BY JEFF BACON
“If I could patent a pill that reduced inflammation, helped speed healing from an injury, cured migraines, increased stem cell production in the body and helped with anxiety and mood disorders, I’d be a billionaire by now,” said Phil Rainey, owner and operator of Hyperbarics of Sun Valley during a recent interview. “Unfortunately, I can’t patent this technology and it’s a little more involved than just taking a pill.”
Rainey started Hyperbarics of Sun Valley in 2012 to fill a need he found after a great deal of research into the use of high-pressure and pure oxygen to treat injuries, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress in veterans and help relieve some of the side effects of some cancers.
“I was a diver for the military for 11 years, so I was surrounded by this equipment as a treatment for the bends, which can be a life-threatening condition brought on when a diver surfaces too quickly,” Phil notes. “The fact that it has become a form of medical treatment is pretty amazing since most of the research into its abilities has really only been done in the last 10 to 15 years.”
For Phil and his team, some of the most remarkable uses of the technology has been its ability to help veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress.
“We’re working with many veterans and have had great success treating them with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy,” notes Phil. “The human body responds very well to the combination of breathing pure oxygen in a high-pressure environment.”
The technology originally started in the 1700s before pure oxygen was understood. Doctors would use the increased pressure to help cure inflammation and speed healing. In the 1950s, hospitals frequently used entire operating rooms built to withstand the increased pressure to help during thoracic surgeries.
“The doctors using these operating rooms in the ‘50s also noticed improvements in other areas as well, but it wasn’t until 2005 that the first studies regarding its effect on stem-cell production really brought the technology to where it is today,” said Phil. “Before that, hyperbarics was used by athletes to help them overoxygenate their bodies before competition and in horse racing to help horses recover faster after races.”
Today, Hyperbarics of Sun Valley is the only stand-alone facility in Idaho, with most of the hyperbaric chambers being located in hospitals nationwide.
“We’re a pharmaceutically driven society,” Phil explains. “Unfortunately, most pharmaceuticals treat the symptoms and don’t cure the real problem. That type of program will forever maintain a person’s dependency on the drug. When I chose to bring hyperbarics to the Wood River Valley, one of the reasons was that people of this Valley have a better understanding of a more holistic approach to health. Hyperbarics is non-addictive and drug-free, and if it helps cure the body, shouldn’t that be the best place to start?”
Jeff Bacon is The Chamber’s membership director. For more information, visit www.haileyidaho.com or call The Chamber at (208) 788-3484.
