Optimize The Environment

By Shane Sauer

After discussing the most effective of the well-known treatments for an acute injury like nutrition and movement the last few weeks, I wanted to introduce you to some of the more unique treatments you might not have heard of before.

The goal of these lesser-known tools is to optimize the healing environment. Rather than providing the stimulus and building blocks for proper healing, they allow the process to run more smoothly.

The first technique is to work with your lymphatic system. If you’ve never heard of it, the lymphatic system is your body’s waste removal system and is very important in managing inflammation. Think of it this way, your body is pumping healing fluids into the injured area and the used-up fluids have to get out. If your lymphatic system is not removing the old fluid, everything backs up, the swelling gets worse, and healing slows down.

To keep things flowing smoothly, there are three things you can do:

• Lymphatic Massage - Lymphatic vessels live just below the surface of your skin. You’ve felt parts of the system before if you’ve checked for bumps along your jawline when you’re sick. This video shows a very simple way to clear your lymphatic pathway and get the fluids moving.

• Lymphatic Taping - Using Kinesio tape helps open up the lymphatic system as well. The tape creates a lifting effect near your skin’s surface that can allow the fluid to flow more freely.

• Movement & Belly Breathing - Like your heart, your breathing and your muscles are the pumps that drive the lymphatic system. You learned all about movement in the last email and this video might help you with some belly breathing.

Another healing therapy that is becoming more common is red light therapy, also known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT) or cold laser therapy. This treatment uses certain frequencies of red light and infrared light that are known to stimulate cellular activity, especially in the mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell).

When the mitochondria are working well, cellular metabolism improves and the creation of new cells is more efficient. In other words, red light therapy helps to optimize cellular healing conditions.

There are units you can purchase to do red light therapy at home, but you might be better off finding a professional who can treat you with one.

Personally, while I was treating my sprained ankle, I used both of these techniques daily. I kept my ankle taped for lymphatic drainage and did the massage before I showered. I also spent 20-30 minutes applying a red light while I watched TV.

I highly recommend trying these techniques the next time you suffer an injury. In fact, if you have any chronic inflammation problems, they might be of great value to you now.

Please reply to this email with any questions you have about these therapies. We only glossed over the surface in this blog.

And if you’re looking for red light therapy, it is something we offer at MATRIX.