A controversial form of therapy that involves inhaling oxygen under high pressure is again being revived in a private clinic newly opened in Montreal.

Parents of children afflicted with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects body movement and muscle coordination due to brain damage, believe hyperbaric oxygen therapy can improve the quality of life of some children.

The Quebec government disagrees. Almost two years ago, it halted research after a government scientist deemed the treatments don't work.

Lucie Brunet, the clinic's founder, opened the private clinic as a way to administer oxygen treatments to her adopted daughter, Magali, who suffers from cerebral palsy.

Though the government ended funding for hyperbaric research at McGill University, Brunet was able to raise more than half a million dollars to launch her clinic. Now, children with neurological problems mainly use it.

How hyperbaric oxygen therapy works

The therapy involves inhaling pure oxygen while fully enclosed in a high-pressure chamber. The treatment usually consists of several short-term, high doses of oxygen. The body's oxygen level is  raised above normal, as is thus able to travel to all parts of the body.

While oxygen is normally transported by red blood cells, the high doses administered in hyperbaric therapy allow the oxygen to dissolve into all of the body's fluids.

"When you deliver oxygen under pressure, oxygen is now dissolved into all of the bodily fluids," said Claudine Lanoix, a hyperbaric technician. "We can deliver oxygen to areas we couldn't reach because of compromised blood supply."

For children with cerebral palsy, that means damaged brain connections and non-functioning cells could be brought back to life. Awakening idling brain neurons could result in alertness and better body and muscle movement. Hyperbaric therapy does not provide a cure to CP. However, for some parents, the costly treatment provides them with hope.

"We cannot cure these children with neurological injury. But, what we can do is give them a better quality of life," Lanoix says.

With files from CFCF's Anne Lewis

Other uses for hyperbaric oxygen therapy:

• Non-healing wounds, diabetic and selected problem wounds
• Skin grafts & flaps (compromised)
• Crush injury, Compartment Syndrome, other acute amputations, limb salvage and limb reattachment
• Exceptional blood loss
• Anemia
• Carbon monoxide poisoning/cyanide poisoning
• Air or gas embolism
• Decompression sickness (Bends)
• Thermal burns
• Gas gangrene
• Source: HBOT Online