THE FOLLOWING ARE SYNOPSES OF SCIENTIFIC STUDIES EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF FAR INFRARED RAYS AND BIO-CERAMIC EMBEDDED APPAREL ON ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

Title:    The influence of Ceragem treatment on exercise performance and recovery from fatigue in elite athletes.   
Author(s):    Lee, J.G.; Ko, B.G.; Kim, Y.S.; Park, D.H.; Lee, M.C.; Youn, S.W.; Chung, D.S.; Bang, D.D.; Bang, S.S.; Chun, M.B.   
Source:    IJASS: International Journal of Applied Sport Sciences (Seoul, Korea), 2002: 14 (2). p. 89-117   

Abstract:    The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of Ceragem Master (CGM) by testing influences of CGM on physiological responses determining exercise performance and recovery from fatigue in world-class wrestling and judo players. The CGM is known as a therapeutic modality combining far infrared, chiropractic, and sports massage treatment. A total of 23 players were recruited for this study and they were divided into two groups; the CGM treatment group (CT) and non-treatment group (NT). Subjects were tested for their anaerobic power, aerobic capacity, lactate recovery rate, flexibility, and blood component variables initially and after 8 and 16 weeks of treatments. After CGM treatment, the activity of red blood cells (RBC) were highly elevated according to the period of treatment, and standard types were clearly noticed. The RBC counts, hemoglobin, and hematocrit also showed a gradual and positive change during the treatment period. The sit-and-reach and trunk-and-neck extension were significantly increased by 6.16 % and 12.21 %, respectively. Although no differences were found in the anaerobic threshold, maximal aerobic capacity and exercise duration were significantly increased by 2.88 % and 5.91 %, respectively. The anaerobic total work rate and work duration were higher in CT compared to NT. The recovery rate of blood lactate level was higher during the first 10 min as well as 30th min of the recovery period in CT compared to NT suggesting recovery rate was faster with the CGM treatment. The results suggest that the CGM was an effective modality improving flexibility and fatigue recovery rate. It is probable that if elite athletes utilize this device for a prolonged duration and/or employ it for intensive training sessions, over-training due to accumulation of fatigue might be preventable. This will also influence their exercise performance.