StartUp Health community member Richard Hanbury of Sana Health shares the origin story behind a new approach to treating chronic pain, PTSD, and mental health.

After a life-altering injury, Hanbury discovered that traditional meditation increased his awareness of pain, while moments of “flow state” reduced it. That insight led him to reverse engineer brain patterns using pulses of light and sound, creating what is now the world’s first approved audiovisual neuromodulation device.

In this Moonshot Moment, StartUp Health community member Hanbury explains how Sana Health is advancing through regulatory milestones, delivering promising results in PTSD research, and helping patients reduce reliance on medications with significant side effects. He also shares a critical lesson for founders: in healthcare, credibility is not a single hurdle, it is built one rung at a time.

🧠 Breakthrough in Neuromodulation: Sana Health’s audiovisual neuromodulation device is the first of its kind to receive regulatory approval, with Health Canada granting the nod for neuropathic pain treatment.

💡 FDA Approval Pending: The device is awaiting FDA approval, marking a pivotal step in transforming pain and PTSD care.

🏅 Impressive PTSD Study Results: A study combining the device with gold-standard PTSD treatments showed 3x greater improvement in symptoms compared to the gold standard alone.

🇮🇱 New Studies in Israel: A new pain and PTSD study is underway in Israel, focusing on combat-injured veterans, with the first participant showing clinically significant improvements.

💊 Reducing Medication Dependency: The device’s use could significantly reduce reliance on opioid and gabapentinoid medications, potentially easing the chronic pain and PTSD treatment landscape.

🏅 Accessible Wearables for All Skin Tones: The upcoming version of the device will address issues of wearability for individuals with darker skin tones, an area where current devices struggle.