Are you ready for a mouth full? NovoTHOR Photobiomodulation (PBM). If you know what this is, you are LIGHT YEARS ahead of me. Did you catch my pun there? PBM is a whole body light therapy designed to improve, repair and reduce inflammation and pain. BM Therapy works on the cellular level by reducing oxidative stress – accepted as the underlying trigger for most diseases and degenerative conditions and a key component in the inflammatory phase of acute and chronic injuries.
As we, and nearly everyone else, have been reporting on, recovery is key for endurance athletes. Previously, we did not put enough importance on rest days, cryotherapy, sleep, and all of the other recovery techniques that are out there now. Incorporating these into a runner’s routine is incredibly important for not only performance, but overall health.
Red light therapy is becoming more prevalent in the Chicagoland area, and Elite Wellness in Highland Park has the NovoTHOR Whole Body Light Pod, the first device of its kind that delivers PBM Therapy to the whole body in just eight to 12 minutes.
I asked Ashley Lakin, Operations Assistant at Elite Wellness what makes the Light Pod different from the other types of red light therapy on the market today.
“The NovoThor uses both red (660 nm) and infrared (850 nm) light and is a more powerful treatment than red light therapy alone,” stated Lakin. “Also, the NovoThor is a unique whole body application of this light therapy.”
I had the opportunity to try out the NovoThor Whole Body Light Pod at Elite Wellness this past month and was impressed with the experience. First of all, it is incredibly relaxing to lay in a tanning-bed type structure for 20 minutes with no interruptions. Although the red light therapy does not produce heat, I did feel warmth, as the red light increased my circulation.
It took about eight sessions before I began to notice a difference in my recovery from long runs. I also noticed a big difference in the appearance of my skin, so added bonus! I noticed a much more even skin tone throughout my entire body. I bounced back quicker following my tougher workouts and was able to train more efficiently.
“Athletes can benefit from continued use of the NovoThor because it speeds up recovery and can act as a preventative measure for injuries,” Lakin explained. “By promoting cellular rejuvenation and reducing inflammation, injuries recover more quickly and more efficiently when NovoThor is used as part of a recovery regimen. Also, if someone has experienced a recent injury, using NovoThor several times a week for the time afterwards will lead to speedier recovery.”
Elite Wellness offers monthly packages allowing unlimited access to both Cryotherapy and NovoThor. Check out their website to learn more about their services and packages. http://www.elitestw.com/.
I definitely recommend trying out the monthly unlimited package to see if this recovery technique provides a benefit to your performance and health.
