Hyperbaric treatments said to cure, help treat a myriad of ills

08-03-2007 06:07; by Rebecca L. Sandlin

Mark Merrell was at his wits’ end. His young daughter, Maddie, was diagnosed as profoundly autistic. “We tried a number of therapies and been to a number of different places, and my kid’s pretty sick, and you accept that, and there’s just nothing anybody can do for her,” Merrell explained. “So we basically had to become our own advocates.” After investigating alternative therapies for his child, Merrell wound up in Florida, where he learned that hyperbaric medicine is being used to treat autism. “Many people like myself who are all right here in this Fishers-Carmel-Zionsville area, many of our doctors are not in Indiana,” he said. “Our backs are against the wall. We need help, and we can’t wait another six months for this study or another year for that drug. We need help now.” After using the hyperbaric chamber about 4 to 5 days per week, Merrell said the results of the treatments on Maddie have been astounding. “We can go out in public with our daughter now and nobody notices us … nobody looks at us. The change has been amazing,” he said. Merrell believes in the treatments so much he not only installed a hyperbaric chamber in his home, but also left his job as a police officer to open Oxyspa, a salon located at 11559 Cumberland Road in Fishers that features hyperbaric oxygen treatments. Oxsyspa is one a few locations in the Midwest that offers the treatments, using an FDA-approved hyperbaric chamber. When hyperbaric chambers were first installed in some Indianapolis-area hospitals, they were mainly used for treating burn victims or those who had carbon monoxide poisoning. Hospital chambers use a much greater pressure than what can be found at Oxyspa, but Merrell said the lighter pressure, non-invasive and non-pharmaceutical treatments are beginning to come into their own as an alternative therapy. David Darbro, M.D., the medical director who provides medical oversight at Oxyspa, became a believer in hyperbaric treatments after he changed roles and became a patient when he suffered a stroke three years ago. The stroke affected his speech. “You would not have been able to have understood me, were we speaking three years ago,” he said. Darbro drew a picture of a hyperbaric chamber to get his wishes across. After undergoing the pressurized oxygen treatments, he no longer takes medications and has no difficulty communicating. “It just made sense, that when you check people’s oxygen, especially with chronic degenerative disorders, they seem to be low on oxygen and didn’t have any energy,” he said. Darbro said mild hyperbaric therapy is indicated in treatments of several illnesses and conditions, including migraine, heart problems and diabetes. It is also used to treat wounds, sports injuries, osteomyelitis, skin grafts, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. Darbro, who specializes in holistic medicine, said the treatments benefit the patient by helping to increase the body’s ability to absorb oxygen. “Your breathing is the key to opening the door to energy,” he said. “The idea of pressurized oxygen – putting oxygen under pressure – is the key, because it’s putting more oxygen in the fluid – the plasma – in between the red blood cells.” There are only 13 FDA-approved uses of hyperbaric treatments, so insurance may not cover treatments for other medical conditions. Articles of studies and other findings about the treatments have appeared in the Journal of American Medical Association. One article, published in 1990, calls hyperbaric treatments a controversial therapy. Another article, published in 2004, suggests hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves survival and limb salvage of patients with necrotizing soft tissue infections. A session at Oxyspa costs $80 for a treatment lasting around an hour, with packages available. A doctor’s prescription or order is mandatory before a client can begin therapy. Merrell said physicians from several disciplines including neurologists have referred their patients to the spa for treatments. He added the spa also follows FDA regulations by charting each client’s progress and condition during treatment. Cindy Beuoy, of Indianapolis, has been using the chamber since February and has noticed some benefits from regular visits. “I try to stay as healthy as I can. I’m a real pro-active person on health,” she said. “I found that, using the chamber, it helps me to sleep better. I exercise – I do strength training exercise three times a week and it helps my muscles recover faster from the exercise. I just feel my overall vitality is greater.”