This Article from the St. Thomas Episcopal Church, St. Petersburg, FL, appeared in the Oct. 2009 issue, written by our own Hardy Bryan.

“OUTREACH HELPS TO PROVIDE HYPERBARIC OXYGEN TREATMENT

HBOT is a painless, non-invasive procedure in which a person is exposed to increased air pressure and oxygen. The patient is sealed in a chamber for at least an hour per session and breathes oxygen. All hospitals in Pinellas County operate HBOT chambers for such FDA-approved conditions as crush injury, diabetic wounds, burns, C02 poisoning, gangrene and others. There are numerous off-label uses for HBOT for chronic issues such as cerebral palsy, Alzheimer’s, Crohn’s disease, Lyme disease, heart disease, shaken baby, near drowning, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, sports injuries, spinal cord injuries, autism, infections, and many others.

Oxygen is God’s gift to mankind. In addition to the obvious need to breathe, oxygen promotes
healing, fights infection, and retards pain. [Chamber of Hope]…using
five HBOT chambers, provides free treatments to children with chronic medical issues. This group daily treats from 22 to 30 children. In most cases, parents exhausted all medical remedies
available with little or no hope of ever improving the condition of their child. HBOT has proven to
be highly effective in providing capabilities previously impossible, such as the ability to talk, sit
up, walk, eat whole food and other too numerous to mention.

To learn more about this local project, please go to www.hyperbariccenter.org. The Out Reach
program of St. Thomas is helping by providing a gift to help replace the oldest chamber, now at
the end of its ten-year life expectancy. Parishioners who know a child who could benefit from
HBOT or would like to have a member of [Chamber of Hope] speak to their civic club or other
organizations, please see Hardy Bryan.”