I have just ordered an inverse table the one with gravity boots. I intend to meditate or even sleep upside down because I think that is needed for the full benefits for CFS/lyme. Everyone is different you just start off slowly etc...
Wallace www.energycenter.com www.omygym.com Children of Clay by Ed Thomas, Ed.D. Iowa K-12 Health and Physical Education Consultant Naturam non vinces nisi parendo ``You will not master Nature unless you obey Her,'' said the Ancients. We must conform to Her fixed and indisputable laws to live in harmony with Her. Follow Her rules, and we will grow beautifully formed. Disobey Her, and She will deform us. One of our best historical models for living compatibly with Nature is the Ancient Greek. Discipline, symmetry, beauty, strength, endurance, agility, and graceful harmony were admired, sought and often attained. The Persian Wars brought continued urgency and personal responsibility to Greek physical culture, and athletic games provided opportunity to put aside mundane strife in favor of activities more transcendent in form and nature. Thousands of years later, the Ancients still offer us a compelling and rational paradigm for physical education. From the Ancient Greeks, we are taught to see the human organism as a temporary vehicle through which divine unity and its subordinate stages can be sought, experienced and celebrated. The beauty of their language frees us from the decay of our own. Their art provides an ideal of the human form. The crumbling statues from their vanished cultures remind us that we too will be dust, and precious life should not be wasted on anything less than the pursuit and love of truth, beauty and wisdom. From the historical, linguistic and sociocultural high ground, the physical educator's responsibilities are enormous. "Nations have passed away and left no trace, and history gives the naked cause of it,� wrote Rudyard Kipling. �One single, simple reason in all cases; they fell because their people were not fit." Physical fitness includes physique, organic function and motor skills. All of these are impacted by posture and body mechanics. Physical educators are the first line of defense against the unnatural influences that would deform our children. We are charged with guiding their motor development across the precarious bridge between childhood and adolescence. By the post-secondary level, we should be helping them add the final touches to their symmetrical, proportional and highly efficient forms. This is the ideal. Ill-fitting furniture including flat desks are a crime against children and youth. This is clearly a physical education issue.
The reality is that postural deformities and poor body mechanics are epidemic. Our precious youngsters are growing steadily more inert, malformed and clumsy. Fortunate are those who survive the education gauntlet with minimal damage and defects. It is not for a lack of historical evidence that we fail to effectively address the importance of good posture and body mechanics. It simply fell off the radar. Throughout the K-12 experience, youngsters fully capable of being taught to move gracefully and efficiently are victimized by an educational system that reinforces poor posture and body management skills. Probably more a crime of omission than commission, it remains to be seen whether the paradigm will shift. Posture can be simply defined as, ``Any position in which the body resides.'' Good posture is a rational adjustment of the various parts to each other and of the body as a whole to its environment, task or work. The complex human organism is constantly in motion, so our posture is continually shifting. Body mechanics is posture's close relative. In 1932, the Orthopedics and Body Mechanics Subcommittee of the Hoover White House Conference on Child Health and Protection defined body mechanics as "The mechanical correlation of the various systems of the body with special references to the skeletal, muscular, and visceral systems and their neurological associations.'' In other words, good posture and body mechanics are the foundations of motor development. If we taught nothing else, these would stand first in line for attention. Ptosis (drooping or falling) is one of the primary problems associated with poor posture and body alignment. Skeletal ptosis manifests as a forward dropping of the head and variousunnatural spinal curves with rotation and displacement. Visceral ptosis is another common condition where an organ or organs are displaced downward. The common hyperflexed slump seen among our children and adults displaces the lungs, heart, liver, intestines, and other vital organs. Exterior structural adaptations and indicators often include rounded shoulders, a flattened chest and protruding abdomen. Blood ptosis is a downward displacement and collection of blood in the splanchnic veins of the abdomen caused by insufficient nervous control of the splanchnic veins that must work against gravity to do their job. Weak abdominal muscles contribute to the problem.
Ptosis is a common, unsightly and preventable postural deformity.
Occupation, disease, poor care in infancy, and malconceived physical education curriculums are a few of the obvious influences that can impair postural development. Other subtle and overlooked factors such as ill-fitting school furniture and extensive practice of specific sport skills early in life have not, in the recent past, been widely acknowledged. Overall, a complex set of issues involving heredity, environment and habits must all be considered, but one of Nature's most important realities is that gravity molds us. We are living clay, and Nature's gravity is like the potter's hands molding and shaping us. To exist in harmony with Nature, we must also live compatibly with gravity. One of the most enduring explanations for our troublesome relationship with gravity is that our ancestors were quadrupeds. Somewhere in history, the theory goes, we decided to stand our quadruped skeleton up on its hind legs. With all its benefits, the upright bipedal posture presents some serious kinesiological challenges. Our many moving parts must constantly seek a center of gravity to avoid unwanted stress and strain. This requires tremendous muscular balance and neural coordination. Slight misalignments anywhere in the system create imbalance throughout the organism, and a pernicious cycle of structural and functional defects follows. A return to all fours is not a popular option, and not everyone agrees that postural deformities and the suffering that accompanies them are the price we must pay for walking on our hind legs. Dr. Robert M. Martin challenged the evolutionary theory of postural develop -ment in the early 1960's, and his insights are still worth considering today. Martin was born and spent his childhood in central Iowa during the early 1920s. His father was a chiropractor. Martin began training in the German system of gymnastics when he was around five years old. As a young man, he worked with Bernarr McFadden and taught at Turner Halls in Philadelphia and Kansas City. Martin eventually received degrees in Chiropractic from National College in Chicago, Osteopathy from the College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City, and Medicine from the California College of Medicine in Los Angeles. Young Martin, on top, was anaccomplished gymnast.
Martin began specializing in orthopedics early in his career, combining the healing power of movement to his medical treatments. Martin eventually migrated to Southern California, and was there in the early 1960's when a new national interest in physical fitness, weight training and gymnastics was ignited under the leadership of President John F. Kennedy. Martin's ideas began to appear in California-based health and physical fitness magazines. From his clinic in Pasadena, he combined decades of medical studies with the lessons he had learned as an Iowa gymnast, relying heavily on the power of rational movement to heal his patients. In his 1975 book, Cum Gravity-- Living with gravity, he wrote, ``Being a physician who also practices and teaches gymnastics, one discovery became most pronounced to me. I found that my avocation was often helping people far more, in many ways, than my vocation. It was something of a miracle to see the wonderful transformation of ailing men and women into persons of commanding physique and stamina; some of these were individuals who at the beginning of their exercise programs seemed most unlikely to improve.'' Martin also questioned the common mainstream assertion that humankind is ill-equipped to walk upright. He wrote, ``Hundreds of volumes (books, newspapers, magazines, etc.) have been published on backache. Almost all authors of these articles have a single premise: an assumption that low-back pain has plagued mankind ever since man assumed the unanimal like posture of the human when he changed from a quadruped to a biped. They relate that at the time this change occurred, man's neuro-musculoskeletal mechanism was that of a quadruped, and that as bipeds, our bodies are unable to live compatibly with gravity to this very day. It is declared that because man stands erect, his spine is unstable and gravity has devastating effects - not only on the vertebral column, but also on many other body functions. Thus, gravity is proclaimed to be man's foe.'' Martin challenged the notion that gravity is the villain, and humankind is doomed to ultimately be compressed and distorted by its unidirectional force and relentless pressure upon us. He argued that we do it to ourselves because we limit our motion. Martin wrote, ``In the development of life on earth, no force is of greater consequence than the force of gravity. This force, without the intelligent use of exchange of postures, can deform, disable, or even destroy your body. Gravity applies its constant, relentless force to the pliable, moldable, movable structures of the body, much like a potter manipulates and molds clay. The resulting shape depends on how the force is allowed to apply. In both cases, to produce a shape and form of beauty, intelligent application of force is required.'' Martin suggested that there are six basic human postural categories. Three of them are common. Most people spend their lives, twenty-four hours a day, in them. The other three postures are uncommon. The common postures produce compression and shortening of stature while the uncommon postures decompress and elongate. In other words, the uncommon postures are compensatory. They mitigate the wear and tear caused by constantly assuming the dominant common postures. Page 4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Martin's six basic postures illustrate the importance of postural exchange. Group I - Common Postures Effects: Produce body compression and shortening of stature. Used: In work, play, rest, etc. 1. The ERECT POSTURE (Fig. 1) (The posture of Dominance) a. Sitting b. Standing 2. The HORIZONTAL POSTURE (Fig. 2) (The posture of neutrality) a. Lying (On side, back, or front) 3. The FLEXED POSTURE (Fig. 3) (The posture of Accessibility) a. Bending forward Group II - Uncommon Postures Effects: Produce body decompression and elongation of stature. Used: To counter and correct adverse effects of gravity produced by the common postures 4. The EXTENDED POSTURE (Fig. 4) (The posture of Bending Backwards) 5. The BRACHIATED POSTURE (Fig. 5) (The posture of hanging by the limbs - upper or lower) 6. The INVERTED POSTURE (Fig. 6) (The Upside-down Posture) a. Hand Stand b. Forearm Stand c. Shoulder Stand d. Hanging by the Lower Limbs
Martin's six basic postures illustrate the importance of postural exchange.
Yogis and Monks have inverted for centuries. Martin began inventing inversion equipment early in his career, but he was always quick to give credit to others who discovered the principles before him. Yogis and monks have inverted for centuries. Physicians in the Middle Ages used the Scamnum Hippocrates. It was a ladder-shaped bed used to facilitate inverted traction.
Physicians in the Middle Ages employed the Scamnum Hippocrates.
In the late-1800's, the great Strongman C.A. Sampson advocated the Roman Column. The famous body builder John Grimek trained upside down in the 1940's and 50's. Joseph Pilates also used extension, inversion and brachiation. Many chiropractors and physical therapists have used extension and inverted brachiation for decades. Physical educators are beginning to recognize the value of postural exchange, but mistakes in methodology can be at the expense of students.
Body Building legend John Grimek lifted light weights while inverted.
The great 19th Century strongman C.A. Sampson used the Roman Column. Page 6
Once deprived of the uncommon postures over time, spatial awareness deteriorates. Students and teachers must be taught to safely and profitably enter, assume and exit these uncommon postures. Progression, variety and precision are essential, as is correct spotting and instruction.
LTC William Rieger, Commandant of the United States Army Physical Fitness School demonstrates horizontal extension on a Body Bridge. Many physical therapists and physical trainers have also recently rediscovered extension. In the early 1980's, leaning backward was widely discouraged. Critics frequently called it hyperextension to stress its negative nature. Innovations such as the popular Swiss ball, Body Bridge and numerous other extension devices now provide tools to safely teach and practice it. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon in our universities today to still hear professors of exercise science or physical education warning against extension. Inverted postures like handstands, shoulder stands and forearm stands are also often contraindicated or simply overlooked. Inversion tables and boots were generally ignored or deplored by most physical educators when people across the country started using them in the early 1970's. Many physical educators based their opinions on 1980's research that warned against turning the body upside down. Herbert Devries, Ph.D. put the exaggerated risk of increased arterial blood pressure and cerebrovascular damage caused by inversion to rest in 1985 when he wrote; ``Considerable valid research data on the use of inversion devices to relieve low back pain have been published in the medical literature. Unfortunately, the information has been distorted and sensationalized in the lay press, giving rise to confusion. With proper precaution, full inversion using an oscillating inversion device probably presents no risk to normotensive healthy persons.''
Thomas teaching inversion to students at The University of Iowa in the early 1970s. I began teaching decompression and mobilization in physical education skills courses at The University of Iowa in the early 1970's. Using a device called a Physicare Machine and later Dr. Martin's equipment, I safely introduced hundreds of students to a variety of inversion techniques. Some faculty members were at best ambivalent about the concept. One anatomy professor wrote, ``I doubt this does much good but in all fairness I'm quite sure it probably doesn't hurt anything either. Page 7 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In fact, a little stretching each day undoubtedly feels good, if one wants to do it this way that's their own business. More power to them--but don't pay anything for it.'' Not all physical educators ignored or rejected Martin's methods during those years. In a 1986 letter to him, past president of the AAHPERD and a former professor at The University of Iowa B.D. Lockhardt wrote, ``If the AAHPERD embraces the concepts you teach and modifies its fitness assessments accordingly, every child in physical education classes throughout America will be positively affected by your ideas. I am hopeful that we will make these adjustments as soon as possible and start on a steady and sensible program of preventing back pain long before it starts.''
Thomas facilitates inverted brachiated extension at Northern Illinois University. I introduced Martin's theory of six postures to thousands of students at Northern Illinois University between 1979 and 1993. I taught students in Korea, Germany, Burma and Thailand to invert, extend and brachiate. Most recently, I worked with the United States Army to implement inversion Army- wide. First tested by U.S. Army Rangers in the mid-1990's, the United States Army Physical Fitness School now recommends inverted decompression and mobilization as an integral part of physical readiness training for all U.S. soldiers. After almost thirty years of teaching people to employ these simple but uncommon postures, it remains for me a mystery that such obvious principles of posture and body management are not widespread and mainstream practice.
United States Army Rangers practice inverted sit-ups at Fort Benning, Georgia. Martin's message is uniquely suited for our time, and we are wise to again consider the complicated notions he eloquently translated into simple andcompelling language. ``Examples of the consequences of not living compatibly with gravity and Newtonian Law are found everywhere,'' He wrote. ``One needs only to look at his neighbor and his drooping, shortening, sagging stature; bulged out mid-section, and unsightly posterior to see the devastating Page 8 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
effects of gravity, illustrating how important it is to live compatibly with this major environmental influence. Too many of us are models of molding tissue living without concern for gravity's guiding power - a power we must learn to respect and use positively. The body is not only molded by the force of gravity, but it is conditioned by it. Gravity has been cast in the role of a villain instead of being seen in its proper light, namely a servant of mankind. It is the limiting of motion and fixation of posture that allows the force of gravity to warp the body and thus cause common backache.'' There is, of course, much to consider if and when the physical education profession begins to rebuild the posture and body mechanics curriculum. Martin's pioneering work can certainly provide a start point, but many others past and present have dedicated their professional efforts to these issues. If and when we decide to develop posture and body mechanics curriculums that actually make a difference in our students' lives, we will be pleasantly surprised that much of the work has already been done by those before us who lived close enough to Nature to see the simplicity and logic of Her eternal laws. To reach Ed Thomas, Ed.D. at the Iowa Department of Education, call 515-281- 3933. Website www.ihpra.org. Recommended Sources 1. Bennett, H.E. (1928). School posture and seating. Boston: Ginn and Company. 2. Devries, H.A. (1985, October- November). Inversion devices: Potential benefits and precautions. Corporate Fitness & Recreation, 4 (6), 24-27. 3. Drew, L.C. (1927). Adapted group gymnastics. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger. 4. Drew, L.C. (1929). Individual gymnastics. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger. 5. Goldthwaite, J.E. (1934). Body mechanics. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company. 6. Howland, I.H. (1936). The teaching of body mechanics. New York: A.S. Barnes. 7. Jacobsen, E. (1929). Progressive relaxation. Chicago: The University Press. 8. Lee, M., & Wagner, M. (1949). Fundamentals of body mechanics and conditioning. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders. 9. Lippitt, L.C. (1923). A manual of corrective gymnastics. New York: The Macmillan Company. 10. Lovett, R.W. (1922). Lateral curvature of the spine and round shoulders. 5th ed., Philadelphia: P. Blakiston's Son and Company Incorporated. 11. Lowman, C.L., Colestock, C., & Cooper, H. (1928). Corrective physical education for groups. New York: A.S. Barnes and Company. 12. Martin, R.M. (1975). Cum gravity- Living with gravity. San Marino, CA: Essential Publishing. 13. Martin, R.M. (1979). The gravity guiding system-Turning the aging process upside down. San Marino, CA: Essential Publishing. 14. McKenzie, R.T. (1923). Exercise in education and medicine. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company. 15. Mesendieck, B.M. (1931). It's up to you-The Mesendieck system. New York: 36 West Fifty-ninth St. Page 9 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. Metheny, E. (1986). Movement and meaning. New York: McGraw-Hill. 17. Pearl, N.H. & Brown, H.E. (1919). Health by stunts. New York: Macmillan Company. 18. Rathbone, J.L. (1934). Corrective physical education. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company. 19. Richardson, F.H., & Hearn, W. J. (1930). The preschool child and his posture. New York: G.P. Putman's Sons. 20. Spencer, H. (1886). Education: Intellectual, moral, and physical. New York: Appleton. 21. Staley, S.C. (1926). Calisthenics. New York: A.S. Barnes and Company. 22. Sumption, D. (1929). Fundamental Danish gymnastics. New York: A.S, Barnes and Company. 23. Stafford, G.T. (1928). Preventive and corrective physical education. New York: A.S. Barnes and Company. 24. Thomas, E.J. (1993). Decompression and mobilization-Down but not out of the gymnasium. The Physical Educator, 50, 39-46. 25. Thomas, L., & Goldthwaite, J.E. (1922). Body mechanics and health. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 26. Todd, M. (1937). The thinking body. Boston: Charles T. Branford Company. 27. White House Conference. (1932). Body mechanics in education and practice. Washington: Library of Congress. Page 10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We would like express our appreciation to Ed Thomas, Ed.D for this excellent article and permission to present it on ww.energycenter.com. Dr. Thomas has been doing amazing work in the field of health and fitness for decades. If you would like to visit his website please click here:
Why do some doctors advise against inversion therapy?
For centuries traction had been one of the primary doctor prescribed therapies for back problems. Recently pain medication and surgical treatments became popular. Even though traction was recommended for centuries sometimes modern doctors will advise against inversion therapy. It has been our experience that one of the main reasons they advise against inversion is because they do not understand that the user has total control over the angle of incline and extreme angels that may concern the physician are not recommended nor are they usually necessary for achieving great benefits. What some doctors need to realize is that a person can set the table for horizontal or any mild degree of incline. When very mild angles are used the stresses on the body are minimal and any risks are reduced. We have heard from people over the years who avoided inversion therapy because their doctors did not understand the potential benefits. Some of these people found a different doctor who did understand how much benefit could be achieved with as little as 15-20 minutes a day of mild inversion and rhythmic intermittent traction. This is achieved easily with the inversion table by creating a rocking motion. Some doctors contraindicate inversion therapy for very good reasons. In some cases they have not taken the time to study this simple therapy that has brought pain relief and a better quality of life to hundreds of thousands of people.
For anyone about to begin a program of inversion therapy we offer a few suggestions.
Begin slowly: Invert only 15 to 20 degrees at first, and stay inverted only as long as it feels comfortable, which may only be a few seconds at first. Remarkably, you can gain all of the benefits of inversion without ever fully inverting yourself. Most people find 20 to 60 degrees of decline adequate and very comfortable.
Come up slowly: When you come back upright the pressure is again placed on the discs and nerves. Come up slowly and relax at the horizontal before coming upright.
Make changes gradually: Increase the angle of incline only if it is comfortable, and only increase the angle a few degrees at a time. The Hang Ups F5000 inversion table has a tether strap to help people stay within their inversion range. People can add rocking back and forth (rhythmic traction) to their inversion program once they feel comfortable.
Pay attention to your body: You're unique, and your body will tell you what's good for it. You determine the pace when adapting to the inverted world.
Relaxing after a long day at a 25-45 degree angle for 15-20 minutes can be a great stress relieving & rejuvenating experience.
Rhythmic Intermittent Traction: Use intermittent traction (pull and release) or rhythmic traction to encourage blood, lymph, and spinal fluid circulation. Moving, twisting, stretching, and light exercise while inverted aids in the alignment of bones and organs while minimizing any increase in blood pressure, but strenuous exercise is not recommended while inverted. Just relax and enjoy!
Do it regularly: There are a variety of inversion programs and exercises. Trust yourself to find the approach that's best for you, and then do it every day. Two or three short sessions (10-20 minutes) a day seem to work best for most people.
Inversion is a very dynamic & effective form of traction. Even at a 45 degree angle a person is achieving a greater force of pull on the back than hospital traction. The force of the pull registers much stronger on the body than it does on the conscious mind. This is why it iseasy to over stretch the muscles & nerves of the back and neck & possibly get a spasm. Remember, most adults have not hung upside down since they were little kids.
After using inversion for a while usually the disc compression and nerve pain is relieved enough to begin an exercise program. Most people suffering disc compression have a problem with pelvic tilt that adds to the malalignment of the spine and nerve irritation. This pelvic tilt problem and some exercises are discussed on this page click here:
Based on years of research and the testimonials of hundreds of people who have found relief from back pain, inversion is a powerful, natural option for people who want to relieve lower back pain. Sometimes there's an explanation for why inversion works, and sometimes there isn't - it works for some and not for others. We only know that for many people, literally turning their world upside down through inversion therapy can provide an alternative to drugs and surgery in a life filled with daily pain.
Many people say it is the greatest stretch they have had in years.
Dr. Bernard Jensen who many consider to be one of the greatest naturopathic teachers and healers of the 20th century recommends using a slant board as part of an optimum health program. This inversion table does everything the slant board does & more!!!
BACK | REPLY
Omgym
is similar but explains the benefits of full inversion for boosting the brain to deal with our brain fog.
Wallace
Inversion relieves back pain, improves posture and enhances spinal mobility. Gravity assists the body to gently align, adjust, and give traction to the spine ...read more
Inversion boosts brain power. Blood flow to the brain is increased, nourishing the brain cells with more oxygen and nutrients required for optimal brain function. Inverted poses commonly increase concentration, memory, awareness, and stimulate thought ...read more
Inversion promotes lymphatic drainage and blood purification. This healthy detoxification is partly why a great feeling of rejuvenation is experienced when using the OmGym. Immunity is boosted with increased lymphatic cleansing and overall body function happens more efficiently and effectively ...read more
Inversion improves digestion and elimination. The yogic approach to tone the inner organs and help to overcome constipation is to perform inverted postures ...read more
Inversion elevates the mood and relieves depression. With increased circulation and oxygen to the brain, the release of neurotransmitters, the balancing of hormones, endorphin-releasing movement, and therapeutic postural correction, it is normal to feel immediately uplifted after inversion. The effects are a powerful way to counteract depression, premenstrual symptoms, mood swings, and SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
Inversion enhances relaxation and promotes sounder sleep. Muscle tension is reported to decrease by 35% while inverting. Anxiety, tension, and insomnia are all treatable with natural inversion therapy.
Inversion creates a more beautiful appearance: Good posture leads to statuesque poise, grace, balance and symmetry. Circulation affects the ``glow'' and tone of the skin. With more blood flow to the head, the facial capillaries and hair follicles of the scalp receive more oxygen and nutrients, nature's best beauty treatment. With boosted lymphatic drainage and detoxification, visual signs of toxicity (including acne, cellulite, fluid retention, and varicose veins) tend to reduce. The inverted position also helps prolapsed, protruding organs return to their normal shape and position.
In short, inversion reverses the aging force of gravity. Inversion relieves back pain with better posture and greater spinal mobility. Inversion uses gravity to gently align, adjust, and give traction to the spine.
This healthy traction decompresses the vertebrae, creating space for the discs while straightening and balancing the spinal column. Prime back care results are experienced when the supportive muscles of the spinal column are synergistically lengthened and strengthened from performing inversion and therapeutic movement.
Inversion offers the easiest way to ease strains caused by compression and to lift the weight off the superimposed segments of the body. The muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the back and torso are all stretched, creating a great feeling of release. Subluxations of the vertebrae tend to correct, helping to diminish back pain. Studies have proven it to be helpful in correcting or greatly improving the condition of herniated nucleus pulposis, herniated discs, spondylolisthesis, lumbar osteoarthritis, sciatica, paralytic scoliosis and inclinatory skeletal defects (rib angle changes, thin discs, and compression wedging of the vertebrae). Only when the spinal column is in good health, can the rest of the body function properly. It is normal to see a dramatic change in overall strength, immunity, and emotional wellbeing by toning and taking care of your spinal column...back
Inversion boosts brain power. Blood flow to the brain is increased, nourishing the brain cells with more oxygen and nutrients required for optimal brain function. Inverted poses commonly increase concentration, memory, awareness, and stimulate thought.``
We know that the brain is the center of nerve control and that all movements originate in the brain. When this brain mass lacks a sufficient supply of blood the natural results will be slow body reactions and sluggish mental and physical reflexes - a possible for lack of mental alertness and response...When these symptoms appear, it is evident that postures which alter gravity's effect are vitally needed.''
Dr Robert M Martin, Author of The Gravity Guiding System, Turning the Aging Process Upside Down
Hanging upside-down increases blood flow to the brain, which in-turn increases the bioavailability of oxygen and glucose, the two most important metabolic substrates for the brain. Bathing the brain cells in this vital solution will increase the creation of neurotransmitters (such as norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin), which are imperative for healthy brain function and tend to decrease with age. Norephinephrine is needed for attention and arousal. Dopamine is needed to accurately assess the passage of time and control movement. Seratonin regulates a healthy emotional state.
Simultaneously, inversions alter the flow of cerebral spinal fluid and relieve compression of the bottom portion of the brain, which could also greatly help to improve overall brain function. Dr. Robert M Martin wrote that the brain operates 14% more accurately when the brain is operating on an inverted, inclined plane...back
Inversion improves digestion and elimination. The yogic approach to overcoming constipation is to perform inversions.When in the upright position, stool moving from the ileocecal valve through the ascending colon is moving against the force of gravity and may prove to be difficult. When inverted, it is moving with gravity. The pressing of the stool against the intestinal walls also encourages movement. When inverted, the pressure on the walls stimulates a stronger peristalsis.
Variations (such as twists during inversion) are also useful to increase elimination. Relief from constipation can help with general fatigue, tension and anxiety, skin disorders (such as acne), and bad breath. For constipation relief, try gently massaging your abdomen while in a relaxed, inverted position on the OmGym Sling...back
You do it for us and let us know how it works*)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I DO hope it goes well, teasing aside*)!!! May help oxygenation of the brain???!*)! You never know*)!*)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by meg (Member # 22) on :
Supposed to be good for the back....who knows?
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
From Chicago Tribune:
Originally posted: April 16, 2007 Inversions gain traction Rosie O'Donnell hangs upside down to treat depression. "DaVinci Code" author Dan Brown does it for a creative burst. And runner Marc Swerdlow of Highland Park swears it alleviates back pain.
Should you shake up your life with inversions, a concept traditionally embraced by yogis, children, gymnasts and bats?
Like all activities that promise better health, it depends on your fitness level, pre-existing conditions and expectations.
Proponents say inversions can be beneficial because when you spend your life sitting or standing, blood pools in the lower part of the extremities. Inversions can reverse the blood flow in the body, temporarily counteracting the negative effects of gravity, improving circulation and lymph flow and bringing blood and oxygen to the brain.
These changes are said to help stimulate the immune system, alleviate arthritic and low back pain, prevent varicose and spider veins, firm up sagging organs and reduce stress.
Arthritic hip pain, for example, can be caused by small, hard compounds found in the synovial fluid of the joint, which grind into the joint when someone stands, walks or runs. But if the joint is opened by hanging or swiveling, the compounds move out of the joint region, alleviating the problem, according to British researchers who studied the effects of hanging from the feet.
"The foremost benefit is the ability to traction the spine," said therapeutic yoga instructor Mark Kater, owner of Harmony Yoga Reiki Center in Skokie, who has been dangling wrong-side-up for two decades. "Turning upside down causes the spinal column to lengthen in the opposite direction to normal gravity stress. This means the spaces between the vertebra open. And this relieves the stress on the spinal discs, which may be pinching on the nerves and causing pain."
But not everyone has a body that responds well to the unnatural inverted state. People with high blood pressure, extreme obesity, glaucoma, hypertension, bone weaknesses, heart or circulatory disorders or who are pregnant shouldn't try it without a doctor's supervision.
And though inversion therapy dates to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, evidence that it can permanently relieve back pain is limited and dated. It's easy to pull a muscle by overdoing it because there's a tendency to believe that if hanging for two minutes is good, then 10 minutes is even better, said Craig Singer, a massage therapist at Alternative Health Group in Bucktown. And most of the effects are temporary at best.
"It's like when you stop going to the gym, you lose fitness," said Riley Teeter of Teeter Hang Ups, which makes inversion products for commercial use, gyms, spas and medical lines designed for doctor's offices.
"If you stop using [inversion therapy], gravity comes back, compresses the soft tissue in joints and the negative effects might return," said Teeter, whose father started the company in 1981 to help his own backaches. "It's really a lifestyle change. You incorporate inversion in your life."
In addition to yoga poses, inversions can be achieved using gravity boots, a yoga sling or inversion tables. Gravity boots, which are strapped around the ankles, are hooked on to a horizontal chin-up bar. The boots allow a full, 180-degree inversion, which can be good for athletes who want extra traction or want to perform challenging exercises such as inverted curls or squats. But for beginners, it can be difficult to get back up to the bar while wearing the boots.
A yoga sling, which O'Donnell demonstrated on "The View," is easier to use than gravity boots and requires less strength, Kater said. Some snap into eye hooks that are anchored into the wall or ceiling, or they can be attached to a horizontal bar.
Then there are adjustable inversion tables or chairs, which allow people to begin upright and gently tilt back to a comfortable degree, whether it's 30 degrees beyond horizontal or a full 180 degrees. The feet are held in place by ankle pads, and the inversion is controlled by the users' arms.
For Chicago real estate developer Jeff Grinspoon, 43, it was the inversion table that worked for his back pain. At first, he found it stressful. But before long, he had his 78-year-old father trying it too.
"Blood flowing to the head feels weird," said Grinspoon, who inverts once or twice a day for about five minutes. "But if you let go, it's relaxing. I've actually gotten sleepy while being upside down."
Swerdlow, 43, a marathoner and real estate attorney, suffered from a herniated disk. His physical therapist suggested an inversion table, and Swerdlow now uses it once or twice a day to help recover from long runs or lengthy plane trips. Unlike Grinspoon, he never found turning upside down to be uncomfortable.
"I've joked that if I can't sleep at night, I'd use it to relax," he said.
The shallower the angle, the longer you can stay inverted, but there is no time limit. O'Donnell said she hangs between 15 and 30 minutes a days. Grinspoon and Swerdlow, who both bought inversion tables at Relax the Back, located in Chicago and Lincolnshire, generally use it less than 10 minutes a day, depending on how they feel.
But anecdotal claims aside, does it really work? There's little evidence for depression, and only a few studies have examined back pain.
One small study of 20 healthy men concluded that hanging upside down "significantly increased spinal length and reduced the muscle pain." But that was published in 1978.
In 1985, a study showed 13 of 16 men with low back pain found improvement using inversion and declared it an effective means of achieving "pelvic traction" at home. But the study, published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, found side effects included persistent headaches, blurred vision and contact lens discomfort. The study also cautioned that it should be done under medical supervision.
Northern Illinois researchers, meanwhile, tested 19 men in 1988 and found that "gravity inversion should not be compared to or classified as an exercise" and found "no physiological adaptation occurred in any of the inverted positions as a result of the inversion training."
Still, actor Richard Gere made gravity boots hip in the 1980s when he dangled from them in the movie "American Gigolo." And aside from some bad publicity in 1983 when a study raised concerns that inversions could be dangerous-a conclusion that was later adjusted to say inversions were fine if participants were in good health-the market has been slowly expanding.
STL International Inc., which manufactures Teeter Hang Ups, said it has seen a 374 percent growth in sales since the late 1990s. And plenty of Internet competitors are offering inversion tables for as little as $129 as well as discounted gravity boots and chairs, something that concerns the Teeters, whose tables start at $299 and range up to $3,000 for a medical version.
The danger, said Riley Teeter, is that consumers get what they pay for. "I fear we're heading toward a market collapse with all the cheap copies out there," she said. "With cheap equipment, you get catastrophic failure after just five months of use."
That can be unnerving, given that it takes a bit of bravery to swing from your ankles on even the most trustworthy equipment. But finding the courage to try inversions is one of the benefits, Kater said.
"The idea of going upside down can be scary, especially when using the gravity boots," Kater said. "But a person can gain confidence by doing something they aren't used to doing. After hanging upside down, people seem to have a lighter mood and feel happier in general."
For Chicago's Alan Wolf, a fitness consultant who hangs upside down every day at Lakeshore Athletic Club, Kater's yoga studio or at his outdoor back-yard gym, the daily head-rush blends body, mind and spirit. He uses it to build core strength by doing inverted crunches and squats and to clear his head.
Like O'Donnell, he uses it as a mood enhancer. "There's just no way you can go up there, come down and still feel depressed," he said. "It changes your world."
(Tribune photo by John Dziekan)
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
It arrived!I spent nearly an hour and a half on it. Most of it at 80% .
I also enjoyed rocking from 80 to 50 degrees. like an enormous swing. I feel I can definitely sleep on it at around 75 degrees as there is no ankle pain with my boots! You feel like you are flying.
In time I feel this will definitely help. I feel so relaxed!!!
Wallace
Posted by jaime1978 (Member # 11786) on :
how much does something like this cost? My spine is one of my biggest complaints, the pain is insaine at times. I am always trying to twist and stretch it out. I think I'd like to try one of these.....
Posted by lymednva (Member # 9098) on :
If you suffer from Dysautonomia I would suggest that you consult with your LLMD before trying anything like this.
Our bodies don't react like they should to things like being upside down. Shoot, they don't react like they should when we are right side up!
[ 09. July 2007, 04:57 PM: Message edited by: lymednva ]
Posted by jaime1978 (Member # 11786) on :
never thought of that.... you're right... will definitly ask about it next visit
Posted by Marnie (Member # 773) on :
Just a "heads up" for some...
"Recently inversion traction has gained popularity. Inverted traction exposures usually start at 70-90 seconds and are progressively increased to 2-3 minutes with rest intervals of similar time periods, such that the maximum treatment time would be between 10-30 minutes.
Contraindications to this form of traction include hypertension and glaucoma. Occasionally, inversion therapy can aggravate asthma and migraine attacks and increase gastric reflux in an individual with a hiatial hernia."
Personally if I had lyme, I'd be a little concerned about the increased eye pressure.
But...of course as a kid...I, like most of you, had a blast hanging upside down on the monkey-bars.
Guess the above comment by CAVE means we will never see HER hanging upside down like a bat.
Newbies...this forum is open to "traditional" treatments as well as all "alternative" treatments discussions.
Keep an open mind...
We don't have the answers yet and need one another to figure out what works, what helps and most importantly ... what can truly CURE lyme.
[ 09. July 2007, 06:15 PM: Message edited by: Marnie ]
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Exactly Marnie we need an open mind!
Cost? Mine is a Teeter F5000 inversion table with gravity boots is around $400. Its the market leader.
I went to someone who had one and tried theirs and loved it. You actually feel better upside down than standing up!! And we know we feel better lying horizontally so.......
I spent three hours on it yesterday , at 20 degrees I was almost nodding off(ignore my other degree post as I was confused!) Rocking to and fro from 60 to 10 degrees is like a giant rocking chair or swing- very soothing.
For the full benefits of inversion you need to be at at least 60 degrees.
I intend to try to go asleep at 20 degrees, though not for eight hours yet! I intend to do several hours a day of inversion between 10 and 60 degrees.
All the benefits of exercise without doing anything!!!
Sunny rocking thoughts Wallace
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
On what degree of inversion see this info from the manufacturer. Wallace
To what degree should I invert?
Again, the answer varies with different people. Beginners should start at a mild angle (approximately 20-30 degrees beyond horizontal) for the first few weeks until you become comfortable with the operation of the table and are able to completely relax while inverted.
20 - 30 degrees: At this angle, your body begins to experience mild stretching to your muscles and joints, while benefiting from stimulated circulation, improved oxygen flow to the head, and repositioning of internal organs.
60 degrees (parallel with the rear legs of the table): This is the angle to which the average person experiences virtually all the benefits of inversion. Your spine receives the amount of traction it needs to completely decompress (once you are relaxed). Most people don't really need to go beyond this angle.
90 degrees (full inversion): In full inversion, your body hangs freely to be able to perform inverted exercises and stretching. You never really need to go to full inversion if you are not comfortable with it. Of course, those using the EZ-Up Inversion System or Inversion Bar will only be able to fully invert. You may need to alternate between inverting and resting with your hands on the foam grips until you are used to the feeling of prolonged inversion. You may also want to hang for short periods of time to begin with until you become more comfortable.
Top athletes are one group that may enjoy the extra traction from full inversion. Strong muscles and ligaments need higher loads to decompress.
Intermittent traction / Oscillation Intermittent traction (alternating 20-30 seconds inversion with returning upright) or oscillation (rhythmic rocking back and forth) are actually the "preferred" methods of inversion, recommended by many doctors, for stimulating circulation and waste removal in and around injured discs.
Virtually all issues of discomfort that occur with new invertees is due to going too far, too fast. You are wonderfully designed to be upside down, but if you are like most people, you are detrained to be inverted. Just listen to your body, increasing the your angle of inversion only as you feel comfortable.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
I dont have back pain but have most other problems!
W
Posted by Lymester (Member # 5848) on :
Just thinking about the rocking and inversion makes me sick.
1.) vertigo 2.) chest tightness, air hunger
I could not do this.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Herx?
This morning after a two hour session I needed to sleep for several hours. I am a little disappointed but with any therapy you have to listen to your body. All that blood and oxygen rushing into my brain obviously tired me out.
Time will tell how useful this is for me. But I was at 6o degrees, so I can always try a lesser degree of inversion.
wallace
Wallace
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
ohhh, i tried something like this once. the head pain, nausea, eye pain, etc., was more than i was willing to try again.
sorry, for me, it's a no go..
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Inversion Therapy A Natural Approach To Correcting Back Problems If you think hanging upside down to relieve back pain is some wacky, new-age idea? Think again. It probably goes back to the dawn of human development. It is easy to imagine an early human with a backache hanging by their knees from a tree branch.
We know that inversion was used at least as early as 400 B.C., when Hippocrates, the father of medicine, first watched a patient have his knees and ankles tied to a ladder to be hoisted upside down for a dose of what has come to be known as inversion therapy.
The Greek theories on inversion are still valid, but today there is a much easier way to relieve the back pains most people experience from time to time. The process is called inversion therapy, and it can be the natural way to a better back and a better body.
Back pain is one of the most common physical complaints in the world. Every day, it is estimated that some eleven million Americans struggle to get through a day complicated by an aching back. In the United States alone, some 93 million workdays are lost each year due to back problems. There is overwhelming evidence that spending a few minutes each day hanging inclined can be beneficial to your back, and to your general health, by simply counteracting the continuous downward pull of gravity. Hang Ups inversion equipment offers a safe and comfortable way for anyone to benefit from the soothing sensation of inversion.
The concept of turning the body upside down for better health has been around for centuries. In yoga the headstand position has been used by yoga practitioners as a way of temporarily reversing the direction of gravity. However, not everyone can to do headstands & this position still does not relieve compression.
Over time, the compressive force of gravity is particularly harsh on the spine because of the flattening effect on the spinal discs. The intervertebral discs act as shock absorbers between the vertebra, and consist of a cartilage covering which surrounds a gelatin-like center. Combine the compressive effect of gravity with stress, weak back and stomach muscles, a lack of exercise and you have all of the ingredients for back pain.
Of course, it is impossible to offset the gravitational effects of a lifetime just by jumping on an inversion table. But by spending a few minutes inverted each day, or two or three times a day, people usually begin to feel results by the end of the first week. After a month of inversion, many people don't know how they ever got along without it.
Both physicians and chiropractors report positive results from using natural gravity-inversion traction with patients. A neurosurgeon in San Francisco says inversion seems to get people over the acute phase quicker than other forms of therapy. We believe that inversion can benefit the discs, strengthen ligaments and soft tissues, and relieve muscle spasms. We've also had success with patients suffering from herniated discs.
Besides providing relief from back pain, a daily dose of inversion can help to promote good health by correcting common spinal alignment problems, eliminating tension headaches, reducing hemorrhoids, alleviating the discomfort of varicose veins, and stimulating mental alertness. Many people suffer, especially in their later years from prolapsed internal organs that sag as a result of years of the downward pull of gravity.
Quite simply, inversion allows gravity to help the body to naturally correct and align itself. You stretch out and elongate your spine, get blood to the brain, invert and reposition internal organs, and take stress off of the heart, which usually has to pump blood uphill to the brain.
As with any new exercise program, if someone is in doubt about their level of fitness, or if they are over the age of 40, consult a physician before starting an inversion program. Inversion is not recommended for people with extreme weight problems, those with a history of stroke, acute back injuries, or high blood pressure, and it is very important that people with these conditions consult with their doctor before trying inversion. Also, individuals who have bone disease, retinal detachment, or any other serious eye disorders would be advised to avoid inversion without their doctors permission.
Posted by SouthernCO (Member # 11167) on :
Have had 2 inversion tables since 1980's. Used the first to stretch the spine for back problems (osteoarthritis in various lumbar, thoracic, and cervical disks). Low back pain and headaches were alleviated to an extent.
When the Lyme bacteria, babesia, and chlamydia pneumoniae attacked the vulnerable spots in the spine upon the initial infection in summer, 1992, symptoms went far beyond the former simple back pain and headaches.
Now I try to be very careful, keeping the time used and angles at a safe level because of the neurological problems and my advancing (60+) age.
I feel it is a great tool for pain and other symptoms if used very carefully.
Best of luck to everyone.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
It was a temporary blip. I can report my first improvement- I no
longer have the momentary dizziness sensation when I wake up.
I invert for a couple of hours or so every day at 60 degree inversion.
TC Wallace
Let gravity work for you. Inversions are good for your lungs, heart, thyroid, and more.
By Yoko Yoshikawa
A year ago, the morning after carrying his bouncing 2-year-old boy on his shoulders, Peter woke up and discovered he couldn't move his head. The pain in his neck and shooting down his left arm was so intense that he could not lie on his back, sit upright, or focus enough to drive a car. Diagnosed with cervical radiculitis at C5, C6, and possibly C7, Peter missed work, numbed himself with muscle relaxants, and kept his neck trussed up in a brace for two weeks. He discovered that the pose that gave him greatest relief was Uttanasana. For months, his practice was gentle and low-to-the-ground: hip-openers, forward bends, and restorative work. Five months later, the skin of his left elbow was still numb and the first fingers on his left hand occasionally tingled.
The irony of his injury wasn't lost on him. Forty-one years old at the time, Peter had been practicing yoga for 13 years. Though he knew he was getting older, Peter had always been "good" at yoga, handling advanced poses with aplomb, competing with his peers for the teacher's compliments.
He had started practicing inversions within the first year of his practice. Shouldn't those 13 years of Headstands and Shoulderstands have guaranteed that Peter's neck would be strong, supple, able to withstand his child's weight and unpredictable, energetic kicks?
Or is it possible, rather, that Peter's inverted practice created the conditions for his injury? Peter has had tight neck muscles throughout his adult life, and in times of stress, his shoulders hunch up toward his ears. Peter's modus operandi for years was to show up for class a few times a week and blithely hoist his densely muscled body upside down via his neck muscles.
He forced himself to stay upright through a 10-minute Headstand, sweating liberally. Perhaps one can do that without repercussions at 20-something, but a dozen years later, the effort takes its toll. We all operate in a tangle of pernicious habits, and unless we consciously unpack and dismantle them in our yoga practice, they lie in wait and trip us up.
Many yoga practitioners in the United States are probably like Peter--householders pressed by other demands and desires, unable to practice yoga daily. So they show up for class whenever feasible, and execute every pose that does not provoke immediate and acute pain.
Peter's teacher, like any good yoga teacher, urged his students to develop a home practice, but Peter had never found the time. While it's impossible to say how pivotal Peter's inverted practice was to his injury, it's worth asking the question: If he had practiced more consistently, more mindfully, could he have averted it?
Sirsasana (Headstand) and Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) are seductive poses--physically challenging, visually dramatic, and exhilarating. They are also surprisingly accessible. Despite the limitations of a tight lower back or hamstrings, most yoga practitioners can move into an inversion relatively easily.
As yoga grows ever more popular (there are more students practicing Hatha yoga in California than in the entire country of India today, asserts Larry Payne, coauthor of Yoga for Dummies), students are enthusiastically practicing Headstand and Shoulderstand across the nation--in crowded Ashtanga classes without props, and for fairly long periods (10 minutes plus) in Iyengar Yoga classes.
Unfortunately, however, beginning and veteran yoga students are showing up in the offices of bodyworkers, chiropractors, and medical professionals with compression of the upper spine and impaired mobility in the neck, presumably from the practice of inversions.
In a culture that emphasizes competition and achievement, some students are clearly flinging themselves into inversions too soon. Couple that with the desultory nature of many people's practices--one class a week at best, on a drop-in basis--and classes that are too large for the teacher to see everyone in a given pose, and you have the recipe for possible disaster.
How, then, do we evaluate and approach inversions, poses that are said to be invaluable and that possess distinct physiological benefits? We can start by sculling back through the years and studying the role of inversions in classical yoga, at the river's source.
Fountain of Youth Yogis in India have experimented with their own bodies and breath in search of enlightenment for at least 5,000 years. What they came to understand about themselves was a direct result of sustained self-study and contemplation, or svadhyaya.
In their stringent meditation and ascetic practices, over the slow unfolding of days and months and years, they came to know and love the deep, enduring movements in the body--the pulse and rhythm of fluids and electric charges--and put exercises, images, and language to those movements, so we could follow.
The ancient texts state that there are seven main chakras (or psychic energy centers) along the vertical axis of the body. At the risk of being reductive, one might describe hatha yoga as practices designed to raise prana, or life force, up the spine, the path of the chakras. David Gordon White, in his fascinating book, The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India (University of Chicago, 1999), writes of an "inner void" that begins at the muladhara chakra at the base of the spine. It runs upward through the heart, and ends at the fontanelle, or "cleft of brahman," known as the brahmarandra, in the cranial vault. He quotes the Kathaka Upanishad (6.16), which states: "There are a hundred and one channels of the heart. One of these passes up to the crown of the head. Going up by it, one goes to immortality."
The Natha siddhas and other Tantric schools, forebears of the hatha yoga tradition, believed that amrita, the nectar of immortality, was held within the cranial vault, at the seventh chakra, the sahasrara chakra. The valued nectar, meting out our days, dropped down through the center of the body and was consumed in the fire of the torso. Turn yourself upside down, the reasoning went, and amrita would be retained, thus prolonging life and preserving one's prana.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika lists Viparita Karani Mudra as one of "the ten mudras which conquer old age and death." Unfortunately, that requires a daily practice of Viparita Karani Mudra for three hours!
From the Goraksha Shataka, a twelfth- or thirteenth-century text on hatha yoga, we learn that "in the region of the navel dwells the lonely sun, whose essence is fire; located at the base of the palate is the eternal moon, whose essence is nectar. That which rains down from the downturned mouth of the moon is swallowed by the upturned mouth of the sun. The practice [of Viparita Karani] is to be performed as a means to obtaining the nectar [which would otherwise be lost]."
Defying Gravity Until very recently, there has been little interest in the West in objectively documenting the effects of yoga on health, especially for the more advanced or esoteric practices, such as inversions. The medical doctors who have conducted the existing studies are predominantly Indian. Ralph Laforge, M.Sc., managing director at a clinic at Duke University Medical Center and an authority on the scientific foundations of hatha yoga, knows of only two clinical trials in this country designed to determine the physiological benefits of inversions, both of which were too "statistically underpowered" to draw clear conclusions.
Our understanding of how inversions benefit us, then, is built upon expert opinion, case studies, and educated reasoning. In the absence of more scientifically rigorous studies, we can cite biomechanical principles, measure indices such as heart rate or blood pressure, and witness the effects of inversions on people who practice regularly.
All the evidence points to one principal, galvanizing effect that inversions have on the practitioner: They upend one's relationship to gravity. Gravity has a profound effect on the physiological processes of the human body. As NASA discovered and Jerome Groopman reported in a New Yorker article (February 14, 2000), once humans enter zero gravity, we are subject to severe biomedical problems. Our sense of balance, determined by the vestibular system of the inner ear and calibrated to minute fluid movements, is destroyed. Blood, no longer weighted in the lower torso and legs, floods upwards and the heart speeds up, provoking dehydration and eventually anemia. Muscles atrophy and bone mass drops precipitously.
Here on earth, gravity slowly but surely weighs us down and saps our strength. We stand, sit, or walk with head above the heart, legs and pelvis underneath. As the years rack up, so do the damages. Subcutaneous fat sags. Varicose veins and hemorrhoids erupt. Weary of incessantly pumping blood through its vast circulatory network, the heart falters. According to Payne, the ancient yogis called gravity "the silent enemy." The yogi performs a martial-arts sleight-of-hand: Upend oneself and enlist gravity's power to arrest the ravages of that self-same force.
The human body is sensitive to the fluctuations of gravity because it consists of more than 60 percent water. From the skin in, the body is dense with cells, floating in a bath of intercellular fluid. A complex network of vessels weaves in and around every cell, steadily moving fluids through valves, pumps, and porous membranes, dedicated to transporting, nourishing, washing, and cleansing.
According to David Coulter, Ph.D., who taught anatomy at the University of Minnesota for 18 years, when one inverts, tissue fluids of the lower extremities drain--far more effectively than when one is asleep. Areas of congestion clear. In a 1992 Yoga International article on Headstand and the circulatory system, Coulter wrote: "If you can remain in an inverted posture for just 3 to 5 minutes, the blood will not only drain quickly to the heart, but tissue fluids will flow more efficiently into the veins and lymph channels of the lower extremities and of the abdominal and pelvic organs, facilitating a healthier exchange of nutrients and wastes between cells and capillaries."
All Systems Check There are four major systems in the body that the practice of inversions is said to positively influence: cardiovascular, lymphatic, nervous, and endocrine.
The circulatory system is comprised of the heart, the lungs, and the entire system of vessels that feed oxygen and collect carbon dioxide and other waste products from the cells. Arteries fan out in an intricate tributary system from the heart, which pumps freshly oxygenated blood from the lungs outward. Veins return blood to the heart, and, unlike arteries, make up a low-pressure system that depends on muscular movement or gravity to move blood along. One-way valves at regular intervals prevent backwash and keep fluids moving towards the heart in a system known as "venous return."
Turning yourself upside down encourages venous return. According to Pat Layton, physiology teacher for the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco's Advanced Studies Program, "People have to do aerobics because they don't invert. You have to run really hard--get the heart pumping hard--to circulate blood down to the feet and up the back. Not that you shouldn't do aerobics, but inversions are a healthier way to get the benefits [to the circulatory system], particularly as you get older."
Layton believes that inversions also ensure healthier and more effective lung tissue. When standing or sitting upright, gravity pulls our fluids earthward, and blood "perfuses" or saturates the lower lungs more thoroughly. The lower lung tissue is thus more compressed than the upper lungs. As a result, the air we inhale moves naturally into the open alveoli of the upper lungs. Unless we take a good, deep breath, we do not raise the ratio of air to blood in the lower lungs. When we invert, blood perfuses the well-ventilated upper lobes of the lungs, thus ensuring more efficient oxygen-to-blood exchange and healthier lung tissue.
Finally, as Payne says, "Inverting gives the heart a break." The heart works doggedly to ensure that freshly oxygenated blood makes its way up to the brain and its sensory organs. When inverting, the pressure differential across the body is reversed, and blood floods the carotid arteries in the neck. It is believed that baroreceptors, mechanisms that calibrate blood flow to the brain, sense the increase in blood, and slow the flow, thus reducing blood pressure and heart rate. It has not, however, been clinically established whether the practice of inversions could lower blood pressure over the long haul, and in fact, high blood pressure is typically considered a contraindication for inversions.
The lymphatic system is responsible for waste removal, fluid balance, and immune system response. Lymph vessels arise among the capillary beds of the circulatory system, but comprise a separate system that transports stray proteins, waste materials, and extra fluids, filtering the fluid back through the lymph nodes and dumping what remains into the circulatory system at the subclavian veins, under the collarbones. The lymphatic system is analogous to a sewage system--an intricate, underground network tied to every house in town--that keeps the citizens healthy.
Inversions, then, are analogous to the sump pump in the basement, propelling sewage into the pipeline. Lymph, like the blood returning to your heart via the veins, is dependent upon muscular movement and gravity to facilitate its return. Because the lymphatic system is a closed pressure system and has one-way valves that keep lymph moving towards the heart, when one turns upside down, the entire lymphatic system is stimulated, thus strengthening your immune system. Viparita Karani is the best example of this, as it is a mild inversion that one can enjoy for at least five minutes with no stress to the body when one is fatigued or ill. It's interesting to note that for problems like varicose veins and edema (swelling) of the feet, when lymph is unable to maintain the appropriate fluid balance in the lower extremities, doctors often simply tell people to put their feet up.
Head over Heels When one comes down from Headstand, one often feels clearer and calmer. The common assumption is that Headstand floods the brain with freshly oxygenated blood, and the brain is refreshed. Is there such a thing as too much blood to the brain? Dr. B. Ramamurthi, a neuroscientist based in India, has shown that the brain is protected from an influx of blood that would overwhelm its delicate structures, and that when a reasonably healthy individual inverts, there is usually no excessive influx in the blood vessels of the brain. Intense pressure in the head or bloodshot eyes, however, call for a modified practice. A study by Dr. F. Chandra, well known in Europe for her lectures on the physiological and psychological effects of yoga, posits that Headstand could effect a base-line opening of blood vessels, making them more efficient at dilating and constricting to efficiently shunt blood to the active areas of the brain.
Inversions may also affect the movements of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the juice of the central nervous system which flows from the brain to the spinal cord. The top of the skull receives intense pressure in Headstand, which, when properly done, may promote elasticity in the cranial bones, thus stimulating the production of CSF in the ventricles of the brain.
The effect of inversions on the intricate endocrine system, the body's glandular system of hormone delivery, has been much touted, but is perhaps the least understood: Shoulderstand is widely recommended for menopausal and perimenopausal women because it is assumed that it stimulates the thyroid and parathyroid glands, which secrete hormones that regulate one's metabolism. This has not been clinically proven, but Payne assumes that inverting places these glands, located in the upper chest, in a "general bath of blood," thus increasing their efficiency.
In Headstand, the pineal and pituitary glands (which sit behind the eyes in the center of the skull) are upended 180 degrees, directly over the fontanelle. We know that the pineal and pituitary glands are responsible for growth and sex hormones. We do not know what reversing these glands in the field of gravity does. Could this, however, be the dripping amrita of the ancient yogis--might they have sensed the slow release of hormones from the cranial vault and used inversions to stem or stimulate the release, promoting health and impeding aging?
To Invert or Not to Invert? B., an osteopathic therapist, spoke to me only on the condition of anonymity. He has worked with a few long-term yoga practitioners in their 50s who came to him with chronic pain or impaired mobility in their necks. They have bodies of 30-year-olds, but their necks are so stiff and pain-ridden from the yoga inversions, they are like the necks of 60-year-olds, he says. Over his 20-plus years of practice, B. has seen many clients who, already vulnerable in the upper spine from cervical degeneration, whiplash, an old injury, or misalignment, unknowingly exacerbate the situation by inverting in yoga class.
He explains that the brachial plexus, a key network of nerves that exit the spine from between the lower cervical vertebrae and upper thoracic (C5-8 and T1), enervates the entire upper extremities and shoulder region. Headstand and Shoulderstand place tremendous compressive force on the upper spine, which, for those who are vulnerable, can cause nerve irritation and compression to the brachial plexus, as well as "general thoracic outlet syndrome," which may compromise blood circulation and manifest as numbness in the arms and hands.
Arthur Kilmurray, director of Mystic River Yoga Studio in Medford, Massachusetts, has experiences that support B.'s claims. He began studying Iyengar Yoga in the late 1970s and was doing long inversions within four to five years. But by 1988, Shoulderstand had become impossible: He felt as if his head would explode when up in the pose. Kilmurray assumes this stems from a football injury at age 21, exacerbated by long inversions. Even now, although he feels no pain, chiropractors are astounded by the lack of range of motion in his neck. Kilmurray does not currently practice Headstand or teach inversions, and teaches his students to "develop sensitivity to the breath, prana, and fluidity of the inner body" before moving towards the longer inversions and more advanced poses.
Inversions are not for everyone. Even if you are inverting consistently now, there will be times when the practice is inappropriate. In the face of this "failure" to invert, it may be helpful to recall the yogic tenets of ahimsa, nonviolence or compassion, and svadhyaya. We practice yoga to decrease suffering and develop our capacity to be fully present in our lives. Why persist in practicing Headstand and Shoulderstand if it causes you pain? Restorative poses such as Viparita Karani and a supported Setu Bandha (Bridge Pose) will give you some of the benefits of Headstand and Shoulderstand, without taxing the cervical spine.
If you are new to yoga, take your time before inverting--a year is not too long. Work closely with an observant and knowledgeable teacher. Attend class regularly. Learn the fundamentals: Find the extension of the spine first in Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog); open the shoulders with Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand), Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Balance), and Vasisthasana (Pose Dedicated to the Sage Vasistha); and develop balance, clarity, and strength with the standing poses.
Studying the Yoga Sutra and Bhagavad Gita will help you structure a yoga practice that is balanced and wise. Practicing alone will help you purge the urge to perform your asanas for others and cultivate a deeper understanding of your body and its rhythms so that you can practice in ways that respond to your needs. With mindfulness, even a beginner can practice inversions without injury.
If you already invert, ask yourself how you do it. Do you use muscle to stay up, as Peter did? How much do you observe yourself in the pose, focusing on your alignment? If you wish to work towards longer poses, by all means do so. But do so intelligently, and be willing to progress slowly if you want a healthy neck into your dotage. Observe the subtle changes in your neck and throat, and watch your breath. Stay up for short periods of time first--a minute or two. Back up on occasion. Always come down if there is pain.
After the injury, Peter has changed his practice. He now sits daily, attends a weekly restorative yoga class, and does shorter inversions. He has realized that intention and focus are more important than throwing himself through the poses. Practiced without wisdom and compassion, inversions can lead to injury. But at their best, these poses sing up the spine and the body hums with joy. Headstand and Shoulderstand are known as the king and queen of the asanas--and they can be rather cavalier with their subjects' necks. Be smart but undaunted: They grant great boons to those who approach with respect.
Yoko Yoshikawa teaches Iyengar-based yoga in Oakland, California. From
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
exercise!
LiveScience Staff Writer LiveScience.com Thu Jun 28, 12:35 PM ET
Exercise stimulates the growth of new brain cells, a new study on rats finds. The new cells could be the key to why working out relieves depression.
Previous research showed physical exercise can have antidepressant effects, but until now scientists didn't fully understand how it worked.
Astrid Bjornebekk of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and her colleagues studied rats that had been genetically tweaked to show depressive behaviors, plus a second group of control rats. For 30 days, some of the rats had free access to running wheels and others did not.
Then, to figure out if running turned the down-and-out rats into happy campers, the scientists used a standard ``swim test.'' They measured the amount of time the rats spent immobile in the water and the time they spent swimming around in active mode. When depressed, rats spend most of the time not moving.
``In the depressed rats, running had an antidepressant-like effect after running for 30 days,'' Bjornebekk told LiveScience. The once-slothful rodents spent much more time in active swimming compared with the non-running depressed rats.
The researchers also examined the hippocampus region of the brain, involved in learning and memory. Neurons there increased dramatically in the depressed rats after wheel-running.
Past studies have found that the human brain's hippocampus shrinks in depressed individuals, a phenomenon thought to cause some of the mental problems often linked with depression.
``The hippocampus formation is one of the regions they have actually seen structural changes in depressed patients,'' Bjornebekk said.
Running had a similar effect as common antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on lifting depression.
The research is published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
yesterday I did 2 hours mostly at full inversion 90 degrees and today my muscles are still aching so I will give myself a 24 h rest. Thighs in particular
But I am totally out of condition with loads of muscle wastage so this is to be expected.
Exercise is demanding but then so is life! But exercise will help us recover!
Is Fibro a message to us to take more exercise but of the right kind?
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)