Tucked away behind a shopping center in Chagrin Falls, there is a different type of addiction treatment center.
Inside, Luna Living looks like a spa – soothing fountains and seafoam-green walls line the hallways. Treatment rooms are dimly-lit with recliners.
Founder Wendy Komac, who is 31 years sober, spent her career as a Fortune 500 company “turnaround specialist” before opening the clinic two years ago.
“This is really the clean way to get clean,” Komac said.
The treatment center gives patients a 7 to 10 day medical detox using a formula that is patent-pending, but includes NAD, Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a coenzyme found in our bodies. There are also therapy sessions and six months of aftercare. The entire program is outpatient, so people go home at the end of each day.
For former Cleveland firefighter Greg Fuehrer, it is the only treatment that has proven successful.
Fuehrer was hurt on the job in 2001. He has two separated shoulders and five ruptured discs in his back.
Pain medication meant to help him heal would eventually lead him to opioid and heroin addiction.
Fuehrer lost his job as a firefighter, lost pension and benefits.
Five years after his opioid addiction began, Fuehrer then became dependent on doctor-prescribed Suboxone.
“They put you on something, and it’s just a crutch. And it winds up taking your life away,” Fuehrer said, adding that he spent about $150,000 on Suboxone over the last 12 years. He also spent time in and out of six detox inpatient detox clinics, none of which worked.
Luna Living’s six-month program costs $17,500. Komac said insurance will often times cover part of the program cost.
“Sometimes we have to do a little drug math,” Komac said. “Your average heroin addict is going to spend $300 a day, so that’s a pretty hefty expense right there.”
Luna Living filed a patent for their medical formula in June. They are planning to start FDA clinical trials next spring.
