USMC, Indiana, Texas and Oklahoma Making Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Available to Service Members with TBI/PTSD/Concussion
Washington, DC (PRWEB) May 23, 2017 -- Camp Lejeune, US Marine Corps, with the cooperation of the US Navy, has agreed to allow active duty Marines to voluntarily participate in an LSU study in New Orleans (http://hbottbistudy.org/). Dr. Paul Harch is investigating the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) at 1.5 ATA in the treatment of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) or persistent post-concussion syndrome (PPCS) resulting from either blunt or blast injury in both military and civilians. This action builds on the efforts of Rep Walter Jones (R-NC) and over a dozen other lawmakers demanding access to this safe and effective treatment. Hundreds of thousands of brain-wounded active duty and veteran service members are suffering without alternative treatments that can heal the wound to the brain, rather than merely treating symptoms with ineffective drugs and devices, dangerous opioid, and unproven and potentially dangerous drugs like LSD, ecstasy and other exotics.
In a companion breakthrough, Indiana PL-217, signed 4/27/2017, establishes a funded Pilot Program for the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This legislation follows a long effort by veterans in Indiana to treat brain-wounded Indiana veterans with oxygen-under-pressure, a safe and effective standard of care for brain injuries in numerous countries -- but not yet in the US. In addition to the soldier suicide epidemic affecting veterans, Indiana, like numerous other states, is enduring a drug overdose epidemic. HBOT has been shown to dramatically reduce the number of drugs that brain-wounded veterans need to recuperate and return to a more normal quality of life denied them with episodic and ineffective DOD/VA attempts.
And in another multi-year effort, Texas HB-271, the Veterans Recovery Pilot Program, provides Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment to eligible Texas veterans with TBI or PTSD. Approved in the TX House and Senate by near-unanimous vote, the Bill was sent for the Governor's signature on May 19, 2017.
The Texas and Indiana legislative efforts follow the Oklahoma passage of the Oklahoma Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment and Recovery Act of 2014 on May 6, 2014. All three states have waited in vain for years for the DOD and the Veterans Administration to address the suicide and drug overdose epidemics. None were willing to accept any more waiting amidst the futility of not treating the wounds to the brain of over 600,000 service members with "invisible wounds."
Two recent studies out of the state of Washington throw more light on a problem directly related to brain injury: drug addiction. Tens of thousands of brain-wounded veterans have drug dependencies. Researchers at Washington State (tinyurl.com/mesc5gu) in an animal study have shown that HBOT can cut in half both the pain of withdrawal and the amount of time required to be rid of drug dependency. The potential impact for the opioid epidemic is profound. University of Washington School of Medicine researchers (tinyurl.com/k6gy4gx), writing in JAMA Neurology, found that after a concussion, symptoms got worse from one to five years following the injury. Patients likely don't stabilize within one year after injury; psychiatric problems intensify out to five years. The lead authors says that medicine "should not only be working hard to develop therapies that can be administered acutely after injury but also. . . . focus on developing therapies and treatment strategies targeted to the chronic phase of injury." The Marines, Oklahoma, Texas and Indiana are now on the cutting edge of integrative medicine, allowing use of a safe and effective therapy that has a proven track record with over 2,300 lucky enough to find their way to private HBOT clinics across the US.
These videos give more insight into the potential represented by Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
MSGT Scott Roessler [Ranger] http://tinyurl.com/hf3czmw
Joe Namath http://tinyurl.com/kflu9up
MAJ Ben Richards http://tinyurl.com/hd9ahcd
CAPT Smotherman / Rep John Bennett http://tinyurl.com/lvcf22r
The Honorable Patt Maney (BG, USA) http://tinyurl.com/m97x4jp
GnySgt Rotenberry http://tinyurl.com/gpzpxgy
RMHI with Margaux and SGT Ramirez http://vimeo.com/77100044
Robert L Beckman, PhD, TreatNOW Coalition, http://www.treatnow.org, +1 (703) 346-8432, [email protected]
Share this article