The efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) as an abortive for a cluster headache or to abort a cycle is questionable at best... 

I took an HBOT chamber run as an observer in the late 70s...  As far as I can tell, most HBOT operators are still using the same US Navy Dive Table VI procedures shown below as they did then...
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As you can see from the schedule... you don't just jump into an HBOT chamber and then jump out... 

Using the above procedure to abort a cluster headache attack is like chasing flatulence in a wind storm or trying to eat a soup sandwich...  Not much gratification... 

You may as well plan on camping out in the HBOT chamber while waiting for an attack...

If a CH'er were able to catch an attack in progress while camping out in the HBOT chamber, efficacy would really depend on the patient's respiration rate and tidal volume during the oxygen breathing segments of chamber run...

It's much easier to abort attacks with a high flow rate regulator and O2PTIMASK™ kit or a demand valve...

Most insurance companies will not cover the expense of HBOT for cluster headaches.

Take care,

V/R, Batch

MJ,

You're quite right, the mind can play a powerful role in healing...  My daughter is a leukemia survivor and has worked with kids suffering from leukemia for over 20 years.  She's also worked with kids suffering from autism for more than 5 years...  She's a firm believer in having a positive attitude and has seen first hand where it resulted in a favorable outcome far more often than not...

I'm familiar with the study you cited and I had the opportunity to speak with a number of neurologists specializing in the treatment of cluster and migraine sufferers about HBOT at the IHC 2009 convention in Philadelphia last September...  The most common comment from neurologists I spoke with who were familiar with this study was the results were largely anecdotal.  Had the response been more significant, there would have been more followup HBOT studies...

To put this in perspective, I think it's significant to note that out of the 420 study abstracts accepted by the IHC for presentation at the conference, only a handful dealt with oxygen therapy in one way or another and none involved hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

BMJ's Clinical Evidence web site made the following comment on the study you cited.

"It is difficult to comment on the efficacy of HBOT, given the limited controlled data available in the literature. However, it is noteworthy that the available data point towards a beneficial effect — which is not surprising considering the beneficial effect of normobaric oxygen. HBOT has been associated with adverse effects, including: damage to the ears, sinuses, and lungs from the effects of pressure; temporary worsening of short-sightedness; claustrophobia; and oxygen poisoning. Although serious adverse effects are rare, HBOT cannot be regarded as an entirely benign intervention. [39] The clinical utility of HBOT is likely to remain limited in the foreseeable future, owing to the lack of general availability."

We've also learned a lot about using oxygen as an abortive for cluster headaches over the last few years.  As I indicated in an earlier post in this thread, respiration rate and tidal volume (depth of breath) play a significant role in the efficacy of oxygen therapy in aborting cluster headaches.  From what I've been able to gather, no specific breathing instructions were given to the participants in the HBOT study other than to breathe normally.

We collected data on over 650 aborts with oxygen therapy during the pilot study that formed the basis for the patent application for the demand valve method of therapy the USPTO published last December.  366 of these aborts used flow rates that support hyperventilation.  The study indicated a dramatic reduction in abort times if flow rates that support hyperventilation were used over breathing normally at a flow rate of 12 to 15 liters/minute...

So... I'll stick with my initial statement that most of us are far better off with a better quality of life if we use home oxygen therapy at flow rates that support hyperventilation.  It's far less expensive than imitrex, it has no side effects, and if used properly, the success rate (efficacy) is greater than 95% and the abort times are just as fast as imitrex.

Take care,

V/R, Batch