Updated 10-28-14: Prof. Heller talks more about the device, and its many medical applications, in this piece.
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8-29-12: Have you ever heard of the "cooling glove?" It's a rapid thermal exchange device, developed more than a decade ago by Stanford biologists Dennis Grahn and Craig Heller, PhD, that takes advantage of specialized heat-transfer veins in the palms of hands to quickly lower the body's core temperature. As a result, the device can dramatically improve exercise recovery and performance.
A Stanford Report story published today describes how the researchers' efforts to devise a model for studying heat dissipation led to development of the cooling glove and explains the relationship between overheating and fatigue. In the above video, researchers demonstrate how the glove works and discuss how rapidly cooling one hand can allow athletes to reach their maximum athletic capabilities without using performance-enhancing drugs.
Versions of the glove are currently being used by the Stanford football and track and field teams, the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders and Manchester United.
Previously: Does HGH help or harm athletic performance?
