Reducing RSD Pain with HBOT Therapy

June 22, 2016 · Pain, RSD · Comments Off

RSD Update: When Pain Killers Don’t Work, Many Sufferers Turn to Pricey, Invasive Alternatives.

HBOT Brings Gentle Pain Relief for Less Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy patients struggle with a way to cope with daily pain that can literally be
life-changing. Doctors usually begin by prescribing addictive pain meds. Even then, those with RSD frequently can’t get lasting relief. They end up in a vicious cycle of pain that leaves them feeling discouraged and depressed. When traditional narcotics don’t work, RSD patients get stellate ganglion or sympathetic blocks – injections to treat localized pain. A small number of RSD patients respond well to these quickly, but others will require the expensive shots weekly or monthly for the rest of their lives.

If RSD pain fails to respond to these sympathetic blocks, doctors refer the patient for morphine pump implants or spinal stimulators which cost $70,000 to implant, and require ongoing monitoring so that doctors can make necessary adjustments. But a hyperbaric chamber provides a far less expensive and more effective pain solution for those who suffer with RSD, and often enables them to end reliance on shots and pain meds entirely.

Wondering if a hyperbaric chamber could successfully heal your RSD/CRPS pain? To schedule an assessment at our Palm Harbor, Florida, Center, click here now or call 727-787-7077.

RSD Treatment in a Hyperbaric Chamber… A Cost Effective Way to Lasting Pain Relief

Doctors frequently tout the successes of invasive and expensive treatments for RSD. But if these are so effective, why do RSD/CPRS sufferers need as many as 50-200 sympathetic blocks, and why do morphine pumps and spinal stimulators so often fail to control RSD pain? Worse, when spine implants cause paralysis, who is to blame? Talk about a lawyers’ field day! No wonder so many RSD patients hesitate to try these expensive and invasive pain solutions and seek out more natural options to manage their symptoms. The truth is while non-surgical, drug free treatments work out for a few RSD patients, only one natural treatment provides lasting pain relief for many of those who try it…a Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber.

Our Palm Harbor, Florida Center’s number one goal with RSD treatment is to relieve pain and other physical symptoms. Often, our RSD patients report that after their first few sessions in the chamber they enjoy a good night’s sleep for the first time in years. They require less medication to function, their brain fog abates, and their mood gets better. The inflammation in their legs and arms goes down, and, in combination with physical therapy, their muscles begin gaining their strength back. Many of our RSD patients are even able to return to prior occupations. The treatment is clearly life changing. But how does a hyperbaric chamber actually work…?

During hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a patient lies in a state-of-the-art clear, sealed chamber where he or she breathes in pure oxygen at higher than normal air pressures. As they relax in the chamber, the patient’s bloodstream, tissues and bodily fluids become saturated with 10 to 20 times the O2 they would normally receive. Treatment in a hyperbaric chamber improves circulation, reduces bodily and tissue inflammation, and brings down swelling in afflicted limbs. Vital nutrients are finally able to reach areas previously starved for oxygen. New tissues and blood vessels begin to grow in place of those that suffered damage. In addition, to eliminate the disease, HBOT therapy works on the brain. In reflex sympathetic dystrophy, sensors in the sympathetic nervous system are what register the pain. One example of this is the phantom leg pain that those who have lost a limb continue to feel. HBOT is able to switch this brain-induced pain back to the central nervous system, where it will no longer be felt. Pain improves, and the body begins to naturally heal itself.

But Is This Kind of Effective RSD Treatment Expensive?

If you are wondering whether insurance covers the cost of treating RSD with hyperbaric oxygen chambers, the answer is, unfortunately not. The FDA has approved HBOT treatment for 14 limited medical conditions, and RSD is not among these. Licensed Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment organizations like ours continue to press the FDA for approval. We are hopeful that they will follow the lead of European governmental organizations who have approved HBOT for many conditions including RSD, due to the treatments’ documented success. But when you consider the expense of failed treatments, surgeries and lost wages, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is surprisingly cost effective. And we are always happy to discuss financial alternatives that can help to keep payments affordable.

Natural Relief For Radiation Necrosis Pain With Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

March 21, 2016 · Pain, Radiation · Comments Off

HBOT Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy treatment chamber

When Cancer Radiation Treatments Damage Cells, Can Natural HBOT Repair Them?

Lots of people have radiation therapy to treat cancer, and the truth is radiation kills cancer cells very effectively. Unfortunately, radiation can equally easily kill the cells that surround a tumor. And that damage often doesn’t present symptoms until long after the cancer has been eradicated, sometimes a decade or more later. Doctors always let patients know the risks of radiation therapy. Sadly, however, around five percent of those who have the treatment will end up with radiation necrosis, a condition where the soft tissue cells surrounding the original tumor begin to die.

Radiation necrosis symptoms can be disabling. They include pain, headaches, seizures, cognitive problems, and, very occasionally, even death. Unfortunately, most medical treatments for these delayed radiation injuries don’t work effectively at all. But many radiation necrosis sufferers find their symptoms improve significantly with natural Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)…

Wondering if HBOT can bring you relief from Radiation Necrosis symptoms? To schedule a clinical assessment at our Palm Harbor, Florida, Center, click here now or call (727) 787-7077.

The way hyperbaric oxygen therapy works is by bathing the body with pure oxygen under various carefully controlled sea-level pressures. The healing happens in a state-of-the-art sealed, clear chamber where supersaturated O2 levels permit blood to transport vital nutrients to damaged cells. Patients can even listen to music or watch TV to help the time pass! As they lie comfortably in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber, the patient’s inflammation and swelling goes down. The natural therapy reduces scar tissue formation, and then healthy new blood capillaries begin to form. HBOT treatments literally reverse damage to blood vessels and tissues that the radiation treatments caused!

Can HBOT Help All Patients with Delayed Radiation Disease?

Depending on the type of cancer radiation treatment you had, your results with FDA-approved HBOT may vary. For example, 50-60% of those who had Prostate and Colorectal Cancer Radiation found their symptoms improved, sometimes completely. Hyperbaric treatment for Cervical and Bladder Cancer Radiation resolves symptoms in around 75% of cases. HBOT effectively reverses symptoms in 83% of patients who have Head, Neck and Mouth Radiation. The success rate of HBOT to halt the progress of – or even reverse – brain damage in those who have Brain Tumor Radiation is as high as 90%. We see very encouraging results with our radiation necrosis patients, and we believe the treatment merits your serious consideration.

Does Insurance Pay for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

Radiation Necrosis is one of the 14 conditions that the FDA has officially approved for HBOT treatments. That means that Medicare and other insurers frequently cover the cost. We can let you know with more certainty if we are able to evaluate your health condition in person.

If radiation damage has caused you to suffer from delayed pain and discomfort, we can help. To learn more about AMA and FDA-approved Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, call (727) 787-7077 to schedule a personalized consultation with neurologist, Dr. Spiegel, MD. A member of our office staff will confirm your appointment soon.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Enables RSD Sufferer to Live Pain Free…

January 14, 2016 · HBOT, Pain, Radiation · Comments Off

See How HBOT Helps Our Patient, Jennifer Live Pain Free After Years of Suffering

In the video above, you’ll hear from Jennifer, a patient at our center whose frightening symptoms of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) began after she had a routine vaccine in 2009. Within two days of the injection, she felt severe pain in her right ear. Vertigo spells caused her to lose her balance and fall down, and her head felt like it was crushed in a vice. And as if these symptoms weren’t bad enough, Jennifer felt electrical shocks all over her body. Soon, she began having trouble swallowing, and she couldn’t even nurse her newborn or hug her other young children, as the pain of touching them felt too excruciating.

Jennifer’s symptoms went on for months – intermittently, but with terrible flare-ups. She was plagued with cold sensitivity and began having visual and auditory hallucinations. She could no longer drive or perform everyday tasks. Jennifer and her family consulted 12 doctors, from infectious disease specialists to neurologists and chiropractors. But none of them could determine the cause of her symptoms, and when she insisted these began with the vaccine, the doctors pooh-poohed her. Finally, a family physician referred Jennifer to a Drexel University specialist…

I’d like to say that was the end of Jennifer’s health problems. In fact, they were only beginning. Although the Drexel specialist had a six month waiting list, Jennifer was able to see him much sooner when one of his patients cancelled. It only took the doctor a few minutes to diagnose the young woman with systemic RSD resulting from the vaccine. He prescribed an expensive medicine that Jennifer’s insurance would not cover. A spinal tap test that the doctor ordered caused Jennifer even further injury. She began vomiting, felt terrible pain, and was not able to use her left side without dragging her legs when she tried to walk. After being hospitalized for 11 days, Jennifer began the drug treatments.

Months went by, and Jennifer’s symptoms did not improve. Thirteen months on the medication and $13,000 later, she became progressively more ill. Her legs became swollen and discolored, and she could sleep no more than two hours each day – even when taking strong pain medications. she became bed and wheelchair bound. Her body was literally shutting down. Desperate, Jennifer’s husband recalled that a friend had told the couple about treatment at our National Hyperbaric Oxygen Center in Palm Harbor, Florida.

“We should try HBOT therapy”, he urged.

“I’ve had it with treatments!” Jennifer replied.

Later, the young woman confessed that she had almost given up hope of living. But Jennifer listened to testimonials here on our website and read all the information she could. She conferred with her doctors at Drexel, who were all skeptical. They told her that HBOT treatment would never work. But after calling and speaking with Georgia and Marcia here at the center to learn more about hyperbaric oxygen therapy for RSD, Jennifer and her family dropped everything and made the long trek to Florida.

Within two HBOT treatment sessions, Jennifer could wiggle her toes and move her legs again, and she slept through the night for the first time in two years. Her pain went from 8-10 on the pain scale down to around a 5. After five weeks of HBOT, the pain she felt was mostly just related to her physical therapy. Jennifer is now free from RSD, and can drive a car and hold her children again. Remember, the best doctors in the world told her not to waste her time or money on HBOT. Watch Jennifer twirl effortlessly at the end of the video. I’ve not done that for 22 months! she says.

Nothing makes us happier here at the Center than seeing that kind of victory over RSD and other illnesses that doctors pronounce incurable!

Pain