There is a natural treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS): hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).HBOT was demon-strated in a placebo-controlled, rand-omized double-blind study as an effective treatment for patients with longstanding MS symptoms (average of 10 years) in an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1983.

Then, all funded research on HBOT for MS was shut down in the U.S. Fortunately, patients in England were made aware of the effectiveness of HBOT for MS and became activists. They developed a charity and set up treatment centers all over the country that could be accessed by MS patients at little or no cost to them. Dr. Phillip B. James monitored a large group of these patients and found that the course of illness and relapse in those patients that received initial HBOT and continued to have intermittent HBOT resulted in fewer relapses and better long-term outcomes. His conclusion: start HBOT early after initial presentation and diagnosis and continue intermittent treatments.

HBOT is not a mysterious process: 100 percent oxygen under pressure is a very effective tool for healing. It triggers activation and release of stem cells that may become neurons or glia. At the DNA level, it triggers genes producing healing hormones to be up-regulated and genes that produce destructive degenerative and inflammatory responses to be down-regulated. The high-dose oxygen facilitates intracellular healing.

James details the history of the science and the politics of HBOT in his book, Oxygen and the Brain: The Journey of Our Lifetime, published in 2014. Testimonials and additional information can be found throughout the Internet. Explore the options and learn what HBOT can do.

Carol L. Henricks, M.D., is a neurologist specialist working with natural healing techniques with NorthStar Hyperbaric. Contact her at 520-229-2122, [email protected] or NorthStarHBOT.com. See ad, page 25.