Therapeutic Device Using Far-infrared Radiation

Abstract

This invention relates to a therapeutic device for treating a human or animal body, comprising an array of infrared-emitting elements in an attachment means for attaching to the body part to be treated, said infrared-emitting elements being in the form of sintered ceramic plates and made from a mixture of infrared-emitting oxides having specific spectral luminance covering at least a part of the 3-7 micrometer wavelength spectrum and having a peak wavelength between 3 and 7 micrometers, that provides an effective means to healing the body. A locally administrable heating means may be used for escalated healing effects.

Claims

1. A therapeutic device comprising: an array of infrared-emitting elements secured in a flexible means for attaching the array to a body part to be treated, each infrared-emitting element of the array being a ceramic plate comprising a mixture of infrared-emitting oxides, each ceramic plate having a specific spectral luminance covering at least a part of the 3-7 micrometer wavelength spectrum and having a peak wavelength between 3 and 7 micrometers and each ceramic plate having at least a 4 square millimeter surface area for emitting infrared radiation toward the body, wherein each ceramic plate has been sintered by heating to a temperature between 1100° C. and 1300° C.

2. The therapeutic device according to claim 1, wherein the mixture of infrared emitting oxides comprises at least one of: silicate, alumina, zirconia, sodium monoxide, potassium oxide, ferric oxide, chromic oxide, cobalt oxide, magnesium oxide, lithium oxide, calcium oxide, and titanium oxide.

3. The therapeutic device according to claim 1, wherein 5-40 wt. % of mixture of infrared-emitting oxides is replaced with pyroelectric material, comprising tourmaline.

4. The therapeutic device according to claim 1, wherein the array comprises at least 12 ceramic plates arranged in 2 rows and 6 columns.

5. The therapeutic device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible means comprises a flexible substrate and wherein the array of infrared-emitting elements is mounted on the flexible substrate.

6. The therapeutic device according to claim 5, further comprising a covering sheet, a heating element, and an encasement, wherein the array, the flexible substrate, and the heating element are disposed between the covering sheet and the encasement.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein each infrared-emitting ceramic plate is shaped as a cylinder having a diameter of 2-50 mm and a thickness of 1-10 mm.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein each infrared-emitting ceramic plate is shaped as a rectangular prism having a width of 2-40 mm, a length of 3-50 mm, and a thickness of 1-10 mm.

9. The device according to claim 1 wherein each infrared-emitting ceramic plate is 3 mm wide, 3 mm long, and 1 mm thick.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein each infrared-emitting ceramic plate is 20 mm wide, 30 mm long, and 5 mm thick.

11. The therapeutic device according to claim 1, wherein each ceramic plate has a specific spectral luminance profile covering at least a part of the 3-6 micrometer wavelength spectrum and has a peak wavelength at about 4 micrometers.

12. The therapeutic device according to claim 1, wherein the mixture of metal oxides comprises: 20 wt. % silicate, 20 wt. % alumina, 24 wt. % zirconia, 4 wt. % sodium monoxide, 3 wt. % potassium oxide, 2-3 wt. % ferric oxide, 2-5 wt. % chromic oxide, 4 wt. % cobalt oxide, 0-4 wt. % nickel oxide, and 2 wt. % other minority oxides.

13. The therapeutic device according to claim 12, wherein the mixture of oxides comprises: 20 wt. % silicate, 20 wt. % alumina, 24 wt. % zirconia, 4 wt. % sodium monoxide, 3 wt. % potassium oxide, 2 wt. % ferric oxide, 2 wt. % chromic oxide, 4 wt. % cobalt oxide, 4 wt. % nickel oxide, and 2 wt. % other minority oxides.

14. A therapeutic device comprising: an array of infrared-emitting elements secured in a flexible means for attaching the array to a body part to be treated, the array comprising at least first and second infrared-emitting elements, the first infrared-emitting element being a first ceramic plate comprising a first mixture of infrared-emitting oxides, the first ceramic plate having a first specific spectral luminance covering at least a part of the 3-7 micrometer wavelength spectrum and having a first peak wavelength between 3 and 7 micrometers, the second infrared-emitting element being a second ceramic plate comprising a second ceramic plate comprising a second mixture of infrared-emitting oxides, the second ceramic plate having a second specific spectral luminance covering at least a part of the 3-7 micrometer wavelength spectrum and having a second peak wavelength between 3 and 7 micrometers, the second specific spectral luminance being different from the first specific spectral luminance and the second peak wavelength being different from the first peak wavelength, wherein each of the first and second ceramic plates have at least a 4 square millimeter surface area for emitting infrared radiation toward the body, and wherein each of the first and second ceramic plates has been sintered by heating to a temperature between 1100° C. and 1300° C.;

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the first and second mixtures of oxides each comprise silicate, alumina, zirconia, sodium monoxide, potassium oxide, ferric oxide, chromic oxide, and cobalt oxide.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the first and second mixtures of oxides each comprise 20 wt. % silicate, 20 wt. % alumina, 24 wt. % zirconia, 4 wt. % sodium monoxide, 3 wt. % potassium oxide, and 2% other minority oxides.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the second mixture of oxides comprises a higher wt. % of ferric oxide and a lower wt. % of chromic oxide than the first mixture of oxides.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein the first and second mixture of oxides further comprise nickel oxide, and wherein the first mixture of oxides comprises a higher wt. % of nickel oxide than the second mixture of oxides.

19. A method for treatment of a human or animal body part, comprising: a) providing an array of infrared-emitting elements secured in a flexible means for attaching the array to a body part to be treated, each infrared-emitting element of the array being a ceramic plate comprising a mixture of infrared-emitting oxides, each ceramic plate having a specific spectral luminance covering at least a part of the 3-7 micrometer wavelength spectrum and having a peak wavelength between 3 and 7 micrometers and each ceramic plate having at least a 4 square millimeter surface area for emitting infrared radiation toward the body, wherein each ceramic plate has been sintered by heating to a temperature between 1100° C. and 1300° C.; b) attaching the array of infrared-emitting elements to the body part; and c) irradiating the body part with infrared radiation emitting by the infrared-emitting elements.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising heating the infrared-emitting elements with a heating element to achieve escalated healing effects.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention with an array of two (rows) by six (columns) IR-emitting ceramic plates disposed on a substrate.

[0026] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention with an array of two-by-six IR-emitting ceramic plates sandwiched by a covering sheet and a heating means in an encasement.

[0027]

TABLE-US-00001 Reference Numerals in Drawings: 11 Infrared-emitting ceramic plate 12 Attachment means 21 Heating element 22 Encasement means 31 Covering means

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] The IR-emitting ceramic plates of the present invention can be fabricated by the following process. First, prepare a mixture of powders of IR-emitting metal oxides, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,363,285, 6,516,229, and 7,617,815 by the present inventor, in theoretical percentages by weight for intended peak wavelengths and spectral luminance. An effective amount of pyroelectric material may be added to the mixture for amplified IR emissions. The pyroelectric material, tourmaline in the present invention, may be any of 5-40% by weight. Lastly, the mixture of metal oxides and pyroelectric material, along with bonding agents, catalysts, and stabilizers, is press-molded to the desired shapes and sintered in a furnace at a temperature of 1100deg. C. or above. Several samples were prepared accordingly for concept-demonstrating experiments of the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention, in which twelve IR-emitting ceramic plates 11 are mounted on a substrate 12, in a formation of two (rows) by six (columns), or a 2×6 array, which may be easily wrapped around the body part that requires treatment. In other deployments, IR-emitting ceramic plates may be secured simply by wires or strings to keep the formation. The ceramics of the present invention can take any sizes, shapes, forms, styles, patterns, and in any thickness, though a rectangular or circular plate is preferred for the ease of fabrication. Depending on the applications, the plates may have dimensions as small as in a 2-mm-diameter circle (or a 2 mm by 3 mm rectangle) up to a 50-mm-dia. circle (or 40 mm by 50 mm rectangle), with a thickness from 1 mm up to 10 mm.

[0030] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention that the 2×6 array of IR-emitting ceramic plates 11 shown in FIG. 1 are sandwiched by a covering sheet 31 and a heating element 21 in an encasement 22.

[0031] The IR-emitting ceramic plates 11 absorb ambient radiation heat and convert the heat into IR photons. IR radiation from the IR-emitter 11 will last indefinitely, wherever the ambient temperature is greater than Absolute Zero, 0 deg. K or −273 deg. C. Evidently, body heat is a natural heat source for the IR-emitters. Yet, an external heat source may be used in the case that both intensified IR emission and shorter IR wavelengths are required for accelerated healing. As described before, the peak wavelengths and spectral luminance of the IR-emitters 11 will displace toward shorter wavelengths as their temperatures increase.

[0032] The dominating content of body fluids is body water. Approximately 60-65% of body water is contained within the cells (in intracellular fluid) with the other 35-40% of body water contained outside the cells (in extracellular fluid). This fluid component outside of the cells includes the fluid between the cells (interstitial fluid), lymph and blood. It is worth noting that water can absorb infrareds at wavelengths around 2.87, 3.05, 3.65 and 6.08 um, which all place at the lower end of the IR-emitter's 3-20 um wavelengths spectrum. The use of a heating device will drive IR energy toward shorter wavelengths, ideal for accelerated healing that requires a strong absorption of IR emissions by body water.

[0033] The specific spectral luminance profile and peak wavelengths emitted by an IR-emitting ceramic composite are influenced not only by the composition, but also by the processing parameters involved, such as the temperature and duration of heating and cooling cycles and particle size. In order to simplify the fabrication of new IR-emitting ceramics, the present inventor has developed a base mixture of materials that provides a standardized platform for easy modification. Rather than choosing individual materials and processing parameters for each new ceramic, one merely alters the weight percentages of key elements in the composite system. In particular, the percentages of ferric oxide, chromic oxide, cobalt oxide, and minority oxides may be altered.

[0034] Several ceramic plate samples were designed and made for concept demonstration. The base mixture of IR-emitting oxides contain, by weight, 20% silicate, 20% alumina, 24% zirconia, 4% sodium monoxide, 3% potassium oxide, 3% ferric oxide, 5% chromic oxide, 4% cobalt oxide, 2% all other minority oxides, and 15% tourmaline. While the base ingredients provide for far infrared emissions generally, the key elements that collectively control peak wavelength and spectral luminance are: ferric oxide, chromic oxide, cobalt oxide, and nickel oxide. For example, increasing the weight percentage (wt. %) of CoO or NiO helps enhance emissions at lower wavelengths in the 3-6 um range. Replacing the CoO with Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 and Cr.sub.2O.sub.3 may move the peak wavelength and spectral luminance to longer wavelengths in the 8-16 um range. Thus, various samples with distinctive wt. % of the aforementioned ingredients in the base mixture were made for tailored peak wavelength and specific spectral luminance profile, specifically emphasizing on 3-7 um wavelength range for a better IR activation effect on body fluids.

[0035] Three sample compositions were made by varying the wt. % of oxides in the base mixture. Each of the samples contains 20% silicate, 20% alumina, 24% zirconia, 4% sodium monoxide, 3% potassium oxide, and 2% minority oxides. However, Sample-1 comprises less ferric oxide and less chromic oxide than the base compound, with the difference made up by adding nickel oxide. Sample-2 comprises the base compound. Sample-3 comprises more ferric oxide than the base compound with no cobalt oxide. The results are displayed in Table 1 below.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 1 Peak Wavelength and Spectral Luminance of Sample Ceramic Compositions Sample Sample-1 Sample-2 Sample-3 Peak Wavelength (um) 4 8 13 Spectral Luminance (um) 3-6 7-11 11-16 Wt. % Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 2 3  7 Wt. % Cr.sub.2O.sub.3 2 5  5 Wt. % CoO 4 4  0 Wt. % NiO 4 0  0

[0036] It should be appreciated from the results in Table 1 that the spectral luminance profile may be significantly shifted by modifying the weight percentages of a few oxides in the base composition. It should also be appreciated that Sample 1 would be particularly effective for therapeutic treatment of a human or animal body because its spectral luminance profile (range of 3-6 um and peak wavelength at 4 um) corresponds to the IR absorption of water at 2.87, 3.05, 3.65, and 6.08 um.

[0037] Of course, additional samples may be created with wt. % that vary from Samples 1-3 disclosed above. For example, a ceramic containing wt. % between Sample-1 and Sample-2 (e.g. 2.5 wt. % Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, 3.5 wt. % Cr.sub.2O.sub.3, 4 wt. % CoO, and 2 wt. % NiO) can be expected to have a peak wavelength between 4 and 8 um and a spectral luminance overlapping both the 3-6 um range and the 7-11 um range. Those additional compositions are considered to be within the scope of the invention.

[0038] The therapeutic device according to the present invention may contain IR-emitters in different wavelength bands to enhance the overall IR activation effect on molecules in body fluids and thus magnify the healing effects. In particular, the array may contain plates having different individual compositions. For example, an array of 12 plates may contain a first set of 6 plates according to Sample-1 and second set of 6 plates with a composition between Sample-1 and Sample-2. The result of such a combination would be a broader overall wavelength band, with distinct peak wavelengths in the 3-7 um spectrum. It should be appreciated that more than two types of plates may be used, and the plates may be distributed in different patterns and different relative quantities in the array to achieve the overall desired effect.

[0039] Two sizes of ceramic plates were made: “Sample-A” (3 mm long, 3 mm wide, and 1 mm thick) and “Sample-B” (30 mm long, 20 mm wide, and 5 mm thick). “Sample-A” ceramic plates were used for the treatment of gum inflammation, tooth pain, and pyorrhea alveolaris, while “Sample-B” ceramic plates were used for the treatment of sprains, strains, muscular spasm, phantom limb sensation, peripheral vascular diseases, and rheumatoid arthritis. In some of the cases a heating device was required. Encouraging results have been observed.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

[0040] According to the present invention, a therapeutic device comprises an array of IR-emitting elements in an attachment means, said IR-emitting element being an IR-emitting ceramic plate made of a mixture of IR-emitting oxides having specific spectral luminance covering at least a part of 3-20 (micrometer) um wavelength spectrum, for providing an effective means to healing human or animal body.

[0041] The invention has been described above. Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.