One of the many wonderful benefits of the Chi Machine is its ability
to reduce stress.
Let's begin with a definition.
Stress: A state of emotional strain or suspense.
Next, let's look at some of the startling evidence of the ever-increasing
levels of stress that anyone living in an industrialized, modern
world faces.
June 6, 1983 cover story of Time magazine, "Epidemic
of the Eighties." This article stated that 55% of the population
suffers from at least one episode of severe stress each week.
In 1996 Prevention magazine did a follow up on the
above article and reported that now, 75% feel they have "great
stress" at least one time per week, with one third reporting
at least two episodes per week.
A 2001 Mental Health survey found that over 90% of those surveyed
suffers at least one episode of severe stress each week.
It is estimated that between 75-90% of all visits to a primary
care physician are for stress-related problems.
Job stress is far and away the leading source of stress for
adults, but stress levels are escalating in children, teenagers,
college students and the elderly for other reasons, such as
violent crimes and other threats to personal safety, peer pressure,
substance abuse, social isolation and loneliness and erosion
of family ties and religious values.
A 2000 Gallup poll found that 80% of workers feel
stress on the job and nearly one half say they need help learning
how to manage that stress. 42% say their co-workers need this
type of help also. 14% of the respondents felt like "hitting" or "striking" a
coworker but did not. 25% felt like screaming or shouting because
of job stress.
In Japan, there is a term called "Karoshi" which means "death
from overwork." It is a recognized diagnosis that qualifies
the survivors of its victims to receive employee compensation
payments.
Furthermore, a 1998 survey of 526 Japanese men, age 30-69
supported the idea that long working hours can be hazardous
to a man's health. The study took men who were hospitalized
for an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and compared
them to healthy men of similar age and occupation. The results
were striking! Men from both groups who put in more than 11
hours of work on an average day were 2.4 times more likely
to have an acute cardiac episode than men who worked 7-9 hours!
What accounted for this? Mental stress is the logical explanation,
but in this study psychological factors, as measured in the
burned out index did not completely account for the trend.
Nor did established medical risk factors such as hypertension,
high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes or obesity. The number
of hours worked was the factor most closely associated with
the risk of a myocardial infarction.
In an international study in 1997, a team addressed how the
number of hours worked affects our health in such conditions
as myocardial infarction, exhaustion and mental stress. Analysis
confirmed in both male and female subjects that the number
of hours worked and ill health associations were consistent
and significant.
A 1996 Swedish study explored the "conditions" of physical
and psychological demands on 12,500 males. They collected data
on age, smoking, exercise, education and social class. The
results identified two occupational factors for risk of death:
Men who had little control over the demands of their job
were 1.8 times more likely to die from heart disease versus
those in control.
Men with lower levels of social support from co-workers
were 2.6 times more vulnerable.
As you can see, the number of studies done worldwide is enormous.
The above are only a small number of the studies that expound on
the fact that stress is here and most likely in all of our lives.
What are some of the remedies available to help counter stress
and the debilitating effects it creates?
These include pharmaceuticals such as anti-depressants, anti-anxiety
medications and psychological therapies. The first two are fraught
with side effects and the last one, though helpful [author's opinion;
we would state somewhat differently], is not an end-all treatment.
This of course brings us to the Chi Machine. Does the Chi Machine
help to reduce stress?
Let's look at the experience of one of my patients, Teri Norton:
"I first tried the Chi Machine at Dr. Lipton's office and I was
so impressed by the way it made me feel that I purchased a machine
that same day.
"It was a complete feeling of relaxation and rejuvenation,
and that was after only 5 minutes on the machine. When the machine
turned off, I felt an energy force go through my body. It began
at my feet and traveled all the way through my body. It's hard
to explain -- you really just have to experience it.
"Now that I have my own machine I use it daily for 15 - 20
minutes. It completely relaxes my lower back, shoulders and neck.
All my stress just melts away. After getting off the machine I
feel like I've just had a massage and have an energy about me.
"I think the Chi Machine is wonderful and I would recommend
it to others."
Teri's experience is by no means unique.
Christopher Jensen reports the following:
"The relaxation derived from the Chi machine has been phenomenal!
Waking up and getting on the machine every morning is best. I also
use it to alleviate pain. The gentle oscillation opens my pinched
nerve channels and realigns my body by relaxing cramped muscles.
I have less pain, better sleep, and a better attitude."
So how is this possible?
How does the Chi Machine help to relax us and reduce our stress?
The Chi Machine helps reduce stress because it induces the alpha
response. We all walk around at the beta level of awake
consciousness. Alpha is a deeper level and it is also known as
the relaxation response. (Dr. Herbert Benson, M.D. has an excellent
book on this subject called The Relaxation Response.)
When the Chi Machine shuts off and we feel that delicious flow
of energy -- as we continue to lie still, our brain will shift
to the alpha level. At this level here are many changes that take
place physiologically which are beneficial.
There is an increase in the production of neurotransmitters such
as melatonin and serotonin. Many people take antidepressant medication
such as Prozac and others to increase the serotonin effect. This
happens naturally at the alpha level - without any of the side
effects that can accompany the antidepressant drugs.
Our adrenal glands produce a hormone called cortisol -- which
is also known as the stress hormone. Ideally cortisol
should only be released from the adrenal glands into the blood
stream, when we are faced with physical danger -- the fight or
flight phenomenon. Many people who are in a state of stress and
anxiety for much of their waking hours have cortisol flowing through
the bloodstream all the time. This is very deleterious to our system.
At the alpha level -- the release of cortisol into the bloodstream
is reduced virtually to zero and so we experience a welcome respite
from the cortisol action. So if we use the Chi Machine a couple
of times a day -- as most of us do, our body gets a break from
being in a state of constant stress. Hence we are able to relax
and rejuvenate. Plus it just makes us feel so good!!!
