Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy is a term, not a diagnosis, that describes brain and motor injury. These injuries cause type of damage to the brain by trauma or a by a lack of cerebral circulation producing an anoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy may be able to reduce pressure with in the brain caused by swelling, perhaps restoring the function of the blood brain barrier and cell membranes.
Normally, oxygen is almost exclusively carried by red blood cells. During Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, there is a substantial increase in the amount of oxygen carried in all body fluids. This includes the plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, lymph and intracellular fluids. This allows increased oxygen levels to poor or compromised blood supply as well as areas of tissue damage.
The concept of HBOT for treatment of brain injury is that HBOT enhances "Idling Neurons," according to doctors RA Neubauer,M.D., Paul Harch, M.D., and Philip James, M.D. HBOT delivers high doses of Oxygen to these "sleeping" cells and it is hoped that HBOT will revive them. Hopefully, HBOT may also resolve tissue swelling even in some cases years after injury or insult and provide an ideal internal environment for the growth of new brain vessels and perhaps brain tissue. The degree of improvement will vary from patient to patient, because the amount and type of brain damage varies with each patient. Thus the amount of treatment necessary varies, according to these above listed Physicians.
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