Article at a Glance:
- When it comes to relaxation and recovery, blood circulation is very important.
- The human body is efficient at generating heat but not at retaining it.
- Historically, bioceramics have been used in medical applications (for hips, knees, tendons, and ligaments).
- Bioceramic materials (textiles and fabrics) are different than bioceramic medical tools in that they are infused with thermo-reactive minerals (powders) that have been super-heated and turned into fabrics for healing and recovery.
- Bioceramic fabrics are also unique in that they can recycle and reflect the body’s displaced infrared radiation for general health purposes
- Bamboo charcoal is ideal for bioceramic fabrics due to its chemical structure. Compared to other charcoal compounds, it has a larger surface area and a greater absorption rate.
- The TrueLight® Luna Red® Regenerative Blanket infuses bamboo charcoal to help harness the body’s natural energy and improve quality of life.
Maintaining healthy blood flow is essential for helping your organs (lungs, heart, brain, and muscles) function properly. Good circulation also helps remove waste from the body and keeps your immune system strong, which makes it much easier to prevent or fight off illnesses. Conversely, poor circulation can lead to serious health issues, since it means your muscles and organs are not receiving the nutrients they need to function properly. When our cells cannot get enough oxygen to keep up with strenuous activity, excess lactic acid accumulates. (1) Bioceramic materials provide an all-natural (and super comfy) solution for harnessing your body’s own infrared radiation to improve blood circulation, immune health, recovery, and even sleep. (2)
An Intro to Bioceramic Materials and Healing the Body
The human body is efficient at creating energy (generating heat) but not so much at retaining it. In fact, the body loses 65% of its heat through infrared radiation. That’s not to say that the energy is completely lost though. According to The First Law of Thermodynamics:
Heat is a form of energy, and thermodynamic processes are therefore subject to the principle of conservation of energy. This means that heat energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can, however, be transferred from one location to another and converted to and from other forms of energy. (3)
Fortunately, it is possible to capture and utilize displaced heat from the body by using specially made textile products to reflect infrared radiation back to your tissues and muscles.
In order to understand how bioceramics came to be, it’s important to know that they derive from what’s commonly referred to as medical ceramics. (4) These are materials that have traditionally been used to repair or replace musculoskeletal hard connective tissues (for hips, knees, tendons, and ligaments), and in endodontics (teeth). (5) Medical ceramics are considered “bioactive” and/or “biocompatible”, meaning that they interact with the body so that tissue bonding and eventual incorporation into the body occurs over time. (6) These materials have the ability to induce regenerative responses in the human body and improve quality of life, so they are often called “bioceramic”. Note that these materials are different than those that can be used to harness the body’s thermal energy.
In our intended context of fabrics, “bioceramics” can be defined as ceramics that have some sort of biological function, and they can emit infrared rays. (7) The clear distinction here is that the ceramic material can recycle and reflect the body’s displaced infrared radiation for general health purposes.
How do bioceramic materials work?
Bioceramic materials are essentially infused with thermo-reactive minerals (powders) that have been super-heated and turned into fabrics. (8) The ceramic particles in these fabrics are considered perfect absorbers that can help retain and re-emit infrared rays displaced by the body – specifically far-infrared (FIR). Examples of bioceramic powders that can be added to textile structures for this FIR re-emitting benefit include:
- Magnesium oxide (MgO)
- Zirconium dioxide (ZrO2)
- Aluminium oxide (Al2O3)
- Iron III oxide (Fe2O3)
- Silicon dioxide (SiO2)
- Germanium
- Titaniumdioxide (TiO2)
- Bamboo charcoal
- Nephrite
- Pearl powder
- Tourmaline
Bioceramics notably has a high coefficient of reflection especially in the range of infrared radiation — meaning that a large portion of the infrared radiation is harnessed and reflected. (9) One of the difficulties of working with bioceramic fabrics is getting the material to reflect the correct FIR wavelength and in the appropriate amount (what our bodies can healthfully react to). When infused correctly, bioceramic materials can have many potential benefits, including but not limited to:
- Reduced inflammation
- Muscle Recovery
- Better sleep
- Better performance(12)
Why Bamboo Charcoal is Ideal for Bioceramic Materials
Often referred to today as “the Black Diamond” in Japan and Southeast Asia, bamboo charcoal has become a commonly used ingredient in medicine, beauty, and lifestyle products – largely due to its chemical structure. Compared to regular charcoal compounds, bamboo charcoal has ten times more surface area and an absorption rate that is four times stronger. (13) Putting this in the context of harnessing your body’s own infrared radiation, bamboo charcoal effectively reflects the displaced energy for you to re-use.
If you’re looking to dip your toes (or snuggle) into the world of bioceramic fabrics, you may be interested in the new TrueLight® Luna Red® Regenerative Blanket. It uses carbonized bamboo particles (bamboo charcoal) that are permanently infused in the yarn, and it is specially designed to reflect back the body’s infrared wavelengths. Additionally, FIR wavelengths are reflected with the use of proprietary volcanic minerals that are printed on the backside of the blanket. When combined, these innovative technologies enable the gentle transmission of energies that are absorbed through the skin and into the tissues and organs of the body. The TrueLight® Luna Red® Regenerative Blanket is ideal for airplane travel, after exercise, or while relaxing at home. It’s also the perfect companion piece for any of our TrueLight® light therapy devices.
References
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-does-lactic-acid-buil/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10487033
- https://www.livescience.com/50881-first-law-thermodynamics.html
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/medical-ceramics—a-global-market-overview-300402693.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5750835/
- https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1776-bioceramics
- http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.467.5997&rep=rep1&type=pdf
- https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/576283
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/reflection-coefficient
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5480573/
- https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijp/2012/238468/
- https://juniperpublishers.com/ctftte/pdf/CTFTTE.MS.ID.555640.pdf
- https://everbamboo.com/pages/why-bamboo-charcoal