"I've known so many families to lose loved ones with Alzeheimer's and this is hope," reported Fox 8 News Anchor Nancy Parker at the conclusion of an interview with HMI's Dr. Paul Harch. In the interview Harch shared the story of 58 year-old woman with Alzheimer's who he successfully treated with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
While the screen showed before and after images of the patient's brain function, Harch shared the big news: "What we showed was the greatest improvement in brain metabolism that has ever been seen with any therapy for an Alzheimer's patient."
But Harch then reminds us that while the images are remarkable, the clinical outcomes are what were most important. "Symptomatically she was better…. She was clinically better."
Watch the complete interview here.
Dr. Harch teamed with imaging expert Dr. Edward Fogarty to recently publish the case report in the journal Medical Gas Research.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for Alzheimer’s dementia with positron emission tomography imaging: A case report
In the report they noted that, "HBOT is an epigenetic modulation of gene expression and suppression to treat wounds and disease pathology, particularly inflammation. HBOT targets all four of the pathological processes of [Alzheimer's Dementia] by: 1) affecting the microcirculation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and biogenesis, 2) reducing amyloid burden and tau phosphorylation, 3) controlling oxidative stress, and 4) reducing inflammation." (182)
They concluded, "a 9-week treatment of low-pressure HBOT (40 sessions) in a patient with AD caused a significant increase in global metabolism on FDG PET imaging with concomitant symptomatic improvement." (182)
Dr. Paul Harch is a clinical professor at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine. Dr. Edward Fogarty is the Chair of Radiology at University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Dr. Harch also serves as the chairperson of Hyperbaric Medicine International's Scientific Advisory Committee. He will be presenting original research on HBOT in neurological conditions at HBOT 2019, the 13th annual Hyperbaric Medicine Symposium to be held in September in Charleston, South Carolina.