HBOT Therapy as an Alternative Treatment for Autism

 Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that results in difficulty in communication, refrainment from social events, and repetitive behavior. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is triggered by various environmental and genetic issues. Around 6-15% of children develop autistic disorder due to genetic factors. Other dysfunctions such as mitochondrial dysfunction, cerebral hypoperfusion, oxidative stress, and gastrointestinal inflammation are all associated with autism.

It is known that, around the world, 1 in 160 children has autism as estimated by WHO. While some of these autistic children have an independent life, others need lifelong support and care due to extreme disabilities. The reason behind this disorder is still unidentified and no effective cure has been discovered for autism spectrum disorders yet. However, nowadays, alternative treatments are being used for recovery and relief from the symptoms of autism, and one such main treatment is HBOT therapy. 

HBOT therapy or hyperbaric oxygen therapy includes intake of 100% oxygen in a pressurized chamber or cell. Generally, oxygen is delivered to body organs by red blood cells only, however, during HBOT molecules of oxygen reduce in size to dissolve in blood plasma. It is then possible for oxygen molecules to reach an area with low and no blood circulation.

A study carried out in Thailand on children with autism showed significant improvements in self-help skills, social development, language development, fine motor and eye-hand coordination, and gross motor development. It included seven children who received 10 sessions of HBOT therapy at 1.3 atm. The results indicated a substantial improvement in 75% children.

Numerous evidence and success stories reveal how hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps in treating autism and reducing its effects. Let’s see one such study that shows amazing improvements in overall functioning.

In this study, 62 autistic children of age 2-7 years received HBOT therapy. These children were randomly divided into two groups (treatment and control) of 40 hourly sessions. The treatment group of 33 children received therapy at 1.3 atm and 24% oxygen, and 29 children of the control group at 1.03 atm and 21% oxygen in a slightly pressurized chamber.

Children who received hyperbaric oxygen treatment at 1.3 atm and 24% oxygen showed significant improvement as compared to the control group. These children had noteworthy progress in overall functioning, social communication, receptive language, cognitive awareness, and eye contact.
Additionally, the treatment group had improvement in irritability, hyperactivity, speech, and stereotypy. In post-hoc analysis, it was revealed that children who had less severe autism and were above the age of five had robust progress.

Various studies are frequently carried out to test the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on autistic children. The reason is a lack of proper treatment and cure to this disease, hence, there are very few options left. In a situation like this, HBOT has proved to be an alternative treatment that helped if not all, but many children regain normal functioning.

In the end, we’ll share a heart touching success story of a little boy Alex who became happy and healthy after HBOT treatment. Alex’s mom shares how he was completely non-responsive and non-verbal, but after hyperbaric therapy, he started responding to her. According to Alex’s mom, it was as if he was finally ‘waking up’ and becoming aware of his surroundings. We hope just like Alex, every child benefits from this amazing therapy.

References:

• https://medium.com/@chloepaltrow/hbot-chamber-therapy-an-add-on-to-standard-treatments-for-autism-97bde672bf3b
• http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/autism-spectrum-disorders/en/
• http://www.mychildwithoutlimits.org/understand/autism/what-causes-autism/
• https://www.oxyhealth.com/hyperbaric_therapy.html
• http://www.biomedicaltreatmentforautism.com/parent-success-stories/holly-riley/autistic-child-fully-recovered-with-biomedical-treatment/
• http://hbtusa.com/testimonials/