BHRT

Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a marketing component that the FDA does not recognize. However, in Europe, the bio-identicals are being used to create All Natural Birth Control Pills with very promising results.

In spite of the new developments in Europe, the FDA warns against buying into some of the unrealistic claims associated with the bio-identical hormones. The claims include:

• Safer than prescription drugs
• Reduces imbalances in hormone levels
• Promotes weight loss
• Reduces the symptoms of menopause, hot flashes, thinning bones, vaginal dryness
• Prevents diseases such as alzheimers and senility

The claims have not been proven, and bio-identical hormone replacement is not a legitimate medical intervention as far as the FDA is concerned. BHRT is promising but the promises can be misleading, and some assert that the hormone therapy, though “natural” can be harmful in some cases.

All Natural Pills?

The problem with the bio-identical hormone replacement therapy claims is that they lull people into a false sense of security. Bioidenticals are naturally occurring substances that have the same effect on the human body as naturally occurring hormones. Proponents for BHRT suggest that this primary difference makes the bio identical hormones superior to synthetic hormones.

However, it doesn’t matter how the hormones affect the body when there is an overdose or misuse. A person can overdose on a natural substance just as they can a synthetic one. In addition, little information is available about the proper dosage and use for this type of medication. Being natural does not translate into being safe.

When is Hormone Therapy Necessary?

Women are particularly affected by hormone imbalances, and bio-identical hormones are naturally more appealing. Women typically require hormone therapy when they enter menopause, as estrogen levels decrease. This can lead to thinning bones, vaginal dryness and hot flashes. Some women experience hormone problems after having surgical procedures like hysterectomies.

Bio identicals can be found in the following forms:

• Pills
• Creams
• Gels
• Lotions

The FDA does not support the following claims about bio-identical hormones:

• Safer than MHT drugs
• More effective than MHT drugs
• Cures or prevents heart disease
• Cures or prevents Alzheimer’s
• Cures or prevents breast cancer
• There are no side effects

Since the FDA does not regulate the bio-identicals, the pharmacies that produce them do not have to report adverse side effects. Until further information and testing is completed, little information about the safety and effectiveness of bio-identical hormones is available. However, birth control pills using these types of hormones are doing quite well in Europe.

Catharsis

The cleansing act of using written material as a cathartic vehicle is not a new concept, either. The approach is similar to the idea of purging emotions, practiced by the ancient Greeks. Typically, the Greeks used tragic plays as a way to remove negative emotions and fears. As people developed reading skills, the practice moved from the stage to the page.

Catharsis involves working through emotions with the help of an outside source. In some cases, a good cry can offer excellent health benefits in the mental and physical realms. Purging other emotions such as anger, fear, jealousy and anxiety can be beneficial as well.

Expression

Self-expression is healing in many cases. Bottling up emotions can wreak havoc on a person’s health and mental state. Writing therapies often accompany bibliotherapy, allowing the individual to release thoughts and emotions through the writing process. Reading serves as a source of inspiration as self-expression is fostered.

Language as therapy is relatively common. It just isn’t typically creative in nature. Consider some psychiatric therapies that incorporate words and language:

• Psychoanalysis
• Talk therapy
• Cognitive therapy
• Interpersonal Therapy
• Humanistic therapies
• Eclectic approaches

Nearly every aspect of mental process has some connection with words. Using creative writing, self-help books and other written resources is the foundation of bibliotherapy.

Eric Digest Bibliotherapy

Eric Digest Biblotherapy explores the approach, noting that the reading helps to make a connection with the person’s experience. The relevance of the written work to the individual’s daily life is an important aspect to consider. If the reader can relate to the writing, he has a better chance of benefiting from it.

Making connections with others is a natural desire for most people. This includes individuals diagnosed with problems that disturb the ability to make social connections, including autism and social anxiety. Some methods used to treat autism incorporate reading.

Social Stories are prime examples of treatments that help individuals diagnosed on the autism spectrum of disorders. The approach uses real-life situations, offering a “script” for the person to follow. This form of biblotherapy helps to create expectations while helping the individual to make transitions and to interact with others.

Uses for Bibliotherapy

Bibliotherapy can be used for a number of different reasons, according to the article on Eric Digest. Reasons listed include:

• Developing self-image
• Understand behavior
• Developing objectivity about self
• Developing interests in others
• Relieve stress
• Promote empathy
• Offer a number of different solutions
• Promote communication
• Developing problem-solving skills

Bibliotherapy offers many benefits that promote healthy mental and emotional states. This is considered by many to be one of the most important components to a person’s physical health in the realm of alternative medicine.

Brain Gym History

Brain Gym was developed in the 1980s by Dr. Dennison, an American teacher with an interest in the effect of movement on his students’ ability to learn. After finishing a teaching degree at Boston University, Dennison established a reading clinic and began researching the neurological findings of Dr. Samuel T. Orton. He worked with a number of experts on kinesiology (the science of human movement) and how it might affect learning. He then developed a series of movements and exercises based on chiropracty, optometry and various acupressure techniques. While some exercises were taken directly from these treatments, Dennison also created activities for his client’s specific needs.

Benefits of Brain Gym

Brain Gym is designed to help students of all ages master the mechanics of learning through a series of movements, a teaching format and certain language forms. It addresses the physical components that are associated with learning, rather than the mental, and uses the body as a vehicle through which the student’s learning ability can be enhanced. Brain Gym is based on the idea that brain organisation can contribute to a number of mental and physical disabilities, and that balance between the left and right hemispheres of the brain can help treat anger, frustration, depression and learning disorders. The treatment is believed to correct upsets between the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems, and thus increase the immune system’s functionality.

Brain Gym is also designed to increase self-esteem, increase motivation, give the practitioner the ability to identify and avoid stress, increase awareness of the body, and build co-operation between practitioners. Mostly, though, Brain Gym was developed to increase relaxation and improve circulation in students. It is believed that in turn this increases their ability to retain information, as their sensory system is more active. The learnt material is also believed to be remembered better through use of this treatment.

Examples of Brain Gym

Some examples of Brain Gym exercises are:

Drinking Water — making students drink water before class is believed to increase brain function and decrease stress levels, particularly before tests

Brain Buttons — this exercise comprises of placing a thumb and forefinger on either side of the sternum, just below the collar bone, and pressing lightly in a pulse. The other hand should do a similar thing over the navel area. This is also designed to improve blood flow.

Cross Crawl — this exercise involves putting the right hand on the left knee as you raise it, and then the left hand on the right knee, like marching. This is designed to co-ordinate the two brain hemispheres; useful for spelling, listening, writing and general comprehension.

Hook Ups — this exercise involves crossing the right leg over the left ankle. Then cross the wrists and link the fingers. Bend the elbows and turn the fingers in toward the body until they are resting on the chest, then breathe slowly for a few minutes. This is intended to calm the mind and improve concentration.

Brain Gym Criticism

Brain Gym has been criticised in its holistic approach to learning. It has been said that Brain Gym is not scientific, as exercise of any kind is believed to increase brain function and circulation, and therefore the Brain Gym treatments are merely a trendy scheme based on principles of common sense. It is claimed by some scientists that that there is no evidence to support Brain Gym as being any more effective than other forms of exercise.

Seventy years ago, Dr. Edward Bach, who specialised in English flowering plants, began to re-popularise this method of healing. Australian herbalist and Naturopath, Ian White, further developed this system, and devoted many years to travelling Australia, where his studies led him to develop 65 specific Bush Flowers Essences. These particular essences are believed to heighten a person’s intuition, bring forth positive qualities, and finally enable individuals to follow their goals in life more effectively.

Ian White – Bush Flowers Originator

A respected practitioner and teacher of naturopathy and kinesiology, Ian White grew up in the Australian Bush. For five generations, his family, natural health practitioners specialised in herbal medicine, have come to understand the beneficial and crucial effects of Bush Flowers. Ian White began to explore this knowledge for himself from an early age.

Unique Benefits of Australian Bush Flowers

Nowadays, practitioners and prescribers all over the world are incorporating Bush Flowers Essences into their therapy. One of the reasons to why these particular essences are held to be one of the most effective available is that Australia has the oldest and highest number of flowering plants in the world, and because the land is relatively unpolluted.

The effects of bush flowers in therapy are similar to those achieved through meditation. A person is enabled to access their Higher Self, negative beliefs are released, and the subconscious mind gradually begins to adopt positive virtues. Therefore the treatment works by primarily restoring emotional balance. And since it is believed that emotional imbalance contributes to physical ailments, after treatment using Bush Flowers Essences, the body begins to cure itself.

Examples of Bush Flower Essences

Each flower is thought to have its own distinct healing property and energy. For example, the flower Jacaranda is used to treat people who never complete what they have started, who are constantly changing their goals and aims. In place of these negative qualities the essence of the Jacaranda helps such people to become more decisive, focused, and sharp. The flower Kangaroo Paw is used to treat people who are socially inept and tend to be insensitive. The effects of this flower gradually cure these people by making them more aware of the people around them, and less self-centred. The Sydney Rose, pink in colour, helps cure people who feel isolated, morbid, and insecure. The flower replaces these negative qualities, by encouraging the awareness that everyone is part of a greater whole, and that peace can be found within.

Other Bush Flower Products

Other products include the Flower Insight Cards which were first developed after popular demand in 1997. These cards contain beautiful photographs of different flowers, reflecting the vibrancy and essence of each of them. Each card also contains the healing quality of the particular- what ancient healers called the Doctrine of Signatures.

Flower insight Cards are particularly useful for people who are not sure what essence to choose, and they can also be incorporated into a Tarot reading.

Australian Bush Flower Essence Creams are also available as a healing and nourishing treatment. They consist of a combination of botanicals, herbal extracts and aromatic oils, and can be even be used on very sensitive skin. They are also very rich in antioxidants and can be applied all over the body.

Breathwork is thought to play a very important role in reducing stress, and in battling insomnia and depression. Moreover, sustained Breathwork techniques have been found to have psychological, spiritual, physical and emotional benefits.

Breathing eBooks

Find a way to breath easily again through the simple steps and methods of these guidebooks. Whether it be using Tai Chi techniques or through natural alternative therapies, use these ebooks as a stepping stone to living a more comfortable and healthy lifestyle.

Both breathing ebooks have a money back guarantee. Read about other people’s testimonials and see how the breathing techniques have helped them.

Breathwork Origins

Breathwork is a term that can refer to yogic Pranayama, Tibetan Tantric Tummo, and Buddhist Anapanasati; spiritual practises that have contributed to the modern Western therapies. However, modern breath-orientated therapies are also said to have been influenced by psychotherapy, and the human potential movement. In addition, there is the work of two practitioners, Leonard Orr and Stanislav Groff, which has had a major impact on modern techniques of Breathwork.

Rebirthing Breathwork

Rebirthing Breathwork stemmed out of Leonard Orr’s work, and the term was first used by Orr to describe the subject in his book, Rebirthing in the New Age. During various experiments with breathing techniques, Orr discovered that the practise of particular procedures triggered the resurfacing of memories of birth. Furthermore, he also came to understand that by reliving these memories through connected breathing, he was healing the trauma of birth.

Therefore Rebirthing came to refer to the technique that reverses the traumatic effect of human birth. Rebirthing-Breathwork practitioners believe that the trauma suffered by a child in labour has a profound, unconscious effect on that child’s psyche, perception and experience of life. For example, if a child has been delivered with the help of forceps he/she may be in the habit of relying on other people to get out of destructive situations. The premise behind this notion is the belief that in addition to cerebral memory, a human being also possesses cellular memory, which is the memory distributed and contained amongst the body’s cells, tissues and organs.

Practitioners also believe that Breathwork is important because human breathing does not supply enough oxygen to the body, and consequently tensions accumulate, and are suppressed. This is the cause, they state, of all physical and mental illnesses, which may easily be cured or prevented by the practise of Rebirthing Breathwork techniques which work by detoxifying the body and simultaneously releasing such tensions.

Holotropic Breathwork

Another breathing technique similar to Rebirthing is Holotropic Breathwork, a psychotherapeutic approach to healing, developed by Stanislav and Christina Grof. Holotropic Breathwork allows the individual to access several states of consciousness, with the aim of heightening self-exploration in order to help the person facilitate his/her psyche’s natural capacity for healing.

This practise is derived from modern consciousness research as well as Eastern spiritual practises. It is a technique that involves five elements: evocative music, group process, intensified breathing (so-called hyperventilation), focused body work, and expressive drawing. It is typically practised in groups.

General Breathwork Examples

The most basic Breathwork technique is easy to learn yet has a major impact in reducing stress and anxiety. The individual, sitting or standing simply relaxes his/her shoulders and head, and breathes deeply and slowly in through the nose. After holding his/her breath for a moment, the individual slowly releases the breath through the mouth. This is repeated at least three times, and works by heightening the individual’s awareness and calming the mind.

Alternate Nostril Breathing, used in the practise of yoga, is another breathing technique. It is a method that is believed to stimulate both parts of the brain simultaneously, in order to create tranquillity and balance in the body. The individual here, places his/her thumb on his/her right nostril and breathes in deeply from the other while counting to four. The breath is held for a while and then released through the right nostril while the individual counts to eight. The same process is repeated using the other nostril, and the cycle is practised three times.

Under BioResonance Therapy, a BioResonance device is used to regulate a person’s electromagnetic oscillations; natural oscillations are strengthened while pathological oscillations are cancelled. The result is a restoration of a person’s health. Operation of the BioResonance Device is done by a trained practitioner.

BioResonance Therapy has been used successfully in Germany for 25 years, where it was developed. It has been extensively tested and approved and is used in 55 countries world wide including Europe and Canada.

BioResonance Therapy Description

To understand how the device works, imagine striking a tuning fork in a room containing a piano – the fork would cause the corresponding note on the piano to resonate and make noise. The machine works in the same way, most practitioners can tune it to the exact frequencies that resonate within a healthy body. If the body does not immediately respond and resonate to a particular frequency the therapist will leave the frequency running until resonance starts. Resonance is indicative of a frequency working well with the body’s energy. The aim is for the body to be brought to a state in which all the frequencies are resonating well.

The belief that supports BioResonant Therapy is that the electrical poles of cells, tissues, organs and other systems in the body, are significant, and that they contribute to the overall health of the body.

A BioResonance Therapy device is like an external electromagnet that modulates the electromagnetic signals within a person, allowing the the adjustment of electromagnetic balance, and the correction of internal functions.

BioResonance Therapy Treatment

A typical BioResonance Therapy session begins with 10 minutes of initialization and is followed by a 5 minute full body scan. For the next 45 minutes the practitioner will deliver a series of BioResonance patterns through to the client, monitoring the results. Before the patient leaves the therapy, a post-therapy analysis of their bio-field is taken, which is compared with the body scan taken at the beginning of the session.

Some BioResonance Therapy devices can create a remedy based on the client’s required needs. The frequencies that have been determined as beneficial to the client are transmitted to a homeopathic carrier substance. The client can then ingest this substance at regular intervals over subsequent weeks.

Bio Resonance Therapy is considered to be an extremely safe treatment. This is because the treatment is non-invasive. No artificial energy is introduced into the body. The BioResonance Device acts on the body’s existing energy system, drawing out suppressed functions by helping them to resonate with the machine.

Bio Resonance Therapy Benefits

BioResonance Therapy is claimed to restore healthy energetic patterns to the internal organs of the body, as well as to remove all negative patterns from the body’s energetic field. The aim is for the restoration of healthy energy flow within the body’s energy systems, resulting in improved vitality and optimal wellness.

It is thought that BioResonance Therapy is highly suitable for treating patients with drug addiction, including nicotine addiction. The therapy is viewed as a painless, affordable method of breaking the cigarette habit, without side-effects. The therapy is thought to eliminate the root cause the addiction stopping the cravings, and thus breaking ‘the habit’ of smoking. It also accelerates the body’s natural detox processes, allowing for nicotine to be purged from the body.

The is a long list of diseases that have been treated by Bio Resonance Therapy. This list includes: allergies, weakness of the immune system, toxification, slow healing wounds or ulcers, gynaecological or urinogenital disorders, cardio-vascular and digestive diseases, sleeping disorders including insomnia, and more others.

Biomesotherapy Saline Injections Theory

Biomesotherapy relies on the use of carefully calculated diluted substances called homeopathic potencies. Specific combinations of these medicines are used to heal particular conditions. The medicines contain small concentrations of substances, usually found in plants and minerals. Many of these plant and mineral products have been tested in standard double blind and drug monitoring studies. Biomesotherapy saline injections are unlike commonly used anti-inflammatory drugs which suppress the pain. Biomesotherapy saline injections actually encourage the process of inflammation, thus assisting the body’s natural healing process. It is thought that Biosotherapy Saline Injections promote the growth of new ligament and tendon tissue.

Biomesotherapy encourages the process of inflammation thus instituting the body’s healing mechanism.

Biomesotherapy Saline Injections Description

Biomesotherapy activates the body’s own capacity to heal itself. Often when an injury heals, it is incomplete and the blood supply to ligaments and tendons is poor. The deficient healing leaves the body with weakened connective tissue, which, in turn, leads to frequent repeated and recurring injuries and, in some cases, chronic pain. Biomesotherapy saline injections are made into the body to improve circulation at the point of the injury and increase the strength of the body’s natural regenerative processes.

Carefully chosen homeopathic formulations are combined with the saline injections so to hasten the process and assist with recovery. This is done through an inhaler, for the purpose of enhancing the effect of the saline injections. The specific medicine selected will depend on which organ or tissue is to be treated.

The needles used for Biomesotherapy saline injections are not like syringes, they are finer and look more like acupuncture needles. A special instrument such as an “inject-ease” device is typically used to make the injection. Less than a millilitre of sterile saline is injected beneath the skin, it is an exact replication of the body’s natural fluid makeup.

Who Can Biomesotherapy Saline Injections Help?

Biomesotherapy is especially effective in the treatment of acute and chronic pain. It has been successfully used as a treatment in Europe for over 10 years. People seek Biomesotherapy Saline Injections to achieve the following results: Increased circulation, Fine nerve endings stimulation, Muscle relaxation, Influence acupuncture points and meridians, Pain Alleviation.

The following conditions may be treated using Biomesotherapy Saline Injections: tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, chronic back problems, arthritis, headaches or migraines, acute musculoskeletal, wound healing, acute or chronic inflammation, cartilage erosion, tendon or ligament bruising, skeletal pain, softening and repairing scar tissue, inflammation of the sinus, irritable bowel syndrome, improving circulation, relaxing muscles.

Biomesotherapy Saline Injections Therapy

Pain relief can be experienced within minutes of a first treatment, but can take as long as half an hour. Sessions last approximately half an hour. Treatment is fashioned depending on the severity of the condition, this is usually once or twice weekly for the first two weeks, and less often, once weekly, fortnightly or monthly, as the healing process is facilitated and the condition is ameliorated. Some conditions may need further maintenance treatments to support continued wellness.

Every year in Europe there are over 70 million consultations of Biomesotherapy, which makes it one of the most popular forms of natural medicine.

Biosenetics Background

Biosenetics was developed by the Australian, Shamarie Flavel. Flavel is a qualified Naturopath, Herbalist, Homoeopath and Hypnotherapist, as well as an Aura-Soma practitioner. She first taught Biosenetics to a small group of women in 2001 as a synthesis and distillation of all her previous studies in natural medicine, and aimed to produce a practical and simple therapy for self-development. Philosophically, Biosenetics is based on the belief that everything in the universe is made up of energy (at its most basic level). On top of that, it also claims that everything in the universe has an intelligent and coherent Vital Force, the imbalance of which leads to disease and dysfunction. The concept of a Vital Force has appeared through many branches of natural therapy, and is known in other cultures as Qi, Spirit, Ruach, Vitality and Prana.

Biosenetics was spawned from Kinesiology, which in turn was born out of the Touch for Health therapy developed by George Goodheart. It has an aim of inspiring the practitioner’s life positively, both physically and emotionally. It promotes emotional stability, intellectual development, connection between the self and the environment, and a sense of purpose.

Biosenetics Description

Biosenetics is a system designed for the total wellness of body and mind. It is philosophically based, rather than medically, and rests on the beliefs that every cell in the body should communicate with every other cell, thus creating a biological network. Alongside this, each patient is believed to have an innate intelligence that is a combination of this biological network and an energetic information network through a collection of energy vibrations at a very basic level. The body acts as a storage place for emotions, things that create stress, thoughts, and life experiences. Thus, it is believed to hold the information about what is happening to the patient, and also what must change in order for complete good health to be restored. Biosenetics asks the patient to actively participate in their own rejuvenation through the application of a number of different therapeutic systems. It is a non-invasive treatment that is believed to be effective at any age in treating anxiety, pain, high blood pressure, depression and blood sugar irregularities.

Biosenetics Treatment

Biosenetics treatment uses a combination of different natural therapies in order to balance the well-being of the entire body as one coherent system. It employs techniques such as nutritional supplements, body-wraps to help detoxify the body, herbal and flower extract therapies, and electro-stimulation therapies. These are employed in a way that is unique to every client, thus it is aimed at maximising effectiveness by addressing each patient as an individual. Flavel believes this one-on-one approach is the key to balancing the body, and re-educating the patient in self-development.

Biosenetics Summary

Biosenetic therapies are aimed at harmonising the relationship between all things in the biological system of the body and the mental faculty of the mind so to sustain consistent energy flow through a patient. Although founder, Flavel, claims it is a holistic and effective system of human self-development, she acknowledges that it cannot take the place of nutrition, adequate sleep, or any of these basic human needs. It is recommended as a tool for maintaining good health (physical and mental), rather than a treatment for disease, and can be used in conjunction with medical intervention if need be.

Blood Analysis (Point of Care) Background

Point-of-care blood testing began in the mid to late 1980s, after scientists developed chemical sensors that could be used with whole blood, and compact instruments that could measure several analytes in a sample. The point-of-care analysers were developed for non-technical people in order to make the therapeutic turnaround time (TTAT) quicker. The TTAT is measured from when the test is ordered to when the physician has a hard-copy of the results. Usually the TTAT for off-site tests is between 20 minutes to one hour, and is logistically difficult, whereas point-of-care blood analysis provides results in less than five minutes.

Blood Analysis (Point of Care) Devices

Blood analysis devices are lightweight, battery-operated, handheld systems. They range from the size of a cordless phone to a laptop computer, and include a portable clinical analyser, disposable blood-test cartridges, and a portable or on-board printer. Most are also part of a system of data management, which allows the results of on-sight tests to be downloaded to another printer, a lab, or hospital information system. The results of blood tests can be collaborated with patient histories in real-time, which allows broader monitoring of the patient’s health. The devices measure analyte blood glucose or hemoglobin, as well as blood gas levels.

Blood Analysis (Point of Care) Device Examples

Two main blood analysis devices are called the I-STAT and the IRMA Analyser. The I-STAT requires two drops of blood on a cartridge, which is then inserted into the handheld analyser. The analyser automatically positions the blood sample over bio-sensors, and measures the electrical signals to calculate results. The IRMA Analyser requires the disposable cartridge to be inserted first, and then the injection of a sample into the cartridge. The results are also calculated using electrochemical methodologies.

Other devices include the Instrumentation Laboratory’s GEM Portable Coagulation Laboratory. This is portable, but not handheld, as it weighs about fifteen kilograms. The Nova 16 is similar in this respect, but weighs nearly 45 kilograms. It provides a core test panel, and is able to do up to 13 tests in two minutes. The Irma Trupoint tests blood, gas and electrolytes using capillary blood samples, as well as arterial and venous samples. It uses disposable cartridges, and has an on-board printer to deliver results quickly.

Blood Analysis (Point of Care) Benefits

Point-of-care blood testing is a both fast and effective way to test patient’s plasma for irregularities on-site. The test results from handheld devices are consistent with central lab results, and the time taken to obtain them is significantly less. These tests use only a small amount of fresh blood, which can eliminate complications from using larger samples; the single-use cartridges are easily disposed of as bio-hazard. Specimen collection, storage, and transportation are complications of regular lab blood testing that are reduced through point-of-care testing. This method does not require extensive training in order for it to be used, and allows physicians to test within their own practises rather than relying on outsourcing. In the long term, this method proves to be more cost effective for both practitioner and patient than lab testing. It cuts back on personnel costs in laboratories, and the potentially high costs of hospitalisation for the patient.

Blood Analysis (Point of Care) Downsides

There are, however, drawbacks of using the point-of-care testing method. The cost is about four to fives times that of batched testing done in central laboratories, and point-of-care users, such as physicians, ask for higher salaries than lab personnel. In general, however, these costs can be weighed against the potential costs associated with hospitalisation, and the point-of-care method ends up being significantly cheaper.

Body Flow machines are used for relieving pressure on muscles by draining the excess fluid from around the cells through mild electro-stimulus. This is a treatment recommended for sports recovery, and fluid retention diseases such as Lymphoedema. It is believed to promote a stronger circulatory system and thus a healthier body.

Body Flow Machine Description

Body Flow is a sports recovery technique developed by the French Osteopath, Laurent Pujol, in the 1990s. It is based on his interest in the role of the lymphatic system in relieving pressure on the body after intense exercise, which led to the use of an electro-stimulation technique. It was fine-tuned over time to specifically stimulate smooth muscle (a type found in veins, arteries and lymphatics) in order to improve the circulatory system. The scope of the Body Flow treatment has broadened in recent times, however, and it has become a popular method for controlling Lymphoedema (fluid retention within the lymphatic system).

The Science of The Body Flow Machine

Body Flow therapies rely on the circulatory system, as well as other fluid flow throughout the body such as lymph, in order to maintain strong and healthy muscles. Smooth muscle, also known as Tunica Media, differs in its function and structure from other muscles that are tied to the skeleton or cardio system. It is this specific kind of muscle that the electro-stimulation frequency of Body Flow machine is intended to stimulate. Treatment involves attaching electrodes to the relevant part of the patient’s body, which then emit a mild electrical current through the skin. This is believed to promote drainage of fluid in areas with excess toxins, and thus promote physical recovery.

Who Can Benefit From The Body Flow Machine

Blood flow is essential for providing the body with enough oxygen in order to keep the cells healthy. The build up of toxins, which Body Flow is believed to help prevent, contributes to the general decline of the circulatory system, so Body Flow has a wide application within recovery treatments. It has been credited with helping diabetics avoid Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD), which leaves the patients with sores and ulcers. Perhaps its main function is in the treatment of Lymphoedema. This ailment manifests itself in large swellings of the body tissue, usually in limbs, and is a chronic condition with no known cure. It has been demonstrated in clinical trials, however, that Body Flow can help manage Lymphoedema by flushing away the excess fluid with a mild electro-stimulant.

The Body Flow treatment is also well-known for its ability to aid the recovery of sport related injuries. It is believed to decrease susceptibility to Delayed Onset Muscular Soreness (DOMS), which professional sportsmen deal with on a day to day basis, as well as to assist the healing process for larger muscular injuries.

This is a non-invasive treatment, as the electrodes are placed on the skin. It is also a treatment that can be administered by hand-held devices that the patient can take home, not just in a clinical environment.

Body Flow Machine Treatment

Body Flow treatment can be administered either in the patient’s own house, or in a clinic by a trained physician, as the devices can be either an industrial or a hand-held unit. Qualified practitioners may lend these hand-held devices out to clients, so they are able to receive treatment when it is best suited to them. The clinical device is designed for large-scale use by medical practitioners. It has a low ongoing running cost, so is often also picked up by sporting organisations. This unit has the larger range of electro-stimulant intensity, it can reach up to 75 mA, as is necessary for severe cases of swelling. The portable device is useful when the patient requires ongoing and regular treatment. Daily treatments are believed to lead to a faster recovery. The portable device has a rechargeable battery and reaches an intensity limit of up to 40 mA.