General Practitioners

• Osteoporosis
• Arthritis
• Fibromyalgia
  This is an intravenous vitamin infusion which enhances the immune system, reduces fatigue, helps with seasonal allergies, reduces symptoms of fibromyalgia and allergies. Vitamins and minerals provide the starting materials necessary for our cells to function properly. This infusion may also help poor digestion, food sensitivities, chronic inflammation, poor immune function, or any sickness.
• Medical Weight Loss
  All ten people with Zika experienced relief from the severe fatigue. weight loss, appetite loss, foggy thinking, decreased vision, and joint pain that had developed when they had Zika infection. Some patients, who also had Dengue, another virus transmitted by mosquitoes, also experienced relief from the anemia that was caused by the virus.
• Nutritional Counseling
  A total of 350 seriously incapacitated brain-injured patients have been treated with hyperbaric oxygenation at the Ocean Hyperbaric Neurologic Center in the past fifteen-year timeframe. The age range has been from three to ninety-three. The duration of infirmity has been from six month to fourteen years. Approximately thirty of these patients were in an apolic coma with Glasgow Coma Scales of III to V. Nearly all patients had an initial and sequential SPECT scanning along with the high-dose oxygen therapy. These scans were produced using and Elscint high-resolution single head gamma camera. The tracer was Technesium 99 either as Ceretec or Neurolite. Hyperbaric oxygenation was provided in completely refurbished Vicker's monoplace chambers, either clamshell or horizontal. The pressures utilized were between 1.25 and 1.75 ATA. The total number of treatments ranged from 40 to 500, one hour each at pressure. Sequential scanning was done before and after in most cases. In long-term fol- low-up eases scanning was performed every 80-100 hyperbaric sessions. All modalities of PT, OT, speech, along with occasional acupuncture, were part of the regime. Nutritional counseling was provided and certain herbal medications were advised in conjunction with the therapy; primarily Ginseng, Ginkgo (when not on Coumadin), COQ10, Pycnogenol and vitamins. All cases were also videotaped before, during and after the completion of hyperbaric oxygenation. Five representative cases will be briefly discussed.
• Primary Care
  Dr. Rodas received her doctorate of pharmacy in 1996 from Nova Southeastern College of Pharmacy and completed an advanced specialty Pharmacy Residency in Ambulatory/Primary Care in 1997.
• Emergency Care
  Typical treatment involves rest and fluids. If a person cannot stand or has loss of consciousness or weakness in his/her limbs, immediate transport to the emergency room is necessary. These symptoms may indicate that the Zika virus has caused brain and spinal cord problems, which are critical. Many people who have had Zika describe a lingering tiredness, loss of appetite, unclear thinking, joint pain, and decreased vision.
• Infectious Diseases
  Infectious diseases, such as Lyme disease and Zika, also cause dementia which affects the small blood vessels and neurons throughout the brain. Soldiers and veterans are likely to experience cognitive decline when brain injury from combat has occurred. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can improve and often reverse the cognitive impairment associated with injuries to the brain, regardless of when the injury occurred. In a recent study conducted in Israel, hyperbaric oxygen therapy was found to improve brain function among those people who had experience stroke and head injury decades earlier.
• Electrocardiogram
  In the acute episode it is standard to administer HBOT only when the COHb is above 25% and symptoms, especially impaired consciousness, are evident, or possibly if abnormalities are seen on electrocardiogram or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Our interest in HBOT for CO poisoning began in 1978, when a patient was brought to us, having been in a coma-like state for more than 12 years after a suicide attempt. As previously reported, this patient recovered a nearly normal level of functioning, with minimal cognitive defects, after some 350 sessions of HBOT, in conjunction with physical and occupational therapy.
• Immunizations

Ophthalmologists

• Macular Degeneration

Gynecologists

• Pregnancy

Internists

• Internal Medicine
  Dr. Castenada is a practicing Endocrinologist and Internal Medicine Physician. In addition to English, Dr. Castaneda's practice supports Spanish, Russian, French and Italian language.
• Interstitial Cystitis
• Urinary Tract Infection

Neurologists

• Neurology
  There is a strong suggestion in the literature that hyperbaric oxygenation may be an effective treatment for the acute ischemic thrombotic. Data from the original Neubauer and End paper are presented once again stressing the four-hour time window and suggesting that this may be a critical factor. Other publications are reviewed and the flaws are noted as to the ti me of intervention into the study, patient selection, protocols, etc. A brief review of the effects of hyperbaric oxygenation in acute stroke is noted. Finally, in order to ascertain the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygenation in the acute stroke, Dr. James Toole, professor of Neurology at Bowman Gray University of Winston Salem, NC, convened several conferences with experts from around the world particularly relating to space and underwater medicine. A major meeting was held in Washington DC in 1988, at which time Drs. Virginia and George Howard, professors of bio- statistician at the University of Alabama, along with about 30 scientists and doctors, devised a protocol to attempt to ascertain the true effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygenation in early stroke. An abbreviated protocol is attached to this paper. Should these results be positive, formal grant applications will then be requested from NIH and MINDS. For information please see the last page of the protocol where the full instructions may be obtained.
• Autism
  Autism describes a spectrum of disorders which affect a child’s ability to speak and communicate. While the source of the damage to the brain cells involved in Autism is unknown, bacteria, mold, viruses, and toxins contribute to the changes in the brain which result in behavior and communication changes. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used effectively for over ten years in the treatment of Autistic children. The results show improvement in communication and behavior which are sustained after the course of treatment, which involves a minimum of twenty sessions.
• Multiple Sclerosis
  Having begun hyperbaric oxygenation treatments (HBOT) in the early 1970s under the tutelage of Dr. Edgar End, I encountered several patients suffering simultaneou sly from chronic refractory osteomyelitis, and multiple sclerosis (MS). The signs and symptoms of MS had been improving during exposures to hyperbaric oxygenation so in 1978 I published several case reports in the Journal of the Florida Medical Association (1). By 1980 I had accumulated data on 250 patients with multiple sclerosis and once again published in the Journal of the Florida Medical Association, concluding the following: 1) this is not a cure; 2) it is dose sensitive; 3) it takes repeated treatments over the long term; and, 4) it alters the natural history of the disease favorably(2). In that 1980 paper, I reported on minimal to dramatic improvement in 91 percent of 250 patients treated with hyperbaric oxygen at pressures of between 1.5 and 2.0 atmo spheres absolute (ATA).
• Epilepsy
  2. Qibiao W, Treatment of Children's Epilepsy by Hyperbaric oxygenation: Analysis of 100 cases. Proceedings of: l I t International Congress on Hyperbaric Medicine, Fuzhou, China; Best Publishing: p 79-81

Psychiatrists

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Depression
• Psychiatry
  10. Barnes MB, B ates D, Cartlidge NE, French JM, Shaw DA, et al. Hyperbaric oxygen multiple sclerosis: final results of a placebo - controlled, double - blind trial. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1987;50: 1402 - 1406.
• Anxiety

Endocrinologist

• Diabetes Care
• Endocrinology
• Thyroid
• Diabetic Retinopathy

Radiologist

• Ultrasound
  Clinical observation shows that the sooner hyperbaric oxygenation is administered, the more optimum the outcome. With newer imaging techniques such as ultrasound, SPECT scanning, and functional MRI and TCD (Transcranial Doppler), a diagnosis can be made very early and therapy could begin immediately rather than wait for developmental delays. In seizure disorder, the amount of anti-convulsive medication was frequently reduced with the permission of the attending pediatric neurologist. At the end of the session, patients were given copies of their SPECT scans with full reports to take home to their attending physician or neurologist. The initial course should be close to forty treatments. It is not necessary to have a lag or a break after forty treatments as certain centers are recommending. At Ocean Hyperbaric Center the treatment is continued as long as logistics provide for it and the clinical improvement may be substantiated along with improving functional imaging studies. Ideally, the patient should continue treatment on a continuing basis as long as possible since this is a cumulative effect. A certain number of our patients have taken up to three hundred exposures and other patients, however, one thousand would do no good. A close parallel between functional imaging and clinical observations exists. A certain number of patients with limited eyesight or blindness had marked areas of hypoperfusion at the occipital cortex bilaterally. Upon restoration of the flow and metabolism of this area, varied degrees of vision returned. The most common finding has been the overall reduction in spasticity, especially the scissoring gait and dyplegia. Dystonia has improved significantly. In a large percentage of the patients, the PEG tube has been removed following consultation with the speech therapist and a barium swallow. In nearly all of the cases, tracheostomy has also been discontinued or the secretions have been reduced dramatically. Cognitive, fine and gross motor control, trunk control, and ambulation have all improved. In nearly all cases, the mothers were quite pleased.
• MRI
  In the 1970's Dr. Richard Neubauer first identified the benefit of using hyperbaric oxygen therapy to reverse the inflammation and cell damage caused by head injury. On MRI scan, the positive effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy were clearly revealed. Today, hyperbaric is the treatment for post-concussion syndrome and CTE. Professional and amateur athletes alike are being treated for CTE later in life, after the long-term neurologic damage is experienced. CTE causes dementia, rage, depression, and motor coordination and breathing disorders.
• Radiology
  There is, however, some controversy in interpreting the neurophysiological information they contain. SPECT scans measure the uptake of minute amounts of radioactive technetium into the cell during the course of its normal functioning. It is inferred-reliably so in most opinions-that the cells must also be ingesting oxygen and glucose along with the hitchhiking technetium tracer, which serves no metabolic purpose. Radiology professors and neurosurgeons are nevertheless convinced that SPECT is a cost effective, reliable tool for researching and diagnosing Alzheimer's and other brain diseases.
• Nuclear Medicine
  Neubauer RA. Pevsner NH. Visualization of reperfusion and/or recoverable brain. (1996) Proceedings of: Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Chapter of the Society of Nuclear Medicine. Atlanta, GA: P-3: I.
• Computed Tomography
  In December 1989, Charlie Smith suffered life-threatening injuries in a single-car accident along a busy Ohio interstate. Rescue workers found the 40- year-old man unconscious. In trying to save his life they botched an attempt to insert a breathing tube, exacerbating Smith's injuries. Later, at the hospital, a CT scan showed he had a broken cheekbone and, more seriously, that air had penetrated his skull. Smith stayed in the intensive care unit for two weeks before being placed in a coma-management program. He remained there in critical condition for a month, unresponsive to commands and unable to respond to arousal or open his eyes. His limbs thrashed spastically. Despite slight improvement, it became increasingly clear to Smith's doctors that his recovery had plateaued, leaving him indefinitely locked in a semi- vegetative state. He was discharged from the hospital in June 1990-after exhausting $400,000 in medical insurance-seven months after his accident.
• Chemotherapy
  Various types of cancer require radiation and chemotherapy, often in combination. The side effects of cancer treatment include severe fatigue, decreased white blood and red blood cell counts, pain, and nausea. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy minimizes these side effects, restoring energy levels by oxygenating damaged cells and tissues, reducing toxins produced by medications and radiation, and assisting the processing for medications through the liver.
• Radiation Therapy
  Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used for decades to reduce the effects of radiation therapy administered for cancer. It is an indication paid for by most insurance companies, and yet few people realize that it is available to them. Today, we use hyperbaric during radiation therapy to minimize the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy during cancer treatment as well as afterward. Because hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduces inflammation in bones and tissues that are affected by radiation, and because blood vessels are regenerated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy, patients who receive HBOT with radiation and/or chemotherapy have been shown to experience longer survival rates and experience fewer side effects than patients who did not receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
• Radiation Oncology

Surgeons

• Neurosurgery
  Emic penumbra at 4-6 hours. Many physicians-Dr. Michael Sukoff, director of neurosurgery at the Western Medical Center of Santa Ana, California, for one- consider this far too short.
• Gangrene

Plastic Surgeons

• Botox
  A twenty-one month old male who weighs 28.5 lbs. He is a "B" twin weighing 2 lbs. 5oz. at birth and was ten weeks premature. Twin "A" is normal. There was marked spasticity of all four limbs especially when excited; more in the legs with diplegia. He had received alcohol, phenol back injections and Botox joint injection. A serious episode apparently occurred in the neo-natal unit at approximately 17 days old where he was without oxygen for an unknown length of time. He was diagnosed thereafter with paraventricular leukomalacia The patient was difficult to examine when crying and irritated. There was overall generalized spasticity. The visual and auditory appeared to be normal. He had no ability to stand or to crawl. The reflexes are all hypoactive. The SPECT scan suggested a ventriculopathy with multiple areas of hypoperfusion. The cerebella were only modestly perfused. Both right and left cortex showed patchiness throughout with no confluent area seen. This was compatible with cerebral palsy and probably due to anoxic ischemia encephalopathy. The patient received 42 hyperbaric oxygenation treatments and significant improvement was noted. The patient was much more alert, his disposition improved; he cried much less, he tried to sit up straight holding his head up temporarily, his attention span is better, he is beginning to use his hands, his appetite is better. The family is extremely pleased. The changes is the SPECT scan showed considerable increase in blood flow and metabolism of the entire cortical surfaces. Again, there remained a suspicion of ventriculopathy. It was discussed with the family to have an MRI when they arrive home and make sure with a neurosurgeon that a shunt would not be indicated. The patient will return for further treatments.

Dermatologists

• Lesions
  In the interim, Dr. Charles Shilling introduced me to Dr. Philip James in England. Dr. James had brilliant ideas on the etiology of MS and was a proponent of treatment with hyperbaric oxygenation. He was one of the first to note that microscopic lesions in the spinal cord of MS patients and that of decompression illness were identical. He is currently preparing a book on hyperbaric oxygenation for MS.
• Burns

Physical Therapists

• Sports Medicine
• Physical Therapy
  Another disorder, cerebral palsy, which affects the motor skills and use of limbs in children, as well as speech and hearing, responds equally well to hyperbaric oxygen therapy. As an adjunctive part of treatment, hyperbaric is administered in combination with physical therapy to restore mobility, use of hands and arms, and communication skills. Again, a minimum of twenty hyperbaric treatments is recommended for the child initially.
• Occupational Therapy
  Many of the above papers, with the exception of Hayeman and Saltzman, and Ingvaar, showed a delayed time of entry into the treatment. They were from 24-hours to a week. Appropriate pressures were not used. Frequency of treatments and the total number of treatments were also inadequate. Imaging data was not available. In the original paper (2) by Neubauer and End (a visionary genius of hyperbaric oxygen), they described the treatment of 122 acute and long-term stroke patients. Sixteen acute stroke patients were treated within the four-hour window. Of this group, 25-percent were discharged within 24-hours of hospitalization to continue outpatient hyperbaric oxygenation with PT (physical therapy), OT (occupational therapy) and speech therapy. This was the first paper to use a specific protocol suggesting that the pressure be 1.5-2.0 ata. End used a multistation chamber with masks, thus, 2.0 ata. Neubauer used 1.5ata monoplace plus pressurized with 100-percent oxygen, explaining the difference in the ata's. A specific protocol was suggested that the acute stroke patient be treated every six hours around the clock until stabilized with a total of 10-20 treatments for each patient.
• Neuro Rehabilitation
  Long-term neurorehabilitation is not readily available or often under- taken. Minimal therapy may be performed to prevent decubiti and help reduce spasticity. Currently, an active therapy approach is not considered. However, at the Ocean Hyperbaric Neurologic Center, a new method has been devised. Late intensive neurorehabilitation has become standard practice where the clinic deals with high-dose oxygen and the recoverable brain. Long-term major brain insults treated therein consist of ischemic throm- botic (1) or hemorrhagic stroke, severe traumatic brain injury, and anoxic ischemic encephalopathy( 2 ), with all of these cases ranging from semi- ambulatory to apolic coma. (3) Encouraging to dramatic results has been observed in a large number of patients treated.

Podiatrists

• Diabetic Foot Care

Allergists

• Allergies
  Dr. Rodas is a member of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, supplementing over 30 years experience in Internal Medicine, Allergy and Immunology.