PL5000 Training Video is now available online!
To better serve our customers, the PL5000 Training Video is now available for download on our Vimeo video channel.
Erchonia’s new Verjú laser system will be featured on the national syndicated daytime television program, The Doctors. Please check your local listings to tune in. The Verjú laser system will be demonstrated and discussed as the new FDA-cleared, safe and effective solution for the non-invasive treatment of
cellulite on the thighs, buttocks and lower abdomen and for non-invasive body contouring of the waist, hips, and thighs.
For more information on the Verjú laser system, please visit www.verju.com or our Facebook page www.facebook.com/erchonia or to set up an appointment or webinar, please contact us at 888.242.0571.
To find a Verjú laser system Physician, please visit www.verju.com/find-a-provider/
This short testimonial with Dr. John Mainiero reviews the success he has had in selling the R2Ls in his clinic, Mainiero Family Chiropractic and Wellness in Vineland, NJ. Dr. John Mainiero became a distributor for the R2L in June 2015 after using Erchonia’s other proven modalities for over 15 years.
www.doctormainiero.com/
Spring is a time for rebirth; a time to look at your health anew. Rejuvenate your health and well-being and flourish as much as the flowers and nature around you with these springtime wellness tips.
The sun and warm weather of spring are a welcome relief for those suffering from arthritis and rheumatism.
Think of the tissues around a joint as a balloon. When the air pressure is low, as it is in cold weather, the tissue expands, putting extra pressure on the joints. People with arthritis can actually feel changes in atmospheric pressure, which is how some people purportedly predict the weather in their bones.
Spring’s warmer temperatures and higher pressure allow the tissues around your joints to relax. Spring’s sunshine isn’t the only healing light for your pain, though.
Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) makes use of cold laser light to stimulate healing on a physiological level in your cells. During treatment, a clinician applies a low-intensity laser to the bothersome joints. The photons can penetrate 2 to 5 centimeters into your skin, passing through the dermis, epidermis, and subcutaneous tissues to the joint itself. The cells absorb the laser light. It is believed that the light is converted to usable energy, initiating a series of processes that heal injured tissue and reduce inflammation and pain.
The one downside to spring is the sudden upsurge in allergies. An estimated 40 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies, which have a variety of symptoms but are usually denoted by a congested nose and watery eyes. Allergies often start in youth, but it’s not uncommon for them to develop later in life.
Spring in particular causes allergies thanks to:
Start by eliminating as many allergens as you can. Make sure you replace the filters of your HVAC system to keep dust and allergens to a minimum. If you plan to mow the grass or perform some manual labor outside, wear a face mask to keep dust and pollen away from your mouth, nose, and eyes. Check your weather for pollen alerts and avoid windy, high-pollen days when you’re planning any outdoor excursions.
For the inevitable allergens that make their way into your system, try some natural remedies. Neti pots flush out mucus and other irritants with a saline solution. This won’t actually eliminate pollen but it can minimize allergy symptoms and congestion. Some people have also found acupuncture to be helpful.
If worse comes to worst, consult an allergist for to update your allergy medication.
Now that the sun is out and the days are longer, there are more opportunities to get fit and have fun while you’re at it. Here are some tips to get back into the habit of working out:
Spring is best known for the resplendent selection of delicious fruits and vegetables. Some of spring’s seasonal specialties include:
Spring is a transitional period signifying love, warmth, and new beginnings. Take advantage of the renewed happiness and beauty around you and shake off the cobwebs of winter. Above all, don’t forget to have fun or smell the roses.
E. Solarte1, A. Reyes1, J. A. Montoya1, J. Arroyabe2, R. Neira3
1Grupo de Optica Cuántica, Departamento de Física
Universidad del Valle, A. A. 25360, Cali, Colombia
2Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical, Cali
3Centro Médico Imbanaco, Cali
Recent studies show an apparent effect of small doses of the irradiation with laser light 635 nm, made immediately before liposculpture interventions, which use the tumescent technique. These effects are macroscopically affirmed by a freely fat extraction and microscopically appear as the disrupture of the cellular membrane, which facilitates the exit of fat. In order to observe the effect in separated adipocytes, dense dissolutions of adipocytes, separated by centrifugalization, were prepared in tumescence solution. The dissolutions were irradiated in vitro with laser light (Laser Diode, 635 nm). Visible light transmission spectra were studied for different dissolution concentrations and different irradiation doses.
Clinical observations [1, 2] made from the end of 1999, presumably show that the external application of laser radiation, previous to interventions of liposuction by the tumescent technique [3] presented very interesting results. Demonstrating that the fat exit was facilitated due to an interaction between the light and the cells. The microscopic observation shown membrane pores and fat drops enter the interstitial space. At the same time, the other structure like interstitial space, connective tissue and capillary cells, are conserved. With the purpose of corroborating a possible irradiation effect on the fat distribution, image studies by MRI were performed [1].
With the purpose of explaining the mentioned effect, and to study the laser radiation pagation through the tissue, we started (2000) a research work in our quantum optics laboratory at the Universidad del Valle. Transmittance studies of visible light in dissolutions of fatty cells have been made [1, 2, 4]; the propagation of the Laser Light through adipose tissue samples has been studied [5] and experiments on laser light diffraction have been made [6] using thin adipose tissue samples. In this work the results of optical transmittance measurements in dissolutions of adipocytes are reported. Transmittance spectra were recorded for different concentration and different irradiation powers and irradiation times.
Dissolutions of centrifuged adipocyte cells are used as a reliable tool and the mixture was prepared for tumescent infiltration. Defined masses of concentrated adipocytes were placed in soft polyethylene flasks that contained given volumes of the infiltration solution. For this case, portions of 1.8 g were taken and then they were dissolved in 40 milliliter of solution. The mixture was remained to rest for 20 minutes and the exudate was extracted with a syringe to the spectrometer cuvettes. The rest time determines the dissolution concentration. A sample of infiltration solution serves as reference for the transmission spectra. The transmittance spectra were taken for the sample without exposure to laser radiation and successive spectra were recorded as it was exposed to the laser radiation during fixed consecutive exposure times by a fixed laser power. The laser used was a semi-conductor clinical laser, emitting at 635 nm, with a power of 3.55 mW.
For the spectra acquisition a miniature diffraction grid, optical fiber spectrometer system with a four-way cuvette holder was used. The include detection system was a linear array of 2048 CCD elements. The spectra were accumulated in a normal PC and they were processed later using a suitable data and graphics processing software.
Two types different types of irradiations procedures were utilized, taking advantage of the four-way cuvette holder. In a first sequence of measurement, low density dissolutions were irradiated in the cuvette, outside the spectrometer cuvette holder, placing the laser beam directly on the liquids upper surface using a laser power of 3.55 mW. The transmittance spectrum was then recorded.
On a second series, an optical fiber was used to directly irradiate dense dissolutions in the cuvette, within the camera of the spectrometer, with a power of 300 microW, observing the transmittance signal simultaneously. The second type of measurements were made with the purpose of observing the behavior of high concentration and the low radiation doses that presumably are within the radiated organism.
The spectra of samples directly radiated with the laser, have the form shown in Figure 1. It is observed that the transmittance increases with the irradiation time, and saturation is reached, with maximum values of about 27%. This behaviour was observed [ 1, 2, 4 ] previously in dilutions obtained from the tissue exudates, when an adipose tissue block was under hydration in the infiltration solution. All all these cases transmittance changes of about the 10% where obtained.
For the second type of measurements, a behavior similar to the previous one is observed, only that in this case the saturation happens in longer times. Transmittance increasing was also observed during the irradiation period. The main difference comparing with the low density result is in which great variations of the transmittance happened. To detect the changes, the ratios between the transmittance of the irradiated sample to the non-irradiated one where studied.
Figure 2 shows the relative transmittance of a sample radiated with 300 microW of laser power. The transmittance variations reach 3 times the respective value of the non-radiated samples, a change of 300% could be determined.
Figure 1. Transmittance spectra for a low dense dissolution of adipocytes, radiated directly with a laser diode at 635 nm, 3.55 mW.
Figure 2. Relative transmittance for a dense dissolution of adipocytes, laser radiated with an optical fiber, about 635 nm, 300 microW.
From the physical point of view, it is to consider that the adipocytes are great cells and of almost spherical form of 100 microns of diameter. Scattering or dispersion effects and absorption can explain the dissolution opacity or turbidity. For the used wavelengths (0.4 to 0.85 microns) the effects of Mie scattering are predominant on those of Rayleigh scatter and therefore the amount. The form and size of the centers of radiation scatterers defines the behavior of the light. If now, by some process, the form or the number of mean points of impact is altered, these alterations appreciably modify the distribution of the light and therefore the average transmittance. Transmission spectroscopy observations indicate that when irradiating the samples, the transmittance increased denoting the variation in the number or the form of the scatterers exist. These observations are consistant with the ones made by electronic microscopy that show morphological changes of the adipocytes induced by irradiation.
The results obtained by transmission spectroscopy allow observing an effect of the irradiation adipose cells, which is translated in changes of the optical transmittance of the irradiated dissolutions, measured in relation to the transmittance of the non-radiated dissolutions. Variations until of 300% in the transmittance were observed for dense dilutions and low radiation doses. This fact is an indicator of variations in the size, the form or the number of radiation scatterers.
The authors (ESR, MAR, JAM) thank to the University of the Valley for the support to make this work and to attend the CNF. All the authors thank to the CIAT and the Medical Center Imbanaco for the collaboration for this project, and COLCIENCIAS for the financial support under the 1106-05-10107 project.
1. R. Neira, J. Arroyave, H. Ramírez, C. Ortiz, Solarte, F. Sequeda, M. I. Gutiérrez. Low Laser Level Assisted Lipoplasty: To new Technique., Presented at the World Congress on Liposuction Surgery, Michigan, October 2000.
2. R. Neira, C. Ortiz, J. Arroyabe, H. Ramírez, M.i. Gutiérrez, To Reyes, And Solarte. 2000. Procc. Vii National Optics Meeting. Sept. 25 -29, 2000, Armenia, Colombia. To be published.
3. J. To Klein. Tumescent Technique. Amj Cosmet Surg 4, 263, (1987).
4. R. Neira, J. Arroyabe, M. To Reyes, And Solarte. Irradiation effects on Adipose cell Dilutions.. Personal for publication to Laser Med. Surg. (2001).
5. M.s To Reyes, F. Rebolledo, J. To Montoya, C. Ortiz, And Solarte, R. Neira. Dispersión de Coherent Luz by Fatty Weave samples. Personal for presentation to XIX the CNF, Manizales, September 2001.
6. To F. Rebolledo, M. To Reyes, J. To Montoya, And Solarte. Difracción and Dispersion of Coherent Light by random difractores and their application to the dispersion by Fatty Weave. Personal for presentation to XIX the CNF, Manizales, September 2001.
Just like humans, dogs and cats are susceptible to a wide range of diseases and disorders. One of the most common ailments in older dogs and cats is arthritis. A reported one in five adult dogs suffer from chronic arthritis, while cats older than 14 have an 82 percent chance of having arthritis
Just because your favorite furry friend is suffering from joint aches doesn’t mean he can’t still enjoy a fun, fulfilling life. Let’s look at some ways you can relieve your pet’s joint pains.
Many pet owners turn to surgical procedures in hopes of easing their pets’ pains, but invasive surgeries often come at a high cost and lead to a great deal of downtime as your pet heals. Fortunately, there are treatments that can comfort your pup’s aches without a scalpel:
Low-level laser therapy – Also known as cold laser therapy, this therapy uses low-intensity lasers to relieve joint pains and speed up wound healing. The laser, which is really a concentrated form of light, penetrates your dog or cat’s skin, reaching the achey joints. Cells absorb the light and turn it into usable energy that can go toward reducing pain and inflammation. The therapy has been applied to animals of all shapes, sizes, and species, from guinea pigs to horses.
1. Start by warming up your dog’s body with long, gentle strokes from head to tail.
2. “Walk” your fingers down the spine and massage in small circles on both sides of the spine.
3. Knead lightly over tighter muscle groups. Your dog will particularly enjoy kneading around the neck and shoulders.
4. Massage the paws with gentle squeezing. Pull the toes slowly. Some dogs have more sensitive feet than others, so don’t force it if your pup isn’t fond of his paws being touched.
5. Move your way from the feet, up the legs, to the hip and buttocks using long, gentle strokes.
6. Avoid working directly on arthritic joints, instead massaging the muscles around the affected areas. Lightly stretch your pet’s limbs to help their flexibility and mobility.
7. End the massage by rubbing the ears, inside and out.
Exercise
Regular exercise is actually good for arthritis. The less your pet moves, the stiffer his joints get. Sedentary animals are also more likely to be overweight, which can add extra stress on the joints and cause more pain.
Some tips to keep in mind when working out with your pets:
As long as you take it easy, you can generally take your pet on any type of exercise. Some exercises to start with:
Diet and Nutrition
Your pets need a diet consisting of high-quality foods without artificial preservatives, artificial colors, and other harmful additives. 
The main thing to avoid is carbohydrates. Specifically avoid grains and vegetables in the nightshade family. Grains can cause fluctuations in your pet’s blood sugar levels, which can lead to swelling. Nightshade veggies, which include tomatoes, egg plant, and potatoes, contribute to inflammation.
Some nutrients that you should definitely include in your pet’s diet:
Before you change or supplement any part of your pet’s diet, talk to your vet.
Along with some lifestyle changes, you can take several easy steps to turn your pet’s home into a comfortable, inviting environment.
Arthritis can be a big pain, but with love and care, your pet can enjoy all that life has to offer. If your pet could use an extra helping hand with his arthritis, consult your veterinarian.
Many things make men and women different physiologically, so the fact that we carry and metabolize fat differently is no surprise. Although these differences can be frustrating and puzzling for some, no gender has the upper hand. It’s just that our bodies are designed differently, and for a good reason. In this guide, we’ll take a look at how men and women store fat, and why we have fat to begin with.
The human body is made up of water, minerals, protein and fat. Fat is considered either essential or stored. We have essential fat throughout our bodies, including in vital organs, such as the heart and lungs. Essential fat is needed to fuel bodily functioning.
Stored fat can be found around internal organs, called visceral fat, and under the skin. Fat located under the skin is known as subcutaneous fat. Too much stored fat, particularly visceral fat, can increase your risk of health conditions like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, a healthy amount of stored fat plays a vital role in protecting your organs from impact and helping you conserve body heat.
Women are naturally designed to hold more body fat than men. According to the American Council on Exercise, an active woman will have 21% to 24% body fat, whereas a man will have 14% to 17%. Both men and women need to maintain a certain percentage of essential fat to function normally. Women should not have less than 10% body fat, for example, while men only need 2% body fat. This is because women’s bodies must be able to care for a growing baby, and the fat reserves help a mother do that. During puberty, estrogen production enables women to develop these necessary fat reserves.
Women also store fat differently than men. While fat distribution varies between people and depends mostly on genetic factors, women tend to be pear-shaped, while men are more likely to be apple-shaped. This means women usually store fat in their buttocks, hips, lower abdomen and thighs. The fat needed for pregnancy and nursing is stored in a woman’s thighs. Gluteofemoral fat, which develops on the legs and butt, is actually a sign of good metabolic health, no matter how it makes you look in a pair of jeans.
Women also carry a greater amount of subcutaneous fat than visceral fat, giving them their soft curves. Visceral fat is more of a health risk.
Where a woman loses fat first depends mainly on hereditary factors. With that said, women might first notice weight loss where they last gained weight. For example, if a woman recently gained weight in her belly, her abdomen might appear flatter after losing a few pounds.
In general, weight in the belly, calves, arms and face are first to slim down in women because they impact childbearing the least. Most women hang onto weight in their hips, buttocks and thighs longer than other parts of the body.
The way you slim down also depends on your body shape. For example, if you have a pear-shaped body, you’ll keep the same form as you lose weight and become smaller. Losing weight doesn’t eliminate fat cells — it shrinks them. These cells can expand again if you regain the weight you lost.
Women might wonder why their male partners lose weight much faster than them, even if they follow the same diet and exercise plan. While this seems unfair, science proves it’s only natural. In a recent study, men lost 26 pounds on average while women lost 22 pounds, even though both groups followed a low-calorie diet for eight weeks. The men in the study also saw a greater reduction in body fat than the female participants.
Why do women lose weight at a slower pace than men? Scientists say it has to do with muscle mass. Men tend to have greater muscle mass than women, thanks to testosterone, and muscles burn more calories than fat at rest. Muscles also have insulin receptors, which allow men to metabolize blood sugar faster and use glucose for energy. Typically, men burn 500 to 1,000 more calories a day than women, which means they can lose about one to two pounds of more weight than women a week, even if they eat the same amount of calories.
Despite all of this, women should not despair. Even though men might lose weight faster at first, the rate of weight loss evens out over the long run.
Men, take notice. Men’s bodies are more apt to store excess fat in the upper body, especially in the abdominal region. This is what creates that glorious beer belly effect so many men struggle with. Men also tend to lose fat more efficiently, not through exercise, but diet. Fewer calories in means fewer stored in fat reserves.
While women are more likely to develop subcutaneous fat, men are more prone to storing visceral fat — the stuff that coats your internal organs. This tendency to store visceral fat means that men are actually more prone to fat-related illnesses and conditions, like heart disease and diabetes.
Like women, the way men lose weight depends a lot on genetics and where they recently gained weight. Since men typically store fat in their bellies, this is usually the first area to slim down.
Although it would be convenient, you can’t choose where your body stores fat. Too many factors, such as bone structure, body type, age, hormones and sex, determine where you’ll store fat in your body. However, you can control how much visceral fat your body stores by changing certain lifestyle factors, and you can also build muscle in different parts of your body to become more toned. Overeating junk food, skipping exercise and regularly experiencing high levels of stress can lead to excess visceral fat. On the contrary, you can practice healthy habits that keep fat from building up around organs. This includes exercising for at least 30 minutes every day, avoiding sugary foods and saturated fats, and finding ways to keep stress levels under control.
Whether you’re a man or a woman, you may be wondering where fat goes when you lose weight. First, it helps to keep in mind that fat is stored energy. When you consume fewer calories than your body needs, your body converts fat into usable energy to fuel your muscles. As a result of this activity, fat cells shrink. The complex metabolic processes your body goes through as you lose weight also generate heat to maintain your body temperature and create waste products such as urine, sweat and carbon dioxide. So, in a way, you exhale fat as you slim down.
It would be great to start a diet and notice a major difference the next day, but that’s not usually how it works. Weight loss becomes noticeable at different times for different people and depends on your starting size and the type of diet you choose. For example, if you’re a hundred pounds overweight, you might not notice a difference when you lose 10 pounds. If you’re 20 pounds overweight, you’ll likely see a 10-pound drop.
Also, some diets, like the Atkins diet, lead to fast weight loss in the beginning. However, this is mostly due to water loss as a result of carbohydrate restriction rather than shedding fat.
Most people following a regular diet and exercise plan will start to notice differences in how they look and feel by the second week. If you stay on track, you might have a smaller clothing size by the fourth week.
It’s safe to say that the hormones our bodies come with impact the way we store and burn fat. When we look even deeper, we find our differences imprinted on our DNA and passed down from ancestors over thousands of years.
So, what does all this mean in the long run? Well, for the women reading, it may mean coming to peace with having around 20% body fat. You are naturally made to carry more fat and to carry it in a healthy way — even when the kids are grown and gone. If you really want to lose it, forget the diets and denial programs. Eat a wholesome, healthy diet and go for the gym instead.
And for men in the audience, you might be thanking your lucky stars that you were born without a body that’s constantly preparing for the miracle of childbirth. But the tendency to store more visceral fat means that men should be especially careful to eat a wholesome, balanced diet and have regular doctor visits to make sure blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar are at healthy levels.
Instead of comparing ourselves, we can celebrate our differences and take mindful steps to stay healthy and active.
If you’re a man or woman who wants greater control of how your body looks and feels, you might consider non-invasive body contouring. At Erchonia, we offer innovative laser technology, such as the Verjú™ Laser System and Zerona®-Z6 Laser specially designed to target fat and shape the body without surgery. Ask your physician about the slimming effects of laser treatments or contact us at Erchonia, where we will be happy to answer your questions.
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