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Conventional medicine like drugs and surgeries don’t always work, or can come with painful side effects. That’s why some people turn to alternative treatments.

WEATHER ALERTA rip current statement in effect for Volusia, Coastal, Inland RegionShow Breaking News BarCloseLocal NewsKatrina Scales, Multimedia ProducerPublished: December 5, 2023 at 12:42 PMTags: Solutionaries, Florida, Health, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, The VillagesRELATED STORIESSolutions journalism aims to find real answers to today’s problemsWATCH: ‘Solutionaries: Alternative medicine’ | Effective therapies that work when mainstream medicine failsRead full article: WATCH: ‘Solutionaries: Alternative medicine’ | Effective therapies that work when mainstream medicine failsThe learning barriers many students faceWATCH: ‘Solutionaries: Why aren’t kids going to class?’ | The learning barriers many students faceRead full article: WATCH: ‘Solutionaries: Why aren’t kids going to class?’ | The learning barriers many students faceSolutionaries: Spotting the signs of abuseWATCH: ‘Solutionaries: Spotting the signs of abuse’ | Actionable advice for helping people, animalsRead full article: WATCH: ‘Solutionaries: Spotting the signs of abuse’ | Actionable advice for helping people, animalsSolutionaries: The real cost of pet ownershipWATCH: ‘Solutionaries: The real cost of pet ownership’ | Navigating expensive vet bills, preventing pet homelessnessRead full article: WATCH: ‘Solutionaries: The real cost of pet ownership’ | Navigating expensive vet bills, preventing pet homelessnessLATEST NEWS6 minutes agoDaytona Beach OKs Avalon Park development, but residents raise traffic concernsRead full article: Daytona Beach OKs Avalon Park development, but residents raise traffic concerns(LEFT) Image of Jacob A. 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That’s why some people turn to alternative treatments — effective therapies that go beyond mainstream medicine.Teachers at a Jacksonville school are finding great success with music as a therapy for children with intellectual and developmental differences.“Music really unlocks a different level to our students,” said Ciaran Sontag, a music teacher at North Florida School of Special Education.“When you have a student that everyone has told you is nonverbal, they say ‘Oh they’re not going to sing in your class’ and then you sing hello to them they sing it back to you. And you see kind of this look of shock on their teacher’s face and you go ‘yeah, that’s what music does for students,’” Sontag said.Therapies for veteransWhen you think of the word therapy, you’re probably picturing an office, a couch, and a therapist with a notebook.But when it comes to equine therapy, that’s not at all how it looks.Veterans searching for a happy place have found it in a saddle on a horse.Equine therapy is available all over the country, not just in Texas. In Florida, Transformations at Mending Fences provides a peaceful place for vets to work with horses and Freedom Ride in Orlando offers therapeutic horseback riding.Hyperbaric oxygen therapyWhile equine therapy has many benefits, there is no definitive cure for post-traumatic stress disorder.But what if we could heal the part of the brain that is traumatized?We found a Florida doctor using pressurized oxygen to grow new cells with amazing results.Dr. Mohammed Elamir with Aviv Clinics in the Villages is using hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat traumatic brain injuries by encouraging stem cell growth.The technology has been around for a long time but is now being used to treat skin infections, long COVID, and even PTSD.“What hyperbaric oxygen does is delivers 100% oxygen at a higher concentration to different parts of the brain,” Elamir said. “We fluctuate these oxygen levels, and that fluctuation addresses those other two components of brain injury.”So far, the Food and Drug Administration has only approved hyperbaric oxygen therapy f...