New effort to bring alternative care to veterans in the Valley

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- Carmine Agrifogolio is gearing up for another cryotherapy session. One that will allow his body to experience temperatures close to -160 degrees.

"When you're in there you are freezing, literally freezing, you're shivering."

Agrifogolio is a veteran-- he served in the army from 2008 to 2014, but said his service left him with pain.

"I have a lot of chronic back pain. I have three compressed disc in my back and I have degenerated disc disease so I constantly have pain in my back."

Agrifogolio's finding relief at The Body Building in Clovis. The newly opened facility, owned by Kasey Kahl, offers training, an infrared sauna, and cyrotherapy.

Kahl said he knew he would be helping people look and feel their best, but he was surprised at the number of veterans who have been showing up to his doors.

"But they go into the chamber because they're in pain, and they come out and they're just doing jumping jacks. For me it's so incredible to see them doing that, to see them go through this transformation in a matter of three minutes. For me that just touches my heart."

For some veteran clients, they may be feeling better, but are faced with the costs. Rhonda Gilmore is a veterans advocate who is working to get alternative therapies, like cryotherapy, covered by the Veterans Affairs.

"We're meeting with Devin Nunes in the next week and we're going to push, push, push, until we can get the attention they deserve."

They are now joining efforts to host a health and wellness fundraiser November 4th at The Body Building to make sure veterans can get what they need, without worrying about the cost.

For Agrifogolio, he said the results are dramatic.

"After I got out of the cryo I felt much better, like I had no pain at all, like I could move freely at all, like, joints free, everything like that. I feel amazing."

A feeling he is now hoping other fellow veterans will find with this therapy.