The Link Between Inflammation and Chronic Disease

Multiple studies show the alarming link of inflammation to chronic disease. Most of us are aware that things like joint disease, arthritis, and fibromyalgia are linked to inflammation. However, numerous studies link inflammation to some chronic diseases that you may find surprising. Click on the link below and scan through the studies. You will find that chronic inflammation is linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, kidney disease, neurological diseases, and even cancer. http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=inflammation+linked+to+chronic+disease&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart&sa=X&ei=ODq-UJGEEoKo8gSUgoHwBg&ved=0CCkQgQMwAA

The clear message is that persistent inflammation is dangerous for the human body and can lead to long term, debilitating, and often deadly health issues. A Time magazine article dubbed inflammation The Secret Killer (http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20040223,00.html) because of its link to so many other issues.

Not all inflammation is bad. Remember that it’s the body’s first line of defense. However, when inflammation goes out of control it can damage healthy tissues and cause more severe illness than the original problem. Again, the root of arthritic conditions is an immune system and an inflammatory response that has gone haywire. That we understand. But as inflammation persists it can spread throughout the body and cause issues we never dreamed of.

The best known way to reduce inflammation in the body is through the use of whole body cryotherapy. At CryoUSA we see professional and elite athletes as well as regular folks who want to recover from practice, games, or workouts and be able to continue to enjoy pain free exercise. However, about 1/3 of our current client base are people dealing with inflammation from an injury, surgery, or just every day inflammation that needs to be reduced.  We have seen great success as our clients are able to use whole body cryotherapy to reduce inflammation and improve their quality of life. Many of our clients are in phenomenal overall health and have no current injuries or chronic conditions. Why would someone like this be interested in using whole body cryotherapy? Because they understand that the use of cryotherapy is a way to keep inflammation at bay and maintain an active, healthy, and vibrant lifestyle. They have unlocked the key component to longevity; prevention is much easier and cheaper than a cure!

PREHAB

It seems that everywhere you look athletes, from professionals to weekend warriors, are injured. The natural progression for injuries eventually leads to the dreaded word…REHAB! We spend millions of dollars per year on fitness. Unfortunately, we also spend millions on injuries and rehabilitation from injuries. For many, the cost of getting back to 100%, in both time and money, can be overwhelming. One of the great attributes of CryoUSA and whole body cryotherapy is the fast rejuvenation and decreased recovery time from injuries. We are seeing great results in getting people back to 100%. However, one of the best ways to avoid the pain, frustration, money, and time associated with rehab, is to start investing in PREHAB.

CryoUSA clients are now beginning to discover the great benefit of prehab with cryotherapy. Unlike icing or an ice bath, an athlete would never go from that modality straight into exercise. Muscles would be cold and stiff and the risk of injury would be high. However, with cryotherapy, remember that we actually warm blood in the core and then, through vassal dilation, send this warm, oxygen, nutrient, and enzyme enriched blood back to the muscle tissues, skin surface tissues, and joint space. This warms them almost immediately and allows for exercise and athletic competition within a few minutes.  With the endorphin rush, increased flexibility, and greater range of motion athletes are amazed as their performance improves. Doing this in the days leading up to competition has a cumulative effect. We see improved sleep, increased energy level, and post workout athletic recovery via cryotherapy. These factors allow them to improve their performance…stronger, faster, better!

Athletes use a series of prehab sessions to recover from workouts, decrease pain and inflammation, prepare for competition or personal record attempts, recover again, and repeat. The process and the results begin the accumulation that keeps them on the field/court/track and off the injured list! It costs much less to stay healthy than to get well not to mention the mental and physical anguish you can save yourself. Ever been around a runner who is not able to run due to an injury? Not a pretty picture! Save yourself and others the pain and cost of enduring that and get a package of prehab sessions using whole body cryotherapy with CryoUSA. You reduce your injury time, keep more money in your pocket for those new running shoes, and your performance will improve!

OUR HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

I thought a good way to launch the first CryoUSA blog would be to take a look back at the journey we’ve been on.  Although we just celebrated our first official year of existence, we’ve been laying the foundation for the past 4 years within the sports community. Have you ever tried to take a drink out of a fire hydrant?  We feel like we’ve been doing that every day for the last 4 years.  It’s been a fantastic recovery ride.  The highlights start with US Track and Field athletes at the US Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Des Moines and then top college football prospects at Coach Tom Shaw’s Performance Camp at the ESPN Center in Disneyworld, Florida.  From there we started working with Alberto Salazar and the Oregon Project at Nike Corporate Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.  After that, a whirlwind trip to New York City to set up shop at the Nike Store for the Marathon and then back a month later for a spot on the Dr. Oz Show.   Flash forward to Spring of 2011 and an initial visit from Casey Smith, the Mavericks trainer, and Jason Kidd, a Maverick at the time.  The next day, Jason Kidd brought back Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler, and Brian Cardinal and the rest is history – Mavericks win the NBA Championship.  At this time, CryoUSA was officially formed and located in the Park Cities Medical Plaza in University Park, Texas. 

Today, CryoUSA has 6 NBA teams using our amazing process with the list growing daily.  Our next frontier is professional football with the foundation already in place with the Dallas Cowboys after a very positive response at one of their spring minicamps – more than 60 players experiencing the best natural recovery tool on the planet.  Stay tuned for more information on CryoUSA’s involvement with this franchise.  We’ll soon have some exciting announcements with professional baseball and hockey as well.

And while all this work was being done, we were building the most important part of our business – our loyal customer base.  It’s been the most rewarding part of our journey seeing the progress, recovery and healing our process has brought to so many amateur athletes – young and old, along with anyone and everyone looking for pain relief and recovery from various ailments, surgeries or injuries.  Its been a pleasure getting all our athletes back to competition and training while feeling and performing better.  So thank you to our running groups, our triathlete groups, our cyclist groups, our working moms, our soccer moms, our weekend warriors, our marathoners, our golfers, our soccer players, our tennis players, and…well, I could go on and on.

If you haven’t yet tried the CryoUSA experience and are intrigued then come by our Snider Plaza address or our McKinney address and check us out – we promise you won’t be disappointed and quite possibly you may become addicted!  But that’s a good thing with Whole Body Cryotherapy because it’s all natural!

-Eric Rauscher
 Managing Director, CryoUSA