The walls of the hyperbaric chamber room are lined with under-the-sea wallpaper, providing an aquarium-like sensory experience to the children, and televisions hang above as a distraction if needed.

As Peterson discussed the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) removes bacteria, increases stem cell generation her elderly parents were placed in nearby chambers for their daily dives.

HBOT involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber, pumping 350 liters of oxygen per minute inside to create double the air pressure from outside. Its been a well-established treatment for decompression sickness, more commonly known as the bends, that occurs when a scuba diver ascends too quickly. Other major uses include treatment for wounds that won't heal, anemia, radiation burns and vision or hearing loss.

On its various social media channels, Oxford advertises HBOT can be used to reverse aging, improve general wellness and even to potentially treat individuals with long-haul COVID-19 symptoms.

Andrew Kistner, marketing director for Oxford, moved his family from Toledo in June 2021 to be close to the center. His daughter, Grace, has cerebral palsy and the family was desperate for a treatment.

We had tried everything, Kistner said, whose daughter had been in therapybetween nine months and a year old."She was making some progress but it was so slow. We didnt have anything to lose. Wed rather lose a little bit of money and time than later say we should have done it.

Kistners daughter did four sets of 40-round dives in the chamber and said positive results started early on.

We noticed cognitive improvements pretty quickly, along with improvement in problem solving, Kistner said.

His daughter was later diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and she continues the therapy today. Oxford even hired his wife as a nurse and later Kistner as its marketing director.

The center told Crain's in early August that about three-quarters of the roughly80 pediatric patients at Oxford Recovery receive HBOT therapy. After this story was published, the center said that figure was inaccurateand it has eight pediatric patients now. Peterson first discovered HBOT after her daughter JeAnnah was diagnosed with viral encephalitis at 9 years old, leaving her unable to speak and nearly blind. Through her own research, Peterson sought out HBOT for her daughter, who eventually recovered from the brain infection.

All the doctors said it wouldnt work, Peterson said. I had to have a $72,000 down payment to get that treatment. They only treated her after a foreign doctor said they used HBOT back home. We dont treat neurological disorders like we should in the U.S.

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At Oxford Recovery Center, autism treatment on the fringes of science - Crain's Detroit Business