When Chad and Cat Redinbo were told their daughter, Halle, had Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) they realized some parts of her life might be difficult. Halle was nonverbal until the age of four, and she had some social issues such as difficulty making friends.
“When you are told that your child has a condition or illness, you feel a lot of things – denial, anger, guilt, fear, and sadness,” says Cat. “But the emotion that trumps these is determination to find help. Lots of things seemed to help Halle, but the biggest change was noted when we used hyperbaric therapy. Within a dozen sessions, she had better eye contact, verbal skills, and coping mechanisms. We needed to spread the word about hyperbarics to our community, and since there wasn’t a clinic near our home, we decided it was a worthy venture. And New Leaf Hyperbarics was born!”
In fact, hyperbaric treatments can be effective after patients have been told there is nothing more that can be done to help their diseases and/or disabilities.
Disabilities that may experience a benefit from treatments range from multiple sclerosis, cancer, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, traumatic brain injuries, strokes, post-traumatic stress disorder, infertility, cerebral palsy, autism, chronic fatigue, attention deficit disorder, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and others.
A hyperbaric chamber treatment involves laying in a chamber on a memory foam mattress with pillows and blankets under the watch of the staff at New Leaf. The chamber will inflate, which applies a bit of pressure. It feels similar to the pressure felt at the deep end of the pool, hence the frequent use of the term “dive” in relation to hyperbaric treatments. This pressure allows oxygen molecules to more easily pass through the walls of the alveoli in your lungs.
This pressure activates Henry’s Law of physics. This allows an increased amount of oxygen into your body. The pressure then helps blood and oxygen to flow through the body in a better way. This process helps the whole body, as your body is filled with blood and other fluids that this increase in oxygen can benefit.
Take inflammation for example. Inflammation blocks blood flow and causes pain and irritation. This continues because the air we breathe is roughly 21 percent oxygen. The oxygen must be transported through our circulatory system. When pressurized, the oxygen dissolves into the plasma, and can navigate around obstructions much faster. In this form, it can also pass through the walls of our veins and arteries and reach cells up to five times more than normal. Cells begin to function as they were intended, and greater health is achieved.
I recently got to experience a session in the chamber myself. It started with a staff member taking me through the proper forms and asking me all the necessary questions to make sure I was ready for my “dive.”
Inside the chamber, there was a lamp, a couple of fans, some pillows, a call button, and a blanket. It was the most comfortable I’d felt in months! The technician made sure I had everything I needed.
While turning on the pressure, she told me what to expect. My ears popped for about five minutes, almost as if I were landing in an airplane. She gave me helpful tips and advice on how to get rid of the buildup of pressure. Once pressurized, she made sure I was comfortable and had everything I needed. She then left the room to allow me to relax.
I got out of the chamber after my 60 minutes and there was a new spring in my step. In fact, I was told this would happen. With increased and efficient blood flow, the body feels better.
Since Chad and Cat opened their original Tacoma location in July of 2012, they have treated over 11,000 clients. They do this by hiring friendly and caring staff. The staff is fully trained and remain up-to-date on how to best help their clients through hyperbaric therapy.
“It has been incredible to be able to play a role in the healing of not only those with autism, but so many other conditions. Whether it is something simple, such as migraines or arthritis, or something severe, such as stroke or traumatic brain injuries – we’ve been blessed to witness things that many would equate to miraculous. But there is no miracle. It is just science and nature coming together to help the body do what it was meant to do – heal, build and thrive.”
New Leaf Hyperbarics and Massage is a locally owned and operated business that started with just one clinic (Tacoma) and now has four locations throughout Western Washington. They recently created a franchising division with the intent to spread New Leaf clinics across the nation.
The Tacoma location is at 6450 Tacoma Mall Boulevard #3. Visit their website for more information on appointments and a full range of how hyperbaric treatment can help those in need.
