Multiple Sclerosis

In Multiple Sclerosis, hyperbaric oxygen may delay the progression of the disease.  This was found in a long-term study looking at patients regularly receiving HBOT treatment at The MS Therapy Centres in the UK and Ireland.

“An analysis reveals that about 300 treatments in the 10+ years (about once a fornight) are required to delay progression of Relapsing/Remitting patients, while more than 500 treatments (say, once a week) are more effective.  After 10 years, 23% of the 447 patients remaining eligible for the study had not deteriorated and 7% had improved.  As might be expected, those with a low Kurtzke score do well.”  (DJD Perrins, PB James 2005)

There are many theories as to the cause of MS. One theory suggests that it is caused by the break down of the blood brain barrier introducing harmful substances to brain tissues containing myelinated nerve fibres.  This injury then causes inflammation and healing.  The scaring or lesion of the brain tissue creates a hypoxic environment where proper healing cannot occur.  Hyperbaric medicine helps in the following ways:

• Reduces focal inflammation and eliminates hypoxia which restores proper aerobic metabolism in areas of the brain affected by the disease; and
• Increases circulating stem cells eight-fold promoting the regrowth of nerve fibres and myelin

Additional Resource