The All Clear Dispatch is the ship's newsletter of All Clear Performance: a little naval history, a little evidence-based fitness, and something worth eating. Founded by a U.S. Navy Rescue Swimmer. Welcome aboard, again.
Steel That Remembers: USS New York (LPD 21)
This week marks another September 11th, and the Navy carries a piece of that day in active service. When the amphibious transport dock USS New York was built, seven and a half tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center were melted down and forged into her bow stem, the leading edge of the ship that cuts the sea. Foundry workers who poured that steel reportedly treated it with the reverence of a funeral, and some delayed retirement just to be part of the job.
Her motto is Strength forged through sacrifice. Never forget. She was commissioned in New York City in November 2009, pier-side just blocks from where the towers stood, and she has spent the years since hauling Marines and sailors wherever they're needed. The steel did not stay wreckage. It went back to work.
That's the whole idea worth keeping from this week: what breaks you does not get the last word about what you become. To everyone who ran toward it that morning, and everyone still carrying it, this Dispatch is for you.
Red Light Therapy: What It Actually Does
Red light therapy (the research calls it photobiomodulation) has a wellness-industry hype problem, so here is the honest version. The therapy uses visible red light around 660nm and near-infrared light around 850nm. Red wavelengths work shallow, at the skin, where controlled trials have shown improvements in collagen density and skin complexion. Near-infrared penetrates deeper toward muscle, where a body of research, including systematic reviews of randomized trials, has found reduced muscle soreness and modestly faster strength recovery when the light is applied around exercise.
Is it a miracle? No. Is it a legitimate recovery tool with real published evidence, near-zero risk, and ten-minute sessions? Yes. That's a better resume than most of the supplement aisle.
New Aboard: Cal Aura Red Light DuoTherapy Panel
Which brings us to the newest line item in the store. The Cal Aura Red Light DuoTherapy Panel is Cal Saunas' 240-LED bar delivering both 660nm red and 850nm near-infrared, alone or together, with a 10-minute auto shutoff, included stand and safety goggles, and essentially zero EMF. It's sized to live inside your sauna, so heat therapy and light therapy become the same ten minutes. $1,199, ships free. Everyone who grabbed one free with a Solara over Labor Day weekend: you now know exactly what you got away with.
The All Clear Galley: Steel Beach Chicken Salad
When a Navy ship pauses operations for a cookout on the flight deck, it's called a steel beach picnic. Our version respects the heat dome parked over Oklahoma: the stove stays off. Whisk a cup of Greek yogurt with a little mayo, lemon, dijon, and black pepper, then fold in four cups of pulled cooked chicken (rotisserie counts as seamanship, not cheating), halved grapes, diced celery, and sliced almonds. Chill twenty minutes and pile it into lettuce cups or wraps. Four servings, about 38 grams of protein each, and your kitchen stays the same temperature it started. Feed the deck.
Sources
- USS New York: USS New York (LPD-21), Wikipedia; U.S. Navy
- Photobiomodulation and muscle recovery: Leal-Junior et al., systematic review and meta-analysis, Lasers in Medical Science
- Red light and skin: Wunsch & Matuschka, controlled trial, Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, 2014