Oxygen Chamber May Help
Developmentally Disabled Children

By Heidi Hatch
Staff Writer

Three months ago when 7-year-old Calvin spoke, almost no one could understand what he was saying, said his mother, Ariane Vieth.

Calvin was born with cerebral palsy, a chronic condition that effects movement and muscle coordination, caused by damage to the brain.

In the last three months, Calvin began using an alternative therapy recommended by his speech therapist — Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) — and Vieth said she has seen significant results.

HBOT begins with a high-pressure sealed oxygen chamber. Patients are given oxygen at pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, which is the main difference between HBOT and breathing in oxygen from an oxygen bottle.

“The pressure is the key, it’s what pushes the oxygen deeper,” said Dr. Rochelle Neally of the Long Beach Hyperbaric Center. “It’s what allows the oxygen molecules to be pushed into the blood stream. When oxygen is delivered to damaged tissues or areas of the brain, oxygen creates tissue repair and regeneration.”

Neally, a chiropractor, opened the Long Beach Hyperbaric Center three months ago. It is the first of its kind in Long Beach. She works mainly with special needs children, and began offering this type of therapy because her patients’ families were asking her about it. She said it has gained momentum in the last couple of years, especially in treating autistic children.

“Their parents were telling me about it and asking me to use it,” Neally said. “I’m pretty skeptical about a lot of things. I researched it and found it was amazing for healing, and it’s a potent anti-inflammatory.”

Neally uses a “soft” chamber, which delivers 50% oxygen at pressure levels comparable to being about 11 feet under water. She said the soft chamber is best for special needs children because it has no side effects. There are chambers that deliver 100% pure oxygen at pressure levels resembling 30 to 40 feet under water, which are typically used for burn victims, she said. Those treatments can have side effects and patients must be careful of what they wear because 100% oxygen is very flammable.

She recommends patients come in at least three times a week for one-hour sessions, and typically patients sign up for about 40 hours.

“There is no magic number,” she said. “Some see changes right away, and others don’t see changes until the 20 or 25th visit. Some require 60 or 70 visits.”

If patients reach a plateau, the therapy may be stopped. She said some patients will retain all improvements and some may diminish over time — each person responds and heals differently.

Initially, some children are hesitant to get in the chamber and some have no fear, she said. The chamber is big enough to fit two people — so parents can join their children if necessary. Neally provides a portable DVD player them so they have something to do.

“They have their movie and they can’t wait to jump in there,” she said.

In addition to working with special needs children, she also treats adults who have cancer and Parkinson’s disease. She said she has had such tremendous results and demand for service (she works seven days a week) that she is expanding her office and adding two more chambers, which will be ready in the about two weeks.

The downfall is that HBOT is typically not covered by insurance because it’s relatively new and considered alternative therapy, she said.

The cost for a single one-hour session at Neally’s clinic is $150, however if purchased as a package the per-session rate is lower. She said the machines cost about $25,000.

Neally said 100% of her patients have shown improvements since beginning HBOT. The most common results are increased eye contact, increased language and socialization and greater awareness of their surroundings.

Vieth said she was skeptical at first. Calvin had been receiving physical and occupational therapy, which was stopped about six months ago because Vieth was told he had reached a plateau and would not benefit any further from those therapies.

“I didn’t think that was good enough, so I thought I would give this a try,” Vieth said. “Just recently two mothers noticed a difference in his speech and asked me what I was doing. His speech therapist is amazed. He plays basketball with his dad. He would fall a lot, now he’s not falling and tripping.”

For more information, call Neally at 987-5507 or visit www.drneally.com.

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