6 ms·

Heh, I read this 20 years ago when I wanted to try to make as much tech from Star Trek a reality as possible. Being 10 years old the closest thing I could get m

Heh, I read this 20 years ago when I wanted to try to make as much tech from Star Trek a reality as possible. Being 10 years old the closest thing I could get my hands on was a megaroll of plastic wrap from Costco that I basically pulled around some rollers as fast as I could. Suffice it to say it didn't quite cut it. I had also tried to make a dermal regenerator after reading an article in PopSci about infrared radiation speeding up ulcer healing in cancer patients. Didn't have a good way to test it but I liked to think it worked. :)

dmead 9y ago
This guy treks.
dghughes 9y ago
Infrared is the new health craze for the super-wealthy. Companies sell beds with IR lights that shine on you to "heal" you. The funny thing is the beds glow red I guess the word literally meaning beyond red (i.e. can't see it) won't sell if there isn't any red to be see.
- themodelplumber 9y ago
  I wonder if that's related to an experience I had recently. A chiropractor friend pulled out some kind of red-LED device and waved it over me during a chance meeting. He was checking on a joint injury from some time ago. I remember looking at the product he was using and thinking, "we could hit up some online suppliers and make you a device that looks at _least_ two decades more advanced than that." But I wouldn't want to improve upon a practice that is giving people the wrong idea about red LEDs. :-)
- v_lisivka 9y ago
  I have massage bed with infra-red lights for more than 10 years, full set. I use it a lot when I sick. AFAIK, it doesn't work against bacterial infections, but it helps to fight viruses and to recover after sickness, _if used properly_. YMMV.
  - NotSammyHagar 9y ago
    What is the physical effect on virii inside your body? How can you believe it works? It can't be magic.
    - crooked-v 9y ago
      A rough hypothesis: Having a heated bed might have some mildly theraputic (though probably placebo-driven) properties, in the same way that people report beneficial effects from heated massages.
      - ianai 9y ago
        Infrared heat definitely helps loosen muscles. I doubt it’s killing bugs and viruses deep in my body, but there’s a reason heat is used throughout physical therapy.
        knicholes 9y ago
        I'm still not sure what a "not loose" or "tight" muscle is like. Are you referring to a potassium deficiency that prevents the actin and myosin from releasing the contraction? Seriously, I tried to find actual scientific evidence of what a "knot" is in a muscle, and there seems to be none. My wife swears she can "feel it," but I have yet to understand any real health benefit of massages.
        freeone3000 9y ago
        The real health benefit is that you feel better after one than before one. You're failing to find a mechanism, not a benefit.
        b1daly 9y ago
        You mean you don’t have a personal understanding of “knotted” muscles? That seems hard to believe, as everyone has them. I’ve never seen a scientific description, but I have always assumed that the muscles were “stuck” in some kind of contracted state. It is so obvious, my guess would be that there would be a physical state that could be ascertained by biopsy or autopsy. Apparently, this is not a popular topic for research. Physical manipulation can have an effect on muscle contraction state, as can heat, other forms of touch, relaxation techniques. The release of these contractions is experienced as a very good feeling by most people. FWIW, I have had forms of bodywork done on me that focused more intense, deep pressure into the muscles. I notice much more of a longer lasting effect than from simple massage. The effect wears off within a day or so. I do think there is a health benefit to such manipulation. In my case, releasing such tension helps me hold body positions that minimize the impact of repetition strain injury that I have developed from poor ergonomic habits working at a computer.
- wyager 9y ago
  Don’t know anything about IR beds, but near IR (shorter than 800nm) is just visible as a dull deep red color.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- B1FF_PSUVM 9y ago
  > the word literally meaning beyond red More exactly, below. (Lower frequency, outside the visible interval with ultra-violet at the other end.) As in 'infra-dig' meaning something being 'beneath dignity' to be done, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/infra_dig https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/infra_dig
- Angostura 9y ago
  I use a hot water bottle
geekamongus 9y ago
At least we all have the equivalent of a Tricorder in our pockets now.

dmead 9y ago

This guy treks.

dghughes 9y ago

Infrared is the new health craze for the super-wealthy. Companies sell beds with IR lights that shine on you to "heal" you. The funny thing is the beds glow red I guess the word literally meaning beyond red (i.e. can't see it) won't sell if there isn't any red to be see.

themodelplumber 9y ago
I wonder if that's related to an experience I had recently. A chiropractor friend pulled out some kind of red-LED device and waved it over me during a chance meeting. He was checking on a joint injury from some time ago. I remember looking at the product he was using and thinking, "we could hit up some online suppliers and make you a device that looks at _least_ two decades more advanced than that." But I wouldn't want to improve upon a practice that is giving people the wrong idea about red LEDs. :-)
v_lisivka 9y ago
I have massage bed with infra-red lights for more than 10 years, full set. I use it a lot when I sick. AFAIK, it doesn't work against bacterial infections, but it helps to fight viruses and to recover after sickness, _if used properly_. YMMV.
- NotSammyHagar 9y ago
  What is the physical effect on virii inside your body? How can you believe it works? It can't be magic.
  - crooked-v 9y ago
    A rough hypothesis: Having a heated bed might have some mildly theraputic (though probably placebo-driven) properties, in the same way that people report beneficial effects from heated massages.
    - ianai 9y ago
      Infrared heat definitely helps loosen muscles. I doubt it’s killing bugs and viruses deep in my body, but there’s a reason heat is used throughout physical therapy.
      - knicholes 9y ago
        I'm still not sure what a "not loose" or "tight" muscle is like. Are you referring to a potassium deficiency that prevents the actin and myosin from releasing the contraction? Seriously, I tried to find actual scientific evidence of what a "knot" is in a muscle, and there seems to be none. My wife swears she can "feel it," but I have yet to understand any real health benefit of massages.
        freeone3000 9y ago
        The real health benefit is that you feel better after one than before one. You're failing to find a mechanism, not a benefit.
        b1daly 9y ago
        You mean you don’t have a personal understanding of “knotted” muscles? That seems hard to believe, as everyone has them. I’ve never seen a scientific description, but I have always assumed that the muscles were “stuck” in some kind of contracted state. It is so obvious, my guess would be that there would be a physical state that could be ascertained by biopsy or autopsy. Apparently, this is not a popular topic for research. Physical manipulation can have an effect on muscle contraction state, as can heat, other forms of touch, relaxation techniques. The release of these contractions is experienced as a very good feeling by most people. FWIW, I have had forms of bodywork done on me that focused more intense, deep pressure into the muscles. I notice much more of a longer lasting effect than from simple massage. The effect wears off within a day or so. I do think there is a health benefit to such manipulation. In my case, releasing such tension helps me hold body positions that minimize the impact of repetition strain injury that I have developed from poor ergonomic habits working at a computer.
wyager 9y ago
Don’t know anything about IR beds, but near IR (shorter than 800nm) is just visible as a dull deep red color.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
B1FF_PSUVM 9y ago
> the word literally meaning beyond red More exactly, below. (Lower frequency, outside the visible interval with ultra-violet at the other end.) As in 'infra-dig' meaning something being 'beneath dignity' to be done, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/infra_dig https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/infra_dig
Angostura 9y ago
I use a hot water bottle

geekamongus 9y ago

At least we all have the equivalent of a Tricorder in our pockets now.