A self-help group whose aim is to help maintain and improve the quality of life
of people with
Multiple Sclerosis who live in the Lothians, Fife and the Borders
HBO (hyperbaric oxygen therapy) is the breathing of oxygen at a pressure
similar to that in a pressurised aircraft cabin. The pressure we operate at
is only what you would find 16.5, 24 or 33 feet down. If you have ever flown
above the clouds in a pressurised aircraft you have already experienced
these pressures. It has even been suggested that a "flight" would be a
better name for it.
It is NOT claimed that HBO is a "cure" for MS - but it does seem to help
some people with their symptoms. The MS Therapy Centres in the UK have operated over a million and a half sessions.
Our chamber can hold 6 to 8 people in comfortable chairs. Wheelchair
patients of the chamber can stay in their own chair, which replaces one of
the usual seats. If necessary, we can remove more chairs to make room for a
trolley chair and an attendant. We can lend oxygen masks to new patients,
but once they have settled in, most people prefer to buy a mask to be kept
for their own personal use.
A session lasts about an hour, of which the first 5 to 15 minutes are spent
getting the chamber up to pressure and the same letting the pressure down
again at the end. Many people read a book or magazine while aboard.
The use of HBO is not confined to MS. We regularly give therapy to people
with sports injuries (some famous sportsmen amongst them - Murrayfield is the
home ground of Scottish Rugby), people with leg ulcers and difficult wounds,
children with Cerebral Palsy, hamstring injuries, people suffering from
cancer and many other conditions.
Read more
(These links open as new windows.)
A first-hand account
Conditions other than MS where HBO has sometimes been useful
More about HBO on the website of MS Therapy Centres Scotland
From "International Journal of Neuroprotection andNeuroregeneration" Vol 2, Issue 1, Oct 2005, P45-48 Perrins DJD +James PB, )
From "Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons Vol 10 number 4 winter
2005"