Photos by Jason Redmond / Star staff Facility director and certified hyperbaric technician Michael Bittner checks the ears of patient Matthew Reish, 10, before starting a treatment session for Matthew's autism at the Hyperbaric Centers of California in Ventura.

Jason Redmond / Star staff Michael Bittner asks a technician to start playing a DVD for patient Matthew Reish, 10, of Santa Barbara and his mother, Kathleen Reish, as they start a therapy session in the hyperbaric chamber.

A Ventura business is offering a somewhat controversial approach to treating conditions ranging from slow-healing wounds to autism.

Hyperbaric Centers of California Inc. is a stand-alone center that offers "dives" — treatments in a pressurized chamber where a patient is given 100 percent oxygen.

The therapy is offered for approved uses such as wound treatment as well as "off-label" uses for conditions such as cerebral palsy, autism and stroke recovery.

Owner Michael Bittner and his wife, Ellen, didn't start the center because they thought it would be a lucrative business, though they hope it is successful.

They started it because they saw what hyperbaric oxygen therapy did for their children, who have autism. The Bittners considered getting a chamber for their home. But when they realized they were crossing into the realm of complex medical devices and oxygen, which requires a prescription, they broadened their vision.

With the opening of the Ventura center in October, local adults and children no longer have to travel outside the county for similar treatments.

"The reason that we're here is I've seen it work," Bittner said.

The Bittners have invested about $700,000 in the business, including $250,000 for a multiperson, hard-sided chamber (there's a single-person chamber at the center as well) and extensive modifications to the office off Victoria Avenue. Those include a firewall, special oxygen storage, air conditioning and monitors and even a copper grid beneath the carpet to prevent static electricity.

Michael Bittner earned certification as a hyperbaric technician so he could provide the therapy.

He overcame his initial skepticism about the treatment by watching what happened with his two children, Sam and Deanna.

Sam, who was 8 at the time, went from answering questions to asking questions after only a couple sessions. Bittner recalls driving back to the Colton condominium where the family stayed during the month of treatments and hearing a voice from the back asking, "Is that like France?"

The Bittners looked at the electrical tower they were passing and responded that, yes, the structure did look like the Eiffel Tower.

It was the start of a lot of questions.

Sister also shows improvement

Deanna, who was 7, took longer to respond, but toward the end of her treatments she was sleeping through the night. Since then, she has learned to read, become more social and gone from being unsteady on her feet to doing cartwheels, Bittner said.

"We knew we were onto something," he said.

Bittner supports his experience with printouts of different studies on hyperbaric oxygen therapy in conditions ranging from Lyme disease to Crohn's disease to cerebral palsy.

On his desk, he often refers to the "Textbook of Hyperbaric Medicine." He has marked studies of interest throughout the book with colored sticky notes that jut out of the pages.

He acknowledged that some people question using a hyperbaric chamber to treat ailments outside of those approved by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, a professional medical organization that sets standards for using hyperbaric oxygen.

Some approved uses are for carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness and healing problem wounds, burns and flesh-eating disease.

At St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital, the hyperbaric medicine unit helps to heal patients' difficult wounds — in some cases saving limbs. The unit also treats the other conditions approved by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society and follows Medicare guidelines, said Medical Director Dr. John Tesman.

The hospital doesn't provide "off-label" treatments.

Tesman describes it as a matter of different philosophies. The hospital unit is founded on evidence-based medicine that is supported by clinical trials and research. The alternative treatments with hyperbaric oxygen therapy are often based on case studies in which some people have seen benefits. He hopes that eventually clinical trials will support those uses as well.

Room for an alternative

In the meantime, that's where stand-alone centers come in, he said.

"My only concern is that people would pay a lot of money to do these treatment modalities and not possibly get the benefit they were looking for," he said. "That's where evidence-based medicine comes in. It can prove there is a benefit to the treatment."

Tesman said he has practiced long enough that he is open to whatever might work for an individual. He's seen the passion among those who have experienced positive results from using hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

"If it works for you, that's a wonderful thing," he said.

Rebecca Davis of Newbury Park said her daughter's neurologist is skeptical about the therapy, but she doesn't have time to wait for a thick book of studies. She's trying to do all she can now for her 22-month-old daughter, Eliza Clouse, who suffers from cerebral palsy and cortical visual impairment.

Davis researched the treatment and potential complications. Using hyperbaric chambers is seen as relatively safe, though there can be problems.

One of the most common is injury to the middle ear. The pressure in a chamber is likened to that felt when a plane takes off. The treatment also can affect patients with diabetes or on certain drugs.

Hyperbaric Centers of California's medical director creates individualized plans for patients, which alleviates some of those risks.

During Eliza's treatment at the Ventura center, Davis started to notice improvement, though she's still cautious when she talks about the changes — even after Eliza's therapists started to notice those changes, too. Eliza studied faces more and gained more control of her body.

"We all felt something magnificent was happening," Davis said.

She and her husband are now figuring out how to pay for and schedule the next treatment.

'Off-label' uses not covered

Most insurance companies won't pay for hyperbaric oxygen therapy if it's for things outside approved conditions. Bittner charges about $125 per dive for children and a little more for adults, because "they use more oxygen."

Treatment usually involves about 40 one-hour dives, depending on the condition being treated. For some people, that's all it takes. Others have additional treatments.

The patient climbs inside the multiperson chamber, which resembles a small submarine with its rounded white exterior, circular doors and small portal windows. A child can be accompanied by a parent.

Patients don a spacesuit-like soft plastic hood with two tubes — one bringing oxygen in and the other sucking out spent air. The occupants can sleep, read a book or watch a movie, which is projected on the curved white wall inside the chamber.

Kathleen Reish's 10-year-old son, Matthew, is nearing the end of his first round of treatment.

Matthew, who has autism, now makes more purposeful eye contact, is more curious about certain things and has improvement in some digestive issues common to autism, Reish said.

For Reish, who heads the support group Talk About Curing Autism in Santa Barbara, the treatment is "an important piece of the overall puzzle" when it comes to helping her son.

She appreciates that the center was started by parents because of their own experience.

"They're in it because of what it's done for their child and they want to help other people," she said.

The importance of hope

Bittner emphasizes that the therapy is not a "cure-all" for everything. He encourages patients to go in without expectations, but with hope.

Annie Gabriel of Newbury Park said hope is one of the most important parts of healing.

Gabriel, 50, has lived with chronic Lyme disease for about 20 years. The disease can go through waves of remission and resurfacing. Gabriel came to the Ventura center when she felt herself "going down the tubes" again. She said she is grateful to have a local center.

Bittner speaks to support groups to get the word out about his business. He goes in seeking at least one person who is willing to try.

"Word of mouth really does grow, especially when you help one person," he said. "Seeing is believing. If we can get somebody to try it, take the chance and do a little of their own investigation — that's powerful."

On the Net:

http://www.hcocinc.com

http://www.stjohnshealth.org