By: John Giordano PhD (hon), CCJS, MAC, CAP
I believe Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, or HBOT as it’s known in the medical industry, is the new paradigm in repairing damaged brain cells due to long-term drug and/or alcohol use. G & G Holistic Addiction Treatment Center is one of only a few addiction treatment facilities in the world to make Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy available to its clients.
Under normal circumstances, oxygen is transported throughout the body only by red blood cells. With HBOT, oxygen is dissolved into all of the body’s fluids, the plasma, the central nervous system fluids, the lymph, and the bone and can carry oxygen to areas where circulation is diminished or blocked. In this way, extra oxygen can reach all of the damaged tissues and the body can support its own healing process. The increased oxygen greatly enhances the ability of white blood cells to kill bacteria, reduces swelling and allows new blood vessels to grow more rapidly into the affected areas. (http://www.hbot.com/faq#1)
I first saw the potential in HBOT when I came to learn that large doses of oxygen can improve brain functions ? thus helping a person who has damaged their brain by abusing drugs and/or alcohol over extended periods of time. We made HBOT available to our clients over two years ago and I’m very encouraged by what I’ve seen. After just a few treatments, my clients tell me they have much more clarity in thought and find that they’re much more alert. Physically, the change is palpable ? their skin color comes back almost immediately, their overall look is healthier and the swagger is back in their step.
Over time I also found that faster recovery rates were achievable by combining amino acid therapy with HBOT. Working side by side with Dr. Kenneth Blum ? discoverer of the addiction gene ? in clinical studies, we researched two amino acid formulations, Mental Clarity and KB 220Z. What we found was that Mental Clarity improved cognitive functions while KB 220Z calmed the strong cravings an addict experiences. In a separate and on-going study, the effects of these two amino acids therapies appear to be compounded when the volunteers were subject to uniformly scheduled HBOT sessions; thus better outcomes.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is recognized by most as the cure for decompression sickness — the bends — experienced by scuba divers who surface too quickly. However, doctors and researchers both agree that we’ve only scratched the surface of full healing potential of HBOT. In the US the FDA has approved Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for the treatment of 13 conditions. Additionally, the therapy has shown great promise in the ‘off-label’ treatment of a myriad of diseases and injuries such as: brain trauma, stroke, cancer, sports injuries, migraines, depression, multiple sclerosis, autism, cerebral palsy and senility to name just a mere few. The treatment itself is painless and non-invasive. It involves the patient sitting or reclining in a pressurized chamber with increased levels of oxygen for anywhere between one and three hours.
The protocols we developed are firmly based in the successful results of Dr. Paul G. Harch’s research. Harsh is considered to be the world’s foremost expert on Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and author of “The Oxygen Revolution.” Dr. Harch’s findings provided the indisputable empirical data that clearly demonstrates the damaged brain cell repairing and rejuvenation qualities of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. The results of his work have been published in the leading peer review medical journals.
Over twenty-years ago, I was one of only a hand-full of counselors that blended a holistic component into traditional addiction treatment protocols. The actions we took back then played a major role in ushering the holistic element into mainstream addiction treatment. Today I feel the same confidence in HBOT that I felt for holistic back in the day. I believe Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy will become a standard at addiction treatment facilities worldwide in the very near future.
Mr. John J. Giordano, PhD (hon), CCJS, MAC, CAP, is the Founder and President of the prestigious G & G Holistic Addiction Treatment Center in North Miami Beach, Florida — a 62 bed in-patient/out-patient JCAHO accredited addiction treatment facility ? The National Institute Of Holistic Addiction Studies (NIFHAS) and the author of “Proven Holistic Treatment For Addiction & Chronic Relapse.”
