What Is Artificial Blood?

Artificial blood is a colloidal substance, an emulsion carrying a compound of oxygen, electrolytes, plasma expander and some other compounds that act as a buffer. The plasma expander gives volume to the blood. The demand for blood for clinical purposes led to the development of artificial blood. Decades of research led to the discovery of an alternative to human blood by genetic engineering. This genetically engineered hemoglobin (blood) is known as rHB 1.1. It is produced by the process of fermentation and purification of cultivated genetically engineered E.Coli bacteria.

rHB 1.1 is thirty times more effective in the supply of oxygen than natural blood. The risk of contracting dreadful disease by blood transfusion is completely eliminated by the use of artificial blood and it also has a long storage life.

Do Birds Sleep? Why Do They Not Fall Off Their Perches?

Yes birds do sleep and some do it standing on one leg. It is an arrangement of tendons that keeps the bird from falling off its perch. There is a tendon known as the flexor tendon from the muscle in the thigh that goes down to the leg, around the ankle and then under the toes. At rest, the weight of the bird makes the bird to bend down on its knees, tightening the tendons and closing the claws. That is why they do not fall of their perches.

Not only do birds sleep they can even be hypnotized into falling asleep by bringing our eyes close to the bird's cage and slowly closing our eyes pretending to fall asleep. The bird will follow suit and fall asleep. You can also make a bird in a cage go to sleep by simply covering its cage. This is because birds rely on sight and with the exception of nocturnal birds, bedtime is when it gets dark.

How Do Trees Reduce Air Pollution?

Pollution is prevented by plants in many ways. The atmosphere contains many elements the ratio of which keeps changing from time to time due to our activities such as changes in land use, afforestation, deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels. This results in the production of large quantities of carbonmonoxide, aerosols, dust and methane.

Trees act in many ways to reduce pollution in the atmosphere by acting as a sink for carbonmonoxide.  The process of photosynthesis synthesizes carbohydrates using the carbon monoxide in the atmosphere, sunlight and water. The resulting oxygen is sent into the atmosphere which living organisms need.

The atmosphere is also cooled by plants by a process known as transpiration where water vapor is released into the atmosphere.

Dust particles and aerosols settle on the dense foliage of the trees and as such as act as curtains and barriers.

Why Do Raw Fruits Like Banana Ripen Faster When Kept In Rice Tins?

As already explained in a previous blog ripening is senescence or biological aging. And during this process a large quantity of ethylene is produced. When fruits are placed in an airy place there is the possibility of the ethylene produced getting lost in the air and thus these fruits ripen at a lower, normal pace.

The production of ethylene and the response of the fruit to the excess ethylene happens only when the fruit reaches a certain physiological age.

When unripe fruits are confined in a tin of rice or a sack, the time required to attain this critical stage of biological aging is shortened. The ethylene produced is also confined in the tin or sack and thus diffused more rapidly through the tissues of the fruit and the fruit ripens rapidly.

The banana fruit release a comparatively  larger amount of ethylene than other fruits and it has been noticed that other fruits ripen faster if they are placed in a bag along with bananas.

How Do Fruits Ripen?

Senescence or biological aging of plants is associated with the ripening of fruits. It is influenced by the hormone ethylene and involves changes in acidity, color, flavor, texture and content. The production of ethylene increases nearly a  hundred times.

When the ripening of a fruit begins, it involves a climacteric change ( a stage of fruit ripening associated with the production of ethylene and increased cell respiration). It sets off a series of biological changes such as lateral growth and loosening of cell walls. Fruits such as bananas, melons, apples, apricots and tomatoes. There are other fruits that are non-climacteric such as citrus, grapes and strawberries. These non-climacteric fruits do not require the production of additional ethylene nor do they have respiration bursts.

Color changes are due to the synthesis of carotenoids (organic pigments) and result in yellow or red color. Other compounds such as anthocyanins that give a fruit a red, blue or purple color depending on it pH value.

Textural changes are due to the limited degradation of cell walls and the activity of enzymes such as polygalacturonase and pectinesterase which plays an important role in the ripening of fruits.

Acidity in plants are due to the presence of citric acid (gooseberry, peaches and tomatoes), malic acid (plum, cherry, banana, apricot and apple) and both of these acids in grapes.

Why Does An Apple Turn Brown On Being Cut?

There is iron in an apple in the form of ferrous ions which can easily oxidize into ferric compounds. This ferric compound is brown in color. When an apple is cut, its surface is exposed to the oxygen in the air and the ferrous ions get oxidized and convert into ferric compounds resulting in the surface turning brown.

Why Does Jasmine Bloom Only Night?

The blooming of flowers is due to non-directional responses to stimuli such as temperature, humidity and light irradiance and is known as "Nastic Movement". This movement usually takes place in the flat part of the plant that is oriented relative to the body of the plant. It typically takes place in petals and leaves that are bilaterally symmetrical.

Environmental changes send signals to the plant resulting in a differential growth between the lower and upper surfaces of the petals resulting in the blooming of flowers at different times of the day.

In the case of the jasmine flower, this response takes place at night fall due to change over from brightness to darkness. And as such the jasmine flower blooms only at night.

Why Doesn't The Lotus Leaf Get Wet?

This is because of the outlayers of cells in the epidermal layer of the leaves. They have a material called cellulose which, due to a process known as cutinization get converted into cutin and this layer of cutin forms an impermeable membrane called cuticle on the walls of the cells.

Cuticle is a wax like substance and is highly insoluble in water and is also chemically inert. This wax-like material forms a protective covering. This formation is more pronounced in the lotus leaf and that is why the lotus leaf doesn't get wet.

What Is Cloud Seeding?

Cloud seeding is a process that encourages tiny cloud droplets that are not coming together to come together and fall as snow or rain.

Dry ice or silver iodide is put into the clouds by aircraft flying either above or through them. This causes the formation and growth of ice crystals and they grow big enough to start falling. In warm weather the ice crystals melt and fall as rain.

Why Does Blowing On Food Or Drink Cool It?

The process of evaporation is speeded up when we blow on food or drinks. You are actually blowing the heat of the food.The molecules on hoot foods are high-energy and fast-moving. Blowing removes these fast moving molecules leaving the cooler ones. Faster evaporation results in faster cooling and so the food or beverage becomes cooler.

Why Do We Run Before Jumping?

The answer to this lies in Newton's Laws of Motion. Inertia is an tendency that all objects, animate and inanimate, living and nonliving have. That is to say that if a body is in motion it will have the tendency to be in motion and if it is at rest it, the tendency to remain at rest.

Since our body will try to remain standing when we try to jump from a point, we cannot jump very high and require more energy to cover more ground. But when we run before we try to jump, we are gradually changing the state of our body from rest to a state of motion. This saves the energy required to jump long distances. And as such we run before we try to jump long distances.

Why Do We Blink?

Two purposes are served by the blinking of the eyelids. One is to keep it from drying out and the other is to cleanse it and keep it fee from dust and other harmful substances.

Lubricants are secreted from 20 to 30 sebaceous oil producing glands lined around our eyes. When we blink the opening and closing lubricate the eyeball by the secreted lubricants and thus protect the eye from drying. The blinking is done so rapidly that it does not impair our vision.

The cleansing is done by the tears that are secreted by the tear glands. The tears wash away the dust and other harmful material that may have accumulated on the surface of the eyeball.

The snake does not have any eyelids and as such cannot blink. But it has a hard scale over its eyes to protect them form harm.

The camel has long eyelashes also so as to protect it from sand from sandstorms.

What Is Addiction?

Addiction has long been thought of as an uncontrollable habit of consuming drugs or alcohol. It is usually thought to affect the brain. But more recently, it has been found that addictions can be not only to alcohol and drugs but also behaviors such as gambling and even to necessary activities like eating and exercise though it is disputed whether “behavioral” addiction is a true scientific addiction. There is even an “Internet” addiction.

In spite of the fact that the symptoms of addiction vary from one addiction to another, there are two features that addiction has in common. Firstly, the addition is maladaptive to the person addicted. It does not help the individual. It is counter-productive. As an example, take the case of a gambler who gambles to gain more money. But, in the end it turns out that he loses it. A drinker ends up being depressed.

Secondly, there is a persistence in behavior. In spite of the fact that the addiction is counterproductive and causes trouble, an addicted person continues to engage in his addictive behavior. Some people know that their addictive behavior is detrimental to their physical, mental and spiritual health but still continue with their addiction.

Addictions are harmful not only to the individual who is addicted but also to those around them. It is very difficult to recognize the harm caused an addiction when the addicted person uses it as a way of dealing with other problems. The harmful effects of addiction can be known only when the person who is addicted goes through a crisis. It can occur as a result of the addiction such as a partner leaving, a serious illness or a loss of a job.

Does A Red Flag Agitate A Bull?

It is the general belief that a red flag agitates a bull and makes it angry causing t to attack and as such a bull fighter requires a red cloth and a bright red cap. The actual fact is that the bull will become angry and attack no matter what color cloth the bull fighter waves since a bull is color blind. The reason is the movement of the cloth and not the color. anything waved in front of a bull will excite it.

How To Get A Good Night's Sleep

Having sleep problems? Not able to fall asleep? Wake up often? Don't feel fresh when waking? Simply want to improve quality f sleep? Here are some tips that you can follow to get back to a good night's sleep.

1. Listen to relaxation music: You can listen to what is called 'white noise'. These include sounds of nature, like the sound of the waves of the ocean; the sounds of the air rushing through a forest with the sounds of the forest itself and the sounds of birds chirping and singing. Listen to these sounds jut before going to sleep.

2. Avoid snacks before bed: Particularly sugars and grains. They raise your blood glucose levels and inhibit sleep. Later on, during the night, when the blood sugar level goes down, you wake up and find it difficult to go to sleep again.

3. No television before bed: Better that this is to get the television set out of the house. Not only will you sleep better, the quality of your life is bound to change for the better. Actually, watching TV before bed stimulates the brain and disrupts the pineal gland, disrupting sleep.

4. Complete darkness is advisable: Or as close as you can get to total darkness. There is a hormone called melatonin, also known as the hormone of darkness, that regulates sleep and is produced by the pineal gland. Melatonin secretion is very sensitive to light and high levels of light inhibit the production of the hormone which in turn, disturbs the onset of sleep. The tiniest bit of light can disturb your so called 'circadian rhythm' and consequently upset your sleep. Keep the light in the bathroom as dim as possible. Switching on the production of melatonin stops for the night and getting back to sleep is difficult.

5. Socks: Believe it or not, wearing socks helps sleep. Because of the poor circulation during night the feet get cold earlier than the rest of the body at night. Warm feet are a sign of good blood circulation and it has been found that increase in blood flow to the extremities, the hands and the feet, induces sleep.

6. Reading religious or spiritual books: This helps induce sleep as it relaxes not only the mind but also the body. Avoid thrillers and suspense novels. It not only raises your adrenalin, the urge to finish the book may keep you awake throughout the night.

7. Avoid caffeine: For some people the metabolism (absorption) of caffeine takes a long time and the effects linger for a long time after its consumption. So a cup of coffee taken in the late afternoon might well be the cause of your not being able to go to sleep. Some diet pills also contain caffeine.

8. Early to bed and early to rise: Most of the systems of our bodies do their recharging while we are asleep, mostly between 11:00 p.m. and 01:00 a.m. Also the toxins in the body are readied for dumping during this time. Staying awake for a long time disrupts this timing and the toxins are backed up into your liver and consequently back into your system, causing further disturbances to your health. Learn from the animals, they go to bed early. Have you ever seen a fat animal? Or one with blood pressure?

9. Brush your teeth before going to bed. It has been found that brushing your teeth before going to bed help you to sleep soundly.

So go to sleep early, follow the tips given above and have a healthy life.

What You Need To Know About Breast Cancer

The particular part of the breast where a cancer originates categorizes that type of breast cancer.

*Ductal Carcinoma: The beginnings of this type of cancer is in the cells which line the ducts of the breast, the ducts that supply milk to the nipple; just underneath the nipple and the areola. If the cancer is in situ, that is, it is contained and not invasive out it is called Ductal Carcinoma IN Situ (DCIS). Treatment of such a type of cancer is largely successful and can be typically removed by a lumpectomy. In case the margins of the tumor are devoid of cancer, radiation might be a form of follow-up treatment. If it has become invasive - spread into nearby tissue a mastectomy may be required coupled with chemotherapy.

*Lobular Carcinoma: This variety of breast cancer, as it is named, starts at the lobes (glands) that are located under the ducts far more deeper inside the breasts. These lobes produce milk. If the cancer has not spread and is contained, then it is called Lobular Carcinoma In Situ (LCIS). Depending on whether the cancer is contained or has spread, either lumpectomy perhaps followed by radiation or mastectomy followed by chemotherapy may be the line of treatment.

The next common type of breast cancer are those that have invaded adjacent tissue. They include:

*Invasive (Infiltrating) Cancer of the Breast: These are the cancers that have the potential to spread out from the site of the original tumor and infiltrate into the whole of the breast or even into other parts of the body. Invasive breast cancer come in several different types and subtypes.

*Inflammatory Breast Cancer: A very rare kind of breast cancer but a very aggressive kind. Instead of the typical form of other breast cancers that appear in the form of lumps, this variety takes the form or sheets or nests. It can appear under the skin or in the skin. Unlike the above mentioned two types of cancers, this kind is first treated with chemotherapy followed by surgery. If the cancer id detected early, then the prognosis is good and the rate of survival is gradually increasing.

*Paget's Disease: This type of breast cancer was discovered by Sir James Paget and is so named after him. He was the one who noticed the relationship between the physiological changes of the nipple and the underlying cancer. Typically, the cancer has the appearance of a skin rash or an eczema on the nipple or there is a hardening of the nipple. There may be accompanying itchiness. This itchiness and the dislodging of scabs when scratched are the symptoms of the breast cancer festering under the skin.

How To Optimize Your Flight

You have to plan your flight long before you are actually going to take it. More so if you intend to go on an long international flight. Book your tickets as early as possible and get yourself a seat by the aisle. It saves you the trouble of stepping over your co-passenger's feet.

Get to the airport as early as possible. Usually, if you're on an international flight you'll have to be at the airport three hrs before the flight. Try to get there a mite earlier so that you can avoid the long lines at the check in counters and the security clearance points. Most of the airline staff will be in a good mood and your checking will go off smoothly.

First get your check in luggage out of your hands. They are the heavy ones and make sure that they are checked through to your final destination if you have to change flights. You don't have to travel by the same airline to do so. Less luggage more the comfort.

When you take a long distance flight, the commencement of your flight may be at noon but it may already be night at your destination just about ten or eleven hours away. And at times when you take a very long flight there may be stopovers or you may have to change flights and the tediousness of changing terminals etc. tend to bog you down. And this is where you get the jet lag etc. when your circadian clock goes out of sync.

All of the tiredness accompanying a long flight can be avoided if you are the exercising type. I am suggesting that you train to be a marathon runner just before your flight date, but starting a small exercising routine will definitely help. All you have to do is to move around and perform some simple exercises. Stretch yourself a bit and get the adrenalin and your heart pumping. Limber up and make yourself flexible. You'll find out why.

Most of us usually travel by the economy class and if you are a regular traveler, even in short distance flights, you'll know what economy. They really do not meant the price, it is the economy of space that the airlines mean, but for the first flighter, this may come as a surprise only when he sits down and find out that he's supposed to be contortionist. So to keep yourself from getting the cramps, you'll have to stretch your legs, wriggle your toes and move your shoulders and at convenient intervals get up and short walk down the aisle.

As much as possible try not to drift off into sleep during the initial few hours of the flight. Look at the miniscule that is in front of you and check out the entertainment menu laid out for your benefit. Eat what is given, though airline foods are not something to go gaga about. Drink a lot of water. Try to get some sleep after the meal. They'll wake you up for the next meal.

Just follow these tips and try to get some more from seasoned travelers if you know any of them. As you continue to take more flights you will learn more tricks of the trade. Till then have a good flight.

What Is The Alexander Technique?

The Alexander Technique of stress alleviation is one of the many alternate medicines that are available. It is a way to solve bodily problems in an intelligent way. Many people view the problems in their muscles or joints as structural and therefore unchangeable and are often mystified by the occurrence of back pain, lack of coordination, tension and stress. The Alexander Technique is a way of learning how to get rid of these pains, tensions, and stresses. It is an educational discipline that focuses on bodily coordination and also includes psychological principles and helps a person recover freedom of movement, general self improvement affecting poise, attention and the control of impulsive actions.

The technique takes it name from F. Mathias Alexander, who in the 1890s developed this technique to alleviate his own sufferings from hoarseness of voice and helped him to become a Shakespearean actor.

All of us have some unconscious habits of movement and we also put unwarranted pressure on ourselves. We slouch, stoop as we walk, use unnecessary force while doing mundane things. We blame these problems on the activities that we carry out such as carpal tunnel syndrome on the use of computers etc. The point is that it is how we do things that creates the problem.

The basic idea of the Alexander Technique is that when there is no overworking of the neck muscles, the head balances lightly at the top of the spine. This is of prime importance as this relationship has implications on the way the rest of the body performs. It coordinates, by and large, the quality of the body's coordination. Gravity and our neuromuscular system work together. The head's delicate poise initiates the anti-gravity response of the body and invites the spine to lengthen and as such, instead of slouching or maintaining a inflexible position, we can stand straight and become flexible and supple.

The flexibility of the body can be seen in toddlers. Observe an infant and see how erect his spine is, how free his joints are and how his head balances lightly on its little neck. It has a regal poise. But over the years, by acquiring certain unconscious postures we lose this erectness and this flexibility.

The Alexander Technique is primarily an educational process to be practiced by the patient in contrast to curative therapy. There are no routine exercises and are meant to be applied when quality movements are desired. The technique does not recommend any exercises. the emphasis is on using freedom, in every action, to choose beyond conditioning. The only exceptions are two exercises that are prescribed and should be done separately. One is to lie in a semi-supine position - a position in which a person lies on his/her back with his hands behind the head or neck. The other is called the "Whispered Ah", and it is used to remove unnecessary effort in the use of voice. These are taught by the practitioner of the Alexander Technique.

Prescribed values in life are patience, efficiency and freedom. Those proscribed are mistaken assumptions, self-limiting habits and unnecessary effort. The learner of the Alexander Technique are taught to change their preconceived notions, habits and predominantly automatic routines that are structurally inefficient and physically limiting. Verbal coaching and hands-on assistance is given while monitoring and guiding to prevent unnecessary habits and the practitioners of this technique demonstrate it on themselves to communicate its efficiency to the student.

By the use of this technique, you can learn to remove harmful habits, restore your poise and heighten your sell-awareness. You are, in actual fact, reinforcing what your body already knows but has forgotten due to long use of harmful practices. Your internal resources come to the fore and you are on the way to the enhancement your pleasure in all your activities and your comfort.

What Is Colorpuncture?

Among the many alternate medicine practices in vogue, "Colorpuncture" may be said to be the most revolutionary one and one that is gaining great popularity in Europe. Peter Mandel is the originator of this discipline of alternate medicine who has developed this practice after putting over 25 years of intense empirical research. The practice of Colorpuncture involves the focusing of colored light mainly on acupuncture points and also on other points on the skin. The focus of colored light energizes powerful healing stimulus in our energy and physical bodies.

How Does Colorpuncture Work?

Light is used in the practice of Colorpuncture to heal. Light is known to be subtle in effect penetrates deep into the cells of the body and is fast moving. It has now been discovered by scientists that light is a medium by which cells communicate and forms the basis of many bodily functions. In a Colorpuncture treatment session, colored light is focused on specific points on the skin using a portable hand-held device called a "Acu-Light". This device is specially designed to carry interchangeable glass rods, each of them capable of emitting light in different wavelength, thus making it possible to communicate varying energetic information to the skin cells. The light is focused on specific points in a predetermined specific manner with a prescribed pattern of colors. The light is absorbed by the skin and is transmitted along what are called "energetic pathways" or "meridians" into the body stimulating intra-cellular communication and consequent healing.

This method of treatment is a powerful holistic healing technique which offers a exclusive way to get to the bottom of a number of health problems. The technique is devised to tackle the origins of both physical and non-physical symptoms. Patients who have undergone Colorpuncture have reported significant changes in their bodies, improved emotional outlooks and a sharper sense of direction in their lives.

Who Can Benefit From Colorpuncture Treatments?

Anyone can benefit from this particular form of alternate treatment since light is a powerful medium of life and also a gentle instrument for healing. Colorpuncture can help access and heal the roots of the problems of those who feel ill and believe that their symptoms may be the result of unresolved emotional issues or old traumas. It can also help those who are confused and lack a direction in life. Colorpuncture is not only for the ill, it is also of invaluable assistance of healthy people who want to prevent illness by prophylactically clearing energetic blockages.

How Is The Correct Colorpuncture Treatment Selected?

This method of treatment uses a technique called the "Kirlian Energy Emission Analysis" developed and used by Peter Mandel after evaluating more than 800,000 Kirlian photographs of his clients over a period of 20 years. This method quickly and accurately determines the most effective treatment for a particular patient. It depends on a Kirlian photograph taken of the light emitting from the fingers and toes of the patient before treatment to determine which Colorpuncture treatment will be most suitable and effective for the particular client. Kirlian photographs taken after the treatment provided immediate feedback and visual affirmation of the efficacy of the healing process.

Who Should Learn Colorpuncture and Where Can One Get Training?

Practitioners of Colorpuncture at present include psychotherapists, physicians, chiropractors, massage therapists, body workers, naturopaths, homeopaths and acupuncturists. Just about any healer who is interested in introducing profound mind-body healing into their practice will find Colorpuncture of immense assistance.

Training is offered in the United States of America through the Institute for Esogetic Colorpuncture. The institute's staff are trained and certified by Peter Mandel as Esogetic Instructors. The course offered by this institute have been developed in consultation with the International Mandel Institute of Switzerland.

What Is Floatation Therapy?

What is Floatation Therapy? Floatation Therapy is a form of alternate medicine and is essentially a method of sensory isolation. The technique was developed by Dr. John C. Lilly, an American psychoanalyst and neuro-physiologist, who developed this technique and subsequently the sensory isolation tank (1954) based on his research on the reaction of human beings to sensory deprivation. What he found, contrary to his expectations that the brain would go into deep sleep, was that it became more active and its problem solving abilities and imaginative power increased.

Floating and swimming are age old practices. The process of floatation therapy essentially places the body into a state of deep relaxation. Dr. Lilly found that his subjects reached a level of relaxation that would take years to attain using the known classical meditation practices. The process of floatation therapy has an aura of mystery surrounding it. The sight of people floating in tanks of water may look like a scene in a science fiction film.

The process of bringing a person into a deep state of relaxation in floatation therapy usually takes place in a specially manufactured tank of water dissolved with minerals and salts so as to make the body float. Usually we experience conflict and stress in our daily routines and habitual activity. These patterns of habitual activity become one with our energy and neurotic depriving actions. Some people resort to smoking, alcohol and drugs to relieve themselves of these everyday tensions only to find themselves in another bind.

But how exactly does Floatation Therapy work? This, unfortunately, is not clearly known. The way it reduces stress is what is known. When a person lies in a tank for nearly two hours doing nothing, without any physical stimulation at all, then the body has nothing to react to. As such, the levels of stress hormones such as adrenaline or epinephrine as well as cortisol drops, providing deep relaxation.

In the case of muscle pain reduction, the deep relaxation releases endorphins that arrest the pain from reaching the conscious, there is a relaxation of the muscles and healing is much more faster. People suffering from arthritis have found their suffering alleviated.

Floatation Therapy also aids people suffering from psychological problems. Specifically those suffering from addictive and obsessive behavior. This is because most of these problems are stress related and once the stress is removed the psychological problems disappear. One of the developments related to psychotherapy is aptly named REST (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique).This form of therapy was developed in the late 1970s. There are two different methods to this therapy. One is known as the Wet Therapy and the other the Dry Therapy. Obviously, in the second method, the floater is separated from the water by a 15 mm polymer membrane.

One exciting aspect of this therapy is the prospect it holds for increasing skills and performance. There is evidence to show that this technique enhances scientific creativity, sports and artistic performance.

Certain precautions have to be taken while undergoing Floatation Therapy. The most important one is that Floatation Therapy should not be undergone without the direct supervision of a trained practitioner. People with psychosis and those suffering from claustrophobia (the fear of confined spaces) should avoid this therapy.

Floatation Therapy is a powerful inducer of relaxation. Some of the disorders that have been alleviated include chronic pain, anxiety disorders, headache, muscle tension, hypertension, psycho-physiological and even premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

What Is Bowen Technique?

A form of alternate medicine that is revolutionizing the healthcare world is called the Bowen Technique. This technique was developed in Australia by a certain Tom Bowen and is known as Bowen Therapy. The therapy was confined to Australia until 1986 and then was introduced to other countries by Oswald Rentsch who had observed Tom Bowen working and was amazed by the results.

The technique, life-changing hands-on therapy is often miraculous and the beauty of it is that it is so simple and gentle that anyone, from infants to the elderly can use it to relieve all kinds of pain. The Bowen Technique is neither a massage, nor an acupressure treatment nor is it chiropractic. No manipulation is done, nor is any force or adjustment used. The practitioner of the technique uses just his thumbs and fingers to move tissue and muscles very gently. Each set of moves generally lasts for about two minutes and the practitioner leaves the patient alone in the room between moves.

The uniqueness of the technique is the pause between each set of moves. The gentleness makes it more so. This alternate therapy, Bowen Technique, offers fast and long-lasting relief from discomfort and pain with results evident within two or three sessions.

The body is taught to remember to heal itself through the Bowen Technique. The gentle and powerful moves transmit neurological impulses to the brain. This results in immediate response by way pain reduction and muscle relaxation. Energy surges are created. The impulses transmitted to the nervous system and the brain reminds the body to recuperate and thus brings back normal movement in the tendons, muscles and joints. Blood and lymph flow increases as a result.

Eighty percent of the bodily functions such as the respiratory, the cardiac, the reproductive, the gastrointestinal, the endocrine systems etc are controlled by the automatic nervous system and they all are susceptible to emotional and stress situations. For healing to take place, the body has to shift from the fight/flight (sympathetic) dominance to the vegetative (parasympathetic) dominance. This technique helps the body do these positive moves.

This technique of healing also works on the "Stretch Reflexes", the "Joint Proprioreceptors", the "Lymphatic Circulation", the "Spinal Reflexes", the "Facia" and the "Acupressure Meridians".

It must be understood that the technique is not meant to replace conventional medical care, though Bowen and some others consider to be a standalone one. Nevertheless, due to its high rate of efficacy, it is now coming to be recognized to be as one and it is being added to their practice by many members of the medical community.

What Is Trager Approach?

Have you seen a crying baby stop crying when he is gently rocked in the hands of his parent. That is basically the method that is adapted in the Trager Approach to relieve stiffness in the muscles and joints except that it is more complicated than the simple rocking of a child to sleep.

The Trager Approach, as it is known, was developed by Dr. Milton Trager, M.D. somewhere around 1926 when he was 18 years of age. The discovery was opportune and Dr. Trager spent the next 50 years of his life expanding and developing this technique after getting his M.D. in his early forties. Milton was born in 1908 with a spinal deformity and a weak and sickly body which he overcame with practice and patience to build it to an athletic and graceful body of a gymnast. He began to practice his technique on his father and his friends and, astounded with the results, began a lifetime of exploration to perfect his technique. People with painful backs, polio, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, asthma and emphysema all responded with benefits ranging from greater ease to the miraculous.

Dr. Milton first taught his technique to Betty Fuller, whose severe neck problem he cured. They together founded the Trager Institute in 1980 and after sometime established a certification program to train and certify people.

The Trager Approach is an innovative one to movement education and broadly speaking it resembles "Bodywork", since the client's movements are manipulated and directed with hands-on cues and directions. On the other hand, the technique is more precisely defined. No lotion or oil is used. Rocking motions, light bounces, elongations and compressions are conveyed in a gentle and pleasurable way that the patient in reality experiences the possibility of moving every part of his 

or her body gracefully, effortlessly and freely by themselves.

There are two features to this approach. One is the passive one and the other is the active one. The first is generally called the "tablework" and the other "Mentastics". The technique utilizes natural, gentle and non-intrusive movements to release unwanted physical and mental patterns to increase mental clarity, physical mobility and deep relaxation. In the Trager Approach, the basic aim is a form of neuro-muscular reeducation called "Reflex Response"; the reawaking and/or developing new coordinated movements where neurological connections were damaged, dormant or even deadened. Reflex Response is utilized to stimulate the protective spinal reflexes of the body in a paralyzed or frozen limb.

A Trager session usually lasts from an hour to an hour and a half. The tablework session consists of the patient lying on a padded table and the practitioner moves the patient in natural moves, the way they naturally move. The quality of the movement and touch is such that the patient receiving the treatment experiences a feeling of moving freely and effortlessly. No force is used so that the patient does not feel any discomfort or pain.

This tablework is reinforced and maintained by Mentastics. The patient is taught active self induced movements which are simple to perform and the patient has to do these movements by himself. The benefits of the Trager Approach are cumulative and for many people Mentastics becomes an integral part of their life, helping them to relieve tension and stress.

For those people who want to encourage a growing awareness in themselves and their anatomy, the Trager Approach is invaluable. Another potent facet of this approach is the ability to understand how it feels to move easily and a feeling of deep relaxation.

What Is Biofeedback?

Biofeedback is a form of treatment wherein patients are trained to enrich their health by the use of their own bodies signals. Both physical therapists and psychologists use this technique, the first to treat stroke victims and the second to help anxious and tense people to relax. Other specialists also use Biofeedback to help patients manage pain. It was in the late 1960s that the word "biofeedback" was coined.

Most of us have used biofeedback without knowing that we are doing so. For example when a thermometer or a scale tells you that you have fever or that you have gained weight, you take action accordingly to reduce the fever and your weight. These two devices "feed back" information for you to act upon. In the same way, practitioners of biofeedback use sophisticated instruments to detect a person's bodily functions and use the information so gained to gauge and direct a line of treatment.

The biofeedback instrument is something like a sixth sense for a person. It allows them to "hear" or "see" an activity, for example, the electrical signals generated by muscle activity. These electrical signals are transformed into a form that the patient can either see or hear like a flashing bulb or a beeping sound when the muscle grows tense. The patient then tries to slow down the flashing or the beeping. The patient is taught to adjust himself so that the muscles relax. The therapist acts as a trainer and guides the patient as to how to improve his performance.

Today biofeedback is used to treat a long list of conditions that include

- A variety of pain conditions that include tension headaches, headaches and migraine,

- Digestive system disorders,

- High and low blood pressure,

- Raynaud's 's disease (a blood circulation abnormality that causes extremely cold hands)

- Paralysis and such other disorders and

- Epilepsy.

Specialists who provide training in this field include psychiatrists, psychologists, physical therapists, internists, dentists and nurses. Some form of relaxation exercise is taught to the patients and to identify those triggers that set off their symptoms. Guidance as to how to cope or avoid stressful events, changing their habits, gaining self-control are also taught. They are made to understand that feelings, thoughts and behavior deeply influence physical health.

If you feel that a biofeedback training might be of benefit to you, you should discuss it with your healthcare professional or your physician. They may conduct tests to determine whether your condition can be cured using conventional therapy. Some neurological tests may also be carried out. No responsible practitioner of biofeedback will treat you for hypertension, headaches or other conditions without doing a complete set of tests.

Unusual demands are placed on the shoulders of the patient by biofeedback. They have to self-introvert to find out if their day-to-day activities are the causes of their own distress. They must also understand that it is only by their own efforts that some aliments can be alleviated. And of the utmost importance is the fact that they must recognize the fact that they are responsible for their own well being.