{{Article from the St. Thomas Episcopal Church, St. Petersburg, FL, Oct. 2009 issue}}
"OUTREACH HELPS TO PROVIDEHYPERBARIC 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. Selama Grotto, a local Masonic-affiliated group, 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 Selama Grotto speak to their civic club or other organizations, please see Hardy Bryan."
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