Sunday, May 5, 2013

Contaminated, diluted counterfeit pharmaceutics that look genuine.


"On the twenty-third day of the month of September,
in an early year of a decade not too long before our own,
the human race suddenly encountered a deadly threat to its very existence.
And as this terrifying enemy surfaced, as such enemies often do,
in a seemingly most innocent and unlikely of places . . ."

Prophetic quote is from the Frank Oz movie,  Little Shop of Horrors  
(Gefen Production) with the screenplay by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.

TOXIC MOLD, FUNGUS

17,000 doses of this  steriod contaminated with deadly aflotoxin was distributed
to U.S.  Physicians  in  2012. Death toll now exceeds seventy in ten months.
with countless cases of meningitis causing strokes, coma, lingering pain. 

The contamination was identified as  
Aspergillus niger ("An"), usually found under damp carpets, 
trash dumps, and onions.  This black mold is deadly. 
It is  now brewed  commercially for such food products 
as high-fructose corn syrup. 
















Mold and fungi hate high oxygen concentrations. The common sense approach in assisting those affected  is to add Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy ("HBOT") as an adjunct to the fungicides usually given as a medical response, since "soft tissue infection" (e.g. fungal) is an "Approved Indications" of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Association's (UHMS). Insurance will pay for its treatment.
Their are many fungi that give off the poison aflotoxin, -- usually fatal -- to  immunocompromised children undergoing chemotherapy for any blood cancer (e.g., leukemia). We present a terrifying diagnosis and harrowing prognosis that has a happy ending. Carson C':
Carson's Mom, Kathlyn is a physician: his Dad is a physical fitness expert. Spend five minutes to look at the YouTube presentation prepared by Carson's Mom. It deals with mucor mycosis -- what my  friend Dr. Fred Cramer calls the "man-eating plant." Humans usually do not live through mucor.




Celebrity cancer activist, Kelly LeBrock visiting Carson, a leukemaia patient. 
Carson had undergone surgery to remove one kidney, his spleen,  most of his colon a  large portion  his diaphragm  since the onset of the mucor was at high speeed, infiltrating his 95lb body. Oncologists were predicting "5 days left to live" if the mucor was either in his lung or his stomach . . . surgery was  scheduled to remove both.
Dr. Kath's own words (interviewed by a professional journalist.) A full version of Carson's saga will be printed in the upcoming 2012 book "Oxygen . . .  The First Medicine."
"And mucor is very very...common fungus. It lives in the dirt. But it’s pretty rare to get infections. And it’s super rare to get GI mucor. It’s...super rare.
And when I did my research and, you know, put it out on the blog and everybody else did the research and, I had articles in my hands, and I mean .  . Nobody’s survived it.
And the data that they had was in the “40s and the “50s and patients in Africa. There’s nothing recent. You couldn’t find a case that was within 20 years that had survived. Kind of unheard of. So...I’m thinking, “well, at least we have an explanation. But then the more I read about mucor, the more I realized, “Oh, my God. This is worse than leukemia. Nobody lives with this.”

"At the time when Carson starts (hyperbaric therapy), he’s spiked fevers again and I have a bad feeling. Everybody behind my back (at the hospital is saying, “Jesus, this kid’s not going to make it.”At one point Roger sits in the unit with Bradley, one of the head infectious disease gurus, who says, “Nobody lives from this. At some point you and Kath need to figure this out.”
So I have a conversation with Dr. Jen’ (Rady Children’s Hospital Professor of Oncology): “Are we just putzing around here? Because Bradley is laying crepe and Roger’s ready to take Carson home.” She says, “Absolutely not. I am not done fighting and neither should you be. We are in this, we’re going for it, and Carson’s going to make it.” Dr. Jen' is the only one (at Children’s) who doesn’t believe Carson’s going to die.  
Every day Carson’s going with a nurse in the ambulance from the hospital to Bob’s (Sands)  center. They have to fashion a way of getting him in and out of the chamber because he’s so weak he can’t move. I mean, he can’t even sit up. He can’t stand. He can’t walk. He is so skinny. So to get him into the hyperbaric chamber, we slide Carson onto this board that Roger has his guys at his factory make. (Bob still has that board.) We put the board against the chamber and then we use a blanket to pull him in. Either Roger or I dive in with him. It’s a whole big thing."



September 2006.
Dying 6 yo Carson gets his first HBOT Tx.
Clinical detailshttp://www.hboinfo.com/Toxic%20Mold,%20Fungus.htm

HBOT Tx. 7. the journey back to life has begun for Carson, confounding the medical pundits.

Sandsie with Carson - five years and 450 HBOT Tx later,  one of the bravest young men I have met.

The Abstract of a scientific paper (below) from a health scientist and as supported by the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center  clearly indicate that Mucor is a serious problem for cancer patients.
Parents of afflicted children and cancer patients should take the time to read the entire paper  by Dr. Kontoyiannis. Scientific excellence.
How I treat mucormycosis --  







 
  • Russell E. Lewis1,2

    • D.P.K. was supported by the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Faculty E. N. Cobb Scholar Award Research Endowment and the National Institutes of Health (M. D. Anderson Cancer Center support grant CA016672).http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/content/118/5/1216.long
    1. 1Department of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control and Employee Health, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center; and
    2. 2University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, TX
    Next Section

    Abstract

    Unlike invasive aspergillosis, the prognosis and outcome of hematologic malignancy patients who develop invasive mucormycosis have not significantly improved over the past decade as a majority of patients who develop the infection still die 12 weeks after diagnosis.why the title of this Now some science and Blog: 
    "Contaminated, diluted  counterfeit pharmaceutics that look genuine." 

    How I treat mucormycosis --    
  • Russell E. Lewis1,2

    • D.P.K. was supported by the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Faculty E. N. Cobb Scholar Award Research Endowment and the National Institutes of Health (M. D. Anderson Cancer Center support grant CA016672).http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/content/118/5/1216.long
    1. 1Department of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control and Employee Health, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center; and
    2. 2University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, TX
    Next Section

    Abstract

    Unlike invasive aspergillosis, the prognosis and outcome of hematologic malignancy patients who develop invasive mucormycosis have not significantly improved over the past decade as a majority of patients who develop the infection still die 12 weeks after diagnosis.

    Sandsie's Comment:

    Carson's death was anticipated by most of the staff at Childrens' despite the fact that this was a team effort all of the way through, from his family through to specialists at the National Institute of Health.
    Carson was stoic throughout and defied the gloomy prognosis.
    Mucor infestations are common in hospitals, particularly in pediatric units. One day I walked down the wide corridor at RCHSD to visit Carson. On the way out, I saw that the corridor at been blocked off with white plastic, ceiling to floor. Having worked in bio' over the years I knew what was occurring behind the screen. Using my best Crocodile Dundeee accent (it comes easy for me, since I was born Down Under) I pushed my way through the plastic and said to the men working in the hall "Gudday . . .  are you blokes gonna paint the walls?" As I was hustled out by a worker in a biohazard suit, he answered "You cannot be in here, we are doing out best to rid this area of MRSA and a fungus." 
    I was told later that RCHSD is now constantly alert and have the problem "under control" (their words  not Sandsie's).

     Sandsie's Comment: Why HBOT is effective in killing mold.
    Mold hates oxygen. That is why archaeologists are not allowed into  freshly discovered Egyptian tombs if the have any cuts or open sores such as an insect bite. Recent studies of newly opened ancient tombs that have not been exposed to modern contaminants found pathogenic bacteria of the Staphylococcus and the molds Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus.
    http://www.qualtestusa.com/KingTutsCurse.html
    Mold thrives on a damp, reduced oxygen percentage environment. However some mold thrive with a marginal increase of oxygen, e.g., commercial edible mushroom farming or in a low pressure (mild) inflatable hyperbaric chamber.

     Now the primary "why" 100% HBOT (at the correct treatment pressure) is such an effective fungicide for mammals (people)  with none of the  caustic side effects of the most common  IV bPHARMA responses: 
    "Every time we hear ‘ampho B’ we always call it ‘amphoterrible’. Because ‘amphotericin’ and ‘amphoterrible’ —everybody dies. When they have to be on amphotericin, they basically all die because they’ve got a fungal infection and the amphotericin will kill them too. Either the fungal infection kills them or the drug kills them. But it’s never good." Dr. Kath', Carson's Mom.

     Picture this. . .  your yard (body) is full of long grass and weeds. Ha, you have a ride-on lawnmower,  but little gasoline to keep it running. Filling the tank is not quite enough to make your yard lovely. WHEN YOUR MOWER IS PUT INTO  GEAR,  THE complex machine bursts into action  and does the hard work, valves, pistons, cogs and gears. 
    So too with the human body. Top it up with addditional with oxygen and the complicated mechanisms of your body go to work: the big "pac-man" cells throughout your body, and particularly those in your lungs. These macrophage"--  are more than match for the invading mold spores.

    Since this blog confines itself the the application of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, we must move on to the title of this Blog: 
    "Contaminated, diluted  counterfeit pharmaceutics that look genuine." 
    Why the calibrations on the side of the syringes?
    Your health practitioner wants EXACT dosage.
    A pain specialist  could make an assumption: 
    "The Rx. arrived in  medical  container and its been Okay in times past." 
    SEVENTY DEATHS (morbidity rates still climbing.)


    The same erroneous assumption is can be  made by  desperately ill patients (e.g. cancer patients, pain patients) in the hopes that the drugs that they are given are genuine and contain a  measurable dose that will improve their condition and are not adulterated with any poisonous substance. Sadly, in many cases this assumption is erroneous  Counterfeit drugs are pouring into the United States from countries such as China, Pakistan and India. Worse, some come from within the United States, driven by greed, delinquency and lack of codes enforcement of .

    Inflatable chambers often appear to be the same as 
    hospital-grade chambers -- but can be  

    DANGEROUS.

    Sandsie's Comment on inflatable chambers --  DANGEROUS.

    The assumption that one hyperbaric chamber is the same as another or can deliver a dose (concentration of Oxygen) as prescribed (by registered physician (not a chiropractor) is absurd. All chambers that operate over 2 pounds per square inch ("psig") are subject to the same enforcement codes as a hospital grade chamber that can be pressurized to 100 psig (or more). When fully inflated to maximum allowable working pressure ("MAWP"), a soft walled chamber will feel as hard as steel. 
    The contaminated bottles of steroids looked  the same as "safe" pharmaceutics. Likewise  your home-use inflatable could also be contaminated with mold spores. Or, you are not getting the correct amount of oxygen to help you heal.
    Note the tiny pressure gauge that Sandsie is pointing to. In contrast, hospital and military grade chambers, delivering 100% oxygen, have a minimum of two pressure gauges, each calibrated in psig, feet of seawater ("fsw,)  and atmospheres absolute ("ATA"). These gauges are accurate over 90% of their reading scale, have their  own certificate and are regularly tested by dead-weight third-party testing laboratories. Replacement cost is around $1,000.00 USD. The little 3 inch gauge that Sandsie is pointing to probably cost less than $25.00.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    On the other hand, here is Sandsie with a chamber he 
    approves of -- hospital grade, the so called "hard" 

    chamber. Good for 100 psig, accurate measurements and

    fabricated to full code compliance. Precision gauges and

    all certificates from ASME-PVHO-1

    Sandsie's Comment on inflatable chambers --  DANGEROUS.

    If an inflatable chamber is operated to (or any chamber for that mater)Is operated to its manufacturers instruction all should be Okay. This means you cannot take you inflatable and mess with it by increasing its MAWP, or add oxygen, Federal Laws and codes prevent this.
    Apart from the fact that ALL inflatable chambers sold in the United States have had rupture and deflation events (ear an lung damage, usually transitional events in the patient's life), the most lethal potential is the fact that the el-cheapo compressors that inflate  the chamber have inadequate filters to keep out all of the mold spores and contaminants that they pump and compress room air into that chamber. All claim that they have "in line filters that capture contaminants down to .003 of a micron." Even worse, most home owners purchase an oxygen generator and, apart from the sponge on the air intake -- no filter at all but are pronounced as "safe."  Bunkum. Most suppliers or users do not know what a micron is. Most users are never instructed on how often to change filters of any sort.

    Sandsie Comment:

     U.A. L certified HEPA filters have to be changed regularly.
     Or the trapped particles of dust, mold spores will
    migrate through to the upstream or "clean" side.
    This will contaminate the chamber compartment
    and put the patient at risk.

    When room air is compressed into a chamber -- say at 4 psig then you have made it thicker by around a third. If the air is contaminated with crud that went through your filter and then "grew" (yes mold spores grow in the right environment!), you now have at least three times the mold spores in the chamber than outside in the room where you operate the chamber. Mucous membranes transport it into the patient's body. Lungs are a major target for mold. Radys Children's Hospital San Diego is fastidious about infection control -- as are most pediatric hospitals. Still, Mucor mold sneaks past their super efficient HEPA filters and little kids die. HAD CARSON CLOYD BEEN TREATED IN  A BAG CHAMBER (INFLATABLE) , HE WOULD HAVE LIKELY LOST HIS BATTLE FOR LIFE.

    Now for the really scary possibility of a cheap-chamber. Look carefully at the weeny red micron dot and you might think "the inline filter IS .003 of a micron in my compressor is actually so tiny when compared with a human hair. All will be well."
    For comparison, substitute the 1,500 feet tall  Empire State Building instead of the diameter of a human hair. Hold your  thumb up.That is about the comparison of an atom. if you held your thumb on the side of that building, three thumb lengths is about the same as a carbon monoxide molecule (2 plus 1). So tiny, it wouldn't even notice the filter in your home chamber. Enough of them (or any number of household cleansing agents) can usurp red-blood cells ability to carry oxygen to tissue. Good news is you can change these harmful agents simply. Tell you how in the next Sandsie Blog.

    First thing Sandsie noticed was the use of the lowest quality
    (cost) components that any hardware store would have on its
    shelves. Further inspection found that the pressurization
    (from the compressor - yellow line-  stank, as did the exhaust
    lines which should have remained crystal clear. The  green oxygen
     line was also badly contaminated from the generators.
    Back to the potential of lethal mold. In Hawaii  oxygen is expensive. A purchaser sold her inflatable and spent on the more expensive Blue "hard" chamber. The factory sent its "technical expert" to install it. Two oxygen generators were part of the package as well as the "safe" air compressor. 
    A year after installation, since I  was asked to run my eye over it since I had been designing chambers for thirty years. I found that  even with two oxygen generators, running, simultaneously, the entire system would not deliver 100% oxygen at 2 ATA. So the patient  stopped using the oxygen generators and purchased  100% oxygen from the local gas supplier. When I checked it all I was surprised to find that after just one year, the entire gas supply  was contaminated with yukkie, poisonous  mold.
    Dangerous? You bet. The technician operating the chamber became extremely ill and the resulting lung problems took  9 moths to correct. That technician almost lost his life to the mold coccidioidommycosis ("valley Fever") . -- Patients's X-ray in the next blog.
          Sandsie's Recomendations if you are thinking of purchasing an inflatable chamber:
    • Think it through, do  the math. Could be that 30 Tx in  a free standing hospital grade chamber will cost less in the long run
        Sandsie's Recomendations if you already own an inflatable chamber:
    • Use it EXACTLY according to manufacture's directions. If the manufacturer  says not to ADD oxygen -- do not do that. Just run it on room air.
    • Remember that you will melt more molecular oxygen into your body just breathing 100% oxygen ON THE SURFACE than you can get in an inflatable chamber. 
    • Ask your supplier for the correct filters -- carbon and HEPA
    • Make sure that the location that you operate your chamber is a "clean room" with appropriate HEPA filters. Vacuum the room daily  with a high quality HEPA) vacuum cleaner. Keep exterior windows closed.


    What's in the next Sandsie Blog: Bad News plus Good News,

    Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis)  Medicine Net. May 14, 22013 http://www.medicinenet.com/valley_fever/article.htm

    Cases Of Mysterious Valley Fever Rise In American Southwest. SHOTS (NPR)by 

    Calif. objects to moving inmates because of fungus. Beatrice Golden Sun May 14, 2013

    http://beatricedailysun.com/news/national/calif-objects-to-moving-inmates-because-of-fungus/article_f6fdf4b0-0377-5680-b0f9-b140d1a5cbdf.html

    Navy researcher links toxins in war-zone dust to ailments. USA Today 5/14/2011


    The latest concerns in the community. Worthwhile reading each one before you get the GOOD news from Sandsie's Blog.
















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    Friday, January 25, 2013

    Spinal Injuries and Quadraplegia  

    How life can change in a split second with velocity and impact.

    Bravery, Courage and Sheer Determination needed.

    Rapid response is required.


    Often called"the BIG ONE, this common cervical injury usually means  that 
    the patient will only be able to turn head, shrug shoulders, spontaneously breathe 
    and talk. Paralysis usually sets in below the insulted area and a permanent  life change occurs.  

    January, 2013
    An email from a friend . . .
    "My son broke his neck this afternoon Big Beach surfing. He told me in his words that he thought he was going to drown so he's lucky to not have. I'll meet with the neurosurgeon tomorrow but he's going to have to have surgery and hopefully the paralysis will come undone."
    • Bruising and swelling were now acting as a strangulation point for the cord below the insulted area and Ischemia (none or little amounts of oxygen are getting down past the fracture point).
    • Steroids were given in vast amounts to reduce bruising and swelling.

       The patient underwent surgery, three days after his accident. Another email, ten days later where the neurosurgeon said that they do not use scans (PET, SPECT, fMRI) to make a prognosis but the time between the accident and intervention. The prognosis - this 21 year old had "less than a 5% chance of ever walking again."

     Sandsie's Comment  January 2013.


       It has taken thirty years working with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (“HBOT”) to thread a string of beads about Coma Arousal, Spinal Injuries, Strokes,  and Near-Drowning.   Now in retirement in Hawaii, the last two beads fell into place within a 10 day period -- the month of January 2013. I should begin thirty years ago to my introduction to Australia's (and the World's) top specialist in spinal injuries,  Dr.  John Yeo.
    http://www.spinalcure.org.au/a/100.html

       At that time, I was in the "R" period of Research and Development.In 1984 Sydney only had two hyperbaric chambers, one at School of Underwater Medicine (HMAS Penguin) and another at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital ("RPAH"). Both were large chambers that could take many casualties at one time. The Prince Alfred Chamber was working with spinal injuries. The medicine and research from both centers was fascinating but not the chambers that I had in mind. 



     By the time I met John Yeo M.D., I already had the transport envelope of the system worked out . . .  small enough to fit a U.H. Series Bell Chopper, light enough to retrieve a casualty on a 2,000 mile flight in a Beechcraft Queen Air "B." Now for the needs of the patients . . .


    1983 C of A Department of Science  & Technology
    commissioned Sands  to develop advanced HBOT
     transportable chamber.


    In 1984 Sydney only had two hyperbaric chambers, one at School of Underwater Medicine (HMAS Penguin) and another at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital ("RPAH"). Both were large chambers that could take many casualties at one time. The Prince Alfred Chamber was working with spinal injuries. The medicine and research from both centers was fascinating but not the chambers that I had in mind. Then I found out that Dr. John Yeo had a little British Vickers chamber at the Royal North Shore Hospital ("RNSH"). He readily agreed that I should come visit. While spending time with this gracious man, "Happenstance" threaded the first bead for me.  friendly man, so ready to share his knowledge with the World.



        

    RNSH is  three miles from "the Bridge" on historic
    Gore Hill  with stunning views of the City of Sydney.  
    RNSH  with  740 beds is one of Australia's (and the World's)
    Premier Medical  Schools and Medical Research Centers.
    While at RNSH with Dr. John, a young man, less than eight hours from a Rugby football accident, was carried in -- crushed C4 but with an intact spinal cord and in full quadriplegia  -- , strapped down to a litter. Dr. John and his team gently slid him into the little chamber and, 90 minutes later, hauled the casualty out. WOW! The young man could wriggle his toes.

    Four 90 minutes sessions in the chamber at 2.5 ATA over a two day period, the "spinal shock" had evaporated. Two weeks later, the young radiologists was back at work on light duties.
        I was so excited . . . "are you going to tell the world about this?" I asked. Dr. Yeo replied, "probably not yet." 
    In the next six months I understood his reluctance. 

        I mentioned the two other Sydney chambers. School of Underwater Medicine where I lectured visiting physicians on dynamic lung function. RPAH -- breaking the backs of sheep with spinal research by Dr. Ian Unsworth -- well, even as a business partner, (Mercator Pty. Ltd.) we did not get on well at all. I told Unsworth of Dr. John Yeo's miracle two day rehab' of the spinal patient. There was a pause and Unsworth muttered "there is a lot of luck in hyperbarics."
    A month later I was in Honolulu. Professor Ed' Beckam, M.D., Robert Overlock (shortly after my visit, Bobby became an M.D.) Frank farm, legendary Hawaiian deep-diver and others. Dr. Ed was as gracious as Dr. Yeo back at  RNSH in wanting to share knowledge. 
       At the time, the Hawiian crew were working with short-hair Fox Hound (the dogs loved them) on spinal accidents. All were so excited about the rapid recovery of the Sydney footballer. This was the first time that I had heard the term "Golden Window" (time from trauma to treatment and success probability) from Dr. Ed'. At the time, a Los Alamos atomic physicist was also visiting -- Tom Kunkle, Ph.D. He agreed with the concept of rapid response with HBOT to reduce edema and bruising and the additional oxygen that would keep paralysis contained.
    South Carolina, USA.
        Three weeks later I was at Duke University. Buoyed along by the open-minds of Dr. John Yeo and Dr. Ed Beckman and the spontaneous change in Sydney casualty, I was beaten back down to reality, when the Director of the Center, Peter Bennett Ph.D. made the same comment as Unsworth at RPAH in Australia . . . "there is a lot of luck in hyperbarics." Pete simply did not want to hear about it. 

     In January of this year, a young man -- the son of a friend of  mine -- fractured his C4 while surfing near my home in Maui. I called Dr. John Yeo (who remembered me and the incident of thirty years earlier) told me "The problem is ischemia. The sooner that you treat a spinal patient in a chamber, the better his chances. After you left Australia, I did a small research paper with fifty-six patients of recovery. I had great Golden Window success with  five of them but the other fifty were not matched in age or duration. Consequently the local specialist derided the results and we abandoned the use of HBOT  with spinal injury."

    1993 -- A gentle voice on the telephone to my home in California introduced himself as Richard Neubauer and asked "can you design a chamber for me that will treat stroke and other neuro' patients?"  "Yes," says I. Then I asked him "Does it work with these?"
       "Come see for yourself."  His work and discoveries made at his center were jaw-dropping. No wonder that even today Dr, Neubauer is known as the Father of Hyperbaric Medicine in the U.S.
    More beads to thread "Uncle Dick" Neubauer, '"Gus" Miale and "Shelly" Gottleib -- all high-end health scientists and physicians. One of them (I forget which one) told me twenty years ago "Sandsie, because of PET and SPECT scans, we know know about the ischemic Penumbra. This is no longer 'anecdotal.' Life for stroke, spinal and head injured patients is about to change. " Sadly, it did not.


    Clin Nucl Med. 1992 Jun;17(6):477-81.

    Identification of hypometabolic areas in the brain using brain imaging and hyperbaric oxygen.

    Neubauer RA, Gottlieb SF, Miale A Jr.

    Source

    Ocean Hyperbaric Center, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida 33308.

    Abstract

    Current neurologic assessments consider idling neurons and ischemic penumbras to be metabolically lethargic and electrically nonfunctional or nonviable. Diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutics of central nervous system dysfunctions require differentiation between viable and nonviable neurons. It is necessary to develop and document efficacious and safe techniques for reactivating idling neurons. The authors present a case study of a near drowning 12 years earlier. Areas of cortical hypometabolism were identified by using SPECT imaging in conjunction with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). Delayed imaging after HBOT (1 hour, 1.5 atm abs) suggested viable but metabolically lethargic neurons. After HBOT (80 1-hour treatments, monoplace chamber, 1.5 atm abs), marked improvements in cognitive and motor functioning were demonstrated. The data support the hypothesis that idling neurons and ischemic penumbras, when given sufficient oxygen, are capable of reactivation. Thus, changes in tracer distribution after a single exposure to HBOT may be a good prognostic indicator of viable neurons. HBOT may be valuable not only in recovery from anoxic encephalopathy but also from other traumatic and nontraumatic dysfunctions of the central nervous system, including stroke. HBOT in conjunction with physical and rehabilitative therapy may help reactivated idling neurons to remain permanently active.


     Neuroimaging in Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: An Evidence-based Review for Clinical Practice and Research

    Report of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Spinal Cord Injury Measures Meeting 2007

    Positron Emission Tomography (PET): Five Class IV articles on PET imaging in patients with SCI were reviewed. A single Class IV PET imaging article was found that assessed PET of the spinal cord in the assessment of patients with compressive myelopathy. This study utilized high resolution fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) to evaluate the metabolic characteristics of the spinal cord in myelopathy patients and concluded that the standardized uptake values for FDG-PET in the cervical spinal cord correlated better than MRI with pre- and postoperative neurological scores in these nontraumatic subjects. Four Class IV articles were found describing PET assessment of the brain in persons with SCI. One of the articles utilized PET scanning to assess brain metabolism after sensory stimulation of the vagina and foot to elucidate the sensory pathways which convey genital stimulation to the brain in women with SCI  Two articles studied regional brain response to unilateral hand movement in persons with SCI determined by PET, showing changes in activation patterns compared to uninjured control subjects. One additional article assessing resting brain metabolism showed alterations in the distribution of PET glucose utilization in persons with SCI compared to uninjured control subjects (90). These studies suggest that PET may be used to assess the metabolism of spinal cord and brain in patients with SCI.

    Richard Neubauer would groan and ask "Don't these young specialist physicians ever keep up with their reading?"


    Sandsie's Comment. 
    TIME TO CHANGE CHAMBERS

    Since the little transportable recompression chamber system that I designed for the Australian Government and now in fleetwide use by the United State Navy was unsuitable for spinal patients, I designed a chamber that was/is perfect for spinal patients.

    Thanks Dr. Neubauer, Dr. Yeo, Professor Beckman (M.D.) -- none of this would have happened without your input. In the last sixteen years, my centers have aroused numerous coma patients and treated many quad' and para' spinal patients.




     Sandsie's Comment. 
    TIME TO CHANGE
       During those three decades I had the privilege of owning my own HBOT centers, charging affordable prices, and being able to skirt the constraints of vested interest groups such as the Undersea and  Hyperbaric Medicine Society (UHMS). Their  "approved" guidelines are in reality "approval for payment by the U.S. Government MEDICARE program (keeps the prices at around $2,000.00 per 90 minute session in a HBOT chamber). 
       The UHMS justification is that "there are no double-blinded studies for such trauma as a broken spine."  With objective scanning, there is no need.
       What a load of self-serving rubbish. Below is just one of the latest studies on brain damage less than ten days  after the accident. . . . and the same grey and white matter are included in a  spine. Mind you, at $2,000.00 per HBOT Tx. in an expensive hospital environment, and with the patient possibly needing 200 sessions, the costs of rehab' of a single spinal injury would "break the bank."
    The solution is simple -- do not warehouse spinal casualties  or make them into statistics, condemning them to  reduced quality of life. Move the chambers out of hospitals and DROP THE PRICES per Tx. to less than $200.00 per session -- one tenth of hospital charges.   
    In actual fact, such adjunct use of hyperbaric oxygen reduces the overall lifetime costs of the casualty -- usually carried by medical insurance or by State and Federal programs.

     Yes, it is "disruptive medical technology" but the movement has commenced.

     Meet a CHANGER 
              Dr. Grady Anderson, Orthopedic Surgeon
    Grady and I became friends in 2003. He was fond of saying "no back operation is successful if you can still feel pain a year later . . . there are often other ways of mending bones. An extremely smart man. I remember one time he said that to a group of orthopedic and neurosurgeeons at a conference in San Diego, and the moderator  spoke up in a loud voice "Thank you Dr. Anderson, we have heard enough."

    Grady stopped speaking and climbed from behind the microphone.  I was enraged on his behalf. "No need to be Sandsie," Grady said. "You have to understand that if you are a surgeon of any sort, if you don't cut,  you do not go to the bank."

    Here's to you, Grady Anderson, M.D., Don Quixote of Orthopedics with the courage of tilting at the largest of windmills.

    TIME TO CHANGE

     In an elegant study -- mostly from Israel Universities comes ths:

    Hyperbaric Oxygen Induces Late Neuroplasticity in Post Stroke Patients - Randomized, Prospective Trial

    Abstract
    Background: Recovery after stroke correlates with non-active (stunned) brain regions, which may persist for years. The current study aimed to evaluate whether increasing the level of dissolved oxygen by Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) could activate neuroplasticity in patients with chronic neurologic deficiencies due to stroke.

    Methods and Findings: A prospective, randomized, controlled trial including 74 patients (15 were excluded). All participants suffered a stroke 6–36 months prior to inclusion and had at least one motor dysfunction. After inclusion,patients were randomly assigned to "treated" or "cross" groups. Brain activity was assessed by SPECT imaging; neurologic functions were evaluated by NIHSS, ADL, and life quality. Patients in the treated group were evaluated twice: at baseline and after 40 HBOT sessions. Patients in the cross group were evaluated three times: at baseline, after a 2-month control period of no treatment, and after subsequent 2-months of 40 HBOT sessions. HBOT protocol: Two months of 40 sessions (5 days/week), 90 minutes each, 100% oxygen at 2 ATA. We found that the neurological functions and life quality of all patients in both groups were significantly improved following the HBOT sessions while no improvement was found during the control period of the patients in the cross group. Results of SPECT imaging were well correlated with clinical improvement. Elevated brain activity was detected mostly in regions of live cells (as confirmed by CT) with low activity (based on SPECT) – regions of noticeable discrepancy between anatomy and physiology.

    Conclusions: In any case, the observed reactivation of neuronal activity in the stunned areas imply that increasing the plasma oxygen concentration with hyperbaric oxygenation is a potent means of delivering to the brain sufficient oxygen for tissue repair: HBOT might initiate a cellular and vascular repair mechanism and improve cerebral vascular flow 8,13,16,17]. At the cellular level, HBOT can improve mitochondrial function (in both neurons and glial cells) and cellular metabolism; improve BBB and inflammatory reactions; reduce apoptosis; alleviate oxidative stress; increase levels of neurotrophins and nitric oxide, and up-regulate axon guidance agents [13,16,17,20]. Moreover, the effects of HBOT on neurons can be mediated indirectly by glial cells, including asrocytes [18]. HBOT may also promote neurogenesis of the endogenous neural stem cells [19]. The major limitation of the above-mentioned data is that it has been tested in different types of models and includes different protocols of HBOT. However, it is well noticed that there is at least one common  enominator to all repair/regeneration mechanisms: they are all energy/oxygen dependent. It might be possible that HBOT enables the metabolic change simply by supplying the missing  energy/oxygen needed for those regeneration processes.
    To conclude, in this study we provide, for the first time, convincing results demonstrating that HBOT can induce significant neurological improvement in post stroke patients. The neurological improvements in a chronic late stage demonstrate that neuroplasticity can be operative and activated by HBOT even long after acute brain insult. 
    Thus, the findings have important implications that can be of general relevance and interest in neurobiology. Although this study focused on stroke patients, the findings bear the promise that HBOT may serve as a valuable therapeutic practice in other neurological disorders exhibiting discrepancy between the anatomical and functional evaluation of the brain.

     When was this published? January 15, 2013  - about ten days ago from writing this blog. 
    So the contemplation of the 1750  observation of spinal shock and loss of sensation and paralysis below the injury prognoses about many spinal injuries could possibly be changed if specialist physicians kept up with the latest science.  

     Sandsie's Comment:
    "Mike Schwass was a friend of mine."
    YES, YOU CAN DEFY THE PROGNOSIS
    Mike was an historical figure and the first quadriplegic who showed that steely grit and determination could push past the spinal shock. It is worth spending a moment on his YouTube story "Don't Blame the Game," a full quad' at the age of sixteen. 
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so4_VVqSA_8

    R.I.P. Michael.  Your death was predicted at  22 but you made
    it all the way to 51 -- and enriched so many lives. thanks Mate.

     "Mike Schwass spent most of his life paralyzed but he never gave up on his dream – every day he envisioned himself walking, free from the confinement of his wheelchair and the aides constantly at his side.  At 16-years-old, Schwass became a quadriplegic after an opposing hockey player checked him into the boards during a game.
    Schwass also traveled the country as a motivational speaker. He co-wrote the book “Don’t Blame the Game,” an autobiography of his life, his injury and courage to beat the odds. As a counselor, many of his clients were also quadriplegics – he didn’t charge them because he knew from personal experience how costly their bills were, family said.
    Nearly everyone that met him walked away inspired. But as he grew older, his body became weaker, bills stacked up and things were harder for Schwass.
    His family put together a fundraiser called “Mike-a-palooza” in August to raise money to buy a new van for Schwass and pay some of his medical expenses."

       Mike came to my San Diego Center for numerous HBOT sessions and told me "I wish that I had known about hyperbaric oxygen when I was sixteen."  My wish for him also. Notice that, even with insurance and damages, Mike eventually ran out of money and fund-raisers were needs. It was a privilege to treat this cheerful man and, when offered payment by him I always told him "Mike, you paid me by just coming through the door of the clinic."
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