Why I traded in my Porsche for a Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber

Michelle LaBrosse CCPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, RYT

This morning, Facebook reminded me of this blog post I had put up six years ago –  http://www.michellelabrosseblogs.com/2011/11/targeted-gene-therapy-and-some-alternative-approaches/.   My mother had brain cancer, and we had her in an experimental treatment in the hopes it could cure her (it, unfortunately, did not).

In the six years since I wrote that blog post, I have been on my own brain improvement journey.  Eighteen months after my mother passed away, I was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury.  I had suffered several significant head injuries when I was younger that had caused the severe insomnia problem I was then experiencing.   As part of the diagnosis, they tested my genes for a host of degenerative brain diseases.  We discovered I have the genes for both brain cancer and Alzheimer’s.  This does not though mean I will get either of those.  And I full well intend to continue having a very high performing brain.

One of the treatments they recommended to heal from my traumatic brain injury and fix the insomnia problem was to use a hyperbaric oxygen (HBOT) chamber.  This puts your body the equivalent of ten feet underwater and super oxygenates your brain, helping the damaged parts to heal.  It took 90 days of using the HBOT chamber an hour a day for me to see measurable improvements and reverse the decade’s long brain damage causing my insomnia problem.

The extra benefit – super oxygenating the brain also helps prevent a host of brain degenerative conditions – including both brain cancer and Alzheimer’s.  After experiencing the benefits first hand of the HBOT chamber, I decided to trade in my Porsche and get my own HBOT Chamber. I figured I’d much rather have a super fast brain than a super fast car.  Considering the extreme things people do when they find out they have the gene for breast cancer, this solution seemed rather simple.  Plus I can’t have my brain removed.

There is a host of other things that I do as well to make sure my brain stays in peak performing condition:

1. Drink a tea made with fresh turmeric root every day.  Tumeric root contains a host of curcuminoids.  One specific one can cross the blood-brain barrier, prevent a host of brain degenerative diseases and kill brain cancer cells (see the blog post from six years ago).  This particular curcuminoid is only active for six hours once it’s steeped hot water for several minutes.   This is not the same as just taking a turmeric supplement.  The turmeric supplements did little to help my mother survive brain cancer.

2. Take a tablespoon every day of cod liver oil.  A relatively high dose of fish oil is required for my brain health.  I opted for the straight cod liver oil rather than the fish oil capsules as it took too many pills to get the dose I required.

3. Drink at least two quarts of water a day – and 20 ounces of water when I first wake up.  Many brain issues are actually from your body being dehydrated.

4. Do a daily gentle yoga practice (I became a registered yoga teacher and created the Happy Aging Yoga Mat).

5. Maintain close positive relationships with friends and family as this helps keep my pre-frontal cortex in top working order.  We teach how to do this in Cheetah’s Happiness Project Course.

6. Avoid processed foods and consume only organic vegetables, meats, and dairy.

7. Make minor adjustments fast when I have a problem sleeping or if I feel lethargic, down, or just off my game before the problems become more pronounced.  This is why I continue to use the HBOT chamber several times a month.  As I learned with my TBI – brain health is something that once it degrades is hard to tell you even have a problem.  You need a functioning brain to know you have a non-functioning brain.  People who have a problem with their brain won’t even know they have a problem with their brain – but others around them may notice there is something off about them.

8. Avoid prescription drugs at all costs.  One of the theories on why my Mother had brain cancer was because she was on Lipitor for 30 years.  This caused her liver to change the gene that could have fought off brain cancer.  Earlier this year I had to have surgery to fix a 25-year ear problem.  I do not like the way my brain feels at all with narcotic painkillers, so I had the surgery in Oregon and used medical marijuana to relieve the surgical pain instead.  I no longer trust the pharmaceutical industry as it feels like they are in it for the profits more than to relieve human suffering.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you’d like more information about getting and keeping your brain in peak performing condition, at any age.