New neuro-stimulation treatment helping Kentuckians overcome addiction

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A groundbreaking treatment for substance use disorder is changing lives by using neuro-stimulation, and it’s exclusively available in the Louisville area.

For Teddy Edenstrom, the journey to recovery has been a long and difficult road.

“I felt like I could accomplish more things. I felt like, for the first time since I was 12 years old, that I had a future,” Edenstrom said.

After struggling with addiction for nearly 30 years, he had tried everything—Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), 12-step programs, and sponsors. Nothing seemed to stick.

“I’ve been in and out of AA and NA rooms since ’98, did the steps, had a sponsor,” he said.

But last year, everything changed. Edenstrom began using a device called the NET Recovery System, and for the first time, he felt a renewed sense of hope.

“For the first time, I felt happy about life. People say they walk outside and feel high on life because of the sunshine—I never really remembered feeling that way,” he shared.

The NET device, recently approved by the FDA, uses neuro-stimulation to reduce withdrawal symptoms and support recovery. Isaiah House, a treatment center in Kentucky, is the first organization in the country to offer this innovative technology.

“They’re free from that chain and can move on to the next parts they have to work on,” Rebekah Mutch, NET Recovery community liason said.

The device is non-invasive and powered by a simple 9-volt battery. Electrodes are taped behind the ears, and the device’s output is tailored to the specific substances being treated, such as fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, or cocaine.

Patients wear the NET device for 3-5 days while participating in traditional counseling sessions. According to experts, the treatment can reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms in as little as 24 hours.

For Edenstrom, the difference was immediate.

“I don’t even remember what it felt like to get high anymore, which is a Godsend to me because that was all it used to take for me to go back,” he said.

Thanks to funding from local opioid abatement grants, residents in Bullitt, Clay, Franklin, Letcher, Lincoln, Meade, Scott, Shelby and Spencer Counties are eligible to receive the NET treatment at no cost.

“The things I've been through in my life because of my drug use, as much drugs as I've used and as many times as I've tried to stop and failed and then to do this device and then I've never looked back, there's not enough money out there that I can give to repay what this device has done,” Edenstrom said.

To learn more about Isaiah House, click here. To learn more about the NET Device, click here.

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