Natural Heating

Only through the filtering effect of the water in the atmosphere does the sun’s radiation lose its harmful impact enabling a diversity of growth. Without this filtering of the sun’s radiation by the atmosphere, absorption of this energy through the water molecules in the most superfical human skin layers would occur, which would result in a stinging and burning sensation. Intense overheating and rapid tissue dehydration would be the result.

Without the protective filter of the humid atmosphere, the sun’s infrared radiation can lead to extreme dehydration: this can be seen in the earth’s desert regions where extremely hostile conditions prevail.

The hydrosun^® Irradiator reproduces the combination of the sun and the humid atmosphere. Without producing ultraviolet rays, its emission lies in the deep penetrating area of infrared-A with wave-lengths from 0.76 to 1.4 micrometers.
The water-filtered infrared-A-radiation of the hydrosun^® Irradiator allows a locoregional heating of human tissue with a higher penetration depth than that of conventional infrared therapy. The unique principle of operation involves the use of a hermetically sealed water filter in the radiation path to absorb those infrared wavelengths emitted by conventional infrared lamps which would otherwise harm the skin. This absorption results of the activation of the OH-groups at 0.94, 1.18, 1.38 and 1.87 micrometers. Hence, with the higher radiation intensity, therapeutic heating of deeper tissue layers over longer periods of time can be achieved.

Since with the application of heat therapy in the area of physical medicine an improved blood circulation in deeper tissue layers is desirable to increase metabolism and to wash out metabolites, the hydrosun^® irradiator clearly supersedes conventional infrared lamps.

Working mechanisms of wIRA
water-filtered infrared-A

• reaching capillaries of the skin by the infrared-A radiation (primary warming)
• heat distribution by the blood (cooling of tissue areas near the surface of the skin, spreading of the heat into the depth)
• increasing capillary bloodflow with expansion of the blood flow areas accessible to the radiation and by this augmenting the second mechanism
• conduction of heat into the depth
• secondary energy release by stimulation of metabolism (increase of metabolism) caused by the increase of temperature (in accordance with the reaction velocity temperature rule a 3°C higher temperature means approximately 30% more speed of reaction and by this more energy provision and release in the tissue)
• relatively high primary depth effectiveness of wIRA

Non-thermal effects of wIRA (without a relevant transfer of heat energy and without a relevant change of temperature) are based on putting a stimulus on cells and cellular structures as a specific (direct) radiation effect. Reactions of the cells at infrared radiation – even partly at very small irradiances – are e.g.

• target oriented growth of surface extensions (plasmodia)
• influence on the cytochrome c oxidase
• target oriented growth of neurons
• cell protective effects (including signalling pathway)

For wIRA with appropriate therapeutic irradiances and doses it could not only be demonstrated, that it is harmless (no induction of matrix metalloproteinase 1), but that it has cell protective effects against the damages caused by UV radiation In addition, wavelengths within wIRA have been shown to influence adhesive interactions between cells and extracellular matrices, playing a regulative role in wound repair processes, and may have a positive effect on cosmetic results. It is also supposed that wIRA has immunomodulatory effects.

In human medicine, improvement of wound healing by wIRA has been demonstrated in numerous clinical trials and case studies. Fresh operation wounds, as well as chronic wounds, experimental wounds and severe burnings could be successfully treated.

Research showed that wIRA, apart from the temperature, considerably increases the oxygen partial pressure and the blood flow in tissue – two factors which are crucial for an improvement of wound healing as well as for infection defence. Remarkable pain relief could be observed.