Technology and the Body

The NEUBIE, EMSCULPT, Cryoslimming and Fitbit PurePulse. These new technologies aren’t household names…yet. These are some of the newest and most innovative devices that shape how we heal, tone and discover our physical bodies. They are quickly catching fire in Austin’s tech-forward and health conscious community.

Recovery

“This is the most effective and advanced electrostimulation therapy that I’ve ever encountered in my life. Discovering that I could use it for both intense muscle stimulation and amazing workouts, in addition to rehab, recovering and retraining of muscles.”

This firsthand account from NEUBIE user, athlete and wellness author Ben Greenfield begs the question, What is a NEUBIE?

NEUBIE is NeuFit’s patent-pending electrical stimulation device. NEUBIE is an acronym for “Neuro-Bio-Electric Stimulator” and is FDA-cleared.* When the NEUBIE is combined with NeuFit protocols, the system provides for new methods of Neuromuscular Re-education.

The NeuFit System was started here in Austin by Dr. Garett Salpeter, and the NEUBIE is his creation. Local businesses such as Apeiron Center For Human Potential and Kinetix Body Science employ the devices, but their reach goes far beyond Texas into facilities in 17 other states.

NeuFit uses advanced technology to help people get faster results in rehab and fitness. On the rehabilitation side, they are able to use technology to identify exactly where the body compensates and protects after injury. By finding and eliminating these problems, the body recovers much faster from most injuries and surgeries. On the training side, that same technology allows for high levels of muscle recruitment. They can stimulate the same amount of muscle as if someone were lifting very heavy weights, but with a fraction of the external load. This allows trainees to achieve the benefits of weight training with much less risk of injury.

Not only are local athletes recovering faster, but some of the more incredible outcomes are in the people with brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and diseases like muscular sclerosis for whom NeuFit has allowed them to restore function, and in some cases, literally even get out of wheelchairs.

Body Shaping

“I love the innovation of this technology. It is ingeniously simple and unmatched in its effectiveness. I believe this is a game changer in non-surgical body contouring. And it is very exciting to see it be extended to other areas and applications.” says Betty Cravens, owner of Simple Radiance Medspa.

Simple Radiance Medspa is one of several Austin businesses that have introduced EMSCULPT to its clients.

EMSCULPT — the first and only non-invasive body shaping procedure to address both muscle and fat — revolutionized the aesthetics industry with its launch last year and has since been recognized by top physicians as a game changer in body shaping. Utilizing high-intensity focused electromagnetic field technology, the procedure induces approximately 20,000 supramaximal muscle contractions per 30 minute session.

The treatment is ideal for patients who live a healthy and active lifestyle but are looking to strengthen and define hard to target areas including the abdominals and buttocks.

“I love that EMSCULPT is about making men and women look and feel better by making them stronger and healthier. It’s not just about the fat,” Cravens says.

Another emerging alternative to invasive body-shaping treatment is CryroSlimming or Cryoskin.

It is a non-invasive fat sculpting technology that removes fat cells from an area using through using hot and cold temperatures to create a thermal shock.

While cryotherapy has been associated with recovery, now it’s being used for body slimming as well. Since fat cells are sensitive to cold and unable to sustain themselves at these temperatures, the cell is destroyed and your body passes the debris through the lymph system. Users see visible results in the first session and can lose over half an inch in just 30 minutes. However, for the lymph to properly cleanse your body of dead fat cells, it takes approximately two weeks for your body to fully detoxify.

Self Discovery

Fitness technologies aren’t just helping us look and feel better, they’re also helping us learn our bodies. Austinte Jack Fuller, 61, was recently diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation with the help of his Fitbit’s PurePulse Technology. Fuller had been feeling off, so he monitored his heart rate via his Fitbit only to discover he had a cardiovascular condition.

“On the day I first realized something was wrong, I felt lethargic and like my heart was racing,” Fuller says. “After looking at my heart rate data on my Fitbit Charge 2, I decided to contact my cardiologist. That week, I was diagnosed and underwent a cardioversion in addition to a cardio ablation the following week.”

Fitbit’s PurePulse heart rate tracking technology tracks heart rate during workouts and can help users maintain the right intensity, find a sweet spot for pace and avoid overtraining. The technology shows heart rate zones to gauge how much effort you’re exerting and see if you should dial it up or pull back during a workout.

“I’m so grateful to Fitbit for giving me the initial alert something was wrong,” Fuller says. “If it hadn’t, I probably wouldn’t have been inclined to reach out to my cardiologist as soon as I did and the outcome could’ve been much worse.”