Conditions
Lyme Disease
Benefits of HBOT
Hyperbaric oxygen treatments infuse the body with oxygen, increasing O2 levels by up to 1000% in body tissues through the increased pressure. As documented by Dr Glen Burkland in a “Retrospective Review of Lyme Patients who received Hyperbaric Oxygen,” Borrelia burgdorferi cannot survive in an oxygen-rich environment, because it is an anaerobe. HBOT therapy increases the amount of oxygen in the body, which in turn causes spirochetes to die.
If the physician decides to combine antibiotics with HBOT, the effectiveness of antibiotics to kill the Lyme organism is increased as the medication is pushed deep into the body, attacking the spirochetes. However patients not on antibiotics report the same Herxiemer reactions as oxygen under pressure is antibacterial.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy also acts as an immune modulator and allows organ and gland functionality to normalize, reducing many debilitating Lyme symptoms. Because the chambers pressurize the atmosphere, Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy acts as a detoxifier as well. By forcing oxygen into the tissues through this slight pressure, toxins, chemicals and other impurities are forced out.
Case Study:
A female, age 40, married with 2 children: At age 19, she began to have constant pain in the right hip and knee that gradually expanded to other areas. She lived in a Lyme disease-infested area but denied any tick bite or bull’s-eye rash. At age 26 she was diagnosed with “non-convulsive epilepsy and migraine headaches,” and was placed on Tegretol without benefit. At the age of 35 she was diagnosed with Lyme disease and treated initially with clarithromycin, followed by cefixime without improvement. Later she was placed on intravenous ceftriaxone for 45 days, also without benefit. In 1996, amoxicillin and probenicid were started, followed by sodium divalproex, clonazepam, cefotaxime, and imipenemciliastatin . Except for intravenous imipenem-cilastatin, all other drugs were terminated due to lack of benefit. Her IGM demonstrated three positive bands for Lyme disease. At presensation she was chronically fatigued, unable to walk more than a few feet, described constant joint pain, and had serious cognitive difficulties as well as suicidal ideation.
This subject underwent 40 HBO over a 3-week period, during which she experienced a severe JH reaction. At the end of the treatment series she still suffered from considerable joint pain and felt there had been little benefit from the treatments. However, 2 months after finishing HBO she noted improved walking distance and improved cognitive function. She discontinued all antibiotics and noted continued improvement such that five months post-HBO she was able to do family shopping and resume many normal social activities.