The Los Angeles Rams are praying that Matthew Stafford will be okay. At this point the entire hopes of the team rest on Stafford’s shoulders, or more aptly his back. The veteran QB is having disc problems, and he’s completely ruling out surgery. Now it’s reached the point that he’s hanging out in a trailer outside practice inside an “Ammortal Chamber,” which is being boasted as a ‘healing device,’ despite there not being any evidence that it actually does anything.
This might look like an Airstream Trailer, and it is, but it’s what’s inside the trailer that’s critical here. It’s essentially a chair that bombards you with light, takes you through guided meditation, and pump hydrogen up your nose — while looking like the cockpit of a ship in Dune.
It’s unclear exactly what the Ammortal Chamber is supposed to actually do, because it seemingly does everything — which conveniently makes it impossible to isolate any real change. Proponents of the device (prominently featured on their website as 5-star reviews) credit the chamber with everything from curing trauma, to hair growth, fixing chronic illness, relaxation, and Renada who might have died in the chamber for a little bit without knowing it.
One common thread by everyone who has written a testimonial is that they felt very relaxed while using the device, and rejuvenated after it. Now, this can be fairly easily justified by noting that anyone who spends 30+ minutes with calming music and guided meditation should feel relaxed and rejuvenated afterwards. The hydrogen, which Ammortal call “molecular hydrogen,” aka “literally all hydrogen” is particularly interesting. The wellness industry has long boasted that breathing a 2.4% concentration of hydrogen can promote recovery by removing free radicals in oxygen and reducing swelling, it notably can also cause “hydrogen narcosis,” which isn’t fundamentally dangerous, but can be credited with feelings of sleepiness, relaxation, lightheadedness, and even hallucination.
Perhaps that explains why so many people say they felt so relaxed, or saw things, or feel like they reached a higher state of consciousness. At this point though Stafford is trying anything to avoid needing surgery.
Regardless of how Stafford tries to fix his back, he needs to if the Rams have any hopes in 2024.
