Hyperbaric and Sports Performance Enhancement

Athletes today are always looking for the latest and greatest “Performance Enhancement Product”. In fact, many are willing to utilize illegal and/or experimental substances in hopes of unlocking some hidden potential that is believed impossible with good old fashioned hard work and healthy living. Others, on the other hand, are willing to put in the time and realize that longevity in any sport does not come from the quick fix, but rather from building on the small gains of the everyday struggle for perfection.

So for many athletes, the question still remains… “Where and who do I turn to if I’m not interested in the quick fix?” One such tool that more and more athletes, professional and otherwise, are turning to today is mild hyperbaric. Mild hyperbaric is the use of very mild pressure (only 4.4 psig) applied safely and conveniently for usually about an hour with a mild portable hyperbaric chamber either in the athletes own home or at a local clinic. Unlike many ergogenic aids such as steroids, mild hyperbaric has not received the same press and exposure throughout the athletic community, but does that mean that it is any less of a performance enhancement aid? The answer is no! However, we must go back and define what we mean by Performance Enhancement Aid. Will athletes see a 10% gain in power or speed within a week of utilizing mild hyperbaric? Certainly not! Will endurance athletes get a direct competitive edge from the dissolved oxygen if they do a mild hyperbaric session just prior to an event? Absolutely not! And for these reasons major organizations like the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) do not list hyperbaric as a banned substance or activity for competing athletes. Then how does hyperbaric benefit the competitive athlete? Hyperbaric has two main avenues with which athletes can dramatically benefit from.

1. 1. Enhanced recovery time from intense training, thus helping to prevent chronic overtraining injuries.
2. 2. Faster recovery from acute injuries, leading to a quicker return back to a full training load.

Basically, if you can train harder longer; injury free... will that not translate into Performance Enhancement! The answer is yes! In a study conducted with well trained endurance athletes, Dr. Phillip Mafetone demonstrated a 5 beat decrease in resting heart rate in just six short weeks of mild hyperbaric. Other research has demonstrated increased collagen synthesis in tendons post hyperbaric therapy and even more interesting is the research which demonstrated an 800% increase in stem cell activity in just 20 sessions. Simply stated, the mild hyperbaric environment is the ideal environment to promote healing and speed recovery. However, despite a near 400 year history… hyperbaric is still very misunderstood, underrepresented, and greatly undervalued; especially in the fields of wellness, anti-aging, and performance enhancement. Even in the professional arena; medicine is still more reactive than proactive. For this reason, the majority of professional athletes who have turned to, and are now advocates for mild hyperbaric, did in the heat of the moment when sudden injury forced them to seek out alternative/complimentary approaches to get back on their feet fast. Terrell Owens is one such athlete; while playing for the Philadelphia Eagles just prior to Super Bowl XXXIX he sustained an injury that was expected to prevent him from playing on the biggest stage in professional football. In just 6 ½ weeks post ankle surgery, Terrell proved that he would recover in time for the big game. Terrell openly acknowledges his belief that hyperbaric played a major role in his recovery process. Even Dr. Oz, Oprah’s go to doctor, has stated that hyperbaric is one of the most powerful tools available in supporting tissue regeneration. Still, even with the research, and celebrity/pro-athlete testimonials… hyperbaric is not something most athletes here about from their athletic trainers, physicians, or training partners; simply because of a lack of knowledge and an unsubstantiated risk of liability.

So, where does that leave the aspiring athlete seeking out safe and natural methods for increasing their athletic performance? Same place it always has… In the driver’s seat! Athletes are no different than anyone else in this respect. The only person ultimately responsible for their health and performance or lack thereof… is the individual athlete themselves. So do your own research, and the next time your trainer, physician, teammate, or training partner tells you that hyperbaric isn’t something you should be interested in… ask them why! Then ask them to substantiate their reasoning with research and/or personal experience. Don’t let a great opportunity pass by because of an uneducated opinion! Give hyperbaric a try, you just might shock yourself, and who knows… shock the world!

Visit www.BodySpecific.com to start your very own mild hyperbaric performance enhancement program!

References

Kelley, B.G. A Fast New Fix for Sprains and Strains. Health 1995; 9-2: 26.

Kindwall, Eric P. Hyperbaric Oxygen: Therapeutic Uses – More Indications than many Doctors Realize. British Medical Journal 1993; 307(6903) p515.

Delaney, Scott, MD. How can Hyperbaric Oxygen Contribute to Treatment? The Physician and Sportsmedicine 2001. 29(3).

Maffetone, Phillip. Study of Athletes at Sea Level with the Hyperbaric Chamber. Baldwin Place, New York. 1990.

Dolezal V. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Athletic Injuries. Cas Lek Cesk 2002. 141(10): 304-6.

Cosgrove H. BrysonP. Et al. Hyperbaric Medicine in Soft Tissue Trauma. Trauma 2001. 3(3) 133-141.

Babul, S. Rhodes EC. The Role of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Sports Medicine. Sports Med 2000. 30(6): 395-403.

Martin, T. ATC. Effects of Hyperbaric Pressurization on a Well Trained Endurance Athlete. 1993.

Tom, S., Bhopale, V., Velazques, O., Goldstein, L., Thom, L., Buerk, D. Stem Cell Mobilization by Hyperbaric Oxygenation.

Mingle at the Mall!

We will be having an open house/local business expo this upcoming August 23rd inside the K&S mall. to learn more visit http://www.BodySpecificEvents.com

Discover Hyperbaric June 10th 2009

Come join us this Wednesday at the Troy Community Center for Discover Hyperbaric

Learn about hyperbaric oxygen therapy’s 400 year history.
Learn why it is so effective as a primary treatment or as an adjunctive therapy for such a wide range of conditions.
Learn the difference between mild vs. deep hyperbarics and why lower pressures are better suited for the vast majority of the population.
Obtain the necessary anatomy, physiology, and physics to explain this amazing therapy to a friend or family member.
Learn about the powerful anti-aging & longevity promoting benefits.
Learn about how hyperbaric therapies can transform your life.
Discover insight into why it is not being utilized on a larger scale.
DISCOVER HYPERBARIC!

Please register in advance

visit www.discoverhyperbaric.com for more information

Why Buy Organic

I didn’t always buy organic. In fact, I thought people that bought organic were foo foos. Well, after doing a little bit of research, I found that commercial farming was disgusting. I have just become a new mother, and let me tell you, my little baby is going to eat nothing but organic. If you aren’t already aware of why organic products are the way to go… please read this article, and you may also convert to the organic lifestyle as well.

Organic products have been produced due to the growing concern for food quality. Organic means grown or raised without toxic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, synthetic fertilizer, hormones, antibiotics, genetically modified ingredients, or irradiation. Thus, no artificial or chemical measures can be used during the growing process.

Today, the USDA regulates the organic food industry (the product must have the USDA organic food label for assurance). Here is the standard protocol for a certified organic product.

• The farm must be free from toxic synthetic pesticides and fertilizers for three years before a certified organic product can be grown.
• Sewage sludge is prohibited in the production of organic foods because of the toxic chemicals and heavy metals (yes, it is widely used by nonorganic farms in the growing process).
• Proper animal care and manure composting techniques are mandatory and require a waiting period between the application of raw manure and the harvest of any organic crops .
• Irradiation that is used to kill microorganisms is banned.
• All animals must be raised without the use of antibiotics, hormones, and are raised in a humane manner (free to roam and have comfortable resting areas).

After reading how organic food products are grown, do you wonder how most commercial products are grown? The honest truth is that you really don’t want to know. Commercial farmers are not worried about producing a healthy crop, they are more concerned about producing the most amount of something in the shortest duration. I refuse to believe that commercial farmers are purposely producing products that are unhealthy for the nation. I blame it on a lack of education or even the believe that they are producing a cheaper product for the consumer. Unfortunately, the reality is that they are hurting the environment and they are hurting their consumers.

Everything that is used to grow a product ends up in your body when it is consumed. Organic products shouldn’t leave room for concern; where as commercial products are controversial. The pesticides and synthetic fertilizers used in commercial farming cannot be rinsed off in the sink, they are often absorbed into the flesh of the product, and no amount of scrubbing is going to help. Also, commercially raised animals raise cause for concern. Their living quarters are breeding beds for disease so they must be fed antibiotics… and at the same time they are pumped full of hormones to either make bigger beasts or in the case to cows, produce more milk. Consuming commercial meats only promises the entry of unwanted antibiotics and hormones into your system.

Here’s the problem. Even though many people believe in purchasing organic foods, they often don’t due to the higher costs, or even lack of convenience to find. Here’s what I have to say about the matter. BUY ORGANIC AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE! Support your organic farmers. You are paying for your health. You may not be able to see the benefits today, but you will thank yourself tomorrow.

Are You Getting Enough Omega-3's?

We’ve all heard the buzz, “eat more omega-3’s”, and I’m here to tell you why! When most people think of fat they think bad thoughts, unfortunately not all fats should be treated equal. In fact, some fats are essential to the diet, the omega-3 being one of them. Omega-3 fatty acids are one of the two fatty acids the body cannot synthesize. This means, if they are not being consumed by the diet, the body cannot build them. Why is this bad do you say? Let me explain…


Omega-3 fatty acids are a part of many important functions in the body. They are key components to energy production, immunity, electron transfer, maintaining elasticity of the cell membranes, blood circulation, among many other important processes. When the body is lacking this essential nutrient, it cannot function optimally. Many conditions may evolve in the body due to a lack of this fatty acid including: heart disease, varicose veins, cancer, stroke, high blood pressure, poor concentration, polycystic ovarian disease, and many more.

So how do you know if you are getting enough of this valuable nutrient? Odds are, if you consume the average American diet… you aren’t! Omega-3 fatty acids are found in foods such as fatty fish, flaxseeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, and seaweed. If you do consume these products on a regular basis, you most likely are consuming enough omega-3’s to keep your body balanced, but are you taking the stability of the fatty acid into account? Due to the chemical structure of the compound, this fatty acid is extremely unstable - over exposure to light or heat will destroy the molecule and inhibit function. This means, if you are cooking your fish or toasting your walnuts you are probably destroying your omega-3’s. Oh no!

No worries, thanks to the supplement industry, those of us who are not getting enough omega-3’s in our diet can do so with ease (to date, there is no RDI established for the amount of omega-3 fatty acids the average adult should consume, but experts are leaning towards 1-3 grams per day). Typically the oil from fish or flaxseeds is used to create a healthy supplement. I recommend organic flax seed oil over fish oil because farmers can regulate the soil and monitor the crop, where as one can never be sure what is in a fish. Animals store most of their toxins in their fat, this includes heavy metals; even though the fish oil goes through a distillation process to remove the toxins, it is never certain they all are removed. When choosing an omega-3 supplement make sure that it is packaged in a bottle that blocks out the light and always make sure to refrigerate after opening!

Where is BodySpecific?

Are you looking for Mild Hyperbaric Services in Michigan? Well, look to BodySpecific in Royal Oak, Michigan; Just minutes away from Birmingham, Troy, Clawson, Southfield, Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Rochester, Sterling Heights, Clinton Twp, Novi, and Farmington Hills.

New video showing demonstrating self treatment with the Grand Dive

Click here to visit youtube to watch the video