Toxins and Heavy Metals in the Environment

June 24, 2010 by George Mandler · 1 Comment 

There is more and more research being made available how we live in a toxic world that simply did not exists 150 or even 100 years ago. I just read an Associated Press article about the toxic metals in sperm whales.
You can read that story here. Other research has been released about polar bears, sea lions, arctic inhabitants, and and birds to name a small percentage of examples. These toxins start out at birth as outlined by the EWG so there little doubt we all carry a toxic load. Read more

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Acupuncture Triggers Natural Pain Killers

June 4, 2010 by George Mandler · Leave a Comment 

There are many possibilities as to why acupuncture is so effective for many pain conditions.  No doubt it isn’t just one or two mechanisms at work but several that may be different depending on the individual.    A recent article found that adenosine which is a pain receptor modulator is expressed during acupuncture.      This study was done in mice which may or may not translate to humans, although it is very likely this is one of the mechanisms at play.

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Acupuncture Improves Strength Training

June 2, 2010 by George Mandler · Leave a Comment 

This from the European Journal of Applied Physiology:
Immediate effects of acupuncture on strength performance: a randomized, controlled crossover trial.
Hübscher M, Vogt L, Ziebart T, Banzer W.

Department of Sports Medicine, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Ginnheimer Landstrasse 39, 60487, Frankfurt, Germany, m.huebscher@sport.uni-frankfurt.de.

The present study investigated the immediate efficacy of acupuncture compared to sham acupuncture and placebo laser acupuncture on strength performance. A total of 33 recreational athletes (25.2 +/- 2.8 years; 13 women) were randomized to receive acupuncture, sham acupuncture (needling at non-acupuncture points) and placebo laser acupuncture (deactivated laser device) in a double-blind crossover fashion with 1 week between trials. Assessment included bipedal drop jumps for maximum rebound height and quadriceps maximum isometric voluntary force (MIVF). Furthermore, surface electromyography (EMG) was used to measure the EMG activity of the rectus femoris muscle during a 30-s sustained MIVF of the knee extensors. Mean power frequency (MPF) analysis was applied to characterize muscular endurance. Measurements were performed at baseline and immediately after treatment by a blinded investigator. Repeated measures ANOVA and post hoc paired-sample t test with Bonferroni-Holm correction were used for statistical analysis. The difference in the mean change in MIVF from baseline between acupuncture (46.6 N) and sham laser acupuncture (19.6 N) was statistically significant (p < 0.05), but no significant difference was found between acupuncture (46.6 N) and sham acupuncture (28.8 N). ANOVA did not show statistically significant treatment effects for drop jump height or MPF. The present study shows that a single acupuncture treatment was efficacious for improving isometric quadriceps strength in recreational athletes. These results might have implications not only for athletic performance enhancement, but also for rehabilitation programs aimed at restoring neuromuscular function.

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