pulse

How do everyday technologies change our understanding of our own bodies? The pulse is a diagnostic tool common to many medical traditions, including Ayurveda, an ancient medicine of South Asia. In this episode, Professor Projit Mukharji tells us how the pulse has been understood by Ayurvedic practitioners (vaidyas) over time. He explains how pulse-taking changed when mechanical clocks, specifically the pocket watch and wristwatch, became a widespread technology in colonial India. Finally, this episode features a story by physician Dr. Melanie Baskind, and an excerpt of an interview with Dr. Mary Jo Cravatta, a practitioner of Ayurveda.

Audio credits: Special thanks to the Yogahealer podcast, for letting us feature some of their episode on pulse diagnosis, and The Overseas Ensemble, a collaboration between composer Paed Conca and Sarigama, for use of their music

The body has many rhythms, but the pulse is one that people have paid close attention to. Over the last two millennia, the pulse has been used as a diagnostic tool in both Greek and Chinese medicine. In this episode, Professor Shigehisa Kuriyama discusses the history of the pulse in these two traditions. As he explains, the very conception of what the pulse is, how to sense it and what it can tell us about the body has changed over the course of its history. We also hear from Dr. Ronit Yoeli-Tlalim on how the Silk Road has facilitated historical connections between medical traditions in between Greece and China, and how Galen was known in medieval Tibet! Finally, we hear from physician Dr. Melanie Baskind about her training on the pulse in medical school.

Audio credits: Special thanks to The Ottoman History Podcast for use of their episode “Medicine Along the Musk Route,” and The Overseas Ensemble, a collaboration between composer Paed Conca and Sarigama, for use of their music

On my bedside is a tiny handheld unit called a “Flexpulse”, which I consider to be a small, portable “DJ for my brain”. By adjusting the frequency emitted by the device, I can use a 3Hz frequency to lull my brain into relaxed Delta brain waves, a 10Hz frequency to generate focused Alpha brain waves or a 23Hz frequency to produce high alert Beta brain waves.

The Flexpulse generates a special kind of frequency called “PEMF”, and I’ve personally found that placing the square pad of unit on the back of my head (directly on my occipital bone) for a night of sleep or a quick nap (often combined with the Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation you’ll discover later in this article), I can knock myself out in no time flat for a perfect portion of slumber.

Lately, I've been experimenting with an even more affordable alternative to the Flexpulse that seems to elicit very similar results: the ICES M1, which, in particular has been shown to increase blood flow in joints for up to three years after a single use! While small, portable devices like this are a perfect introduction to the wide variety of potential therapeutic applications of PEMF, the true “Cadillac” of PEMF therapy is a very large unit – about the size of a massage table – called the PulseCenter XL Pro. Both myself and Tony Robbins, Gerard Butler, Brandon Routh, Stevie Wonder and Rick Rubin are huge fans of this massive, whole-body-treatment setup, which can be used for everything from muscle sprains to headaches to sleep induction.

Lots of American Ninja Warriors, countless Nike Master Trainers, lots of professional athletes who wish to remain anonymous for fear of having their secret weapon yanked, high profile biohackers, MLB, NBA, NFL players, high profile sports team owners, motivational speakers, entrepreneurial leaders and even professional bull riders. A few months ago, a guy named Emilio Palafox came to my house to train me on this table.

The guy is a wealth of knowledge on PEMF therapy so I figured I should get him on the show! Emilio is the Channel Development Manager at Pulse Centers, spreading awareness of the game-changing, disruptive Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Field (PEMF) technology.

Emilio looks to identify individuals, organizations and corporations that are looking for healing, faster recovery, peak performance or all of the above. Emilio speaks about being the rising tide that lifts all boats and has been collaborating with people and organizations across the world that want to help impact humanity for the better.

He is extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Pulse Centers team, helping to lead and shift the collective consciousness of health, wellness, fitness and longevity.

During our discussion, you'll discover:

-How PEMF works...10:30

-How the cells respond to magnetic signals...14:45

-Why the earth has actually changed in terms of the grounding and earthing effect it's able to produce...19:00

-Why the PulseCenters table feel so much more powerful than the other PEMF devices...23:30

-The difference between PEMF frequencies, intensities, etc...28:30

-How to use PEMF to "charge" the brain or get nootropics delivered more efficiently to the brain...35:30

-How to use PEMF to treat areas like the testes, colon, heart, liver, etc...38:30

-The difference between the paddles vs. the rings vs. the chair vs. the bed...51:00

-How to use PEMF to increase stem cell production...57:00

-Whether you can overuse PEMF...1:05:15

-How the PulseCenters portable system works...1:08:00

-And much more...

Resources from this episode:

-The Pulsecenters website

-Book: Healing Is Voltage

-Article:  A Tiny, 1/2 Ounce Piece Of Game-Changing Sleep Technology (And How To Use PEMF For Sleep)

-Podcast: The Myth About "Grounding", Acupuncture Without Needles, 400% Increase In Stem Cell Production & Much More.

-Podcast: The Potent Ergogenic Effects of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy to Enhance Athletic Performance

-Article: How Something Called Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy Can Make You Sleep Like A Baby (And Do Much More Than That).

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Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Emilio or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We know what "The Red Planet" looks like from the outside -- but what's going on under the surface of Mars? Find out more in the 60-second video from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Consider this your official countdown to Halloween with a special series of mini-sodes. Get a daily dose of horror with Tracy & Minki every day in October as they both talk about one film that they consider to be the best in each sub-genre >> Monsters and murderers are one thing, but when technology takes the main stage as the center of the fright fest, things can get interesting. If you're a technophobe, you may not want to watch these movies, but then again, you're probably not on a computer or phone to read this right now. So, to all of you non-technophobes, plug in to today's discussion and get charged up.

https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/breathepodcast

In the past several months, I've taken a deep, deep dive into breath work. Sure, in the past years I've written articles on everything from combining ketosis, breath holds and freediving, to how to make your own hyperbaric "exercise with oxygen therapy" (EWOT) device, to Wim Hof style breathing for cold thermogenesis to underwater workouts with Laird Hamilton to making yourself high with holotropic breathwork to the use of fancy breath strips and "Turbine" devices to enhance nasal breathing during both exercise and sleep... ...but lately, I've been making a very concerted effort to consistently do deep nasal breathing, rhythmic breathing and breath hold tactics during walks, weight training sessions, road trips and beyond. And by concerted, I mean consistently, every day, until these forms of breathing become fully automatic.

In her new book "Breathe: The Simple, Revolutionary 14-Day Program to Improve Your Mental and Physical Health" my guest Dr. Belisa Vranich explains why breathing is so crucial for optimizing brain and body performance, and she delves into one of the most comprehensive treatises of practical breathing tactics that I've ever read (the other best book on this topic is "The Oxygen Advantage" by Patrick McKeown, who I'm also getting on the podcast soon). She highlights the results she's seen in her research and in her own patients, including... Insomnia? Gone. Anxiety? Gone. All without medication. Unpleasant side effects from blood pressure pills? Gone. A cheap and effective way to combat cardiovascular disease, immune dysfunction, obesity, and GI disorders? Yes. Sounds too good to be true? Contemporary science confirms what generations of healers have observed through centuries of practice: Breath awareness can turn on the body’s natural abilities to prevent and cure illness. The mental and physical stresses of modern life, such as anxiety, frustration, sexual dysfunction, insomnia, high blood pressure, digestive woes, and immune dysfunction can all be addressed through conscious control of your breath. In addition, it can increase energy, accelerate healing, improve cognitive skills, and enhance mental balance. Yet most of us stopped breathing in the anatomically “right” way, the way to take advantage of these benefits, when we were four or five years old. We now mostly breathe in a way that is anatomically incongruous and makes for more illness. But in the book "Breathe", Dr. Vranich shows readers how to turn back the tide of stress and illness, and improve the overall quality of their life through a daily breathing workout. In a fascinating, straightforward, jargon-free exploration of how our bodies were meant to breathe, she delves into the ins and outs of proper breathing. By combining both anatomy and fitness with psychology and mindfulness, Dr. Vranich gives readers a way of solving health problems at the crux and healing themselves from the inside out. Breathe is an easy-to-follow guide to breathing exercises that will increase energy, help lose weight, and make you feel calmer and happier. Dr. Vranich is a clinical psychologist with over twenty years of experience, and she has spent the last decade dedicating herself to the study of breathing. She is the founder of The Breathing Class and has appeared in dozens of national media outlets, including Anderson Cooper, CNN, Fox, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Inside Edition, The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Men's Fitness and Huffington Post. She is also the former sports psychologist for Gold's Gym and columnist for Shape.

During our discussion, you'll discover:

-How to determine something called your "baseline breath"...[10:35]

-The best biohacking gear that you can use to self quantify and test your breath...[24:45 & 28:10]

-What percentage oxygen level you should look at when using an oximeter to check your blood oxygenation levels...[29:15]

-The acid-alkaline relationship between something called "overbreathing" and craving junk foods...[19:20 & 34:40]

-Why your breath hold time may not be that important (unless you're into freediving, spearfishing, shooting, golfing, surfing, surgery or tattoo artistry)...[38:00 & 42:00]

-Why rock musicians have very strong vagus nerve stimulation...[52:20]

-How breathwork detoxifies your body and moves lymph through your circulatory system...[57:30]

-The $3000 device that Dr. Vranich swears by for full body massage and diaphragmatic stimulation...[64:45]

-What Dr. Vranich thinks of devices like the Powerlung and the Elevation Training Mask...[70:50] -And much more!

Resources from this episode: -My article on "30 Ways To Breathe Better" -Breathe: The Simple, Revolutionary 14-Day Program to Improve Your Mental and Physical Health -Deep Nutrition by Cate Shanahan -Fingertip pulse oximeter -Urine pH strips -Spirometer / flow meter for measuring lung capacity -PowerLung breath training device -Elevation Training Mask (use code GREEN1 for 20% discount) -Eat Wheat by Dr. John Douillard -The Myobuddy massage device that Ben uses -DMS Professional Deep Muscle Stimulator Massager that Belisa uses -The Official Bas Rutten O2Trainer

Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Belisa or me? Leave your comments at BenGreenfieldFitness.com and one of us will reply!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The month of June was particularly eventful for a lot of the queer community: Philadelphia Trans Health Conference, Pride, the Pulse shooting in Orlando and more...and clearly not all of it was positive. These events affected people in different ways and, in the case of Benny Rodriguez, they weren’t the only events that made June emotionally taxing. So we sat down for a chat about...Benny’s June.

We discussed the Latinx community, the anti-blackness found at many of the aforementioned events, and the erasure that was so blatantly evident in the wake of tragedy.

Resources:

Philadelphia Trans Health Conference: https://www.mazzonicenter.org/trans-health

Pulse shooting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Orlando_nightclub_shooting

Pete Sessions claims Pulse not Gay Nightclub: http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gop-lawmaker-says-orlando-shooting-site-wasnt-gay-club

House GOP Leaders block LGBT vote: http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/283531-house-gop-leaders-block-lgbt-vote-after-orlando-shooting

Gay flag burned in Adams Morgan: http://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/06/16/rainbow-flag-burned-outside-adams-morgan-restaurant/

Anti-gay message in Dupont Circle: https://www.borderstan.com/2016/06/13/anti-gay-message-spray-painted-on-dupont-circle-sidewalk/

Goddess Diamond is 14th trans person murdered: http://www.autostraddle.com/black-trans-woman-goddess-diamond-becomes-12th-trans-person-murdered-in-the-u-s-this-year-341818/

TransWomen of Color Collective: http://www.twocc.us/

Lady Dane Edidi: http://www.ladydanefe.com/

Stanford Rapist, Brock Turner: http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/06/us/sexual-assault-brock-turner-stanford/

 Nnekay and James are SO excited to be apart of the Maximum Fun Network, the support has been amazing! James talks about the amazing Broadway Play, Color Purple... which is NOT featuring Jennifer Hudson anymore. Which is too bad because James has another one of his famous impressions! James breaks DOWN the play and how everyone should check it out.

Nnekay takes us to the Protect Yourself/Protect Other People Korner! First, she breaks down what to do when an active shooter is present, with information from Homeland Security. The Protect Other People part covers how straight Allies can support the LGBT community.

James takes us through an Orlando News Round Up Korner. He tells us stories of survivals, victims, the police officers who came to help, and some of the potential legislation. He also explains how even he has a connection to some of the victims. How this tragedy hits so terribly close to home. Also, James breaks down how the rest of the world has shown solidarity... including a very surprising celebrity. 

We got another Quizlet Korner! Will James stump Nnekay?!?!?! 

So enjoy! Share, and spread the word!

James is back from his epic journey to Niagara Falls and Fire Island, Nnekay is... well stuck in her car again, this time she's a little less hot... and not alone. We also take a moment to gather our thoughts in the horror of Orlando. We'll be diving in deep on the topic in future episodes. For now  enjoy our previously recorded episode on Political Correctness, what white people can do to stop promoting subtle racism (which can be applied to straight allies and homophobia during this current time) and a follow up on the Kids For Cash scandal.