The International Hyperbaric Medical Association issues public policy bulletins to help policy makers understand the impact of new scientific discoveries. It is hoped that by bringing these breakthroughs to the attention of policy makers, they can enact or foster policies that will allow hyperbaric medicine to help them lower to costs of health care, improve outcomes for those suffering from health care challenges oxygen can improve, and reduce the entitlement spending pressure on federal, state and local government budgets.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Effectively Treats Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD
The number of study subjects needed to prove that a drug, treatment or therapy works is directly related to how effective a treatment is, and how many patients are needed to achieve statistical significance. If a treatment is 10% effective, it is generally accepted that 200 patients are needed to demonstrate whether or not a treatment is statistically significant. The more effective a treatment is, the fewer treatments are needed to demonstrate effectiveness.
Amazingly, at the attached IHMA Public Policy Bulletin #10-01 points out, we actually understand the underlying physiology of why HBOT 1.5 works. (We still do not know why many accepted therapies work.) Further, functional brain imaging, the animal study, and original research from 1977, demonstrate clearly that HBOT 1.5 is having a clinical effect to repair the brains of blast and traumatically brain injured individuals. Permanent results are seen in as little as 35 days, and outcomes are even more pronounced when patients complete the entire protocol over a 150 day period. The treatment effects are permanent. Download the entire public policy bulletin with its attachments for a complete review of the science.
In Dr. Harch's LSU IRB-approved study, #7051, hyperbaric medicine using 1.5 ata of pressure, was so effective that only 15 patients were needed to show statistical significance. On March 12, 2010, Dr. Harch reported his results to the 8th World Brain Injury Conference in Washington, D.C. The report was on 15 Blast Injured Veterans. Report is clinically and statistically significant and sufficient proof for the treatment to be used and paid for by third party payers under a IRB-approved study so that more data can be gathered. 100% of patients had clinically and statistically significant improvement, that made their lives better, using only ½ of the recommended protocol.
- 15 point IQ jump in 30 days p<0.001
- 40% improvement in Post-concussion Syndrome p=0.002 (np)
- (10% is considered clinically significant enough to warrant approval and payment for HBOT according to DoD researchers in December 2008.)
- 30% reduction in PTSD p<0.001
- 51% Reduction in Depression p<0.001
It is time for policy makers to being using HBOT 1.5 instead of the prescription drugs known to cause suicide in patients under 25. See the House Veterans Affairs hearing from February, 2010, "Exploring the Relationship Between Medication and Veteran Suicide." Note that the IHMA already sent Congress this message in 2009:
IHMA PPB 10-02: State of the Science for HBOT 1.5: plus supporting articles
Harch Abstract 100312
Wright Article
Wright Zant NBIRR ScoreCard
HBOT 1.5 Harch Cases Journal 20090609
Suicide in our Iraqi War Veteran population is being increased by VA and DoD using FDA-Black Labeled psychoactive drugs "off-label" instead of using safe oxygen saturation therapy to biologically repair injured brains.
On March 3, 2009, at the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing on TBI and Psychological Health, Ms. Ellen Embrey, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Force Health Protection, stated that DoD is not paying for Hyperbaric Medical Treatments for TBI and PTSD because the DoD policy is not to pay for any off-label use of drugs. That is clearly not an accurate statement, as every drug except Zoloft being used for PTSD and every drug being used for TBI has never been FDA labeled for those conditions. In addition the side-effects of many of these psychoactive drugs are significant and many are FDA Black Labeled as causing a potential increased suicide risk. As suicide is a major concern to Congress and the American people, the wide-spread use of these drugs off-label for TBI/PTSD symptoms may be a contributing factor. HBOT 1.5, though off-label, has caused significant improvement in every combat veteran treated to date, and has none of these side effects.
See Dr. Harch's Letter to the Subcommittees dated March 6, 2009.
Budget Impact of Treating Brain Injured Homeless Veterans With Biological Repair Treatment (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy)
Two Brain-Injured Airmen Recover Because of HBOT 1.5TM Policy Bulletin 2010-1 PDF
The International Hyperbaric Medical Association has examined the problems of the 154,000 homeless veterans from this current war. Almost all of them have brain injuries from blasts or other causes. In addition there is a 21% unemployment rate in these recent war veterans.
It is possible to help them recover their lives. Eighty percent of all battle casualties treated to date have been able to return to duty, work, or school. The longer they are allowed to languish without biological repair, the more desperate their lives will become, and the harder it will be for them to restore their family relationships and reenter the work force. We have a cost-effective plan for assisting them in having their mental capacity restored. The average IQ increase for brain injured veterans was 15 points. This is the difference between a construction worker and an engineer. It is little wonder that with just 1/2 of the protocol, 80% of persons treated with HBOT 1.5 have been able to regain meaningful lives.
Note that the costs of hyperbaric oxygen therapy are returned to the government in as little as 14 months after treatment starts. They are able to resume their lives during the 5 months of treatment under the HBOT 1.5 protocol.
Budget Impact of Treating Brain Injured Homeless Veterans
Check out the latest copy of the Score Card. So far, five of five active duty veterans have had their medical boards cancelled and been able to return to duty. That saved the Federal government an estimated $6.3 million in retraining costs, for a cost of $62,500 for the medical treatment. Sixteen war veterans treated have all had significant improvement.
Score Card 01/20/09 PDF <> Press Release 01/20/09 PDF
