Oxygen a necessary standard-of-practice and its use is "Approved" for coverage under the national Japanese Health care. Meanwhile Verban Deutscher Druckkammerzentren, the National German Hyperbaric Association, has "Approved" the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen as a standard for the treatment of Inner Ear Disorders.
Since the 1970s, Russia, China and other European and Asian countries have "Approved" the application of Hyperbaric Oxygen in respiratory complicationsat birth to prevent the single largest disability of childhood in the world - Cerebral Palsy. In fact, in these countries, full surgical procedures are conducted in hyperbaric chambers the size of an operating room; when there are suspected respiratory complications at birth, the delivery is conducted in a hyperbaric chamber; this practice is to prevent the child spending a life with severe disabilities.
"Approved"?
There is a general misunderstanding of the word "Approved" when referring to the use and application of Hyperbaric Oxygen. The term "Approved", when applied to Hyperbaric Oxygen does not necessarily imply, refer to, nor does it account for the scientific rationale, the historical research, the clinical evidence or the established effectiveness.This term simply implies that it is covered, or reimbursed by Public or Private Health Insurance providers. The actual definition of "Approved" Hyperbaric Oxygen would imply that "It is approved for payment by the insurance provider".
For example, the largest professional Hyperbaric Association in the world, theJapanese Society of Hyperbaric Medicine, "Approves" the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen in Acute Spinal Cord Injury; the Japanese Government considers Hyperbaric
“We started treating such patients and have anecdotes to tell; typically, the patient was unable to walk and after treatment was able to get up and do so. This kind of story is difficult to refute when the patient comes asking for help."
Julius Jacobson
President, International Congress on Hyperbaric Medicine 1984
Regardless of the decades of established practice and statistically high efficacy in these countries, not one of these applications are currently "Approved" for payment under any Public or Private Health Insurance program in North America.
Even though these conditions are "Approved" by the various Physician and Surgeon Colleges throughout North America, and covered by various insurance providers, Hyperbaric Oxygen is still severely under-utilized even though there are many approved indications.