The Sana Device and How it Can Help the USAF with Mental and Physical Recovery

According to the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), approximately 100 million adults in the United States live with chronic pain.  Opioids are still the most effective treatment for most severe or chronic pain states, but they are hampered by side effects, abuse and addiction; as exemplified by the ongoing Opioid Epidemic.Despite awareness of the crisis and regulations to limit their availability, opioids continue to be prescribed because solutions are lacking for acute and chronic management of moderate or severe pain.In addition, many patients cannot tolerate opioids, and this is where the Sana Device comes in. An ideal solution would be a non-opioid treatment that could achieve management of chronic pain that is both effective and safe and the story of the Sana Device describes this discovery.  The Sana Device is a wearable mask that guides the user into a state of relaxation in just 16 minutes. In addition to the immediate relaxation effects, the device helps return the brain to optimum brainwave states over time. This has applications across pain, addiction, anxiety and sleep problems.  Given the state of the opioid crisis and the market effects of this catastrophe, this discovery has huge implications. During routine mission training and in combat operations, the modern Airman faces increasing cognitive demands,exponentially more information, and a greater need for mental resilience than ever before.  The Sana Device uses audiovisual neuromodulation to produce a deep state of relaxation and optimize recovery, was chosen as the most promising technology to help address this growing need. As an alternative to opioids for chronic or severe pain, the dangers of which are highlighted above, Sana Health developed the Sana Device,a mask that uses a protected algorithm to issue audiovisual stimulation that puts users in a relaxed, therapeutic “flow state” and promotes neuroplasticity for prolonged pain reduction.Relatively neglected as a branch of neuromodulation compared to magnetic and electrical stimulation, audiovisual input is also a viable means of changing brain signals.   Relatively neglected as a branch of neuromodulation compared to magnetic and electrical stimulation, audiovisual input is also a viable means of changing brain signals, meaning that stimulation can be introduced to the brain by flashing sequences of light into the retina and emitting analogous sequences of sounds near the ear in order to elicit a neural response. The science behind the Sana Device is compelling,and the mode of action is based upon a broad body of work in the fields of audio visual stimulation, cortical evoked response,and frequency following response, collectively changing the rhythm of brain wave activity, a process termed “entrainment.”