Hope for Brain Injuries

A recent article in USA Today is just one of many reports highlighting the traumatic brain injuries suffered by our armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, the result of roadside bombings. For years, it was believed by conventional medicine that the victims would never recover — physically or mentally.
soldiers marchingBut at the Eighth World Congress on Brain Injury, held March 10-14, 2010, in Washington, D.C., Dr. Paul Harch described his success in treating 15 U.S. military veterans who had been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. After 30 days of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, all the subjects showed significant recovery from physical symptoms as well as cognitive and affective improvement.
Writing in Digital Journal, the journalist K. J. Mullins said: “Harch is going to Washington D.C. next week to fight for the troops and the rest of the population who face the devastating life changes that a brain injury causes. There is a treatment. It works. It’s time that it is being used to help the lives of millions”.
ANH-USA is proud to have been instrumental in the November 2008 legislative effort to ensure that the wounded have access to hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

14 comments

  1. I believe that it is a fundamental human right to treat injuries. All soldiers have access to treatment for physical injuries to their limbs, organs or any other type of injury. On this line of reasoning a brain injury is a very severe condition, and is caused by military activity. The fact that this treatment has found to be extremely effective is such a breakthrough, as it could allow someone to continue living normally after suffering from such a damaging event. The most logical thing to do would be to allow all soldiers this treatment out of their human right to receive treatment as well as out of respect for the service they are doing our country.

  5. I am very encouraged by the report for our troops. I have been battling MS for 15 years and I am unable to get the chamber treatment for my condition. I don’t understand the Dark Ages mentality on the use of a therapy that has so much upside and no downside.

  6. Hyperbaric is great, but even better is homeopathy for MTBI or TBI. Chapman conducted a study at Harvard in the late 1990’s showing it’s efficacy – double blind, placebo trial.
    It is a real shame there is such a bias against homeopathy, since it could literally be turning the lives of these soldiers around.
    The advantage of homeopathy over hyperbaric is it is FAR cheaper and uses less resources.
    The funding for the federal program treating TBI with hyperbaric coat $30,000 per person. That is an enormous sum of money considering homeopathy would be even more effective and could be done for roughly $2,000 per person. Think of how much further the money would go.
    I’m not putting down hyperbaric, just highlighting what is really almost a miraculous solution to this problem. Most people probably wouldn’t even believe how well and how inexpensively homeopathy could treat this or other neurologic conditions. But the study shows conclusive evidence.

    1. Sounds compelling. Would love to try it.
      However, I’ve lost all income over last 11 years,
      due to TBI… $2000? To me, that’s no different
      than $30,000!!

  7. also Young Living essential oils have a brain injury protocal, that has been very effective, as the oils can cross the blood brain barrier

  8. also Young Living Essential oils has a brain injury protocal, that can be effective, as the oils are able to cross the blood brain barrier

  9. Brain injuries – especially ones that continue for a period of months without patient improvement – should certainly classify as “nonhealing wounds”, correct? (This seems obvious)
    “Nonhealing wounds” is one of the *approved* indications of HBOT – although the actual wording probably says this definition is restricted to “surface, cutaneous wounds only” – or something such as that. But what is really counted “surface” (assume that is the “restriction clause” in the definition of “nonhealing wound”)?
    Healing the epidermal layer of the skin certainly would count as “surface” (and HBOT raises the level of epidermal growth factor. Source: Thom and Neuman “Physiology and Medicine of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy” (book), p 207 (available for preview on Google Books, or on Amazon for $150 new)
    But does healing the dermal layer, which is not surface, count? What about the vascular bed of the skin, nerve tissue within the skin, or muscle which may be damaged along with a “surface, cutaneous” wound? Does that count?
    Now, this is not an argument for FDA approval of HBOT for TBI – rather it’s an argument to be made to an insurance company.

  10. Dr. John Lee MD commented that if he substained a brain injury he wanted to be slathered with natural progesterone creme. Dr. Lee reported the results of a brain injury study on primates that demonstrated less extensive tramatic brain damage when there is a good level of progesterone in the blood stream. Natural progesterone creme is available at natural food or health food stores or on line at http://organicexcellence.com. . This information is available in Dr. John Lee’s book “What your Doctor may not tell you about menopause”.

  11. Having the hall light on, having someone in the room or checking in on them, whichever they prefer, use a teddy bear, (for the longest time i used a teddy bear after my traumatic event!) soothing music, (I also had the radio on,) maybe water on their nightstand, or warm milk if they wake up. positions-tuck them into bed, make them feel secure, but nothing constricting.

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