September 2008

NeuroInfiniti instrumentation: Technology gives athletes an edge

As more than 10,000 athletes from around the world gathered in China for the 2008 Summer Olympics, the focus was definitely on health and fitness. Although the news media turned the spotlight on concerns such as pollution, human rights, and political disputes, the athletes were more concerned with their performances.

They had trained long and worked hard to get and keep their bodies in top physical condition, but they also became savvy about ways to use technology to optimize their mental condition.

In recent years, the role of neurofeedback technology has been of particular interest to athletes. The technology gained widespread attention in 2006, when it was announced that members of the Italian soccer team gave Thought Technology much of the credit for their peak performances.

Forward Alberto Gilardino, defender Alessandro Nesta, and midfielders Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso all spent time at an Italian health center known as the "Mind Room." There, they used equipment invented and manufactured by Thought Technology Ltd. Of Montreal -- the company that manufactures the NeuroInfiniti, the most advanced chiropractic instrumentation developed to date and now being used by doctors of chiropractic around the world.

"These guys have been trained ... to be able to focus, to concentrate and to get into the zone for their peak performance," said Lawrence Klein, vice-president of Thought Technology. "There is no question that mental preparation is the key difference, because these guys are all extraordinarily fit and talented. Our instrumentation helps the athletes reach that optimal state of mind."

The famed "Mind Room" in Italy uses advanced instrumentation manufactured by Thought Technology, Ltd., the same company that manufactures the NeuroInfiniti for chiropractors.

The NeuroInfiniti is the state-of-the-art instrumentation and measures seven physiological signs, from brain waves and muscle tension to breathing and heart rate. The equipment can help pinpoint and correct physical problems that can hinder a person's achievement of peak physical performance and wellness.

Using Thought Technology equipment, athletes are trained to enter a state of relaxation at will, even when faced with stress. As a result, they can confront stressful situations -- such as the pressure of making an important penalty kick -- without the normal stress reactions of elevated blood pressure and heartbeat. Instead, they can remain calm, focused and mentally sharp.

"The athletes will be able to reach that state of mind when presented with challenges," explained Thought Technology President Hal Myers, PhD, who holds a doctorate in experimental medicine.

Although their devices have been widely adopted by athletes, Klein and Myers founded Thought Technology in 1974 to devise instrumentation for stroke rehabilitation and other medical conditions. Today, more than 95% of Thought Technology's sales are to tens of thousands of clinicians in more than a hundred medical markets in 85 countries. Thought Technology supplies instrumentation to thousands of Universities, clinics, and hospitals, including all USA VA hospitals.

For doctors of chiropractic, the NeuroInfiniti instrumentation is being used to enhance the scientific component of their practice. This equipment will enhance any traditional office regardless of technique that is focused on subluxation correction, kinesiology or any practice that focuses on sports rehabilitation, personal injury, is wellness based or pediatric oriented, According to chiropractic researcher and instrumentation developer Richard Barwell, DC, standard static surface electromyography (sEMG) and para-spinal thermal scans technology were useful but are extremely limited.

"With the development of the computer, much has changed. We can now gather data over a wide range of neurological activity which has lead to an understanding of normal or ideal functional levels," Dr. Barwell noted in a recent article for The Chiropractic Journal ("After 113 years of waiting," July 2008.)

Older technologies such as sEMG, however, are not capable of dealing with the cause of various health problems. "Today," Barwell explained, "we have the next generation of instrumentation -- advanced technology that will finally address 'the cause' (abnormal neural activity) that leads to abnormal muscle activity which, in turn, creates abnormal joint mechanics. This new instrumentation provides information about neurological function at both the cortex (brain function) and at the Limbic System level (sympathetic/para-sympathetic responses), and is designed to test these over time involving situations of stress and recovery."

Although few chiropractic patients will compete in the World Cup or the Olympics, many will have the same advantage as world class athletes when it comes to optimizing their level of wellness and performance. At the same time, doctors who offer their patients the latest and most effective technology will have an advantage when positioning themselves as evidence-based practitioners.

(For more information on NeuroInfiniti, contact DeDe Van Riper at 877-233-0022.)