Bella Vista business owner preparing treatment for smoke inhalation

A Bella Vistan running a clinic in Rogers believes she has a treatment option that could help residents who are dealing with respiratory issues related to the ongoing Trafalgar Road fire.

Ann Gray, who runs Innovative Wellness in Rogers, said she's working to set up rooms for halotherapy, which involves breathing salty air.

"It's like being on the beach for three days. It really cleanses the lungs, it's very healing," she said.

The treatment is big in Europe, she said, and started in Poland when people noticed that salt miners often demonstrated excellent respiratory health.

It will be another week or two before the rooms are operational, she said, but she intends to offer the service at cost to Bella Vista residents affected by the fire.

"There are a lot of salt therapy rooms in the United States right now, not many in the Midwest," Gray said."To have an actual halotherapy-type room, you have to have specific equipment that generates a type of air that you can calculate."

There are expenses from running generators and keeping a technician on hand she said.

She expects to be able to take 20 to 30 people in a day for 45-minute sessions which could each treat eight people.

General News on 03/20/2019