lowered his frustration level that he is happier as our we.

My son did not even speak until he was 6 1/2 and that was nonsensical words and songs or tunes. He was somewhat echolalic as well but his language was very limited. He is now full of questions "where's daddy?" "where's Mommy?" he says "I'm hungry" "it's my turn", where are we going?" he asked what time we'll be back home. he got the concept of days, months, years and seasons. He initiates boyish play with his older brother and wrestles with his younger sisters. He tickles them!

As I stated in my last email to you we have tried every treatment available, pretty much, nothing has changed the course of their lives like HBOT. Again I believe it's through prayer that God has allowed it to work for them, but it has been great. We have a ways to go because we are doing 250 treatments total, but cannot wait to see what every next set of treatments will bring. We noticed improvements in them steadily after the first round for up to almost the year after we went. My son who needed instruction for everything he did, now gets up in the morning, makes his bed, gets dressed, goes downstairs, makes his own breakfast, and his own sandwiches for lunch. We say "kids let's go" and he gets his socks, shoes and coat on by himself, grabs the diaper bag or whatever we're taking and heads out to the car with the rest of them. The other day I went way out on the limb and said "Eric, can you go downstairs and get me a cup of juice?" I waited, wondering if he would ever return, and moments later he appeared so proud with my drink in his hand, I ran down and asked my husband if he directed or helped him, he said he didn't even know what he was doing and watched him get the cup of juice and leave and knew it must have been for me because Eric will only drink water. How's that!!!

If I say Halleluia, it's not enough, if I cry to the Lord with thanksgiving, it is not enough, if I try to explain how it is changing not only my children's lives but the whole families as well, I could not do it adequately. So much time effort and money has gone into my kids, especially my son, which was actually the easy part, the disappointment at failed therapies at times seemed to much to bear, I know mothers can relate to this feeling. This hopelessness. But I am more vocal now then the first time because, I wanted to be sure. I did not want to have some moms spend a fortune and a great portion of their heart on another failed treatment. I was cautious, but excited the first time around. I am anxiously awaiting a future now that I once only dreaded. The next thing I'd like to say is that I am trying to arrange less expensive treatments for moms who can't afford the high cost of HBOT. The chambers without the hoods like the one we have gone to in San Diego are the easiest and so my sister spoke to a mobile unit that is like the one we go to. I live near Galena Illinois. My thoughts are, because this type of chamber can hold either 4 or maybe his new one is 6 I can't remember right now, I figured moms could split the costs of treatments. There are many resort homes for rent in Galena, which have up to 8 bedrooms. My sister and I are going to arrange for the chamber to come here in July sometime and would arrange everything for moms and kids to stay in a house, where the chamber would be housed for 20 days, get the treatments and split the costs of everything. that way, not only could some do it sooner, but more frequently as well. Galena is 15 miles from Dubuque Iowa, to give moms an idea of where we're at. We have one family already joining and would very much like to help out others as well.
Thank you for networking through your website. Sincerely,
Michelle Divino Email: divino@aeroinc.net

Christian H. was a happy healthy baby boy weighing in at a whopping 11lbs 9 oz at birth. We thought he was going to walk himself down to the nurses station!!! He was an answer to prayer for Mark and I, as well as his two sisters, Peyton and Brooke. Christian's first year of life was absolutely normal. He hit each and every milestone along the way. It wasn't until his second year that something went awry. At around 18 months of age, Christian stopped progressing the way children normally do at that age. Then, he slowly began to regress, losing skills he had previously acquired. He lost all of the language he already had to that point (10-12 words), lost all eye contact, stopped socializing with everyone around him, and began to display very odd and repetitive behaviors. Sound familiar? He was eventually diagnosed at Emory Autism Resource Center in Atlanta, GA, with moderate to severe DSM-IV classic autism at 2 ½ yrs old.

By the grace of God, there was a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) Conference scheduled the very next month in Atlanta, which was only an hour away from us at the time. It was at this conference that I learned that there was a lot that could be done biologically to help kids with this regressive form of autism that is so prevalent today. I was open minded enough to listen, and then began to research on my own. The journey began. Initially, we put Christian on a gluten free/casein free diet and that made a huge difference. After a withdrawal period that lasted about a week, he suddenly became aware of the world around him. The next biological intervention we tried consisted of various supplements that were recommended at the conference (DMG, B6, Magnesium, etc.). Christian couldn't tolerate too many of the supplements we gave him. They would make him very stimmy, so we just kept him on the ones he could tolerate. As a mother, I felt and still feel like I'm racing against a giant clock trying to save my child from the jaws of this dreaded disorder. Next, we tried several interventions at once, which is not recommended, but I let my sense of urgency get the best of me. We tried NAET allergy elimination treatments, IV secretin, and chelation therapy, none of which seemed to be the "magic bullet" for Christian, like they have been for other children. From there, we decided to go with one of the most invasive biological interventions - IVIG. This did seem to help Christian quite a bit, and we still continue to do monthly infusions. I believe that some of the previously mentioned interventions may have laid the ground work for the one that has been the "magic bullet" for Chrisian - Hyperbaric Oxygen.

We began hyperbaric oxygen (100% oxygen administered under pressure) in October of 2002 in Santa Monica, and recently finished Christian's fortieth treatment. We are now taking a break, and will start back up in a couple of months. We have seen significant changes in Christian since the first week of treatments. After his first week, Mark and I both noticed significant improvement in his sustained eye contact. Also during that first week, Christian had his first ever formed stool. This is extremely significant. No other intervention we've tried has addressed this issue. And the normal stools have continued to date. Christian's ability to focus while on task and his mental clarity have increased since his second week of treatments, and have steadily progressed since then. Scores in his in home ABA therapy program have increased across the board, and he consistently receives check pluses (and even some double check pluses!) for his compliance during therapy. Prior to HBOT his scores were inconsistent. He has recently began sight reading and is progressing faster than he ever has in any other program. We continued to do Christian's oxygen treatments during the winter break, and as a result there was no regression noted in any of his ABA programs despite the fact that no ABA therapy was conducted at that time. This was definitely not the case previously. If Christian took as little as a week off from ABA, we would see regression in most of his programs. And lastly, I can't help but include comments from some of his therapists. Each of them have commented on his ability to focus and willingness to work since starting oxygen therapy. At Christian's last clinic meeting, he was so alert and compliant that the woman who runs his program suggested that we all go up to Santa Monica for some oxygen!!! I don't believe that hyperbaric oxygen is the magic bullet for every child with autism, but I do believe that almost every child with autism could benefit in some way from it. For Christian, it seems to address some of his specific issues so we knew we had to at least try it. Even if he only made a 5% gain, it would be worth it. We'd be that much closer to complete recovery. Hyperbaric Oxygen is, in my opinion, one of the interventions that couldn't hurt and may help tremendously so the risk is minimal. As Dr. Harch continues to treat children with autism, they are consistently responding to the oxygen therapy and I believe that there will be more information available at these autism conferences so that more parents will be willing to try it.

In NeuroHBOT@yahoogroups.com, "baltostrength" > wrote: > > Hi Folks: For all you number lovers out there, I wanted to share some great results with you about my 2 kids with autism and HBOT. They recieved 80 hours in July and August at Miracle Mountain, NC. My 3 year old daughter dropped nearly 50 points from 84 to 36 on the ATEC, Autism treatment evaluation Checklist. She improved in all 4 areas, came down 11 points in speech and language, 9 points in socialability, 10 points in cognitive/sensory awareness and 8 in Health, Physical and behavior. My 6 year old son went down 5 points from 15 to 10. His scored came down in sociability and health. We are now chelating them hoping to drop those scores even further. The kids are still on very restricitive diets and we are piling on the therapy to jump on this improvement. I will keep you posted. Holly mom to Ben and Claudia FYI. We have been following Andy Cutler's protocal described in the files in the yahoo group autism_mercury. We are now into our 3rd year with Ben and year 2 for Claudia. We use oral DMSA and ALA administered every 3-4 hours round the clock for 72 hours then off for 4 days and then on for 3 days. Hope this helps. Holly, "baltostrength"

Christian H.Improves With Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Christian H. was a happy healthy baby boy weighing in at a whopping 11lbs 9 oz at birth. We thought he was going to walk himself down to the nurses station!!! He was an answer to prayer for Mark and I, as well as his two sisters, Peyton and Brooke. Christian's first year of life was absolutely normal. He hit each and every milestone along the way. It wasn't until his second year that something went awry. At around 18 months of age, Christian stopped progressing the way children normally do at that age. Then, he slowly began to regress, losing skills he had previously acquired. He lost all of the language he already had to that point (10-12 words), lost all eye contact, stopped socializing with everyone around him, and began to display very odd and repetitive behaviors. Sound familiar? He was eventually diagnosed at Emory Autism Resource Center in Atlanta, GA, with moderate to severe DSM-IV classic Autism at 2 ½ yrs old. By the grace of God, there was a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) Conference scheduled the very next month in Atlanta, which was only an hour away from us at the time. It was at this conference that I learned that there was a lot that could be done biologically to help kids with this regressive form of autism that is so prevalent today. I was open minded enough to listen, and then began to research on my own. The journey began. Initially, we put Christian on a gluten free/casein free diet and that made a huge difference. After a withdrawal period that lasted about a week, he suddenly became aware of the world around him. The next biological intervention we tried consisted of various supplements that were recommended at the conference (DMG, B6, Magnesium, etc.). Christian couldn't tolerate too many of the supplements we gave him. They would make him very stimmy, so we just kept him on the ones he could tolerate. As a mother, I felt and still feel like I'm racing against a giant clock trying to save my child from the jaws of this dreaded disorder. Next, we tried several interventions at once, which is not recommended, but I let my sense of urgency get the best of me. We tried Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Techniques (NAET), IV secretin, and chelation therapy, none of which seemed to be the "magic bullet" for Christian, like they have been for other children. From there, we decided to go with one of the most invasive biological interventions - IVIG. This did seem to help Christian quite a bit, and we still continue to do monthly infusions. I believe that some of the previously mentioned interventions may have laid the ground work for the one that has been the "magic bullet" for Christian - Hyperbaric Oxygen. We began hyperbaric oxygen (100% oxygen administered under pressure) in October of 2002 in Santa Monica, and recently finished Christian's fortieth treatment. We are now taking a break, and will start back up in a couple of months. We have seen significant changes in Christian since the first week of treatments. After his first week, Mark and I both noticed significant improvement in his sustained eye contact. Also during that first week, Christian had his first ever formed stool. This is extremely significant. No other intervention we've tried has addressed this issue. And the normal stools have continued to date. Christian's ability to focus while on task and his mental clarity have increased since his second week of treatments, and have steadily progressed since then. Scores in his in-home Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy program have increased across the board, and he consistently receives check pluses (and even some double check pluses!) for his compliance during therapy. Prior to HBOT his scores were inconsistent.

He has recently began sight reading and is progressing faster than he ever has in any other program. We continued to do Christian's oxygen treatments during the winter break, and as a result there was no regression noted in any of his ABA programs despite the fact that no ABA therapy was conducted at that time. This was definitely not the case previously. If Christian took as little as a week off from ABA, we would see regression in most of his programs. And lastly, I can't help but include comments from some of his therapists. Each of them have commented on his ability to focus and willingness to work since starting oxygen therapy. At Christian's last clinic meeting, he was so alert and compliant that the woman who runs his program suggested that we all go up to Santa Monica for some oxygen!!! I don't believe that hyperbaric oxygen is the magic bullet for every child with autism, but I do believe that almost every child with autism could benefit in some way from it. For Christian, it seems to address some of his specific issues so we knew we had to at least try it. Even if he only made a 5% gain, it would be worth it. We'd be that much closer to complete recovery. Hyperbaric Oxygen is, in my opinion, one of the interventions that couldn't hurt and may help tremendously so the risk is minimal. As Dr. Harch continues to treat children with autism, they are consistently responding to the oxygen therapy and I believe that there will be more information available at these autism conferences so that more parents will be willing to try it.

Christian H.’ S Mom

cambiodiarios wrote: Recently I posted a > message in regards to my little boys HUGE > mercury dump from his chelation while on our 20 somewhat dive in the not good for you mHBOT- (its been awesome for us!) We are no headed into out 30th dive and i have noticed some regression (sad-hyper- fidgety - i mean more so than usual - scattered eye contact again and some mild aggression- nothing wild just some deep frustruation maybe its that and not aggression-) But we've keep the upgrade in language- the connection- the language output is better and he is expressing his emotions better!! i'm not sure if its yeast- or its the mercury moving around his bodyor if the mHBOT is getting ready to put us up into a new level of cleansing? He got a little "off" right before we had that big mercury dump so maybe its that HBOT helping us prepare for another biggee. I'm not sure about the other folks on this board- but i came here looking for the knowledge that you folks have and it can be a bit frustruating not being to get your know how. After all, at the end of day -Mild or Hard its about helping our kids get out of this mess, isn't it? Many thanks for any info-thoughts or ideas. Kathy >

Date: 11:31:47 05.25.2006 From: Dawn Gelenski Thought I would give everyone an update. We are just hitting the one month mark post hyperberics. He is 5 1/2 and we did 40 dives at 1.5 ata 100% O2 in a hard chamber. I plan on doing 40 more before summer is over. My son has kept all the gains that we received while doing hyperberics. He is coping things that his sister does. She asked for her blankie onw night so he asked for his (has had it for years never cared about it). When in the pool my daughter had her arm floaties and swim ring on. Well he wanted his on and he never liked the arm rings. When Cody is stimming it is very controlable. Occupational Therapist feels that there is more language coming out. He has started a word schedule at school. Have been to my parents 2 weekends in a row and he was just so good. Where he is normally hard to deal with there. Playing with a couple of toys. We feel that he understands what we are saying to him more. More engaging. When we sing songs from school he sings them. Took him to the dentist and they even noticed a difference in his behavior. Eye contact is also getting much better. When I cut his hair he did not scream and listened when I told him not to put his hands to his face. Cody is playing in the sand box letting you poor sand on him and his feet. Memorized theme song to Micky Mouse Clubhouse after only seeing it 5 to 10 times. Has been wearing hats for us like a good boy. He is really noticing things and noises in his surondings. When I went to get him from Occupational Therapy he heard the door bell ring and looked at his OT and said "Mommy". Then when I went to bring him out he ran under the Trampoline and started laughing playing a hiding game with me. Dawn www.shoppingcartblankie.com Connie Bird wrote:

We did 40 dives in 100% oxygen in Jan and Feb. We are now doing 40 more of 100% oxygen. We are at 19 of the last 40, and Logan is still making great improvements. He is now actually responding to strangers by smiling after they talk to him (still won't look at them when he smiles though) and he is crying less it seems like. He has always been a very miserable child since 2 months on, crying between 1-5 hours a day, the last week he has been content and more lively. The crying is there, but probably only 1/4 of what he normally does. The first set of dives seemed to change his muscle tone and helped him in finally holding his cup....this second set is still helping him physcially I think, but the personality is just really starting to come through. Granted we are no where near "normal", but the changes so far are awesome. Everyone working with him notices, even parents in waiting rooms at our therapy centers. I love now that I put him in the chamber on one end, and he manages to belley scoot to the other end, as he is not mobile, and this is the first signs of him getting the idea (other than rolling which he is proficient at). Just wanted to update all on the benefits we have gotten so far. I'm so excited to finally see some of the autistic tendencies starting to melt away a little. Connie Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 23:41:53 -0400 From: "rose manning" Subject: Re: 500 and still improving Eddie has or had Autism. We still have a way to go. Considering we were told to go on with our lives and think institution. His doctor also said he was the worst case he had ever seen. I must say I've known a lot of kids with autism and Eddie topped them all. But now he's doing better than them all. It's funny they all tell me how great he's doing but none of them will try HBOT. We did 40 treatments in March, 2000 at the Ability Camp in Canada. Nice people and a great place! (I understand they are only charging $25.00 per treatment, when I was there it included a room with shared baths and common kitchen.) But I couldn't keep leaving my daughters and living away from home. At that time the closest place was 8 hours from our home. Now there is one about 30 minutes but they want $125 to $150 a treatment. Buying our own chamber seemed to be the only logical thing to do. It took us until December of 2000 to buy it and get it up and running. We wanted every detail done by the book as this is for our child. It really is amazing, almost everyday he says something new or does something different. I still pinch myself to make sure it isn't a dream. Buy a chamber, Love to all, Rose

Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 14:36:23 -0400 From: "rose manning" Subject: Re: 500 and still improving Dear list, We have now done more than 500 treatments and I just want all of you to know the improvements continue. Everyday he is happier, easier, smarter and now funny. It's a slow process but faster than anything else we have tried. We continue with other things, however, we feel HBOT is doing the most. Don't stop or give up! Buy a chamber! Love to all, Rose

> From:
> To: > Sent: Monday, December 08, 2003 9:51 AM > Subject: [NeuroHBOT] autism Hi I'm new to the list. I have 2 children with autism. My now three year old had 8 seizures after her 4 month immunizations and lost consiousness after each event. She was autistic by 6 months of age. We are considering HBOT for her. Is there anyone out there who has seen social, language or attention gains after HBOT? She also has fine motor issues. Thanks, Holly, mom to Ben age 6 and Claudia age 3.

From: "esslr" To:
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 11:03 PM Subject: Re: [NeuroHBOT] autism

Dear Holly,

You are so lucky do discover Hyperbarics at the young ages of your children. We have a son now 13 with autism (brain injury) We have done over 700 treatments. He has seen wonderful improvement. However, my nephew who was 3 at the time we started did 150 and is well, I mean he is in school with no aid, he talks like a well child and is learning like a well child. He was diagnosed with autism and now it has been taken away. Of course, his doctors give credit to growing out of it not to Hyperbarics. I highly recommend buying a chamber of your own. If you opt to do 40 or even 80 treatments a year you will not get where you need to be. Your older child is going to need more treatments than your younger child at least that is what we have seen. AIT (Auditory Integration Training) seems to benefit a lot of children with autism also. It can be purchased from Dr. Wayne Kirby at Serious Composer, Inc. 828-254-7160. http://www.seriouscomposer.com/ It is not expensive and can then be done over several times and will be made specifically for your children. When you get all the benefit out of the first one you can purchase a second set of CDs even cheaper to continue the progress. If you look at his web site there is a picture of him with Dr. Guy Berard the inventor of AIT. Love to all, Rose Manning

********************************************************************************************* Pervasive Developmental Delay Not Otherwise Specified (PDD - NOS)

The following is a copy of the journal kept by mom. "R" is a 7 yr old male with developmental delays and was 3 months premature.

Dives 1-5 We did not notice any changes in “R” during this week.

Dives 6-10 Dad and I noticed that “R” was more calm – he did not get as frustrated over little things. “R” and his sister also began playing together and communicating appropriately for the first time. They seemed to enjoy each other’s company.

Dives 11-15 I noticed “R” was attending better when we worked on reading. Previously, he would get frustrated when reading and mom would have to refocus when reading and refocus him to the page many times. Now he reads a book to me without stopping to look around.

Dive 16-20 “R” and his sister continued to play together nicely. They really seem to enjoy playing together and the conversations are appropriate. I also noticed “R” asking an appropriate question to a boy at the YMCA. I.E. “What is that?” and “What do you do with it?” “R” would previously not be comfortable approaching a peer, and would instead tell me to ask the question.

Dives 21-25 We visited my parents over July 4th and “R”’s grandmother commented on how much “R” and his sister were communicating and playing together. She was amazed at the change. She also noticed how much better “R” was reading – more focused.

Dives 26-30 Dad commented on the intelligent questions “R” was asking. I noticed that he seemed to be processing information quicker – he responds faster to questions and commands instead of seeming sometimes like he needed a jumpstart.

Dives 31-35 We visited “R”’s dad’s family in Oklahoma. “R” was very calm on the drive. We noticed a big change in how he talked to aunts, uncles, and grandparents. He answered their questions appropriately and not in the silly manner as before. He also played with his sister and cousin or on his own. Previously, his father or myself had to take turns entertaining on the farm or he would be badgering constantly or acting inappropriately. His Dad and I actually got to stay in the same room and visit with relatives together – BIG CHANGE from our last trip in May 2003. This trip was a very different trip than all of our previous ones. “R”’s Aunt and Grandma both commented on how “R” was more calm and was not asking so many questions.

Dives 36-40 “R”’s aquatic physical therapist commented on how “R” has been following directions so well lately. “R”’s vision therapist said “R”’s attention span had greatly improved – much better than the first few sessions. Summary: We saw great improvements in “R”’s social skills and attention. We saw moderate improvements in cognitive abilities. We hope to see improvements in fine motor (writing), but we have not tested this thus far as “R” hates to write or color.

In NeuroHBOT@yahoogroups.com, "baltostrength" > wrote: > > Hi Folks: For all you number lovers out there, I wanted to share some great results with you about my 2 kids with autism and HBOT. They recieved 80 hours in July and August at Miracle Mountain, NC. My 3 year old daughter dropped nearly 50 points from 84 to 36 on the ATEC, Autism treatment evaluation Checklist. She improved in all 4 areas, came down 11 points in speech and language, 9 points in socialability, 10 points in cognitive/sensory awareness and 8 in Health, Physical and behavior. My 6 year old son went down 5 points from 15 to 10. His scored came down in sociability and health. We are now chelating them hoping to drop those scores even further. The kids are still on very restricitive diets and we are piling on the therapy to jump on this improvement. I will keep you posted. Holly mom to Ben and Claudia FYI. We have been following Andy Cutler's protocal described in the files in the yahoo group autism_mercury. We are now into our 3rd year with Ben and year 2 for Claudia. We use oral DMSA and ALA administered every 3-4 hours round the clock for 72 hours then off for 4 days and then on for 3 days. Hope this helps. Holly, "baltostrength"

From: Marie To: hbo-list@lists.best.com

Subject: RE: hbo-list: Hyperbaric Medicine Today Date: 30 08 2000 06:10

I've just returned from treatment at Michelle's HBOT facility in Baltimore. Some of the things I saw there were almost unbelieveable. Joyce had had a stroke and her improvement on O2 was visible daily. Autistic children and a child who had had spinal meningitis were making serious progress. An autistic boy looked several people in the eye for the first time. One little girl grabbed a bag of potato chips, opened them, and ate all the chips. It was the most the child had ever accomplished. I was as surprised by the curative powers of the HBOT as I was impressed by the professional staff of the facility. I'm very happy with Chesapeake Hyperbaric and recommend them highly. To my knowledge, they're among the least expensive in America. Rita Borgeson in CT atthelake@snet.net From: aldo To: hbo-list@lists.best.com

Subject: Re: hbo-list: Oxygen therapy and Autism Date: 16 02 2000 08:27

Hello. I am specialist in Underwater Physiology and work at the Hyperbaric Therapy Unit in Iceland. Have you written any papers concerning the effectivness you have achieved with HBO in Autists? We are incursioning in several non-conventional indications of HBO and I would like to hear about this item. In Cuba, there is a national program on treatment of children with perinatal hypoxia, who remained with a cerebral damage. As far as as knew (three years ago) there have been some positive results, but I haven´t heard before about Autistm & HBO. Thanks, Dr. Aldo Lozano My e-mail aldoloz@isholf.is

>>>> "Philip James" 02/14/00 01:10pm >

>Debbie wrote

We have treated children with Autism at our facilities. We have seen a decrease in frustration level, increase in vocalization and initiation in new vocabulary. There has been a significant improvement in delay in response, patients doing more for themselves such as dressing, and increase in attention span. There has also been a decrease in hyperactivity. I would be happy to answer your questions, if you would like to email me. Sincerely, >Debbie Tlockowski, RN, Director of Nursing, Hyperbaric Services of America, www.hyperbaricservices.com

Cc: "Christine Kinnear" Subject: [hbotforcp] Autism still improving after 300 treatments Date: 16 November 2001 04:45

Rose Manning wrote:

I figured it was time to give an update on our son Eddie, We have done 300 treatments and counting. He understands just about everything now. He only does one "autistic like" action with his hands, however, I think it's habit because if we tell him to stop - he now can. Everyday he surprises us with new words and actions. He is reading better and has learned to borrow in subtraction problems (I have tried teaching this lots of times before, with no success). He is getting a mind of his own, though sometimes trying, it's wonderful!!!

Dear Rose Thank you for sharing the good news! I am delighted to learn that Eddie is continuing to improve after less than two weeks of treatment. There are, of course, 168 hours in a week which puts matters into perspective although I do not in any way want to minimise the effort involved in the 300 sessions. Drs Gunnar Heuser and Michael Uxler included an autistic boy who had oxygen treatment in their presentation at Boca Raton. The changes on the SPECT images were astounding. Best wishes, Philip James Dr P B James MB ChB DIH PhD FFOM, Wolfson Hyperbaric Medicine Unit, University of Dundee

From: "Philip James" To: Subject: [hbotforcp] Information Please Date: 05 December 2001 21:00

Dear Jo

I was encouraged to see your letter. Drs Gunnar Heuser and Michael Uzler published a letter in the Lancet on June 23rd 2001 pages 2053-4. It shows the before and after SPECT images from one of their patients treated with additional oxygen under hyperbaric conditions. The improvement was dramatic. At the 2nd International Congresss on Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for the Brain-injured Child in Boca Raton Fla they showed the images of a boy treated under hyperbaric conditions for autism. The improvement of his behaviour and the changes of the SPECT images were amazing. May I suggest that you contact Dr Gunnar Heuser at UCLA? The treatment is not expensive. Best wishes, Dr P B James MBChB DIH PhD FFOM, Wolfson Hyperbaric Medicine Unit, University of Dundee

From: To: Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 6:48 PM

Subject: [hbotforcp] Information Please

> I haven't looked into this for my autistic son yet but might after he's finished chelating. I was trying to gather some information to pass on to this little girl's parents. If it's something that is very costly, then it's probably not even worth looking into. It breaks my heart to see her when there may be help somewhere out there but her parents aren't educated enough to look. My problem seems to be that I want to help everyone and I know that isn't always possible. Thanks for the responses! Jo

> Representative for Unlocking Autism in South Carolina www.unlockingautism.org

> I may be confused by your message. But are you doing this with your own son. Yes, by all means give information to your friend there are others on this list who know more about cp than me. But this will also greatly help your son. My nephew who is now 4 has done 150 treatments and his doctors think he has somehow grown out of autism. "Yeah right"!!! My own son is older (11) and is also doing amazing, not as fast but great.> >

From: Uday Chadha To: hbo-list@lists.best.com

Subject: hbo-list: Autism and HBO Date: 12 04 2000 14:05

Autism and HBO Therapy A brief report on Autism and HBO Therapy

Case # 2 AGE 15 yrs old male

Age art diagnosis 2 yrs.

This child was diagnosed at the age of 2 yrs with Autism. Mom came for HBO and child received 40 sessions at 1.75 ATA. Tried a hbo in a multiplace chamber the therapy did not go well , child did not say still and so the HBO was aborted. She tried HBO in a mono place chamber with the help of ativan during the therapy, child successfully completed 40 sessions under my supervision with out any problem.

PRE HBO STATUS OF CHILD

Can not watch TV because of short attention span

Poor eye contact

Does not stay still , always moving and active.

Can not stay still in toilet.

Things in his room in disarray.

Poor concentration.

Behavior poor for example when in Doctors office it was hard to get hisco-operation for the medical examination.

POST HBO THERAPY

Can watch tv with concentration. Better eye contact with care giver. When mom goes shopping , she can ask him to stay at one spot so she can do her shopping and he would follow commands so the shopping became a pleasant experience rather than a struggle and constant fight and supervision. Now daily routine at home improved for example can sit in the toilet for 5-6 minutes with out any distraction. Things in the room of the child are kept in an organized way. Concentration has improved significantly. Behavior is much better. Examination in an MDs office is much easier. So overall a great improvement in the quality of life and burden of care has lessened tremendously. Sincerely, Dr Uday Chadha, Pediatrician and Nenatologist, Clinical Assistant Professor ,University of Ottawa Medical Director CKC HYPERBARIC CENTRE OF TORONTO INC.AND OTTAWA HYPERBARIC CENTRE

cHBOTc@aol.com wrote:Hello Allison,

I have worked in the hyperbaric field for 6 years now and have had the opportunity to treat many autistic children. Most of them do extremely well adjusting to this form of therapy and we have seen some very impressive results. In fact just today a six year old boy that I have been treating for the past few months finished his 40th session. As a parting gift I had a set of keys made for him.( he is always walking around with his Mom's keys in his mouth/hand) He was happy to have his own keys and understood that they were for him, when he was leaving he unexpectedly turned to me and kissed me on the cheek!! I am still feeling emotional about this because he has NEVER done this before, he usually walks out of the clinic and waves after his mother prompts him to do so. Over all we usually see better eye contact, behavior becomes more socially appropriate, calmer, and without fail reports from teachers are he/she is a totally different child. To date I have not experienced any downside or negative effects in treating autistic children. I hope this helps. I wish you well, Kindest regards, Claudine Lanoix CHT Centre Hyperbare De L'Ile, Quebec, Canada

> hello, Ken,

I am not certain what is going to happen with hbot and autism except to say that I am predicting an absolute landslide of parents wanting hbot for their autistic children. We have 9 or 10 children here now with autism, about 1/3 have been here before. We have 2 children from NJ who are amazing, in fact, I would term them "cured", even though much of the credit must be given to the parents who have done an amazing job. Maybe they would like to comment on other therapies they have also used as I am certain the Mother is on this list. I have been watching closely to try to determine if there is any specifics which should be noted and so far, I am beginning to believe that autism is one of the easier problems for hbot to be effective with. One specific I have noticed is that we are getting results just as good for those who have not recieved chelation as those who have. I am also receiving chelation from Dr. Buttar and the first 2 visits cost me $2500 not covered by insurance. Chelation is not covered. At this point if I had to choose between hbot and chelation, it would be hbot. If you can afford both, it is even better. According to Dr. Buttar, I have Mercury, yet there were no specific tests run, or ways to determine if I have Mercury or not. I am willing to give it a try and will be chelating weekly at $125 per. I will keep you informed if I see any results. Not certain what to look for since Dr. Buttar has very little time for discussion. > Robert > http://www.hbotmanual.com

> Hi Ken: Thanks Rob. I'm so excited you see the kids as cured. Ben now has an ATEC of 6 down from 125, 4 years ago and Claudia is at 26 down from 133?? two 1/2 years ago. So they are certainly getting there by the grace of God. > These are the improvements we saw with the kids from HBOT. First Claudia, she dropped 50 points on the ATEC after 80 hours of HBOT. Claudia is now 4 1/2. My husband was with the kids at MM. I saw Claudia after the first 40 hours and the only thing I noticed with her is that she looked at me differently, like it was the first time she had ever really noticed what I looked like. During the next 40 hours she started warming up to people, being more friendly, talking in sentences. SHe said to my husband you forgot your watch, where are your glasses-she was > becoming aware of her environment and the people in her environment. We saw the neurodevelopmentalist a month afterwards and she said she had never seen a child improve in such little time. Her processing and attention was where she saw the improvement. This past year I would classify her as ADHD and ODD. We took her for NAET and got rid of her Lutien allergy(prior she could only eat 5 things) and her allergies to supplements. Now she is pretty On my son's side he went from 15 to 10 on the ATEC with HBOT. He can finally understand movies and storybooks. Cognitively he is much improved. Also a biggy which isn't on the ATEC was his energy level. Ben always trailed 5 feet behind. He rode his bike for 5 minutes and tired. While he was at MM he was climbing Grandfather Mountain "like a goat." > Both kids chelated for 2 and 1 year prior to HBOT. We really didn't see any great improvement from chelation with Claudia like we saw with Ben(he was very sickly) until after HBOT. We did not chelate during HBOT but resumed when they returned home. Then we started seeing the improvements with Claudia and chelation. I plan to chelate till there stool tests come clean. They still have low levels of glutathione so I'm hoping that pathway can be healed so they can detox themselves someday. > I hope this is helpful. > Holly

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hbot/ Date: Wed, 17 Aug 2005 05:57:11 -0000 From: "krissiedog2" Subject: HBOT for autism in Bay Area

Hi all - Just joined this group after completing only 4 sessions with my 4 year old daughter who is on the spectrum. She has been GFCF for 1.5 years - supplements 1.5 years and chelating with DMPS for 1 year. As I said we've only done 4 sessions, but something big is happening. She is incredibly aware, happy, using language that we've never heard, playing with kids, pointing things out that she sees and really putting ideas together. We haven't changed anything in her diet etc.,but my husband and I are wondering who this kid is!!!! We are patients of Dr. Mielke's in Pleasanton, CA and are really considering buying a unit. I spoke to someone at OxyHealth today and got some info, but would like more. Any input would be really helpful. Also, if there are any families considering purchasing a unit, perhaps we could "time share" it to help with costs. Considering the protocol is 40 sessions - about $4000 - it could make sense. Thanks in advance. Best wishes, kris

: Kevin ; To: NeuroHBOT@yahoogroups.com ;

Hi there. I am a mom of four boys, the oldest of which has full blown classic autism. He is 12. Over the last 10 years we've done it all for him. We are very proactive/cutting edge, or at least we try to be. Now we are "sampling" HBOT for the first time...we are going to a friend's house who owns a portable collapsable chamber. So far, we've done 11 dives. We had to take a five day break over the last week due to various things. In that time, my poor son has had an emotional breakdown. He cries, is extremely emotional and paranoid about mommy being home when he gets home, thinks he is going to turn into a donkey like Pinocchio (he used to LOVE to watch Pinocchio...until three days ago)... My question is, could the five day break cause this breakdown? Is some type of aerobic bacteria be growing?? Advice? Trina

--- In NeuroHBOT@yahoogroups.com, Claudio wrote:

Hi all > I'm looking for good or bad experience in the treatment of autism with HBOT, please share the positives/negatives chages you have notice. My son is schedule to start in 3 weeks his HBOT treatment. Regards Claudio

Hi All, New to the group. I do not live close to a hard chamber although our center is putting one in. My son has just completed 40 dives in a soft chamber with a concentrator. 1.3 He wore the mask but it was difficult to keep on. We hope to try the hard chamber when it is in. The soft chamber results for us were dramatic and started on dive 7 and continued til dive 40. We were going for the most part 5-6 days a week for 1 hr sessions. Our gains came in the form of complex language, more controled stable child who listened better, big handwriting gains and muscle tone improvement. We are also chelating. I am totally sold on the importance of HBOT for Autistic kids. I saw many gains in other children at the clinic too. Some were doing no other interventions one boy was severe and violent, were having marked gains. We have done may interventions and this was one of the best investments we made. My very sensory child loved going in for dives I think it actually made him feel so much better he looked forward to our time each day in the soft chamber. I look forward to going back in March. We have to travel an hour so I am going to take a break til we are over all snow and ice. Best, Karen : jesusnowworld

Thank you so much everyone for all the great advice. I think I should clarify some things. Ana's did fine at 1.3 and her symptoms started when we went up on the pressure. At 1.36 and culminated when we reached 1.4 (her 5th treatment), she started flapping her hands and becoming more "autistic". The key thing is that Ana is not very autistic. She has PDD-NOS but we refused to give her the diagnosis of mental retardation. Her main problem is not joint-attention, but severe delays in problem solving (developmentally at 18 months at most milestones). So for her to act more autistic is very bad. We are using a mobile unit Metal Chamber and she wears a hood, receiving 100% o2. So we are at home. There has been little change in her routine, but frankly she loves going to new places. The negative symptoms have significantly improved at 9 ft or 1.27 !! The positive symptoms continue. She is now saying 3 word sentences and rarely flapping her hands (I think with time that should completely disappear). Obviously, my n=1 and this is not a large study, but I think she had significant side effects to "low pressure oxygen" that were resolved by lowering the dose. She continues to make significant improvements at 1.27. I have also read of reported cases of both acute and chronic o2 toxicity at 1.5 (I know she was at much lower pressures). The other docs in the group know that if the dose of an antibiotic is increased passed the threshold of efficacy; there is a higher chance of side-effects with little benefit. I may be wrong, but I think parents should use their judgement, because they know their child best. Thanks again for all the advice. We're so happy that our little girl is started to wake up. Sheri Wang

Date: 09:31:12 05.25.2006 From: cuches@optonline.net; I too am just a parent doing HBO (with 100% o2 1.4 atm) for my 6 year old autistic daughter. I can tell you that this has been the best thing we have done to date. We did TD DMPS for 1 year prior to starting HBO with some improvement (better yey contact and social skills)and now we are doing IV Chelation. But with adding hyperbarics she is doing great especially with receptive language. She is actually following directions! We have done 26 treatments so far and plan a break after #30 then go back for 30 more. I will ask if we can go to a deeper pressure then the 1.4 we are currently using. TIna

From: Dan Wallace Date: Wednesday, May 24, 2006 3:20 am

Subject: Re: [HBOTherapyforAutism] can 1 of u knowlegable folks who is busy arguing pls help me w/ effects on HBOT?

> Hi Kathy,

> I'm no expert on this but I can share my own experiences. After about 20-25 dives of HBOT, 100% O2, my 4yo ASD son started to show agression too but it only lasted a couple of weeks. I didn't change anything durring that time and things cleared up on their own. Now, no more hitting himself or his classmates and he is much more focused and aware of what's going on around him. He has great eye contact now and seeks more interaction with others. I don't know if this helps, but maybe it will give you some encouragement that you are not alone. You boys could be having an issue with yeast, but our DAN Dr. told us to give it some time... and she was right. It cleared up and Nathan is doing great. I also wanted to say that you are right about doing what works. This is about helping our kids get better. HBOT and mHBOT are probably the single most effective intervention techniques we can do for them and there are inherent risks with each. I joined this group to learn about hypebaric oxygen treatment so I could help my son get better. I have learned a lot, but lately it has been an arguement over HBOT being better than mHBOT or visa versa. "Mine is better than yours... No it isn't... Yes it is.... Yours is dangerous... no it isn't... Bla Bla Bla". Lets get back to the real issue... the inocent children who have been injured by mercury and need our help. Good luck and I think you are doing the right thing. Give it a chance. It sounds to me like your boys are just moving the mecury around in order to get rid of it. We're also chelating (td DMPS) > God Bless, > Dan W. ---Nate's dad---

Weighing the Results: Patients and specialists share stories about Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy by Patricia McAdams While Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy (HBOT) promises relief to many individuals with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), everyone's experience with this therapy is different. Glenn J. Shamdas, 48, who has had CRPS for seven years, tried HBOT because of a recommendation from a friend after she received a complete remission. He was not helped. "I had a total of 20 sessions in four weeks - which is a commonly prescribed schedule. Unfortunately, in my case, no significant improvement was experienced." Dana Marsolino, 52, who was in two bad car accidents and is still in a lot of daily pain, found no relief either. "I tried the hyperbaric chamber four times and had to quit due to my bad shoulders and neck," she says. "I could not tolerate lying inside [the chamber] for that length of time, no matter how they adjusted the pillows." Laura Rentsch, 45, has a somewhat complicated story. She had 20 sessions over four weeks, but endured considerable side effects.

"During the dives I would experience deep pain in my RSD leg that would subside when we got to the final depth. I would also experience vertigo frequently after the treatment." Rentsch said that her swelling calmed down and she had better range of motion in her foot for some time, but she had also been given two Pamidronate treatments prior to the HBOT. Pamidronate helps with constant deep bone pain and she believes this drug did help her. "Ultimately I cannot say the HBOT helped me, but I can't say that I would not recommend it to others. It may very well have helped me, but other contributing factors that lead to less swelling and better range of motion need to be considered. My treatments occurred during the summer and I generally have lower pain levels and better range of motion during warmer weather. And the Pamidronate did reduce the bone pain." Susan Rodriguez, who has been a certified hyperbaric specialist from San Bernardino, Calif., for many years, says that she has not heard of this problem before. Vertigo is an extremely unusual side effect. She suspects it may have been triggered if a patient had an underlying vestibular problem to begin with. It may have been a result of Rentsch's reaction to the Pamidronate. It could also be the result of compression or decompression or other underlying factors. Indeed, Rentsch had a severe reaction to the Pamidronate. It caused sudden hearing loss and extreme tinnitus - a loud roaring motor sound in her ears. Certain powerful medications, particularly those given by IV, as Pamidronate was given to Rentsch, can literally poison the ears of genetically susceptible individuals. Ear poisoning can affect one's hearing or balance, or both. In this case, it is possible that an underlying vestibular problem may have been present. A more common side effect of HBOT is claustrophobia. For some, like Deb Brown, 60, of north central Florida, claustrophobia was too big a hurdle to overcome. One session was quite enough, she says. There were only two very small sections of clear plastic in the particular chamber she was in that she could look out of during the session. "I dare say it felt like it had done some good," says Brown. "Perhaps had I been sedated with an extremely light sedation, I would have handled it better." According to Allan Spiegel, M.D., Palm Harbor, Fl., the claustrophobia problem is minimal for most of his patients, because his chambers are like clear glass. Still, about 10 percent of his patients struggle with this problem, as Brown did. He gives them sedation, however, if they need it. "Mild sedation works wonders," he says. "But one of my patients overcomes the problem by closing her eyes after she lies down on the cot, before being wheeled into the chamber. For some reason that makes a difference," he says. "And then we put some calming music on."

There are several kinds of chambers used for HBOT. Spiegel uses Sechrist chambers in his medical center. Rodriguez, however, prefers Gulf Coast chambers, which she says are somewhat larger. Patients can sit in these chambers and they will be very comfortable. These chambers are 13 feet long and five feet around. "No one has ever become claustrophobic in our chambers because of the large size," she adds. While the effectiveness of this therapy may vary from individual to individual, for some, it has been a Godsend. Tanya Kee, now 33, had a knee injury in 1999, followed by surgery, which made the knee worse. She developed RSD in her leg, which put her into a wheelchair. About three years after her original injury, Kee learned about HBOT and went through 56 sessions with success for her right lower leg and foot. "Probably within a half dozen dives, I noticed a difference," she says. "Even my friends said that I looked amazing," she added, noting that oxygen affects so much of the body. Kee's leg improved slowly, but steadily. "After about two months I went from being in a wheelchair for the most part, to walking and being able to lead a much better life." Kee is a big fan of HBOT. In fact, she runs the North Florida RSD/CRPS Mentor/Support group at <" target=_blankhttp://www.RSDCare.org>;.

Unfortunately, she had to stop therapy because she sustained a new injury to her arm at this time that caused her RSD to spread to her arm, neck, back, neck and right side. She said that HBOT increases blood flow in muscles and makes her muscles too painful. "Prior to that, though, it was a great experience," she says. "My leg has not worsened since then. It's still painful, but I don't use my wheelchair unless we go to Disney or places where we do a lot of walking." Elsie Eten, age 57, had suffered with RSD for nine years before she learned about HBOT. Eten, who Spiegel calls his "Poster Child," (See: Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy: Can it relieve your pain?) had endured years of medical procedures before she met Spiegel and began treatment. "I was at a point in my life with the RSD and pain that I was ready to try anything, or I was ready to die, because I could not take the pain anymore. "After the first few days I could feel the difference," she says. "I was feeling better, the pain was less, and I was taking less pain medication. "After four weeks, I was pain free for the first time in eight or nine years. I slowly quit taking Oxycontin, Loratab, and Zanax. About two weeks later - six weeks after I began therapy - I was pain free and drug free. I could not believe it! "I wanted to go back to nursing so badly that I think I went back too soon. As soon as I was off my medications I went back to work without getting my body back into shape and strong. After a month at work, my pain started to come back. After three months, I had to quit my job because of my pain. I had to start taking Laratab again too." Eten says she goes for HBOT treatments every five or six months and it still helps. She is unable to work, but she is able to go out with her husband sometimes and see friends. "Even though I am not cured of RSD, I feel like I got some of my old life back. I recommend HBOT for RSD. My doctor told me when you have chronic pain, it takes a lot of different modalities to keep the pain at a manageable level and I believe that." Connie Waltz, director of nursing at the Robert M. Lombard Medical Center in Columbia, Pa., where Eduardo Pace is being treated (See: Beyond Pain: Some hope for healing), has treated a number of individuals with RSD. "Absolutely, I would recommend Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy for RSD," she says, adding that the sooner a person starts HBOT after they have been diagnosed, the better. Patients who have had RSD for a long time are tough to treat. The two patients they had, who were newly diagnosed, had especially good results. "One person stopped after 10 treatments, because of financial reasons," says Waltz. "She saw amazing results. She could open her hand and use it. The swelling went down. The natural pink color returned, instead of a dusky blue. "The other person had it in his shoulder," she says. "Within 20 treatments, he had range of motion." Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy appears to be one more tool in the toolbox of managing chronic pain for many individuals. Like Spiegel and Waltz, Rodriguez is passionate about the ability of Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy to make a difference for patients with RSD. "RSD can shatter your life," she says. "Mothers can't be mothers. Husbands can't support their families. Kids can't lead normal lives. And no one believes you about the pain. "People's lives depend on this therapy," she says. "Integrated with other ongoing therapies, it holds real promise." Beyond Pain - Some hope for healing Eduardo Pace, 27, turned the key in the door to the pizza restaurant in West Windsor, N.J., where he worked as a chef, and was greeted by the scent of pine oil rising from freshly mopped floors. It was only 9 a.m. on an overcast morning in June, but already the kitchen was hot. After gathering the ingredients for a fresh batch of dough, Pace put them into a giant machine to mix together. He then prepared several pizzas for early bird customers who might stop by. Soon, the pleasing aroma of the pizzas baking in the ovens filled the kitchen, so Pace turned his attention again to the dough. Now mixed, it was ready to be cut and rolled. Alone, he lifted the dough - all 80 pounds of it - placing it on the table nearby. He remembers the snap in his right wrist as his ligaments ripped apart. He remembers a searing pain that shot through his arm like an electric shock. He remembers the doctor in the emergency room who dismissed his complaints, sending him back to work. This is a story about one man's traumatic injury, the devastating health consequences, and finally, a treatment called Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy (HBOT) that is beginning to heal. "My injury happened 15 years ago," says Pace. "I had gone to a local emergency medical center where I was examined but no X-rays were taken. The attending doctor thought I was complaining too much. He assumed I was looking for time off from work. He said nothing was wrong and sent me back to the restaurant." Despite a year's delay, Pace's injury to his wrist was finally diagnosed and treated. He had an operation during which nine pins were put into his arm to reattach the ligaments. By this time, however, edema had set in, so the tissues in his hand and arm were inflamed and swollen. Soon afterwards, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), which had begun spreading, was diagnosed. This little known condition that causes excruciating pain at even the slightest touch, involves the nerves, skin, muscles, bones, and blood vessels. Affecting the sympathetic nervous system, rather than the central nervous system, it is especially difficult to treat. "It feels as though my arm and hand are in a bat of burning oil with a knife-driving pain simultaneous to the burning pain," says Pace. "On top of all of that, there is the feeling as if the limb was being clamped shut." From this point forward, Pace had great doctors. Because his was a work related injury, however, there were considerable legal issues that prolonged the necessary care. The RSD continued to spread, affecting his legs by 1995. He tried to manage with a quad cane for a while, but eventually needed a wheelchair. The years since his injury are a blur of doctors and medical procedures and medications, none of which gave Pace relief. Then one day, a doctor suggested HBOT. The term, oxygenation therapy, refers to inhaling 100 percent oxygen instead of 21 percent oxygen, which is the ordinary level of oxygen in the air we breathe. The word, hyperbaric, relates to pressures higher than normal. With HBOT, patients enter a small bed-size chamber, where they inhale 100 percent oxygen at higher than normal atmospheric pressure. The therapy has a remarkable history of improving the function of many individuals. According to neurologist Allan Spiegel, who treats patients with HBOT, "the saturation of blood and tissue with oxygen increases 10 to 20 times when you are in the chamber, compared with when you are not in the chamber. Essentially, you are super saturating tissues deprived of oxygen, because of the swelling of a limb." With hope for some relief finally in sight, Pace searched for a medical facility that provides HBOT. Unfortunately, the hospitals closest to his home and even those in Philadelphia refused to take him because RSD is considered "off-list" of the therapies they can treat with HBOT.

At last, he identified the Robert M. Lombard Medical Center - a free-standing clinic in Columbia, PA, three hours from home. The staff in Columbia welcomed him as a patient. Ever grateful, Pace made reservations in a nearby motel and moved in, so he could go for daily treatments. It was 2003. "In 13 years, this was the first thing that showed any effect," he says. "It took about a month, but there were very small changes that meant a lot to me. It had a dramatic impact on the edema in particular." Pace says he sits in a Vickers chamber, which looks like a one-man submarine. It has a huge bubble where his head is, so he can look around and watch TV or a movie if he wants. As he is "diving" - a term used by patients as the chamber is pressurized to a different undersea atmospheric pressure -he chews gum or licks a lollipop to keep his ears from popping. Once he is at the right pressure level, his ears are fine, he says. There is no difference from being outside the chamber. Sitting in the chamber is very painful, of course, because his legs are touching the bed and his arm and hand are resting in his lap. Otherwise, he has no side effects. On rare occasions, however, he has struggled a bit with claustrophobia. He just closes his eyes and visualizes himself elsewhere. It helps a great deal. "When I first started coming for this therapy, my hand was swollen to 26 inches around (67 centimeters)," he says. "After months of HBOT it was 11 inches (29 centimeters). The results were phenomenal. There was not a drastic change in pain, but a little bit means a whole lot to someone in my shoes." Spiegel and other therapists find that approximately 20 to 60 daily treatments can give RSD patients huge relief. Because of the delay in his treatment, however, Pace's condition had worsened so badly that he continued the therapy for about a year. He says he was doing extremely well and making lots of progress until he had a fall and had to stop treatments for some time. Depression set in and his condition regressed. He started treatments again in July 2005. "I am finally on the right track once again and seeing positive signs all around. My legs have responded very well. There is almost no drainage. The edema is down considerably. "I absolutely recommend this therapy to others," Pace says. "It has made a dramatic difference in my life."

Date: 16:40:46 04.12.2006 From: I have been treating RSD for many years using HBOT. I even devoted a website to this with excellent research articles. www.rsdtherapy.com If you have any questions regarding RSD/ HBOT feel free to contact me at oxygen4u@tampabay.rr.com or call 727-787-7077 Allan Spiegel M.D. 31608 U.S. 19 Palm Harbor, Fl 34684

Date: 20:28:11 05.26.2006 From: Michelle B. ; To: NeuroHBOT@yahoogroups.com; We did 40 hbot (hard chamber 100% 02 1.5 Oct - Dec. 05...) -- she's almost 12 yrs old - PDD-NOS (probably birth injury) -- severely delayed, no speech ,etc., etc. -- we saw some temporary improvements in more fluid, easier movement -- not so jerky, more conscious of others (not stepping on you, etc.), easier to direct, listening better, etc. -- granted, I don't think we've gone back to where we started from, but despite being hard chamber, etc. results were not exactly "permanent." However, very glad that we did HBOT. Now, months later, occassionlly we see some new "nuances" -- subtle, subtle changes -- better comprehension -- I would love to do more tx but no $$$ now. With kind regards, Michelle

Subject: [HBOTherapyforAutism] Update on Dives Date: 21:31:58 05.25.2006 From: Connie Bird ; To: HBOTherapyforAutism@yahoogroups.com We did 40 dives in 100% oxygen in Jan and Feb. We are now doing 40 more of 100% oxygen. We are at 19 of the last 40, and Logan is still making great improvements. He is now actually responding to strangers by smiling after they talk to him (still won't look at them when he smiles though) and he is crying less it seems like. He has always been a very miserable child since 2 months on, crying between 1-5 hours a day, the last week he has been content and more lively. The crying is there, but probably only 1/4 of what he normally does. The first set of dives seemed to change his muscle tone and helped him in finally holding his cup....this second set is still helping him physcially I think, but the personality is just really starting to come through. Granted we are no where near "normal", but the changes so far are awesome. Everyone working with him notices, even parents in waiting rooms at our therapy centers . I love now that I put him in the chamber on one end, and he manages to belley scoot to the other end, as he is not mobile, and this is the first signs of him getting the idea (other than rolling which he is proficient at). Just wanted to update all on the benefits we have gotten so far. I'm so excited to finally see some of the autistic tendencies starting to melt away a little. Connie Bird

Subject: [HBOTherapyforAutism] Completed 40 hard chamber dives... Date: 21:56:49 05.25.2006 From: sashasrecovery To: HBOTherapyforAutism@yahoogroups.com Sasha is doing great since being at miracle mountain. We got home late last night from our 3 1/2 week stay which was wonderful. We have not been working on potty training Sasha witha toilet. He pees in a cup (b/c of so many urine collections) but would never go near a toilet. Last week he woke up and went to potty pulled his diaper back on and went back to sleep. I of course called everyone who would answer their phone and talk to shout his accomplishment. When we first got there he was out of control hitting screaming kicking the other kids. He just couldn't be around them. After a while he got so much calmer. His language is really coming along and he's just done really great. We made a lot of new friends on our trip. We plan to go back in September. I'm not sure how we're going to pay for it yet but we'll figure something out. I now he needs it so we booked it. But like everyone with a disabled child finances are running out. Here are some pix of our trip: http://photos.yahoo.com/sashasrecovery http://profiles.yahoo.com/sashasrecovery -crystal www.sashasrecovery.com

Hi All, > Just wanted to share my thoughts. I see post asking about doing more dives and I'll be faced with that pretty soon, too. I have an Autistic 7 y/o on dive 27 and nothing to show for it. First looking into it, I wasn't going to do it at $150 per and if I had to give up something else. My therapists' schedules all changed to where I could fit in in w/o giving up anything and I could live w/$100 per, so I did it. I found one person that had done it and it didn't work for them either. (40 dives) If you want to do this right, you need to take out the emotion. Remove the child and replace with an item. How happy would you be if you spend $20K on a new car and they drive you out a "76" Pinto? Buy a new appliance and it doesn't work... at least they have laws in place for that. Should we not have the same expectations of other items and services we purchase??? Maybe if HBOT doesn't work for our child, maybe we should be getting some $ refunded. How happy are you with little gains..... if they were drops of water, it'd take a really long time just to get a swallow. Is a swallow worth all the time and money? How do you know who is writing these WOW! > stories..... maybe the bankers for some of these HBOT places and doctors? How do these parents know the gains their child made were from HBOT? Maybe these children would have made the same gains with ABA and age anyway? They say there are no studies cause no one is looking to fund them (drug companies... no money to be made)....... > they didn't fund ABA therapy either, but they still validated that even though there was no money to be made. At this point, I can't justify paying $100 for more dives. I'll assign it a realistic value for me and stick to it til they have some studies finished that let us know what and how much we might actually expect. Thanks for your time.............Bucky 22:21:19 04.27.2007 From: rnld_frye

Date: 14:38:55 04.26.2007 From: cHBOTc@aol.com; To: NeuroHBOT@yahoogroups.com Hi Bucky, I am treating a 4 and 5 year old brother and sister, both diagnosed with autism...we are at treatment number 35 of 40 scheduled treatment sessions. Both children are much calmer, better eye contact, day care reports improvements with social skills and the big one......The little boy who HAD very limited language skills started speaking last week, putting 4 and 5 words together in small sentences. As for this week each day after his session he comes over to me and gives me a kiss!! That being said, I know that this is not always the case, there are some children that for what ever reason do not respond, we have some children that do not show much if any progress in the first block of treatments but then show progress in the second block of sessions. This is the same with EVERYTHING.....some therapies/treatments work well for some children and some not at all or very little. The reason for 40 treatment sessions is that it usually takes this amount of time for changes to start taking place. I do not know of any therapy that works instantly.....it all take time. If you are not seeing any changes at all perhaps you might like to discuss changing the pressure being used with you treatment facility Three years ago one of my twin sons ( both have cerebral palsy) underwent a very important neurosurgery, at first it was fantastic...one year post surgery all gains were lost....and we are back to where we started. I ask the surgeon "why did this happen? they have no idea...my son is the one in a thousand that the surgery did not work for" Sad but true....so we continue to search other ways to help him " be all that he can be!!" There are NO Guarantees in life, perhaps for products purchased but not for humans. No guarantees for for the drugs we use, the surgeries we undergo, the therapies we seek or for the lives we live. We all just do the best we can with the knowledge and energy we have. I for one like many parents on this list have tried many different therapies to help my sons progress in any way that they could, some things have worked well for us ( like HBOT) and others not so well, the ONLY way to find out if something will work is to try it. Best regards, Claudine

ETHAN'S HYPERBARIC TREATMENT JOURNAL

By Ethan's mother

My son was diagnosed with severe autistic disorder when he was 2 1/2 years old. We have tried every treatment available for autism, and saw very little improvement over the past 18 months. We started treating him in the hyperbaric chamber in March. We have seen incredible things with this treatment. I wanted to share what all has happened with you. Everything that is reported in this dive log is brand new for Ethan.
3-22-03 (#1 at 1.3)- Did very well in chamber, no problems with ears.
3-24-03 (#2 at 1.3)- Happy today, held hands with Mom in chamber. Susan (para at school) reported he gave her lots of kisses and was happy today.
3-25-03 (#3 at 1.3)- Gave Mom kiss first thing this morning. Elisa (Speech Therapist at school) reported he started saying “w” sound today.
3-26-03 (#4 at 1.5)- Still very happy, whispered something to David after dinner. Held hands with Lisa during dive.
3-27-03 (#5 at 1.5)- Susan reported he said “I want” twice at school today. Increased babbling noted at home. Sleeping very well and still happy.
3-28-03 (#6 at 1.5)- Rhonda (para at home) reported he said “I wan” 3 times to her today. Also brought her sentence strip with “I want” and “Toy Story 2” and then sat down to watch movie. A few minutes later, he added icon for “blanket” and gave it to her and then got his blanket and returned to movie.
3-31-03 (#7 at 1.5)- Susan sent note home from school that he is very vocal and still saying “I want” with his PECS strip.
4-1-03 (#8 at 1.5)- Following verbal instructions much better. Didn’t want to go to bed, and was up at 5:00 this morning. Gross motor imitation improving.
4-2-03 (#9 at 1.5)- Continues to do very well with imitation. Vocalizations have increased dramatic all y this week. Increase in chewing noted. Mom told him to “get your bowl and sit at the table” and he did. First time he has ever followed a 2-step command.
4-3-03 (#10 at 1.5)- Imitating consistently touch nose, touch head, wave one hand, wave both hands, clap, high 5, and high 10.
4-4-03 (#11 at 1.5)- Was aggressive after this dive, but skills are remaining consistent.
4-7-03 (#12 at 1.5)- Said “no” over the weekend, said “b all ” at school, and discovered bubbles in tubby.
4-13-03- No dives since the 5 the due to a cold. Over the weekend, waved responsively with no prompting. Also began removing his pull up to have a bowel movements, seems he now realizes it doesn’t feel good to have poopy pants. We had a team meeting with Molly (his behavior therapist) and she was amazed with his progress. She said “hi Ethan” and he said “hi” right back. She commented that he has shown dramatic improvements since starting treatments. Data shows 6/7 gross motor imitations are now mastered. Adding new ones to work on this week. 4-14-03 (#13 at 1.5)- Still very verbal, especially at school.
4-15-03 (#14 at 1.5)- Susan reported he was doing very well with his workbaskets at school, especially with rolling a b all . He was able to get his backpack off the hook independently for the first time today. Eliza commented “Wow! He’s doing so great!”
4-16-03 (#15 at 1.5)- While working with Agnieszka (au pair at home), Ethan wanted to watch a movie instead. She told him “Touch your nose (and modeled it for him) and then you can go watch your movie.” He followed the instruction and went over to the TV. First time a negotiation has ever worked!!!
4-17-03 (#16 at 1.5)- School sent home a note saying “He said I WANT clear as a bell several times today”. Mom noticed that he is staying by her side when walking to the car after school, even without holding her hand. When she picked him up at school today, he tried to lead her out the door because she was talking to the teachers and he wanted to leave.
4-21-03 (#18 at 1.5)- Waved spontaneously at several different people over the weekend. Was very aggressive today with biting. Was unable to stay in class today because of it. Took a large bite out of the bus aide this morning. Mom stuck her tongue out at him in the chamber and said “Do this” and he did it twice.
4-22-03 (#19 AT 1.5)- Still slightly aggressive at school this morning, but calm by afternoon. Grabbed Grandma’s hand in the chamber and held it and had her rub his foot during treatment.
4-23-03 (#20 at 1.5)- Took Agnieszka by the hand this morning and led her to the fridge, opened the door, took out what he wanted, handed it to her to get it out for him. Susan reported he was very happy to see her return to school today (she has been out ill for 2 days).
4-24-03 (#21 at 1.5)- Susan reported he began pushing the icon that says “I need to go to the bathroom” at school today, so they took him when he pushed it and he went. At bedtime, Mom said “come on buddy, it’s time to go night night”. He stood up and took her hand and led her to his room and got in bed with no further prompting.
4-25-03 (#22 at 1.5)- Before going into the chamber, Ethan pointed to the TV to let David know he wanted it turned on. This was a first for him!!!
5-7-03 (#24 at 1.5)- Ethan has been out of the chamber due to a viral infection. This week, a family friend was over to visit and commented, “I can’t believe how much he’s changed. I’ve been here so many times and he’s never even noticed I was in the house. Today he engaged with me like I’ve never seen him do before.” No regression has been noted since out of the chamber, and social interactions have improved this week. This morning, he went to the kitchen and sat at the table until someone came in to help him get breakfast. He took his PECS book and put “I want” “Fruit” and “Cereal” on it and handed it to Agnieszka when she came into the kitchen. Norm all y, he would have been digging through the fridge or the cabinets for food.
5-8-03 (#25 at 1.5)- Ethan was looking out his bedroom window as Mom and Dad were pulling out of the driveway. He waved to us and pointed at the car. WOW! He has also begun to shut the fridge when he’s done looking in it and the screen door when he walks outside. He has always left them wide open until now.
5-9-03 (#26 at 1.5)- This morning, Agnieszka was gathering her laundry and putting it in her basket. One of the sleeves from her shirt was hanging over the side, so Ethan walked over to it and put it in the basket for her. Big helper!
5-12-03 (#27 at 1.5)- Tonight, Ethan was working on sorting objects, but was very unhappy about the task. Agnieszka told him “If you sort these items, I will turn on the movie for you.” He sorted cars, dolls, and beads without prompting. She turned the movie on for him, and he was happy. He has also begun consistently taking people by the hand, leading them to what he wants, and putting their hands on the item he wants them to give him.
5-13-03 (#28 at 1.5)- Continues to follow directions better. Had a “great day at school” according to Susan.
5-14-03 (#29 at 1.5)- Happy mood today, no biting this week so far.
5-15-03 (#30 at 1.5)- Work with Agnieszka still improving. Requires less instruction for task completion.
5-16-03 (#31 at 1.5)- Very affectionate today. Doesn’t want to let Mom out of his sight. Seeks her out for hugs. Dove at an earlier time today, seemed to be less antcy in chamber for entire dive.
5-19-03 (#32 at 1.5)- This morning, Ethan was standing in the dining room playing appropriately with his toy steering wheel for 5 minutes.
5-20-03 (#33 at 1.5)- When Mom picked Ethan up at school, he was playing by himself with a school bus. He was taking the people out and putting them back in where they belong. Mom said, “Wow! How long has he been playing independently?” Susan said “He does this everyday now.”
5-21-03 (#34 at 1.5)- This morning, Ethan got in bed with Mom. Mom said “hello” and he responded with “hello”.
5-22-03 (#35 at 1.5)- In a great mood today. Had school program, did some of the hand movements with help from his teacher. Much less prompted than ever before.
5-23-03 (#36 at 1.5)- Told Jessica (another Mom) “hi” in the chamber twice today.
5-24-03 (#37 at 1.5)- Molly here this weekend, impressed at how many programs he has mastered at home. Added several new things to try with him. Still following 2 (or more) step commands. Today, he got up from the table with his snack and took it to the living room. Mom said, “Get your snack, go into the kitchen, and sit at the table to eat it.” He did as she asked with no prompting.
5-28-03 through 6-2-03- Mom out of town for the last 3 dives, but 40 have been completed now.
6-1-03- Ethan said “box” after Agnieszka said “sand” while they were playing in the sand box.
6-2-03- Ethan watched “Monsters INC” for the first time. He has only watched the same 5 movies since diagnosis.
6-4-03- Ethan followed Mom from room to room carrying his stacking cups so he could play with them and still be next to her. He also led her to his room (by holding her hand and pulling her) so that she would lay down in bed with him and watch a movie.
6-6-03- Today, Ethan rode his bike independently for the first time. We have been working on transitioning from the tricycle to the bike, but he couldn’t figure out why the brake would engage when he would peddle backwards. He rode 7 feet with no prompting and no braking.
6-10-03- Tonight, Ethan comforted his Dad when he was upset. This the first time he has recognized someone else’s emotional needs.
6-14-03- Mom was talking to a friend who also has a son with autism. He said “I was watching Ethan at the park the other day and would have never known he has autism now.” This meant so much to us coming from the father of an autistic child!
6-17-03- Today Ethan got his haircut. When Mom got home, he immediately walked over to her, took her hand, and rubbed his head with it to show her he got a new haircut.
6-18-03- Today when Ethan was getting off the bus, Katrina (Mom’s best friend) drove by in her car and honked at him and said “hi Ethan”. He stopped, turned around, and waved to her.
6-24-03- Today Ethan’s Dad was putting on his swimsuit to take him to the pool. He got very excited in anticipation of going to the pool. He doesn’t usually show anticipation of activities.
6-30-03 (#41 and #42 at 1.5)- Ethan began his second round today. He dove twice and tolerated it very well. He has been in a great mood all day and has told 3 people “hi”.
7-1-03 (#43 and #44 at 1.5)- Ethan said “wow” tonight while watching fireworks with his family. He also tolerated a new movie for the entire hour during the afternoon dive.
7-2-03 (#45 and #46 at 1.5)- Ethan tolerated a new movie in the morning dive and watched a football game in the second half of the afternoon dive with no problems.
7-3-03 (#47 at 1.5)- Woke up at 5:00 this morning, so he only did 1 dive today. Very sleepy and cranky in the afternoon.
7-4-03- Watched fireworks and said “wow’ again. Very interested in people at the party, swam all day!
7-7-03 (#48 and #49 at 1.5)- Did block imitation correctly for the first time ever!
7-8-03 (#50 at 1.5)- Very cranky this morning when he had to return to school. Cheered up once he was there. In a good mood the rest of the day.
7-9-03 (#51 at 1.5)- This morning Mom got Ethan out of the car to walk into school and he grabbed a hold of her leg and buried his face in it. He held on tight until we got into the classroom. Later this afternoon, Mom started to walk out the front door and Ethan began to cry because he thought she was leaving for work. When Mom walked back into the house, he stopped crying and hugged her. This is the first time he has been upset when Mom leaves since he was diagnosed!
7-10-03 (#52 at 1.5)- This morning, Agneiszka walked into his room and he said “hi” before she did.
7-11-03 (#53 at 1.5)- Nothing new to report today.
7-13-03- Molly here today for a team meeting. We decided to start some new programs, so we got out the game “Perfection” and were trying to decide if he could put 3 or 4 pieces in if we put in the rest. As we were discussing this, he started grabbing pieces and completed the game completely by himself. WOW!
7-15-03 (#54 at 1.5)- Ethan is now dressing himself without any assistance. Over the weekend, Agneiszka put his pull up on the floor and went upstairs to throw the dirty one in the trash. When she returned to help him, he was already dressed. She didn’t even have to verb all y prompt him to put them on!
7-21-03 (#55 and #56 at 1.5)- Mom out of town since last Wednesday. Susan sent home notes twice last week stating, “He is doing great at school”. Is doing much better with potty training, only wet once during the day on average. Laughed out loud when he arrived at the chamber this morning because he was so excited to return to diving. No regressions noted this week.
7-22-03 (#57 at 1.5)- Very hyper and stemming constantly today. Having some regression due to medical treatments. Has not slept through the night in a week. Will remain out of the chamber until next week.
7-28-03 (#58 at 1.5)- Returned to chamber today. Very calm and happy to return. Started blowing bubbles with his saliva this week. Thinks it’s very funny. Is playing independently with his toys in his room instead of constantly watching the TV. Went to the pool tonight, Ethan had a blast. Anticipated splashes when kids would jump in by him and would cover his face when he saw them coming. Very good mood today.
7-29-03 (#59 at 1.5)- Agneiszka asked him to pick out a movie to watch while waiting to get into the chamber. Ethan picked “Shrek” instead of one of his usual movies.
7-30-03 (#60 at 1.5)- Still not sleeping through the night, but in a good mood. Babbling increasing, making new sounds.
7-31-03 (#61 at 1.5)- Para at school sent home note saying “Ethan said I wah mu” for “I want music” today.
8-1-03 (#62 at 1.5)- Today, Aunt Katie was over for lunch. She offered Ethan a chicken strip, and he shook his head and said “no”. She offered him a tater tot, he took it and patted her on the arm as a thank you.
8-4-03 (#63 and #64 at 1.5)- Over the weekend, Ethan got out of the pool and took Agneiszka by the hand. He led her to the bathroom and went potty. YEA! Has fin all y started sleeping through the night again also.
8-5-03 (#65 at 1.5)- Ethan said “I wan hips” several times today at school for “I want chips”
8-6-03 (#66 at 1.5)- Susan reported they haven’t been pouring water on Ethan at all to get him to go potty.
8-11-03 (#69 at 1.5)- At a birthday party tonight, Ethan put down his food, took Mom by the hand, and hit his pull up. Mom asked if he needed to go potty, and he ran to the bathroom and went potty.
8-12-03 (#70 at 1.5)- Tolerated a new movie for 40 minutes without having a tantrum before real tears appeared.
8-13-03 (#71 and #72 at 1.5)- Saying “k” sound today for first time.
8-14-03 (#73 at 1.5)- Fell asleep in chamber today and woke up very cranky. Had a major tantrum when he had to exit the chamber without watching a movie.
8-18-03 (#75 at 1.5)- This evening, Mom walked into Ethan’s room to check on him. He looked her in the eyes and said “hi” and then returned to playing with his toys.

Parents turn to long-shot therapy for autism**

By Kirsten Scharnberg, Source: Chicago Tribune: *http://tinyurl.com/2dtdg3*

Tribune national correspondent Published April 23, 2007, 7:48 PM CDT

HONOLULU -- Kalma Wong has tried almost everything for her two autistic children: special diets, intense behavioral therapies, flying in experts from the U.S. mainland at exorbitant costs. Some efforts have yielded modest success. Others have done next to nothing. But like many other parents of the more than 500,000 children that the Centers for Disease Control estimates to be autistic in the U.S., Wong has vowed to keep trying until she pinpoints the treatment that most helps her kids.
Her latest attempt is one of the most long-shot therapies yet, a protocol some doctors praise but that others declare to be a waste of time that gives desperate parents false hope and exploits them financially. It is called hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a treatment in which pure oxygen is delivered to patients confined to pressurized chambers for an hour a day for several weeks. The theory is that the extreme doses of oxygen essentially the same kind of treatment that has been used for decades to cure divers with decompression illness will spur dormant or damaged neurons in the brain to become reinvigorated or even transformed.
In the case of children with autism, considered the fastest-growing developmental disability in the U.S. today, the new treatment is claimed to have produced some stunning results: transforming non-verbal children into fluent speakers; helping children hypersensitive to outside stimuli become calm enough to attend public schools; changing kids once adverse to any personal interaction or touching into affectionate toddlers. "I don't know what to expect from this," Wong said, "but the minute I heard about the upcoming trial, I called and got my kids on the list. I feel like it's worth a shot."
Her reaction is just what some autism experts fear.

"I understand that what all parents want is to be able to look back and say they did everything they possibly could to help their child," said Dr. Tina Iyama, professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an expert on autism. "That's why they are trying all these experimental new treatments. But … there is absolutely no reason to think that improving oxygen levels in a child with autism will be helpful."
The debate over hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT, well illustrates the fault lines over autism, a disorder that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates afflicts as many as 1 in every 150 children in America. Because there is no medical consensus on what causes autism, there also is little agreement on how best to treat it.
Some doctors who believe that the components of childhood vaccines; such as mercury; have been responsible for many cases of autism advocate detoxification programs in which children take chemicals that bind with metals in the body and force them out through urine. Others promote gluten-free diets under the theory that autistic children have high levels of a certain type of yeast in their digestive tracts. And then there are the proponents of HBOT, which has gained a following among parents who claim it has helped improve children with neurological problems, including cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, encephalitis and, most recently, autism.
Inside an office in an industrial section of Honolulu is the Hyperbaric Medicine Center. The first stop on the tour by Dr. Maryellen Markley, the facility's patient care coordinator, is in front of two color brain scans which she said show the profound results of HBOT. The first scan, she says, reveals that the autistic child scanned had decreased blood flow and profound neuroinflamation before the oxygen therapy. "Look at how much has changed in the second scan," Markley said, pointing. "Better blood flow, less inflammation, more connections between the two sides of the brain. This child, a 6-year-old, was completely non-verbal since the age of one and a half, and after 66 hours of hyperbaric oxygen therapy was talking again." Markley said she has treated more than 30 autistic children with HBOT and "every single child of those 33 had consistent quality-of-life improvements." The improvements, she said, were more pronounced in kids most afflicted by the characteristics of autism: the repetitive behaviors and the impairments in sensory perception, social interaction and communication.

Critics argue that no studies have been done that use scientific models such a double-blind testing. They caution that the treatment has been tried only on a handful of children affected with autism nationwide, not nearly enough to draw valid conclusions. "They are making extraordinary claims without extraordinary evidence," Iyama said. Evidence is exactly what supporters of HBOT are hoping to get in the coming months. Beginning in May, the Honolulu clinic, along with some 20 hyperbaric oxygen clinics across the U.S., will launch a formal study into how autistic children respond to the therapy. A total of about 400 children will be included, and the results are to be evaluated by the National Institutes for Health. Other studies are under way that HBOT proponents are closely watching. One of the biggest is a federally funded study on the effects of HBOT on children with cerebral palsy that is under way at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. One group watching the outcomes of these studies is the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, a non-profit group of doctors that investigates scientific claims linked to HBOT. Thus far the group has been skeptical of using HBOT to help neurological conditions such as autism or cerebral palsy. "If we just had the evidence we'd be happy to support it. But it just isn't there," Dr. Donald Chandler, executive director of the UHMS, has said in statements regarding the therapy. HONOLULU -- Kalma Wong has tried almost everything for her two autistic children: special diets, intense behavioral therapies, flying in experts from the U.S. mainland at exorbitant costs. Some efforts have yielded modest success. Others have done next to nothing. As unproven as HBOT is for treating autism, it is widely accepted in other fields of medicine. It has been used for decades to successfully treat other medical ailments and is so well-documented to work in the treatment of slow-healing wounds, burns, carbon monoxide poisoning, intercranial abscesses, gangrene and the stubborn sores associated with diabetes that many insurance companies include HBOT in their list of reimbursable medical expenses.

One insurance reimbursement case, in Georgia, is pointed to most frequently by supporters of HBOT. The case involved Jimmy Freels, a child with such severe cerebral palsy, a neological disorder that affects body movement and muscle coordination, that he was essentially a quadriplegic. With HBOT, the boy improved to such a degree that he could speak, swim, attend public school and play wheelchair football, according to court testimony. In court, brain scans similar to those Markley shows of autism patients who have undergone HBOT showed significant improvement in Jimmy's brain blood flow and metabolism in portions the brain. A state judge ordered Georgia Medicaid to cover HBOT for Jimmy, saying the evidence had showed the therapy had helped. The treatment is far from cheap. HBOT can range from about $180 to $800 per hour.

The therapy is not alleged by most of its critics to be dangerous. It carries, they say, a rare risk of prompting seizures, but most seem to believe it is simply a waste of time and money. "My fear is that we're going to waste tax dollars and good time and money chasing quirky ideas," said Iyama, who heads an autism clinic in Madison. "The only effective treatment for autism is educational and behavioral treatment The rest is just wishful thinking." Major medical groups have backed this sentiment. The American Academy of Pediatrics several years ago issued a statement dismissing most alternative-medicine treatments for autism.

Indeed, HBOT has a history of being oversold as something of a cure-all. The most notorious case came in the 1920s. A doctor in Cleveland built a compression chamber where long lines of patients went in hopes of curing everything from syphilis to cancer. When the treatment failed, the chamber was torn down and sold for scrap metal. Iyama fears that parents deeply saddened and frustrated by their children's condition will make bad decisions about experimental therapies. She stressed that the most accepted method for treating autistic children is the kind of intensive behavior therapy that requires at least 35 hours of work each week with an autistic child. She fears that some parents are drawn to treatments that promise faster results. "I had one mother who told me her mom was willing to mortgage the family home in order to fund hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the child," Iyama said. Wong, whose two children will begin HBOT in May, is not putting her hopes on any one thing. She continues to immerse her children in behavioral therapies, to work with national autism educational experts and adhere to a rigorous gluten-free diet.. "The bottom line," Wong said, "is that when you are the parent of an autistic child, you learn to appreciate the treatments that yield even subtle changes."

Hi Kathy, I'm no expert on this but I can share my own experiences. After about 20-25 dives of HBOT, 100% O2, my 4yo ASD son started to show agression too but it only lasted a couple of weeks. I didn't change anything durring that time and things cleared up on their own. Now, no more hitting himself or his classmates and he is much more focused and aware of what's going on around him. He has great eye contact now and seeks more interaction with others. I don't know if this helps, but maybe it will give you some encouragement that you are not alone. You boys could be having an issue with yeast, but our DAN Dr. told us to give it some time... and she was right. It cleared up and Nathan is doing great. I also wanted to say that you are right about doing what works. This is about helping our kids get better. HBOT and mHBOT are probably the single most effective intervention techniques we can do for them and there are inherent risks with each. I joined this group to learn about hypebaric oxygen treatment so I could help my son get better. I have learned a lot, but lately it has been an arguement over HBOT being better than mHBOT or visa versa. "Mine is better than yours... No it isn't... Yes it is.... Yours is dangerous... no it isn't... Bla Bla Bla". Lets get back to the real issue... the inocent children who have been injured by mercury and need our help. Good luck and I think you are doing the right thing. Give it a chance. It sounds to me like your boys are just moving the mecury around in order to get rid of it. We're also chelating (td DMPS) God Bless, Dan W. ---Nate's dad--- cambiodiarios wrote: Recently I posted a message in regards to my little boys HUGE mercury dump from his chelation while on our 20 somewhat dive in the not good for you mHBOT- (its been awesome for us!) We are no headed into out 30th dive and i have noticed some regression (sad-hyper- fidgety - i mean more so than usual - scattered eye contact again and some mild aggression- nothing wild just some deep frustruation maybe its that and not aggression-)But we've keep the upgrade in language- the connection- the language output is better and he is expressing his emotions better!! i'm not sure if its yeast- or its the mercury moving around his bodyor if the mHBOT is getting ready to put us up into a new level of cleansing? He got a little "off" right before we had that big mercury dump so maybe its that HBOT helping us prepare for another biggee. I'm not sure about the other folks on this board- but i came here looking for the knowledge that you folks have and it can be a bit frustruating not being to get your know how. After all, at the end of day -Mild or Hard its about helping our kids get out of this mess, isn't it? Many thanks for any info-thoughts or ideas Kathy