In the wellness lifestyle space, inflammation has been the subject of increasing debate over the last 15 years. There is an entire movement dedicated to removing inflammation, with coaches, nutritionists and medics devising strategies to help active people reduce the amount of inflammation they experience. There are anti-inflammatory diets, anti-inflammatory medications and anti-inflammatory treatment protocols that have been used to varying degrees of success.

The problem with this approach is that not all inflammation is bad and by seeking to completely eradicate it we may lose some of its benefits.

In this article we’re going to look at the relationship between inflammation and pain from and medical aspect, assessing the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to the complexities of the issue. We’ll go on to explain when inflammation is a good thing, when it’s a bad thing and how KYMIRA technology can help you manage the situation to your advantage.

Inflammation is a naturally-occurring in response to varying levels of trauma the body is experiencing. The best definition available in the scientific literature comes from the paper ‘Low-grade inflammation, diet composition and health: current research evidence and its translation’ [1] published in the British Journal of Nutrition…

In generic terms, inflammation is a local response to cellular injury that is marked by increased blood flow, capillary dilatation, leucocyte infiltration, and the localised production of a host of chemical mediators, which serves to initiate the elimination of toxic agents and the repair of damaged tissue.

Further explanations on the subject go on to explain the importance of inflammation and why we shouldn’t see it as a purely negative state. This point was made by the authors of the paper ‘Inflammatory responses and inflammation-associated diseases in organs’ [2] …

Usually, during acute inflammatory responses, cellular and molecular events and interactions efficiently minimize impending injury or infection. This mitigation process contributes to restoration of tissue homeostasis and resolution of the acute inflammation. However, uncontrolled acute inflammation may become chronic, contributing to a variety of chronic inflammatory diseases.

The consensus in the scientific literature is that whilst inflammation is a naturally occurring and generally positive process, if left unchecked it can be a sign of a deeper underlying problem and can itself progress into a much more significant issue.

Inflammation occurs when substances from the body's white blood cells are released into the blood or affected tissues to protect your body from foreign invaders. This release of chemicals increases the blood flow to the area of injury or infection and some of the chemicals released cause a leak of fluid into the tissues, resulting in swelling. Your body sees this as a protective process, stimulating nerves and causing pain to immobilise the site of damage. Over time though, the increased number of cells and inflammatory substances within the joint cause irritation, swelling of the joint lining, and eventual wearing down of cartilage, the cushions at the end of bones.

The most obvious causation of inflammation comes from an acute injury. For many people though, this injury can turn into a prolonged issue, with acute becoming chronic inflammation, in a similar way that occurs with wear and tear, and degeneration into prolonged inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and tendonitis.

From a medical point of view, the management of inflammation is of some of the highest importance. The evidence base for the wide-ranging therapeutic benefits of infrared is well established and growing further, particularly as the mechanisms by which infrared works are becoming better understood. Among the numerous benefits associated with infrared, studies [5] have shown the following positive results in an inflammation and pain setting…

• Reduced wound healing time
• Reduced muscle-specific wound healing time
• Prevention and reduction in DOMS
• Reduced lung inflammation
• Increased blood flow in injured connective tissues
• Reduction in symptoms of arthritis

At a cellular level, as well as the stimulation of healing processes, infrared also acts on the intracellular fluid exchange, reducing swelling and inflammation that may not be necessary. Importantly though, infrared is proven to increase blood flow [6], which enables much of the healing to proceed as normal, without the superfluous inflammation around the injury site.

From a practical standpoint, this means that clothing, rehab wear and medical equipment such as bandages etc made from infrared would stimulate healing and reduce inflammation quickly and effectively, meaning from the moment of injury the rehabilitation process would begin in earnest.

KYMIRA technology has practical, proven pain reduction properties. The infrared technology has mild analgesic effects without you having to take painkillers or anti-inflammatory medications.

Much of the problem with medical grade external therapeutic measures is that they simply aren’t practical from a cost, convenience or portability standpoint.

All of the KYMIRA technology is wearable, so rather than having to regularly travel to treatment appointments, you can treat your condition and manage your symptoms at home, or wherever you are, and relive yourself of the cost and hard work of the travel.

Ongoing treatment with a practitioner can often be expensive. Investment in KYMIRA is a one off cost. The technology does not wash out or wear off, even with everyday prolonged use, the chemical reaction remains for the lifetime of the product, giving you treatment you can rely on. Simply wear the garments and begin the recovery process immediately. KYMIRA technology is medically approved so you know we have passed the most rigorous testing protocols there are.

Recovery is most effective when it’s started as close after the event as possible and the infrared garment is in contact with the skin. With that in mind, we suggest the IR50 leggings and long sleeve tops as these are tight-fit and cover the entire body, so your recovery is comprehensive.