Hope

• Research into the potential positive effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in the treatment of multiple sclerosis is an ongoing endeavor. The Multiple Sclerosis Resource Center in the United Kingdom reports "Research from various countries, for example, USA, Russia, Argentina, Italy, shows that oxygen therapy can help ease the symptoms of many people who have Multiple Sclerosis," said the center. "The results of subsequent studies in Britain and abroad varied from a worst of 'no obvious change' to a variety of positive changes. To repeat, HBO is not a cure for MS--but it seems to offer effective help with such critical symptoms as fatigue, poor balance and mobility, sensory perception difficulties, incontinence and, in some cases, speech problems."
  
  

Early Research

• In 1983, physicians at New York University launched into multiple sclerosis hyperbaric treatment research. Results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. They studied 40 patients with advanced MS, dividing them into experimental and placebo groups. In the paper, Dr. B.H. Fischer, Dr. M. Marks, and Dr. T. Reich state "Objective improvement occurred in 12 of 17 patients treated with hyperbaric oxygen and in 1 of 20 patients treated with placebo. Those with less severe forms of the disease had a more favorable and lasting response."
  
  After one year of follow-up study, only two patients (12 percent) who'd received hyperbaric therapy had deteriorated while 11 (55 percent) in the placebo group saw their symptoms of MS worsen. However, the doctors added "This therapy cannot be generally recommended without longer follow-up periods and additional confirmatory experience."
  
  

Barrier

• Multiple Sclerosis is not 1 of the 13 "indications" approved by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) as conditions clearly suited for treatment by HBOT. In 1976, UHMS convened a committee to determine the medical conditions most likely to receive benefit from this therapy. At the time, the committee did not recommend oxygen treatment for MS. While many physicians, institutions and patients now utilize HBOT for treatment of multiple sclerosis, many insurance plans and the federal government may not cover the financial cost.
  
  

Negative Research

• This opinion was underscored by research and publication of the "UHMS Position Paper: The Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy" by Dr. M. Bennett, medical director of the Department of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, Australia and Dr. R. Heard, a neurologist and researcher with the MS Society of Australia. In the paper they state "Despite considerable research effort, there is little controlled evidence that a course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy results in any benefit for patients with multiple sclerosis. On average, 42 patients would need to be treated before we could expect one individual to benefit with an improved disability status score. At this time, we cannot recommend the routine treatment of MS with HBOT."
  
  

MS Society

• The Multiple Sclerosis Society of America does not support HBOT as treatment for the disease. In January of 2009, the Complementary and Alternative Medicine program at the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center in Colorado issued a clinical report that read, in part, "Practices that should be avoided because they are ineffective or unsafe include hyperbaric oxygen."