The benefits of HBOT, or hyperbaric oxygen therapy, for the treatment of autism are quite legendary. Brain SPECT scans (Single Photo Emission Computed Tomography) before and after HBOT sessions show dramatic improvements in cerebral blood flow, and this improvement is sustained over time. Plus, there are many testimonies from families that have used HBOT as an autism treatment for their autistic children and the results have been very encouraging.
Despite the many amazing benefits of HBOT, however, there are some urban legends circulating the Internet about the so-called dangers of HBOT. These unfounded rumors tend to spread quickly because they are intriguing. And some people do take them seriously. Thus, the rumors need to be addressed.
Mercury in the body
One recent Urban Legend about HBOT says that undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy while having mercury in the brain can injure the brain permanently. This sounds like a ghost story that is meant to scare little children, except that it is the adults – the parents of autistic children – who end up being scared. The basis for such a claim is highly questionable because it is impossible to ascertain the presence of mercury in a live person. The brain can only be examined for mercury during autopsy after death.
Since it is impossible to identify people with mercury in their brains, how can we then say that such people suffer permanent brain damage from receiving HBOT treatment? The only way to ‘prove’ this would be to administer HBOT on a corpse and then perform the autopsy to prove that the combination of HBOT and mercury damages the brain!
Even for people who have mercury in the body, not necessarily in the brain, there is no reason to believe that HBOT will be harmful. In fact, practically everyone in the world today has some level of mercury in the body, because of dental fillings and the pervasive nature of mercury pollution. Yet all sorts of people – including those suffering from various brain injury conditions as well as healthy individuals – have reported experiencing benefits of HBOT.
The question of Mercury and HBOT was raised on the Internet forum, Onibasu.com, back in May 2002. Bob Myer, who runs a Children’s Hyperbaric Cooperative at Miracle Mountain in the US, wrote:
I researched it extensively and also contacted Dr. Philip James who is the foremost authority in the world on HBOT and Neurological conditions. There is absolutely no reason to fear mercury and HBOT as a combination. We have treated several cases of Autism using HBOT at our center and every case showed excellent, in some cases amazing, results. Part of these cases were attributed to mercury.
Conclusion
There is no scientific evidence, nor has there been any reported cases, of HBOT causing harm – whether in the form of brain damage or any other adverse effects. In fact, scientific studies have so far revealed many benefits of HBOT for autistic children, cerebral palsy victims and other neurologically challenged persons.
