Update: Hyperbaric Oxygen for Autism

We have updated and upgraded our Autism page. Finding scant evidence for hyperbaric oxygen therapy, we now provide more helpful links to patient and clinical resources, to the 2009 Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) position paper, and to the indispensable 2011 book, Thinking Person's Guide to Autism. Here's hoping you find our new page nearly as thoughtful.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not FDA cleared or UHMS approved for autism spectrum disorder. That's not apt to change anytime soon. From our new commentary:

People living with autism, beware. Perhaps no patient community today is so beset by healthcare fraud and quackery. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has gotten caught up in a powerful movement away from evidence-based practice and toward alternative therapists promising miracle cures. Their claims are as wild as their HBOT is mild. What thin evidence we have on HBOT for autism is fraught with contradictions and undercut by investigator bias.

Frankly, we would prefer never again to write of HBOT and autism. But we will keep our eyes peeled for relevant hyperbaric news and especially clinical evidence. Until then, let our new, carefully researched page stand as our final word on the subject.