I had an interesting new patient last week: 19 year old male with clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia. However, when they had a SPECT scan done of his brain, it appeared to be more consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning. Further questioning revealed that the year prior to the onset of “schizophrenia”, the family’s heater broke and everyone was exposed to carbon monoxide..
Of course, that got me thinking…is there some brain injury involved in more cases of schizophrenia? And, is there research on hyperbaric oxygen and schizophrenia? Unfortunately, our literature is weak on anything outside the mainstream uses of hyperbaric medicine. However, Russia and China have been treating, and researching, everything under the sun. And, wonderfully for us, there is some good evidence that hyperbaric oxygen can be helpful for schizophrenic patients.
We know that oxygen has a real affinity for nerve and brain tissue. It seems logical that any mental issue would benefit from hyperbaric oxygen. We see good results with strokes, traumatic brain injuries, concussions, autism, why wouldn’t it be helpful for schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and other diseases?
The medical literature that I found, suggested that hyperbaric oxygen was helpful for patients who were using pharmaceuticals, as well as those who couldn’t. What an exciting potential for patients who are unable to heal with traditional medicine. It’s too soon to tell with my new patient, but after 2 sessions, his father has noticed a slight change in his personality. Let’s see where he is after 40 treatments.