HUNTSVILLE, Texas—After his father-in-law, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Marines as a sniper, committed suicide in 2015, Mikel Burroughs felt driven to take action.
So Mr. Burroughs, himself a retired Army Colonel, started Warriors for Life, which raised money for veterans and offered a peer-to-peer support group for veterans, first responders, and caregivers alike through online meetings.
It’s sometimes difficult for service men and women to adjust to civilian life, and many never fill out their disability forms when they leave the military, he said. That point was driven home for him after three female veterans he knew took their own lives after leaving the military.
Eventually, he and his program found a home as a part of a kindred nonprofit group called Victory for Veterans (VFV). After serving on its board, he was elected CEO of the organization.
But Mr. Burroughs told The Epoch Times that the feeling of wanting to do more for veterans and first responders with mental health issues kept nagging at him.
That’s when he came up with the idea of combating suicide, depression, and anxiety through hyperbaric therapy, approved several years ago by the Department of Veterans Affairs for some veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
His goal is to help prevent veteran and first responder suicide, which occurs at a significantly higher rate than the general population.
In 2021, 6,392 veterans committed suicide, averaging more than 17 per day, according to the latest figures available from the 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report.
According to the report, the age- and sex-adjusted rate for veterans was 71.8 percent greater than that of non-veteran adults in 2021.
Similarly, public safety personnel are five times more likely to suffer symptoms of PTSD and depression than their civilian counterparts, leading to higher rates of suicide. More first responders die of suicide than in the line of duty each year, according to the Ruderman Family Foundation.
Factors that contribute to suicide include brain and physical injury as well as PTSD, according to studies.
Recently, the pieces came together for Mr. Burroughs with a grant from a tech company that allowed VFV to buy two hyperbaric chambers for a total of $67,000.
In January of 2023, VFV partnered with chiropractor Jeff Pruski, whose Joint and Spine Center is located in Huntsville.
Mr. Pruski said he learned about VFV from a patient and wanted to help veterans, which led to the establishment of the first Life Readiness Center at Mr. Pruski’s practice.
Victoria Gonzalez, who wrestles under the alias of Raquel Rodriguez for the WWE, lives in the Huntsville area and uses the hyperbaric chamber.
She agreed to help VFV get the word out about the new center and veteran treatments.
“I’m a big supporter of the veterans as well because WWE supports the troops. We have lots of wrestlers who are veterans as well,” she said.
Hyperbaric oxygen treatment at a reduced cost are available to the public, which helps sustain the center financially. The center then gives one free session to veterans or first responders for every four paying customers, Mr. Burroughs said.
The treatments, given in a pod-like structure that would look at home on a sci-fi movie set, are a drug-free alternative for pain management, post-traumatic stress, and brain injuries.
The chamber uses pure oxygen that is supplied to the body under pressure. The treatment helps the lungs take in more oxygen, which can help in wound care and brain function, according to studies.
“The pressure is the same thing you would feel if you went 60 feet deep into the ocean,” Mr. Pruski said.
PTSD patients showed a greater level of neuroplasticity, meaning the ability to retrain how the brain works, when treated with hyperbaric oxygen. The treatment also promotes neurogenesis, which is the formation of neurons in the brain.
Hyperbaric treatments have helped heal brain structure disruptions, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and fibromyalgia, even years after the injury, according to studies.
Veterans receiving hyperbaric therapy at the center told The Epoch Times the treatments have helped them mentally and physically.
“It’s been a blessing for me,” said Thomas Arko, 42, who was a minor league baseball player with the Baltimore Orioles before serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.
The chamber rids him of “brain fog” so that he can think more clearly, he said.
“As soon as I’m out of there, it’s the one time a day, or, you know, for two or three days during the week, where my mind is just cleared,” he said.
Like some veterans struggling with PTSD, Mr. Arko turned to alcohol as a way to relieve symptoms.
After almost 10 years in the military, he developed back problems from carrying heavy packs and now also suffers from degenerative discs and pain in his knees and shoulders.
The hyperbaric chamber offers a drug-free solution to treating his aches and pains as well. He has noticed that he gets restful sleep after sessions.
After being treated for two months, Mr. Arko said he is able to stay “in the fight” and continue as a working, productive member of society.
Rob James, a 55-year-old Army veteran who served his country for a decade, said he is dealing with a back injury from a parachute jump that went wrong in the 1990s.
He didn’t realize it right away, but as his back became more painful, x-rays revealed he had fractured vertebrae.
Later, he suffered a concussion while at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina after hitting his head. At the time, the mentality was to push through the pain of injuries, he said.
On April 1, he was treated with 1.7 atmospheres by tech Israel Campuzano, director of operations at The Life Readiness Center.
“It feels like being on an airplane. Your ears compress,” Mr. James said.
The hyperbaric chamber clears his head and has increased the range of motion in his joints over the past three weeks, he said.
Mr. Burroughs said services will be expanded soon in Huntsville to include a 3.0 ATA hyperbaric chamber designed to treat wounds and patients with diabetes.
A second center opened in Scottsdale, Arizona, in March, Mr. Burroughs said.
The goal is to set up 36 clinics across the country that treat veterans, first responders for free, he said.
