Hyperbaric oxygen cure: Skull partially flattened proofed no problem
Published: November 15, 2005
Everyone needs it to live. But for one child in Florida, oxygen is much, much more.
His parents say, an element as simple as the air we breathe has brought 5-year old Christopher Delp back from the hell of major disability.
“It’s a miracle! For me, it’s a miracle,” says Rosa Delp, who credits hyperbaric oxygen treatments with saving Christopher’s life - and returning his voice, his motor skills, even his personality.
Last year, right around Thanksgiving, Christopher’s life changed forever when his skull was crushed by a 170-pound flat-screen television.
“I was in the shower,” said Rosa, “and I heard a noise.” Christopher, out of his mother’s sight for just a few moments, had started playing with the TV. It toppled onto him, pinning his tiny head to the floor.
Rosa, overcome with fear, was suddenly given superhuman strength as she wrestled the TV off her little boy.
“And I pulled the TV, pushed the TV with my legs, with my hands - it was horrible. Just horrible.”
Christopher barely survived the accident. He was in a coma for months. The huge television had flattened the right side of his head, causing massive brain trauma. A bright, happy child who was outgoing, articulate and active, speaking both English and Spanish, now was mute. He had no motor skills. Worst of all, Christopher was confined to a wheelchair, unable to walk.
And initially, doctors didn’t hold out much hope for improvement.
“When he came to us, he did not have any social interaction, not recognizing anybody. He wasn’t doing anything,” said Dr. Connie Prudencio, who treated Christopher.
The Delps didn’t give up. They turned to an alternative treatment - hyperbaric oxygen, one critics say has no proven clinical track record of healing injuries like Christopher’s.
HBOT is a controversial therapy that’s been credited with curing everything from severe wounds to brain trauma to diabetes, even autism.
But does hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT, really work? [What is: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy]
The Delps are believers. They say hyperbarics gave them a breath of hope their son would improve. According to Rosa, “When he started coming to the chamber, he started coming back.”
Rosa and Christopher’s dad, Bill, say they saw dramatic changes in their son after just one treatment. He began interacting with them again, smiling - where before he sat expressionless. Christopher started talking after several treatments, and most exciting - he got up out of his wheelchair and started walking again after several months of therapy.
Is it a miracle cure? According to rehab specialist Dr. Thomas Murray, hyperbaric oxygen can heal brain trauma by forcing 100% pure oxygen into damaged tissues.
“Many times it can bring people to a much higher functioning state,” says Murray, who treats other brain-damaged patients like Christopher.
When Christopher goes for a session at Murray’s Southside office, he puts a special collar around his neck, and a clear plastic hood over his head. Then he climbs into a large chamber to breathe in 100% oxygen. Such treatments are called “dives” by some practitioners because of the air pressure involved. It’s like diving below sea level.
But inhaling oxygen is expensive - costing $100 an hour or more per session - and controversial. Most health plans don’t cover HBOT except for a few ailments, such as the treatment of severe wounds. And many doctors say there’s no proof it’s a panacea for all the medical problems it’s purported to treat.
Dr. Thomas Bozzuto, specialist in hyperbaric medicine, cautions against false hope.
“The bottom line is, it’s very expensive therapy, and for the cost, the data doesn’t support any efficacy,” he said. He points out, the Food and Drug Administration has cracked down on some practitioners who’ve claimed that hyperbarics can cure certain conditions that haven’t been clinically proven.
But the Delps, who’ve run through their entire life savings treating Christopher, say HBOT has been worth every penny. Literally, a breath of fresh air.
“After you have your son almost dead.. and you see this?? It’s like a miracle.”
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