above: Clients in the Cloud phase, a 25-minute bike ride with contrast oxygen training.
During his time at Darien High School in the ’90s, Ryan Damon excelled as a varsity member on the football, ice hockey and lacrosse teams, embodying the epitome of health and potential. However, by his senior year at the University of North Carolina, where he played lacrosse and eventually became team captain, Damon’s life took a dark turn. Struggling with persistent headaches, depression and anxiety, the once-promising athlete found himself in a downward spiral. He began hearing an inner voice filled with darkness, pessimism and sorrow. Consumed by feelings of inadequacy, Damon turned to alcohol, drugs, and prescription medication to silence his insecurities.
Following college, Damon landed a position in sales and marketing at a fitness company. However, he found himself reliant on a staggering 22 pills every day just to function. At the age of 33, a final concussion sustained during a flag football game stripped away Damon’s identity as a “high functioning, addicted and depressed” individual, leaving behind a shell of his former self. He found himself unable to walk a city block or even read a page of a book. “Every day, I contemplated ending my life,” reflects Damon, now 45.
Desperate for relief, he embarked on a journey across the country, seeking out doctors and exploring various therapies. A Navy SEAL friend introduced Damon to the founder of LiveO2, Mark Squibb, who invited him to La Porte, CO, to experience contrast oxygen training, which is alternating from a low-oxygen environment to open the blood vessels, to a high-oxygen environment, which floods the body’s tissues with oxygen rich blood. For years, this strategy has been used by elite athletes training for the Ironman and similar competitions to improve their cardiovascular capacity and speed recovery time.
Damon was promised a life-changing transformation if he committed to just seven days. Eager to try anything, he accepted the offer and immersed himself in the LiveO2 program.
Damon experienced a remarkable shift—his pain subsided, and his energy surged. Remarkably, he was able to go for a run without experiencing the crippling pain that had plagued him for years. This breakthrough ignited him: “I had this lightbulb moment. I had found my purpose. I wanted to get back into life. It became my mission to bring these tools to the world,” he says.
In July 2022, Damon made the cross-country move from the west coast to Wilton, accompanied by his wife and two children. He launched The Current, situated upstairs at Twin Rinks in Stamford. Here, he introduces his innovative wellness concept to clients, founded on four technologies pivotal to his personal healing journey.
It is a structured progression through three distinct phases. The Sunrise phase involves a 10-minute session standing barefoot on a vibrating micro-impact platform, coupled with exposure to red light therapy for increased circulation and relief from chronic pain. Transitioning to the Cloud phase, clients undergo a 25-minute coached bike ride utilizing contrast oxygen training while wearing a mask. Finally, the Campfire phase offers a 15-minute seated recovery period beside a Biocharger, emitting energy currents such as pulsed electromagnetic fields, facilitating rejuvenation and relaxation.
Once the doors opened, word spread fast.
The Current draws a diverse clientele, ranging from athletes seeking to enhance cardiovascular performance to post-surgery patients aiming to expedite recovery, and locals managing chronic pain.
John Hayden, 29, a pro hockey player for the Seattle Kraken and the Coachella Valley Firebirds, returns home to Connecticut to train in the summers along with old friends from his Yale team and assorted players who live in the area.
“When people are serious about their health, there is almost an arms race for different tools you can use,” Hayden says. “I’ve seen it in life and in sport. People are hungry for solutions. A lot of them are trying to heal their bodies and their minds, too. Part of the arms race is being able to do more than the next guy.”
A tech executive from New Canaan, Nada Stirratt, 58, who broke her pelvis seven years ago in a horseback riding accident is strict about making her twice-weekly sessions. “I have one trigger spot of pain from the fall, but when I sit on the PEMF chair with magnets over the area, I feel great. I am far better than I was a year ago.”Fellow New Canaan resident and internet executive, Don Ross, 60, initially visited The Current seeking relief from chronic lower back pain. An avid athlete who enjoys swimming, hiking, running, biking and skiing, Ross says, “After the first session, I felt zero back pain. It’s improved my cardiovascular fitness and mental acuity, absolutely, positively. Now I go twice a week, religiously, and sometimes three times.”
Dr. Michael Bauerschmidt, founder of Deeper Healing Medical Wellness Center in Charleston, S.C., emphasizes the individual benefits of oxygen contrast training, the micro-impact platform and electromagnetic therapies: “Any one of these therapies is beneficial on its own. But together, they are optimal.”
For most people, electromagnetic therapies are safe and can offer various benefits such as muscle relaxation, improved blood circulation and cellular rejuvenation. However, for individuals who are sensitive to electromagnetic exposures, such as those who experience nausea, headaches or tingling in the extremities from exposure to cellphones or computers, electromagnetic therapies may not be advisable. It’s essential for individuals to consult with a healthcare professional before undergoing any electromagnetic therapy if they have pre-existing sensitivities or medical conditions.
Parents who believe in the safety and efficacy bring their sons and daughters to The Current. Margaux Devillers, 13, an ice-hockey goalie from Darien who has had three concussions since age 8 is a regular.
“It hurt to think and do my homework,” she recalls. However, after participating in the circuit three or four times a week, Devillers noticed a significant improvement in her symptoms. “After a couple weeks, I didn’t have the headaches anymore. I started to notice I was able to be in brighter rooms, the sound wasn’t hurting me as much and I wasn’t as dizzy.”
Some folks are drawn to The Current out of sheer curiosity, eager to explore its potential impact on their overall well-being. Ryan Harvey, 44, CEO of a real estate investment company based in Stamford, experimented with The Current as part of a personal commitment to adopt a healthier lifestyle. He was sold by the end of his month-long experiment.
“For me, The Current is part of a virtuous cycle of adopting a healthy-person mindset,” he says. “After I leave, everything about my mind feels improved. I’m happy and calm, just feeling good. I block off time on my calendar for The Current, two slots each week. I decided to make it a priority, which is the best evidence that I’m serious about liking it and that it’s worthwhile.”
Research Behind the Therapies
Research published in the National Institute of Health’s Center for Biotechnology Information library shows that contrast oxygen training has many benefits, including improved fitness and endurance levels and the reduction of lactic acid accumulation, which allows athletes to recover quickly. Another benefit is improved short-term memory, which has led to expanded research into the use of the therapy for age-related cognitive decline.
The Juvent Micro-Vibrating Platform sends micro impulses that can help increase bone density and improve stability and posture, according to the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported an 11% increase in bone density in childhood cancer survivors using it.
Because of its remarkable ability to reduce inflammation, PEMF therapy is FDA-approved for the treatment of pain, edema (swelling), osteoarthritis and plantar fasciitis. It is also approved to treat depression. In one VA study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine, patients with traumatic brain injury who were treated with PEMF therapy had far fewer headaches per week, with a 79% reduction in frequency.
Red light therapy stimulates collagen regeneration and improves elastin, which promotes tissue repair and skin rejuvenation, according to research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Thanks to its powerful ability to reduce inflammation and boost new cell growth, the therapy helps heal wounds, reduce wrinkles, scars, skin redness and acne. It is also being studied for its ability to reduce pain and inflammation caused by osteoarthritis.
BIOHACK YOURSELF
Damon will be featured in the upcoming documentary “Biohack Yourself,” where he shares his recovery journey and details the various tools he utilized to facilitate healing from within.
Biohacks encompass techniques aimed at enhancing health and maximizing performance. While some may be considered cutting-edge and are still evolving in scientific understanding, others are firmly grounded in research.
Examples include:
• Meditation apps for improved sleep or stress
• Intermittent fasting for weight loss
• Breath work for mental clarity and calm
• Electronic stimulators to accelerate healing
• Cryotherapy for muscle recovery
Photographs: Greer Lammens; the Current photography: Greer Lammens; biohack photography © pathdoc – stock.adobe.com