“We are treating TBI/PTSD, we are restoring lives – not just talking about it!” states Juliette from Dr Harch’s office.
Following the recent NPR/ProPublica series on veteran suicides and treatment for TBI and PTSD Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma called for an emergent hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. During the hearing General Chandler (Vice Chief of Staff, Air Force), mentioned to Senator Levin that the Air Force was having success treating airmen with hyperbaric oxygen. While not specifically stated General Chandler was likely referring to the experience of Dr. Eddie Zant in Fort Walton Beach, Florida who had been treating brain injured airmen from nearby Eglin Air Force Base. Dr. Zant has treated over a dozen brain injured airmen using the HBOT protocol developed for chronic TBI by Dr. Paul Harch of LSU School of Medicine, New Orleans. Dr. Harch is the founding president of the International Hyperbaric Medical Association and current president of the International Hyperbaric Medical Foundation. IHMF. Dr. Harch submitted the unsolicited attached “Testimony for the Record” to the Committee in June calling attention to the possible contribution of off-label FDA blackbox labeled drugs to the suicide epidemic in U.S. veterans. The testimony also announced to the committee the effectiveness of HBOT in the treatment of blast-induced TBI, the possibility of preventing suicides if HBOT could be delivered in a timely fashion, and the commencement of N-BIRR, the National Brain Injury Rescue and Rehabilitation Project. At Senator Inhofe’s direction Dr. Harch’s testimony will be included in the hearing record.
Prior to the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Dr. Duncan and representatives from the IHMA were invited by the House of Representatives Veterans Affairs Committee to participate in a Roundtable on Innovative Treatment of TBI and PTSD. The Roundtable will be held in Washington, D.C. on 7/21/2010 in the Cannon Office Building. At this meeting Dr. Harch will report the current status of the LSU Pilot Trial of HBOT in blast-induced TBI and PTSD and announce and explain N-BIRR to the VA Committee. N-BIRR is the national trial of HBOT in chronic TBI and PTSD organized by the IHMF. The project will be testing the Harch HBOT 1.5 TBI protocol in patients with chronic TBI, PTSD, or TBI and PTSD. It will enroll civilian and military subjects who have had mild-moderate traumatic brain injury due to blast or trauma. Using the modern Bayesian adaptive trial design the study will provide HBOT treatment to all subjects. There will be no sham or control group.
Multiple sites are currently approved for N-BIRR. The largest capacity facility that is actively recruiting is the Oklahoma State University Hyperbaric facility in Tulsa. Researcher and clinician Dr. Paul Rock operates OSU’s walk-in multi-person chamber which has a capacity of nearly 100 patient treatments per day. Housing is also available at the OK site. www.nbirr.org
Dr Harch’s “Testimony for the Record” of May 2009 to House of Rep/ Armed Services Com and resubmitted again in June 2010.
Dr Harch addressed the black box warnings on the use of off label medications that are being given to our SOLDIERS and VETERANS way back in May of 2009. You’ve got to see this! So I ask you “What is taking so long?”. As I said before “We are treating TBI/PTSD, we are restoring lives not just talking about it.” Oxygen is the cleanest medicine in the world. HBOT (used correctly) stimulates the growth of new blood vessels into the damaged tissue of the brain. In 35 days the average IQ increase was 15 points and the average decrease in PTSD symptoms was 30%. We are working in the solution.
“How many lives have we lost to suicide who could have been restored with hyperbaric oxygen therapy? How many TBI/PTSD soldiers and veterans are suffering needlessly? This letter and testimony was submitted May 2009. In the meantime, we are busy working in the solution.” states Juliette from Dr Harch’s office (504)309-4948
