2003 September Newsletter - International Hyperbarics Association

SEPTEMBER 2003
THE
PRESSURE
International Hyperbarics Association
POINT
Volume 4
Issue 9
THE TESTIMONIAL ISSUE:
From The Miami Herald
Posted September 28, 2003
Miami Dolphins:
S P O RT S - V I E W
ters his hyperbaric chamber.
By Armando Salguero
Zach Thomas strips down to
his shorts, rolls a newspaper
in one hand, holds a portable
DVD player in the other and
still finds enough dexterity to
grab a knife that has quite an
intimidating blade. Now he’s
ready to extend his NFL career and perhaps his life.
It’s an Air of Repair
Aches and pains have a way
of subsiding when Dolphins’
linebacker Zach Thomas en-
He goes to the space in his
home he used to call the
Deco Room because it is filled
with artsy furniture and is lit
by a Martini glass-shaped
lamp, and then he focuses on
the big bag in the middle of
the floor.
Soon, the Dolphins’ star middle linebacker will be lying
inside that bag, filled with so
much air that it will start to
resemble a 12-foot long fourfoot wide Tootsie Roll.
Special points of interest:
Welcome to Zach Thomas’
hyperbaric chamber.
• Sports Testimonial
“I get in there and read the
paper or watch a DVD,” Thomas says. “I definitely don’t
want to fall asleep, so I try to
have something to stay
awake. You don’t want to be
in there too long. I zip myself
in and stay in there for about
45 minutes to an hour. Then I
decompress and zip myself
out.
• Good News for Anemia
• Growth for CP Children
• Saying Good-bye to Dr.
Edward Teller
• Recovery from a
Cerebral Infection
“I’m not claustrophobic, but I
don’t want to get stuck in
there. Having the knife to cut
myself out if something goes
(Continued on page 5)
Inside this issue:
The Testimonial Issue:
Sports-view
1,5
The Q & A Corner:
Focus on Anemia
1,2
Testimonials
A Little ‘Mo’ Truth:
A growing girl’s story
2,4
In Memoriam...
The Passing of Edward
Teller
2
Testimonials
When All Else Failed:
Nadine’s second chance
3,4
Our Apologies: Retraction
3
About Us
Ads and Referrals
6
T
HE
Q
AND
A C
ORNER
: F OCUS
ON
A NEMIA
Q:
How does hyperbaric oxygenation help anemia? I am taking iron supplements, and would like to know if hyperbaric therapy will help."
—Marcie Charlot, CAN
A:
Dear Ms. Charlot,
As you may know, there are different types of anemia. Hyperbaric oxygen helps most
types, in different ways. Oxygen is a red blood cell (rbc) de-aggregant (i.e. it separates
those cells), so the contact surface is multiplied, and
oxygen is delivered much more efficiently.
Sickle cell anemia is further helped by the rbc's wall
stabilizing effect, that makes them more flexible, so the
tiniest vessels can carry oxygenated cells. In any case,
hyperbaric oxygen provides a multiplication of the
amount of dissolved oxygen in the plasma. For example, hyperbaric air packs 30% more rbc-bound oxygen,
but 50% more free oxygen, ready to be used. If some
free radicals are formed during the short (one hour)
sessions, it will excite natural anti-oxidative reactions,
Left: sickle cell
Right: normal cell
and they will also help the immune cells' ability to fight infections.
(Continued on page 3)
PAGE 2
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 9
Testimonials...
A little ‘Mo’ Truth: A growing girl’s story
arion (Mo) Edwards
is a spirited 14 yearold teenager who
was born 13 weeks
premature. She has had
severe Cerebral Palsy (CP)
since birth, but today she
smiles back at the camera as
she poses and shows off her
pretty red polish and hip outfit.
To date, Mo doesn’t walk.
She has suffered with severe
spasticity in her arms and
legs for most of her life. But,
the tide is changing and there is real hope for Mo
in Hyperbarics—a fact that her mother and doctor
believe... and see.
Mo’s doctor, Harold Grams, started treating her
with hyperbaric therapy in February 2002. In fact,
she has had a total of 95 treatments with remarkable improvement. “The spasticity in her arms and
legs has been substantially reduced and the vocal
sounds that she makes have become more distinct,” Dr. Grams reports.
Dr. Grams believes that an aggressive nutrition
program and hyperbaric therapy are responsible
for these new changes in Mo’s condition. He says,
“I do know that her progress had ceased a few
years prior to starting with me.”
Mo’s mother, Bonnie Edwards, has done an intensive OT and Physical Therapy program with Mo at
home for the last 13 years. Bonnie is a very dedicated mother who, before petitioning the International Hyperbarics Association for a grant to purchase a home chamber, drove 5-6 hours from
Pittsburgh to her doctor’s clinic every weekend for
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT).
However, Bonnie Edwards, who is a single mother
found herself in a precarious position—seeing true
changes in her daughter’s condition, but being no
longer able to afford further treatments. It had
been a great hardship to travel and stay in a hotel
each weekend.
Remarkably, during Mo’s interim period without
treatment she hadn’t regressed, but also, hadn’t
gotten any better. It was at this time that Mo’s
mom discovered the IHA, through Doctor Grams.
They wrote to the IHA, describing Mo’s medical
background—how 85% of Mo’s brain function was
gone at birth; how The Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential had saved Mo at birth,
and at 11 months old, treated her with respiratory,
physical, nutrition, and intelligence programs,
including a coma-arousal/ high-sensory program;
how doctors speculated that Mo would only live
three years at best; how Mo could not see, walk or
move.
But Mo defeated those odds. “The Institute saved
her life,” Mo’s mother says. “They taught me so much about the brain and
my daughter,” she says. “But, at some point, Mo stopped progressing and
14-year old Mo
needed more.”
continues to
Because Mo suffers from chronic hypoxia, all other therapies which had
get well, thanks
brought her thus far reached a plateau in their effectiveness. “I see it as
to hyperbaric
pieces of a puzzle,” Bonnie says. “It was like all the other pieces (i.e.
medicine.
nutrition, physical, respiratory therapies) were in place, and once the HBO
piece kicked in, all the pieces worked and made sense to Mo’s body.
HBO jump-started the growth process and has given her the oxygen she
needs to flourish.”
Bonnie Edwards is quite convinced that Hyperbarics has been the missing element in her
daughter’s progress. For example, after her daughter underwent high-palate corrective
surgery and dental work to relieve pressure on the sinuses, and more importantly constriction of the pituitary gland, no great changes occurred in Mo—as were expected.
However, since starting hyperbarics, Mo’s speech has improved monumentally. “Before,” Bonnie explains, “Mo would use single-word buzzwords, like charades or clues, to tell me something. And at times it was frustrating to understand what Mo was saying.”
Since starting hyperbarics, Bonnie reports that Mo’s words are clear, that the volume of her
vocabulary has increased, and that Mo initiates more conversations. And like a typical teenager, Mo asks to speak to her friends on the phone.
(Continued on page 6)
In Memoriam…
The Passing of Edward Teller 1 9 0 8 - 2 0 0 3
The IHA expresses its condolences to Dr.
Teller’s family and friends. Dr. Edward
Teller, who has served as an IHA Advisor, passed away on September 9th from
complications of a massive stroke. He
was 95.
accessibility to the public.
We will sorely miss his wisdom on
things hyperbaric.
In his own words:
“...one little action
can change the
course of history”
Throughout Dr. Teller’s very prestigious
scientific career, he lived deliberately and
modestly, receiving accolades from presidents and great thinkers alike.
And, although Dr. Teller refused to acknowledge the title
of “Father” with
regards to the HBomb, he was
indeed the lead
nuclear
physicist
on
the
project
which led to the
end of the cold war
with Russia.
On a more tangent note to hyperbarics,
Dr. Teller’s nuclear discoveries are responsible for today’s MRIs, SPECT and
other nuclear medicine technologies.
That such an important man took the
time to advise our Association members
speaks volumes to his character. Dr.
Teller was not only a great believer in the
healing power of hyperbarics, but in its
Dr. Teller over
the years.
Most recently,
at right.
PAGE 3
THE PRESSURE POINT
Testimonials...
When All Else Failed: Nadene’s second chance
by Connie Githinjico
Summer vacation and licensed to drive! Nadene was beginning to
On the fourth evening, Nadene underwent surgery to drain these absettle into life in the U.S. Our family—Nadene’s dad, three sisters and
scesses, and recovered enough in the next 9 days to be discharged,
I—had recently moved from Africa to Illinois the previous summer, and
still on IV antibiotics. Returning for an EEG on the 24th, we were told
the move had not yet agreed with Nadene. Despite her reservations,
that there was no sign of seizure activity (she’d had some facial twitchshe made many friends her junior year at South Central High School,
ing after the surgery and had been put on anti-seizure medication). We
and that seemed to help.
were told to discontinue anti-biotoics (rocephin and Pen-G) on the 28th
of June and Nadene continued to work with the speech therapist until
However, things were about to change in a way we could never have
July 5th, at which time she was discharged from Home Health Care.
imagined. It was the last day of May 2002, and Nadene rose early to
get to work at the local grocery store by 8 a.m. She and I left the house
The next week, she began to feel weaker and by Thursday was too
at the same time. We made plans to meet later at the
weak to move alone. She had a fever and tremors
hospital because I needed to pick up her diabetic twin
and was clumsy on Thursday night. Early on Frisister, who had been admitted 2 days before for hyday morning, we were on our way to the emerperglycemia.
gency room for what I thought would be a change
of medicine. Instead, she was admitted to the
By late afternoon, Nadene still hadn’t shown up with
Intensive Care Unit (ICU), placed back on antibiother two younger sisters, and I started to worry. When
ics, and changed to a different anti-seizure mediI called home, I found out that Nadene had returned
cine. Two days later, she was transferred to the
home before 9 a.m. with a headache and had vomTraumatic Care Unit (TCU), but by the 15th, was
ited early in the afternoon. Her father was arranging
once again in the ICU with severe head pain. It
to bring her to the hospital, where Rosie and I were
was at that moment that I looked into my daughwaiting for her.
ter’s eyes and saw great fear. It is an image that I
When they arrived at the emergency room, doctors
will never forget.
decided to start antibiotics and debated whether
Nadine is 17 years old. Less than a year ago, On June 16, Nadene was taken to surgery to close
Nadene had an infection in her sinus or in her brain.
an infection left her near death.
the frontal sinus cavity and to remove a mediumFor a 24-hour period, they treated her as if she was
sized diseased bone flap, in order to make room
contagious. By June 2nd Nadene was having probfor her ever-swelling brain. Nothing helped. Anti-seizure medication
lems speaking and was in severe pain.
was increased due to some shoulder twitches, then pentabarbitol was
The neurologist decided to transfer her to a hospital for children in the
given. But, sometime on the night of the 20th-21st, her pupils stopped
nearest large city—about 1 1/2 hours away by ambulance. There,
responding to light. And, early on the 21st, a CT scan (without dye)
Nadene was admitted, and several doctors conferred, diagnosing 2
was performed. Her doctors told us she had died.
abscesses on the left side of her brain.
The next three days, we waited as they slowly took Nadene off all the
drugs. On Wednesday, the 24th, she opened her eyes, which were
again responsive to light. The doctors were shocked, and performed
other tests (like the water in her ear), some which she passed and
T H E Q & A C O R N E R : F OCUS ON A NEMIA
others which she didn't’—leading doctors once again to tell us that
death was imminent.
(Continued from page 1)
For reasons which were later explained to us as being to our benefit
(i.e. so we wouldn’t have to watch Nadene go into seizures and die
Other types of anemia may be a natural
defensive reaction against infection, espepainfully), doctors put her back on pentabarbitol. Nadene’s reaction
cially when the immune system is not workwas severe each time a dose was given, so we asked that it be
ing optimally. Using certain types of iron supplements is constopped after about 6 hours. Autonomic nervous system storms foltraindicated during hyperbaric treatments, to prevent its oxidilowed, and with it, the doctor’s assurance that Nadene would not live
zation. Ask your practitioner about it. He may indicate another
much longer.
type, or discontinue them altogether.
After a few weeks, Nadene—still without any response to us, even
Best regards.
CIM Dept., Baromedicine Unit
though her eyes still responded to light and darted from side to side—
Ignacio Fojgel, M.D.
Maimonides University
was stabilized enough to be moved to the TCU. Three months passed,
Buenos Aires, Argentina
and on September 13, we left to find a nursing home for Nadene—after
having been told repeatedly, that to take her home would be a huge
mistake.
Our Apologies: Retraction
Of course, we wanted to relocate Nadene, but were afraid to do so
without all the equipment she needed. What we hadn’t been told by the
From a letter by Integrated Medical Specialists, LLC.
hospital was that if we had taken Nadene home, she would be allowed
”It was recently brought to our attention that Case III, Alex R. in the June/July 2003
to bring all this equipment. By moving her to a nursing home, we had
publication, Volume 4, Issue 6/7 of The Pressure Point, did not receive Hyperbaric
to rely on their care.
Therapy as part of his protocol. Most of our patients do receive HBO with their
protocol, but the above-mentioned patient did not. We regret the inadvertent misSo we spent four months at the nursing home—her father and I contake and wish to retract this case from future publications.”
stantly at her side, sleeping in the next bed at night—fearing that a
T.R. Shantha, MD, PhD, FACA
(Continued on page 4)
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 9
Testimonials
. . .
PAGE 4
W h e n
A l l
E l s e
F a i l e d :
(Continued from page 3)
decision to take her home would impede her recovery (since we had
been told there was nothing we could do), and at the same time, hoping
that the nursing home could offer something new to improve her condition.
In early January, we took Nadene home. Since September, she’d been
off all medications, except one for blood pressure, and we quit that in
November. Yet, Nadine’s quality of life left something to be desired.
Early in her hospitalization, Nadene received her nutrition via a Gastrointestinal Tube (G-tube), receiving no-heat processed foods at all. At the
same time she had become incontinent for both bowel and bladder.
Then, of course, Nadene wasn’t able to talk. Nor could she blink for
“yes” or “no,” couldn’t move purposefully, except to try to open her mouth
sometimes when asked. Nadene’s main method of communication was
to cry.
She was extremely spastic. Sometimes, her left arm would uncurl at the
elbow. In her chair, she was able to keep her knees bent, using the foot
rests, and her left arm would often go down while her right stayed curled.
And rarely, her right arm would go down. She was able to sit comfortably most days for 3-4 hours at a stretch
in her wheelchair or in an easy chair.
And, even though I took great care to
avoid pressure sores, Nadene still managed to get one on her ankle from night
splints.
In bed, Nadene’s arms were normally
curled up to her chest with tightly made
fists, and her legs were stiff, straight and
scissoring, with curled toes Most nights,
she was able to sleep for 3-4 hours before needing a position and/or
diaper change.
In June, 2003, Nadene’s father, sister and I accompanied her to Texas,
where we had learned of a wonderful opportunity to treat Nadene with
mild hyperbarics. Nadene was able to travel fairly well, but continually
scraped her feet in the car because she would extend her legs. She sat
n the front seat, and her dad lifted her in and out of the car.
On our second day of travel, we arrived in Dallas and immediately went
to get the first treatment. Nadene had to be reminded to swallow several
times in the early sessions to keep her from choking and coughing—a
problem she had had since her incapacitation, in any position.
We squeezed ourselves into our niece's house, and traveled 30 minutes
each way for treatments. After the first short treatment, Nadene allowed
us to bend her knees in bed, and she kept them that way for an hour.
After the first longer treatment, Nadene was so relaxed in bed that she
could be moved into almost any position. I’d never seen this before.
And while I must concede that Nadene didn’t experience this kind of
relaxation every night, about two or three times a week we found that
she was quite relaxed. However, when she became this relaxed, she
was not disturbed by the small noises that normally made her tense up
again.
By the fourth treatment, we started giving her picogenol and CoQ10 each
day. Nadene had started moving her tongue a little more and began
relaxing her right elbow more. Her fingers were still usually curled, but
not tightly. After seven treatments, we noticed a lot of knee bending in
bed one night. Nadene even jerked her left foot away when I touched it.
After eight sessions, Nadene stuck her tongue out—just past her teeth.
She had not managed this before. After nine therapies, Nadene allowed
us to range her right shoulder without too much complaint. After the
tenth treatment, we noticed that Nadene was doing something with her
left hand that looked like waving.
N a d e n e ’ s
s e c o n d
c h a n c e
As of July 2003, Nadene has completed 40 treatments. She is less stiff
and easier to range when relaxed. Her left arm is usually unbent in lying
and sitting positions. Her fingers on her right hand are, most times,
curled loosely, and her left arm is almost able to straighten. Also, her
father has been able to range her legs in bed with little resistance. Nadene still seems uncomfortable on her back in the chamber, but bending
her knees up helps keep her peaceful during the treatments. It is hard to
put her on her side because of the mask through which she breathes.
Nadene still keeps her elbows pressed back for transfers, and it is sometimes hard to get her seated in the car or wheelchair. However, her dad
gets good range of motion in her hips and legs and a fair range in her
shoulder and arms. In fact, her fingers are sometimes nearly straight.
When we ask Nadene to lower her hands, she can usually comply, albeit
very slowly. She is more relaxed, more often, keeping her elbows unbent at most times and willing to try to follow directions about moving her
head and hands.
Nadene has developed further flexibility in her toes. She will now let
them relax and let you hold them in place. He legs very seldom scissor.
If you stand her up, she steps on the sides of
her feet. And now, she rarely scrapes her foot
“Before we found
in the car anymore.
hyperbarics, we had
Nadene sleeps very well—perhaps 6-7 hours
been told by ALL of
at a stretch if undisturbed—but she likes havher doctors that she
ing someone nearby. Remarkably, she has
would not survive
lasted two weeks without a coughing/choking
and that she had
episode, which in the past, usually led to vomcome as far as could
iting. These used to occur every other day
be expected…”
before hyperbarics.
At this point, we still double up in the chamber
to make sure that Nadene stays comfortable, and she has adjusted to
the transfer process. Nadene cries much less in the chamber than she
did when we first started. Her eyes have become steadier and more
focused—even though we haven’t yet seen her tracking. She holds her
head up well, for 15 seconds and more. She tries to move her head on
request and moves her head from side to side by herself, without support.
Before we found hyperbarics, we had been told by ALL of her doctors
that she would not survive and that she had come as far as could be
expected—i.e. spastic, body stiff and rigid, non-verbal, eyes darting
back and forth, no focus.
Overall, Nadene is now on a road to much improvement and recovery.
And, all this has happened in a couple of months because of our choice
to place her in a portable chamber with mild pressure (1.3 ATA). Day to
day she is becoming able to move her head to a normal position and
focus her ‘alert’ eyes on an object… She has relaxed her arms into her
lap and opens up her fingers… She is reaching and flexing her arms
inside the chamber, and is much easier to turn and range because she is
in so little pain now… She will slowly follow commands to lower her arms
and turn her head… She sits in her wheelchair in a more normal position
now… She is beginning to understand when we talk to her.
We look forward to a much needed break to try to collect our family together after all this ordeal. Once back in Illinois, we plan to go back to
therapies, on an outpatient basis, and to arrange to have a titanium plate
replace Nadene’s missing skull bone.
We will find a way to continue hyperbaric therapy—if only Medicaid
would pay for us to do this near home, or better yet, in our home. We
cannot thank the hyperbaric industry enough for giving us the opportunity
to help our daughter have a better quality of life, when everyone else in
the medical community gave us no hope. Maybe someday, Nadene can
—Connie Githinjico, Mom to Nadene
thank them herself.
PAGE 5
THE PRESSURE POINT
Sports-view (continue d)
(Continued from page 1)
wrong makes me feel more comfortable.”
Thomas practices this ritual about three times
a week, lying flat on a pad the entire time, a
plastic porthole serving as his only view of the
outside world. When the treatment is done,
he says he feels “refreshed” and that his mind
is “clear.”
“It helps in my recovery, and that’s big for
me—my body recovering from games, injuries,
whatever,” Thomas says. “You recover a lot
faster because you get something like 10
times the oxygen you get when you’re not in
there.”
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy allows a person to
breath oxygen while pressurized inside a specially equipped medical device (the hyperbaric
chamber). The therapy has been proven to
stimulate healing of wounds, among other
things.
Medicare covers hyperbaric oxygen therapy for
15 indications, from the well-known treatment
of decompression illness and skin-graft preservation, to lesser-known
applications such as the
treatment of diabetic
wounds of the lower extremities.
Thomas obviously doesn’t
concern himself with the
therapy’s effects on diabetic or burn wounds, but
he knows that footballrelated injuries, although
not recognized for treatment by any studies or
the government, feel
much better once they’ve been exposed to
hyperbaric therapy.
“I haven’t had concussions lately, but I did go
though a period of time four years ago when I
got concussions, and I thought it was going to
end my career,” Thomas says. “I remember
missing a week-and-a-half to two weeks of
two-a-days.
I didn't have the hyperbaric
[chamber] then. But [when] I got a concussion
[two seasons ago], I felt like the recovery was
a lot quicker [once] I got in the hyperbaric
[chamber]. I still felt a little out of it, but not
as much. And, I was fine the following week.”
Feeling of Clarity
Even when Thomas is not [involved] in collisions so violent that they rattle his brain, he
believes the hyperbaric chamber helps his
head.
“Late at night, I feel like my tension’s pretty
bad and I can’t really concentrate,” he says.
“But when I get out of there (the chamber), I
feel great. I feel clear. It’s pretty crazy. I just
wish I had had this when I was at school. It
would have helped me with my grades.”
Dr. Ivan Montoya, an emergency medicine,
hyperbaric medicine and diving medicine
specialist at Mercy Hospital, says there is no
medical study that proves hyperbaric therapy
helps treat concussions or clears the mind.
But, he has seen anecdotal information that
suggests that Thomas isn’t imagining things.
“Recently, I treated a lawyer who went diving
on Sunday and went to trial on
Monday and said he didn’t
know what he was doing in the
courtroom,” Montoya said.
“The same with a stock broker
whose secretary called because
she said her boss went diving
one day, and the next didn’t
know how to use his computer.
We know from the anecdotal
information that those people [have been]
treated with hyperbaric oxygen, and get better.”
The advantages of hyperbaric therapy might
not end there. Marc Kaiser, the director of
the Hyperbaric and Problem Wound Center at
Mercy Hospital, says studies were done in
Europe in the mid-1990s, in which trainers
assessed soccer players who suffered ankle
sprains and similar injuries.
Athletes suffering those injuries were treated
in hyperbaric chambers and, over a period of
a couple of years, were found to
“ Athletes suffering those injuries
were treated in hyperbaric
chambers and, over a period of
a couple of years, were found to
return to competition at a faster
rate than players who did not
use hyperbaric therapy.”
return to competition at a faster rate than
players who did not use hyperbaric therapy.
“So, when Zach Thomas says he benefits
[from HBO],” Kaiser says, “that does not
surprise me.”
Dr. Montoya says the hyperbaric therapy
won’t cure sprains, but will shrink the swelling brought on by the sprain. “By decreasing
the edema (swelling), the athletes will be
able to play a lot sooner,” he says.
Quicker Healing
Thomas is also convinced [that] the “nasty
scrapes and cuts” that decorate his body
after every game played on Pro Player Stadium’s dirt infield, heal quicker with hyparbaric therapy.
“They used the hyperbaric [chamber] for burn
victims in hospitals, so it’s got to be about
the same thing,” he says.
Hyperbaric therapy isn’t new to professional
athletes. The Dallas Cowboys had a chamber at their training facility for a couple of
years, according to Cowboys spokesman,
Rich Dalrymple. That was around 19921994—when coincidentally, the team won
consecutive Super Bowls.
Several Miami Heat players, particularly
center Rony Seikaly, used the chamber at
Mercy Hospital during the late 1980s and
early 1990s. Even former Dolphins defensive
end Trace Armstrong purchased his own chamber a few years ago, and that is what convinced
Thomas to get his [own].
Passing the Word
Thomas has, in turn, recommended hyperbaric therapy to
some of his teammates. When
receiver Oronde Gadsen dislocated his ankle during the past
preseason, he visited Thomas at
home and used the chamber.
“He said it helped his swelling,” Thomas says.
“Some guys, I mention it to them. But some
guys don’t want to hear it. When they get
home, they want to get away from football.
That’s fine.”
Even with the actual or perceived benefits of
owning a chamber, Thomas is aware he must
be cautious.
“I know a gentleman killed himself in California
using one at home,” Kaiser says. “Something
malfunctioned [*see IHA Editor’s note below
about this inaccuracy] and he died. He was
doing it to be a better amateur athlete. So this
is really something that should be done with a
full understanding of the risks.”
Thomas spent about $20,000 on his hyperbaric chamber. That price pales compared with
the $26 million unit recently installed at a
Texas Air Force base. But, whatever the cost,
Thomas believes he is making a wise investment.
“Twenty grand is nothing when you consider
what I can get out of it,” he says. “...If I get one
extra year out of using this, I think it is worth it.
And, who knows, maybe I’m even prolonging
my life.”
IHA Editor’s Note:
Zach Thomas receives real benefits
despite his unconventional (knifebearing) paranoia—a detail which
illustrates how deeply to heart some
patients take misinformation propagated by
chamber competitors.
The important thing to remember is to do
your own research and find your own
truths.
*Take into consideration that an “expert”
named Marc Kaiser from Mercy Hospital
claims that there has been a death “in California” resulting from a malfunctioning
home chamber.
The Truth: To date, there has been no incident in which a death has occurred in a
home hyperbaric chamber—especially one
involving any “gentleman,” lady or child in
California or anywhere else in the world.
At the IHA, we take the distribution of
information seriously. We encourage our
members do the same. Question sources and
“experts.” Your health depends on it.
I NTERNATIONAL H YPERBARICS A SSOCIATIO N
15810 East Gale Avenue #178
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
www.ihausa.org
Email: [email protected]
“Mundo vitam dare”
We’re on the Web!
www.Ihausa.org
The International Hyperbarics Association is a coalition of
doctors, parents, patients, corporate chamber-industry
professionals, hyperbaric center owners, and above all
members who are committed to the cause of medical
hyperbarics. Our members come to us from all geographical
areas with one common goal— to share their knowledge and
information regarding the latest hyperbaric news.
Our
driving force is our members, who are committed to do all we
can “to give life to the world.”
Medical Advisors
Gunnar Heuser, MD, PhD
(Edward Teller, PhD)
Richard A. Neubauer, MD
Robert Kramer, MD
William S. Maxfield, MD
A d s a n d R e f e r r a l s...
A ESTHETIC S URGERY
C ENTER OF NAPA
V ALLEY
C ARING MEDICAL &
R EHABILITATION S ERVICES, SC
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Ross A. Hauser, MD and Robert C. Filice, MD
J o h n P . Z i m m e r m a n , MD
715 Lake Street, Suite 600
Oak Park, IL 60301
708.848.7789
[email protected]
www.caringmedical.com
A Physician Based Natural Medicine Clinic
James Toole, MD
Philp B. James, MD
Ignacio Fojgel, MD
S TANFORD H YPERBARICS
Sheldon Gottlieb, MD
Hyperbaric Medicine for Neurological Conditions
Lane Scott, PhD
3443 Villa Lane, Suite 10
Napa, CA 94558
707.258.6077 & 707.253.7182 fx
[email protected]
For information on the centers
where Mo receives adjunct
therapies, please visit their
websites:
Institutes for the
Achievement of Human
Potential
www.iahp.org
[email protected]
215.233.2050
Family Hope Center
www.familyhopecenter.org
[email protected]
610.397.1737
Also, to be part of a study on
nutrition and Hyperbaric
Medicine, contact Dr. Grams::
[email protected]
215.679.5915
326 Main Street
Red Hill, PA18076
823 Union Ave, Campbell, CA 95008
408.369.0700 or 408.888.1411
[email protected]
www.StanfordHyperbarics.com
Testimonials…
A little ‘Mo’ Truth: A growing girl’s story
(Continued from page 2)
As impressive as is Mo’s speech development, so
is her physical growth. “Her muscles have loosened up and she is growing by leaps and bounds,”
Mom states. “Finally, she’s catching up,” she says.
“Before hyperbaric therapy, Mo gained an average
of 2 pounds in 6 months. After starting hyperbarics, Mo has gained a little over 10 pounds in 2
years. Mo looks grown up now, and is even growing out of her pants,” her mom describes. “She
went from a size 6x to a 10-12.”
To compare this kind of growth with Mo’s past
growth pattern, Bonnie explained that Mo’s wardrobe would usually last through two full seasons—
her growth was that gradual.
Since the IHA’s donation, Mo has indeed benefited
from her home chamber beyond her mom’s expectations. Now, Mo can take her hyperbaric thera-
pies when she needs, in the comfort of her own home,
with little to no down-time, and without excessive
strain on Mo and her mother.
Bonnie Edwards reports an especially rewarding kind
of growth in her daughter—A social growth. “Mo has
matured and has started deferring her need for instant
gratification,” Bonnie says. “Now, when she tells me
she’s hungry, she’s understands that we may need to
wait until we can get to food. Given a reasonable
explanation and time, she is patient,” Bonnie says.
Before this change, Mo would incessantly remind
Bonnie that she was hungry.
Everything’s coming together nicely,” Bonnie explains.
“With hyperbarics, Mo grows neurologically, and this
allows Mo to grow physically, emotionally and mentally strong.”
For Bonnie and Mo, hyperbarics has been a new
solution to Mo’s progress. In Bonnie’s own words,
“For us, Hyperbaric Therapy was the missing piece.”