28 | FEBRUARY 25 • 2021 

F

ibroid tumors — benign 
growths in the uterus and 
uterine walls — are com-
mon, occurring in about 70 per-
cent of women. These growths 
typically start small, and some 
individuals with fibroids have 
few or minor symptoms.
However, fibroids often grow 
in size and number, and many 
women experience significant 
abdominal pain, pressure and 
heavy menstrual bleeding as 
a result. In addition, fibroids 
can make it more difficult to 
become pregnant and cause 
complications during pregnancy, 
according to Danny Benjamin, 
M.D., FACOG, chief of obstet-
rics and gynecology at DMC 

Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital in 
Commerce.
When symptoms were severe, 
women could choose hysterec-
tomy (removal of the uterus) or 
myomectomy (surgical removal 
of the fibroids), but both surgical 
procedures require hospitaliza-
tion and a lengthy recovery.
Hormonal injections or the 
use of IUDs with hormones 
sometimes provided temporary 
relief but also caused unpleasant 
side effects. For most patients, 
fibroids tended to grow back 
after treatment was completed. 
In the past, Benjamin per-
formed a laparoscopic procedure 
to shrink the fibroids. However, 
the earlier technology required 

at least three small abdominal 
incisions, making it technically 
more challenging depending on 
the tumor location. Last year, 
Gynesonics, a company special-
izing in the imaging and treat-
ment of gynecologic conditions, 
received permission from the 
Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA) for its newest version of 
the Sonata procedure that uses 
a combination of ultrasound 
and radiofrequency to target 
and shrink fibroids. In med-
ical terms, it is described as a 
sonography-guided transcervical 
fibroid ablation device.

“I was very impressed by the 
results of the clinical studies, 
and the positive impact Sonata 
had on women’s lives. The 
incision-free nature of Sonata 
addresses the growing preference 
of women seeking a less-in-
vasive, lower risk procedure 
that preserves the uterus,
” said 
Benjamin, who was specially 
trained for the procedure.
With the Sonata procedure, 
the gynecologist inserts a hand-
held device into the cervix to 
identify the location of the 
fibroids with ultrasound and 
then uses radiofrequency — a 

O

xygen is a necessity 
for life — to transfer 
energy from food into 
a usable form and to perform 
vital functions throughout the 
body. More than 100 years ago, 
a hyperbaric chamber — an 
enclosed space with high con-

centrations of oxygen at higher 
than atmospheric pressure — 
was first used in the U.S. for 
medical purposes. 
According to the Mayo Clinic, 
“Under these conditions, your 
lungs can gather much more 
oxygen than would be possible 

breathing pure oxygen at nor-
mal air pressure. When your 
blood carries this extra oxygen 
throughout your body, this helps 
fight bacteria and stimulate 
the release of substances called 
growth factors and stem cells, 
which promote healing.
”
The Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA) has 
approved hyperbaric oxygen 
therapy (HBOT) for 14 medical 
conditions, including wounds 
that don’t heal because the 
patient is diabetic and severe 
burns. Exposure to high-pres-
sure oxygen is believed to stimu-
late the formation of new blood 
vessels and aid the body’s infec-
tion-fighting ability.
In recent years, HBOT has 
been used outside the U.S. for 
conditions such as stroke recov-
ery, autoimmune disorders and 
autism. In the U.S., “off-label” 
use of HBOT for non-FDA-ap-

proved medical treatment is per-
mitted but may not be covered 
by insurance.
 Locally, the Oxford Recovery 
Center, founded in 2008 by Tami 
Peterson, provides HBOT, coor-
dinated with other treatments 
for an integrated approach, 
for more than 100 conditions, 
including autism, concussions, 
stroke, anxiety and auto-im-
mune disorders, according to 
Ned Kulka, Oxford’s marketing 
director. 
 Peterson started Oxford 
Recovery Center after her young 
daughter was diagnosed with 
viral encephalitis and suffered 
severe neurological setbacks. 
Her daughter, treated with 
HBOT, made a remarkable 
recovery.

STROKE RECOVERY
Today, Oxford provides a broad 
range of treatments for children 

HEALTH

COURTESY OF OXFORD RECOVERY

Hyperbaric therapy is used to treat 
diverse medical conditions and may 
of
 set aging.

New Possibilities

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Patients undergo 
hyperbaric oxygen 
therapy at Oxford 
Recovery.

continued on page 31

continued on page 31

“NINETY 
PERCENT OF 
PATIENTS 
HAVE POSITIVE 

RESULTS.”

— DR. DANNY BENJAMIN

New procedure treats fi
 broids 
without surgery.

Good News
for Women

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

