Hyperbaric Oxygen Watch
Toronto Hyperbaric group fills the air with false hope
Hyperbaric Technologies slapped by FDA
On March 13, 2001, Mr. Chappell of the FDA sent a letter to Hyperbaric Technologies of Olney, Texas. The gist of the warning letter was that there were severe deficiencies in the manufacturing process of the company's hyberbaric chambers. Secondly, it was suggested that the company advertised and promoted the devices for unapproved conditions:
"Your firm's websites and links from your websites promote hyperbaric oxygen therapy and your devices for numerous additional diseases and conditions, for which you have not received clearance from the agency. These include:
AIDS;
Autism;
Multiple Sclerosis;
Myocardial Infarction;
Near Drowning;
Brown Recluse Spider Bites;
Cerebral Palsy;
Closed Head Injuries;
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome;
Lyme Disease;
Macular Degeneration;
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) Syndrome;
Sports Injuries;
Stroke; and Traumatic Brain Injuries.
In addition to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic
Act, you may also
be
subject to provisions of the Federal Trade Commission
Act, which
prohibit
deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce,
and the
dissemination
of any false advertisement to induce the purchase of a
food, drug, or
device
(See Sections 52 and 45 of Title 15 of the United
States Code)."
Web sites controlled by Hyperbaric Technologies
This company has installed many units in Canada, including Ottawa and Toronto area. We complained to Health Canada about the wild claims that were made in regards to the use of HBOT for cerebral palsy when we found that these units were being used by pediatricians and other doctors to recruit infants and children.
We don't know if Health Canada has taken any action against those who are presently marketing these, or any other hyperbaric chambers for unapproved uses.
HBOT fails miserably in Canadian CP study
- Cerebral Palsy Treatment Doubted - The Lancet - Feb. 23, 2001
My comments on the results would suggest that anyone who offers these treatments for infants or children with CP should be investigated for malpractice and consumer fraud.
Complaints can be made against Ontario licensed medical doctors who use this method of treating infants and children for CP.
E-mail the College of Physicians and Surgeons at: complaints@cpso.on.ca
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CQ - Canadian QuackeryWatch's focuses on the questionable use of hyperbaric oxygen for unproved conditions, such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimers.
Earlier we covered the bizarre death Dan Skala, an adult who suffocated himself inside a chamber that he was using to treat his headaches.
Questions needing answers - Who killed Dan Skala?
- Why did a 36 year old Canadian man die in his own hyperbaric oxygen tank?
- Who supplied the oxygen, who sold him the tank?
- Were there any health professionals involved in his treatment or support?
- If health professionals were involved, who were they, and what do they practice?
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Hyperbaric oxygen is a growth industry - so why isn't it regulated?
- Who are the parents who are willing to place their children inside hyperbaric chambers to treat their cerebral palsy? What are they being told?
- Who are the healthcare professional involved in this promotion, and what is their training, and liability?
- When does experimental treatment become quackery, and why aren't any of the regulated health professional colleges about to step in to do something about it?
- What does it cost?
- Why does the government allow this unproven procedure to go unregulated?
Canadian links
 Warning these links are pro-HBOT links intended to support the use of hyperbaric oxygen treatment for things like cerebral palsy. They are not generally accepted by pediatricians or medical doctors, although ongoing research may or may not show any positive effect.
- a U.S. based medical site dedicated to the scientific applications of HBO
- HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY - Review Article - full text of the NEJM article
Hyperbaric oxygen has been described as "a therapy in search of diseases."88 Many of its past uses
had little or no scientific support. The discovery of beneficial cellular and biochemical effects has
strengthened the rationale for administering hyperbaric oxygen as primary therapy in patients with
severe carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness, and arterial gas embolism, and as
adjunctive therapy for the prevention and treatment of osteoradionecrosis, clostridial myonecrosis,
and compromised skin grafts and flaps.
- Gillette Children's Hospital opinion - Under pressure from patients and their families to fund HBO treatment for children with cerebral palsy, the Quebec Health Ministry opted to first
conduct an investigative trial. The results, reported at the 2000 annual meeting of the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental
Medicine, offer the first definitive evidence that HBO treatment in children with cerebral palsy is largely ineffective.
- Critique of Tibbles and Edelsberg article from NEJMTibbles and Edelsberg (June 20 issue) (1) present a complete and cogent summary of the therapeutic usefulness of
hyperbaric-oxygen therapy. However, their review contains a recommendation that is not supported by evidence.
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The Role Of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy In Emergency Medicine - Thomas M. Bozzuto, D.O. is Medical Director, Hyperbaric Medicine & Wound Care Service for Baptist/St. Vincent's Health System. Jacksonville, Florida
Research in the effects of HBOT at the cellular level have provided enough data
that the majority of rational physicians no longer consider HBOT as magic, voodoo, or merely a waste of time and money. In
emergency medicine, there are two main indications for HBOT: Carbon Monoxide, Cyanide or Hydrogen Sulfide Poisoning,
and a constellation of symptoms categorized as Decompression Illness.
- Physician and Sports Medicine article reviews alternative medicine treatments
NO esearch documents the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen for such musculoskeletal injuries;
in fact, a recent randomized double-blind study (13) of 32 subjects with acute ankle sprains
found that hyperbaric oxygen treatment had no effect on time to recovery.
Nonetheless, professional teams have been purchasing hyperbaric oxygen chambers with the aim
of speeding players' recovery and even enhancing performance with pre-game doses.
- - Fife HBOT web site - Dr. Fife's site is full of so much misinformation about CP in children, it's worth a visit to see how much people can be bamboozled by false claims. They have criticized the Montreal study here. But, follow their own links to the research studies an you can sort it out for yourself.
Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society
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- one for every size, shape and colour - buy your own
