The Oxford Recovery Center in Brighton, Michigan, is a dedicated clinic that has been set up with a focused approach to treating autism with hyperbaric therapy.
Dr. Tami Peterson, the innovative founder, has just moved her decade-old center from South Lyon to a brand new 24,000 sqft facility in Brighton. JeAnnah Powell, Tami’s daughter was just 9 years old when she was diagnosed with viral encephalitis that lead to her having intermittent seizures, blindness, and other cognitive impairments. Thereafter, Tami consulted a specialist in hyperbaric therapy in Detroit and commenced JeAnnah’s treatment immediately.
After a week’s hyperbaric therapy, JeAnnah regained her eyesight. Three months down the line, she had regained most of her cognitive functions and had returned to her ballet dancing routine. Currently, JeAnnah is 22 years old, and living a normal and healthy life as a culinary arts graduate.
The remarkable story of JeAnnah’s recovery that happened almost a decade ago, encouraged Tami to invest in this world-class facility that is currently equipped with five hyperbaric chambers. The Peterson firmly believes in hyperbaric therapy being an effective treatment for autism spectrum disorders, and Tami says, “I never wanted a mom to go through that, watching your child with no hope for their recovery.” She added, “Now, I get to give other parents their children’s lives back.”
At present, the Oxford Recovery Center offers a wide gamut of conventional as well as alternative therapies that are backed by thorough research. The clinic provides various services such as neuromuscular therapy, nutritional advice, neurophysical treatment, and other related solutions to autistic patients. An estimated 60 patients are known to visit the center for consultation on a daily basis.
Listed below are two cases wherein hyperbaric therapy has been used by the Oxford Recovery Center to treat autism spectrum disorder:
Megan Balle’s son was just 14 months old when she observed that he found it difficult to sit upright. Subsequent medical evaluation revealed that her son was autistic, prompting Megan to immediately commence hyperbaric treatment at the Oxford Recovery Center.
After 40 sessions of hyperbaric therapy administered over three weeks, Megan was ecstatic as she noticed a remarkable improvement in her child’s condition. Her son was crawling independantly, without any external help. This spurred Megan to take her son to the Oxford Recovery Center twice every year to treat his autism with hyperbaric therapy.
Diane Kim’s 10 year old son, Mitchell, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at a very nascent stage. However, Mitchell is believed to have displayed significant improvement in his condition post his two year hyperbaric treatment at the Oxford Recovery Center.
How Can Hyperbaric Therapy Be An Effective Treatment For Autism?
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodegenerative disorder that is known to affect children from a very young age due to prenatal or perinatal complications.
Patients with autism often display repetitive behavior or impaired cognitive abilities such as delayed or disrupted speech, memory, and motor skills. These impairments hamper social interaction due to the communicative difficulties they cause. Researchers attribute the causes of autism to deprivation of oxygen in certain critical areas of the brain that are essnetial for smooth cognitive functioning.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is an alternative treatment solution that has been administered to treat decompression sickness in naval divers since the early 1960s’.
Since then, HBOT has been recommended by doctors as an adjunctive therapy that is prescribed alongside conventional methods to treat a wide range of ailments, such as toxic poisoning, gas embolism, burn injuries, non-healing wounds, sports injuries, and other medical conditions.
In recent years, researchers and medical experts have been increasingly encouraging the use of hyperbaric therapy to treat patients suffering from autism spectrum disorders.
The Process of Hyperbaric Therapy:
During hyperbaric therapy, the patient enters a pressurized vessel known as a hyperbaric chamber. Thereon, the doctors administer pure oxygen to the patient at atospheric pressure levels that can be 1.2 to 5 times greater than regular atmospheric pressure. This process is believed to instantly dissolve the pressurized oxygen into the bodily fluids. This helps with the supply of oxygen to the damaged or affected parts of the brain that are deprived of adequate oxygen flow due to injury or damage to the blood vessels.
What Is The Standard Duration Of Hyperbaric Therapy At Oxford Recovery Center?
The doctors at Oxford Recovery Center prescribe the required duration of hyperbaric therapy after a careful evaluation of the patient’s medical condition.
The normal length of a hyperbaric session varies between 60 – 90 minutes. Such sessions are conducted 5 times a week for a month or two, depending on the condition of the autistic individual.
Autism Spectrum Disorder, A Growing Threat?
The number of cases of autism spectrum disorder has increased manifold over the last four decades. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has indicated that one in every sixty eight children is being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
With alarming statistics as indicated above, it is imperative that landmark initiatives such as the Oxford Recovery Center are set up in every corner of the globe, so that all patients suffering from ASD can get the treatment they need with hyperbaric therapy.