Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

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 Stadium 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.

Please click HERE to view the HBO treatment schedule and find a time that suits.

 

Useful Links

A first-hand account by Jean Richardson

Conditions other than MS where HBO has been useful

More about HBO on the website of MS Therapy Centres Scotland

"Longterm HBO slows progression in MS" From "International Journal of Neuroprotection and Neuroregeneration"  Vol 2, Issue 1, Oct 2005, P45-48 Perrins DJD + James PB.

"The HBO for MS controversy" From "Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons" Vol 10 number 4 winter 2005.