We all know that the most reliable way to improve athletic performance is to work out regularly. What most people lose sight of, however, is that the workout itself doesn’t improve performance. It’s the recovery afterward that makes you both stronger and better able to process oxygen. The purpose of the workout is to cause Read more…
Photobiomodulation for Athletic Recovery
Photobiomodulation for Autism
Week after week in this blog I offer suggestions for managing different conditions with the services of Peak Recovery & Health Center. Migraines? Try float therapy. High blood pressure? Try infrared sauna. Arthritis? Try cryotherapy. There are so many conditions and they are so varied that you must think I am joking at times. But Read more…
Celluma Takes the Edge Off Aging
I have a friend in his 70s who is fond of saying, “Aging is not for wimps.” He’s right. The Mayo Clinic offers a page on what to expect as you age. It can make for disquieting reading: increased blood pressure, weakened bones, reduced muscle mass, tendency to gain weight. Fortunately, you can actually slow Read more…
Parkinson’s Disease Awareness
April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month. It is an annual worldwide campaign that began in 1997 to commemorate the birthday (April 11) of Dr. James Parkinson. He was the first to describe the disease 200 years ago. Nearly a million people in the U.S. are living with Parkinson’s disease (PD). It is the second most Read more…
Photobiomodulation for Arthritis
If you inject papain (a protein enzyme found in papaya) into your knee, your knee will develop arthritis. You would never do that, of course. But researchers do it to rats all the time. That’s what happened for a 2017 study. The researchers induced arthritis in the rats’ knees, then treated them with one of Read more…
Photobiomodulation for Skin
The photobiomodulation (PBM) bed here at Peak bears a superficial resemblance to a tanning bed. But don’t let that superficial resemblance fool you. The two could hardly be more different in what they do. Heavy exposure to ultraviolet light, which is what sometimes takes place in a tanning bed, can cause skin cancer. It makes Read more…
Photobiomodulation for Low Testosterone
Is photobiomodulation good for low testosterone? The answer is clearly yes if you’re a rat and a qualified yes if you’re a human being. I last wrote about photobiomodulation (PBM) and testosterone in August 2018. At that time, I had found a study that showed regular PBM treatments increased blood levels of testosterone in rats. Read more…
Photobiomodulation for Autoimmune Disorders
An autoimmune reaction happens when your immune system sends antibodies to attack your own tissues. The attack causes inflammation and tissue damage. The inflammation and tissue damage result in symptoms such as pain, weakness, breathing problems, itching, deformed joints, or delirium — depending on the organ or body part affected. Some autoimmune disorders are even Read more…
Photobiomodulation for Depression
Is photobiomodulation (PBM) useful for depression? There is a surprising amount of research that says it is. A study from 2009, published in Behavioral and Brain Functions, described great success with a form of PBM against major depression and anxiety. Another 2018 review in Journal of Affective Disorders also found PBM to be effective in Read more…
Photobiomodulation for Parkinson’s
I first wrote about photobiomodulation (PBM) for Parkinson’s two years ago. In that post, I described an exercise class called “Pedaling for Parkinson’s.” The promotional page for the class mentioned research that showed pedaling can reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s. This inspired my idea that PBM might make you feel well enough to pedal at Read more…