Want a Boost?
by Kim Barthel and Bob Spensley
There is a unique new clinic in Hong Kong called BOOST that offers a wide range of cutting-edge and thought-inspiring health optimization technologies. Imagined and created by our visionary friend Karen Wong (Clinical Psychologist) and Tami Tsang (Movement Specialist), their clinic in Wan Chai offers the services of personalized and ongoing assessments with interventions to match each individual. Kim and I were recently lucky to visit Hong Kong in person, so we’ve been trying some of BOOST’s new equipment ourselves and swapping clinical experiences of the purposes and efficiencies of each: which conditions the technologies support, the science behind them, how some of them can be used in tandem with others…many fascinating conversations indeed.
As an ever-to-be evolving list (a taste), here are some of the health optimization technologies readily available at BOOST, a brief description for each, and links for more info:
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT): Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) involves breathing higher concentration of oxygen inside a pressurized chamber, which increases the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream and improves wound healing, fights infection, stimulates the growth of new blood vessels, increases collagen production, and reduces inflammation.
Vasper™: The Vasper™ is a revolutionary health and fitness technology that combines compression, cooling and high intensity interval training (HIIT) to help the body restore, harmonize and reach peak vitality. The system is designed to drive the body's production of growth and recovery hormones, delivering the benefits of a high-intensity exercise in an efficient and low-impact 21-minute workout without the wear and tear, time, effort, or stress it takes to achieve the same results with conventional exercise.
Intermittent Hypoxic Training: Intermittent Hypoxia and Hyperoxia training involve exposure to controlled alternating low-oxygen (hypoxia) and high-oxygen (hyperoxia) environment. The underlying cellular mechanisms of this training may include the improvement of mitochondrial function, regulation of glucose transport, activation of antioxidant enzyme systems, and anti-inflammatory effects. This brings multiple health benefits, that includes improving cognitive function, decreasing circulating biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease, and improving cerebral vascular function and increased ATP production.
Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy: PEMF involves the use of low-frequency electromagnetic fields to stimulate cells and tissues in the body, improving circulation, reducing inflammation, and promoting the body’s natural repair and healing mechanisms. Studies have shown that it increases energy production, enhances immunity and detoxification. It has been used to treat a variety of conditions, including chronic pain and osteoarthritis. Other studies have shown that PEMF improved reaction time, attention and memory, and increased muscle strength and reduced fatigue in athletes.
NeurOptimal: NeurOptimal® is a dynamic neurofeedback system that tracks the brain's electrical activity and provides real-time feedback to optimize overall brain function. It is designed to work with the individual's brain without targeting specific symptoms, and does not diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. This approach been reported to help improve cognitive function, emotional regulation, well-being, and brain resilience. It has been used to alleviate symptoms associated with anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADHD, sleep disorders, and to promote peak performance in sports and other activities.
Ballancer® Pro: The Ballancer®Pro is a state-of-the-art compression therapy system that is FDA-cleared for temporary relief of minor muscular pains and aches, enhancing circulation, and stimulating the lymphatic system. It works by gently massaging the lymphatic system, draining out waste, and promoting the removal of excess fluid and toxins from the body. The technology is based on the proven principles of manual lymphatic massage and is backed by decades of medical research and peer-reviewed clinical studies. It is often used in medical, aesthetic, and wellness facilities, as well as by elite athletes, to aid in recovery, body maintenance, and rehabilitation.
ARX Adaptive Resistance™ Exercise: The ARX Adaptive Resistance™ exercise machine dynamically adjusts resistance in real-time to personalize every workout. Research has shown that ARX provides 1.5-2 times better strength improvements in a fraction of the time compared to traditional resistance training. These machines are motor-driven, not gravity-driven, and provide adaptive resistance, giving the perfect amount of resistance at every moment during every repetition. This makes it one of the most effective forms of resistance exercise, as it provides higher levels of mechanical tension while reducing muscular damage and metabolic stress compared to conventional resistance training.
Sensate: Sensate is a sensory device that uses vibrations and sound to lower stress and promote relaxation. It is placed on the chest and emits soft vibrations that act like a massage to the nervous system. The vibrations travel through the body, relaxing the nervous system. The device works with an app that plays carefully composed soundscapes, providing an immersive experience. Sensate was invented as a life tool to soothe the vagus nerve, which in turn helps to regulate the nervous system. It is designed to improve the body's ability to handle stress and promote stress resilience.
Safe and Sound Protocol: The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a listening therapy designed to improve nervous system regulation in both children and adults, supporting various symptoms and conditions. It is rooted in Dr. Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory and aims to help individuals attain a physiological state conducive to well-being, positive engagement with others, and growth in learning and therapy. The protocol uses specially-filtered music to train the neural network associated with listening to focus on the frequency range of the human voice, stimulating the vagus nerve and promoting a state of feeling safe and calm.
Apollo® Wearable: Apollo® Neuro is a wearable device that delivers soothing vibrations, called Apollo Vibes™, to the body, which are designed to accelerate mental and physical recovery from stress by signaling safety to the brain through the sense of touch. It is described as a "wearable hug for your nervous system" that uses silent vibrations to "rebalance" the fight-or-flight response, aiming to make the body more resilient to stress, improve focus, increase sleep quality, and raise heart rate variability. The device is intended to help manage stress, challenging life transitions, and promote a healthy lifestyle.
THERA Wellness™ Device: THERA WELLNESS™ biofield therapy uses the electromagnetic information (oscillations) that is emitted by the body. The smart technology processes these signals by amplification, attenuation, inversion, and/or splitting the harmonious oscillations from the non-harmonious ones. After the signal is processed, it is sent back to the body. This innovative process has a powerful impact on the body’s regulatory system which stimulates therapeutic reactions.
The clients coming in to BOOST while we were there were using these research-based technologies to support a range of conditions including athletic performance, neurodegenerative diseases, quality of sleep, long-covid, anxiety, concussion, menopause, prevention of dementia and overall immune health, among others.
We can imagine a future of increased technological supports for health (both physical and mental), exploring which equipment to use and when, depending on each client’s individual context and needs in the moment. We can imagine environments where clinicians remain attuned to the client with respect to the frequency, intensity and duration of any interventions, and the services being provided throughout with attuned therapeutic relationship. In these ways, visiting BOOST was a bit like walking into the future of health care. We already look forward to our next visit, in January 2024!
(Disclaimer: Relationship Matters does not benefit financially from the use or sale of any of these technologies anywhere.)