Fargo hyperbaric treatment facility attracts patients far and wide, who hope for more coverage

FARGO — Support of hyperbaric therapy, which provides extra oxygen to the brain or other parts of the body to help damaged cells recover from inflammation, continues to make strides in North Dakota.

But as patients flock to Fargo for treatments, veterans and those suffering from the chronic conditions the treatment can help are asking the government and insurance companies to help make the treatment more accessible.

Through decades of combating acute and chronic illnesses with traditional treatment and research, retired U.S. Army nurse Katherine Wilhelm of Bloomington, Minn., remained open to additional, even alternative, potential solutions to three longtime illnesses that have plagued her: long-term 1991 Gulf War illness, myalgic encephalomyelitis, or chronic fatigue syndrome, and Long