Karin back from Florida!

July 18 was the opening day of the Symposium for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in patients with neurological disorder, which took place in Fort Lauderdale . It proved to be an overwhelming success that won’t soon be forgotten!

 For four days, speakers from all over the world gave a presentation on a field of medicine still very controversial: hyperbaric oxygen therapy in patients with neurological disorders. This not only shows that there is a lot of interest in the subject, but also that all those present believe in new ideas and are prepared to share their findings with colleagues from different countries.

Dr. Neubauer and his wife attended the readings from beginning to end.

The speakers were introduced by David, Dr. Neubauer’s son.

There was sufficient time in between for the speakers to discuss off-the-record matters that may not yet be ready for official acknowledgement, and to plan researches that could be conducted cooperatively. In this respect, we are going to treat a patient in cooperation with Dr. F. Morganti.

It appears from the presentations that there are more researches in progress than officially declared. Some experimental researches on rats or dogs, but also some pilot studies on children with brain damage and adults after cerebral hemorrhage. Concerning the latter group, several neurologists have indicated that an early treatment provides much better results and that cerebral hemorrhages are often diagnosed too late.

A few studies have also been completed. According to Dr. Philip James (UK), a very interesting study of children with brain damage can be found in “The New England Journal of Medicine”, vol. 308 nr. 4

Dr. Pierre Marois (CN) also represented a study of children with brain damage.

Personally, I found Dr. Mukherjee’s ( India ) study very interesting, although it has not yet been completed. In UDAAN, the project he is working on, the children do not only receive HBOT, but also an intensive rehabilitation program. During this 4-day conference, I have heard a lot about HBOT, but very little about accompanying exercise programs, except in this doctor’s reading and a South American centre. Therefore, it is no surprise that after my talk there was great demand for an adapted exercise program.

The president of the European Federation of Neurological Societies, Dr. F. Gerstenbrand, was also present. He pointed out the influence of HBOT on patients in a so-called vegetative state. He prefers to call them “apallic patients”, a more dignified term.

A lot of case-studies have been discussed as well, with positive results, but they are too few to be of any scientific significance. Among other things, HBOT is used against some cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy and radiation therapy, as a treatment for memory problems, migraine, ADHD/ADD, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease,… All this looks very promising, yet it only involves a few single patients and we have to be careful not to jump to conclusions. Ginger, Dr. Neubauer’s daughter, has presented a few patients that were successfully treated with HBO for a mitochondrial cytopathy.

In the lecture hall’s surrounding area, several exhibition stands were set up. The entire board of the hyperbaric oxygen centre (HZCR) in Zwijndrecht ( Netherlands ) was also present and had their own stand where they were frequently approached by interested parties.

It was a joy to learn that everyone who works with children and adults with brain damage follows about the same proceeding. That only confirmed that we are on the right track as well. We heard about a lot of new things and indeed those should still be treated with caution. We have made very good contacts for potential collaboration between several centres and received acknowledgement for acting correctly. In America , they frequently work with nutritional supplements in addition to HBOT, something which we will discuss on our next meeting with our physicians, because it seems not insignificant.

I got the biggest satisfaction from the fact that just about everyone present at this symposium has an open mind, is open to new ideas and yet remains critical. How is that for a positive attitude!