How Whole Body Vibration Works

(A summary of an article by Dr. David Williams)

Good Vibes From the Sea

If you spend the time and trouble to uncover and analyze research from around the world, there’s an amazing amount of data that illustrate the benefits of exposing the human body to certain vibrational frequencies.

Vibrational frequencies are the proposed basis of numerous therapies, many of which are still considered controversial by conventional medicine.  The healing effects of music, drumming, vibrational massage, and even prayer have all been associated with changing the vibrational states of human energy fields.

Scientists believe that the remarkable results seen in dolphin-assisted healing are related to vibrational
Changes.  These take place due to the strong ultrasonic emissions the animals produce.  Research has shown that the ultrasonic blast emitted by dolphins is four times as powerful as that produced by therapeutic medical
Devices.

Although the complete phenomenon isn’t yet fully understood, stories of positive results from “swimming” with dolphins have been circulating for centuries.  Even the aboriginal tribes I’ve spoken with in Australia tell tales of the healing miracles of dolphins.

Those who have swam with dolphins report the sensation of being ultrasonically “scanned” with sound waves.  They feel “a sound” that resonates in their bones.  It then travels through the spine and seems to focus on damaged or diseased areas.  For some reason, dolphins seem to focus their ultrasonic emissions on areas that are damaged and in need of repair.

Good Vibes From the Land

Vibration from humming can effect one’s sinuses.  If you have chronic sinus problems it’s a simple technique that can prove to be a Godsend.  It is particularly helpful when combined with the inhalation of various vitamins like B12, the use of nasal washes like Xlear. Researchers found that during humming the sinuses produced 15 times more nitric oxide (NO) than is produced during normal breathing.  NO dilates capillary beds and increases blood flow to an area.

The added effect of increasing the exchange of gas in the sinuses was dramatic, to say the least.  During normal exhalation, without humming, the normal gas exchange rate was 4 percent.  This compares to 98 percent during just one exhalation during humming.  Introducing clean, fresh air into your sinuses may help keep them healthy. (Am J Respir Crit Care Med 02;166:131–132)

You may also remember the studies with cats.  Problems that are commonly found in dogs are practically
nonexistent in cats; they rarely experience surgical complications, hip dysplasia, arthritis, joint disease, bone
cancer, or breathing problems.  Research suggests the healing frequency of their purring protects against these
problems.  There’s an old saying among veterinarians referring to this well-known fact: “If you put a cat and a
bunch of broken bones in the same room, the bones will heal.” (J Am Vet Med Assoc 87;191:1399–1403) (J Am Vet Med Assoc 99;214:1336–1341) (Can Vet J 96;37:672–678) (J Am Vet Med Assoc 96;208:1882–1886)

Cats have been found to purr at a vibrational frequency of either 25 or 50 hertz (Hz).  And this just happens
to be the same frequency range that can elicit healing effects, reduce chronic and acute pain, and decrease fat
storage.  And just recently, it’s been discovered that exposure to this frequency appears to elicit many of the same benefits associated with exercise in humans.

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

One such benefit is the reduction of fat storage in the body.   Although vibration doesn’t appear to remove fat cells, the latest research in both animals and humans is impressive.  It indicates that simply standing on a platform, vibrating at the right frequency, causes the formation of more bone mass and less fat.  Fat, muscle, and bone are formed from the same variety of stem cell.  It appears that certain vibrations cause the creation of bone rather than fat, possibly in an effort to help stabilize the body from the vibrational stress.

When compared to those not using the therapy, mice placed on a vibrating platform for only 15 minutes a day,
five days a week had an increase of bone marrow stem cell production of 37 percent, suppressed production of
belly fat of 28 percent, and an increase in bone volume in their legs of 11 percent.  In a similar clinical study of a group of women with osteopenia (the first step of osteoporosis when bone begins to thin), the use of vibration therapy 15 minutes a day for 5 days a week resulted in an increase in spinal bone mass and kept the amount of belly fat the same.  Women not using the vibration showed a continued loss of spinal bone and an increased gain of belly fat. (J Bone Miner Res 08;Aug 20[E-pub])

It important to note that visceral fat, or belly fat, is a different type of fat than that found in other parts of the body.  The amount of visceral fat a person carries has been directly associated with metabolic syndrome, which is basically a group of cardiovascular risk factors that result from insulin resistance.  Metabolic syndrome typically results in increased cholesterol levels, heart and artery disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and obesity.  Reducing abdominal or belly fat can have a very profound effect on your health.

Power Your Way to Health

Much of the research of Russian doctors stemmed from their space program in the 1960s.  They were
searching for methods of preserving bone and muscle mass of their cosmonauts in the zero-gravity of space.
The list of health benefits derived from vibration use increases each year as more and more research becomes available.  I suspect we’ll begin to see more and more of these units in nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and hospitals.

Newer home units are less costly than the original commercial units, which will make them more affordable to more and more people.  Even so, they aren’t cheap.  They can range from several hundred to nearly $2,000—or much more for the professional models.  I’m certainly not one for recommending every gadget that comes along.   But for many it can be worth every cent if they take advantage of what it can do for their long-term health and well-being.

Used consistently and correctly it has the potential to restore mobility, help with weight loss, reduce pain, and possibly even eliminate the need for many types of medications.  It requires a time investment of only a few minutes a day, two or three days a week.  And unlike many other types of therapy, it can be used safely by the elderly and the disabled, and in the privacy of one’s home.

Vibration therapy is one area that I’ve kept a close eye on for years, and the list of benefits it provides just
continues to grow.  It’s a therapy that’s not getting much publicity, but it’s one you should definitely know about.
Here’s just a brief overview of some areas where the latest research has shown it can be helpful.

Bone Density

Much of the original research focused on short sessions of vibration in the range of 30 to 50 hertz (which
equates to vibrations or oscillations per second).  This created a piezoelectric force in bone tissue causing an increase in bone strength and density.  Piezoelectricity is a microcurrent created by mineral crystals when they are deformed under pressure.

Old camera flashbulbs and some handheld pain-relief devices work on a similar principle: A lever strikes the
crystal and generates a small amount of electric current.  As your bones flex, the mineral crystals generate a
positive charge as they are compressed and a negative charge as the pressure is released.  The electrical charges have two effects.

Solutions were being sought on how to deal with the fact that early astronauts lost as much as 20 percent of
their bone mass after just eight days in space. This is a prime example of how lack of gravity or the inability
to exercise can quickly take its toll. Based on years of research, vibration therapy has proven to be particularly
beneficial in bone loss like that associated with osteopenia and osteoporosis.

It’s important to remember also that as many as 30 percent of those in nursing homes are there due to hip fractures and fractures from osteoporosis result in more deaths in women than ovarian and breast cancer
combined. (Br Med J 96;312:570–572)

Joint pain reduction and postural stability

It should come as no surprise that when you improve muscle strength and circulation in and around the joints,
it results in less pain and more stability. The fact that vibration therapy does this explains why so many professional sports teams implement these machines in their training programs.  Professional sports franchises are constantly looking for any therapy or program that will prevent injuries and speed up the recovery time of their players.  Vibration therapy has been a very valuable tool for them.

Neurological disease or damage

There are dozens of diseases involving nerve destruction, which results in the loss of muscle control and muscle wasting.  Paraplegia, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson’s are just a few examples.  Vibration therapy is a proven method of stimulating muscles locally that the brain can no longer control.  This is one of the primary reasons I started using this type of therapy a couple of decades ago.  In simple terms it can help keep the muscle alive and well when a connection to the brain has been lost.  It can minimize muscle atrophy (wasting) and oftentimes helps in the reconstruction and/or retraining of the nerve signal.

One recent study, focusing specifically on Parkinson’s, found that WBV helped significantly in the improve-
ment of both equilibrium and gait. (Arch Phys Med Rehabil 08;89:399–403)

Improved fitness levels

With just a little extra exertion, according to a Finnish study reported at the 12th Annual Congress of the European College of Sports Medicine, WBV can provide effects similar to that of traditional fitness exercises,
by performing squats, deep squats, and lunges on the vibrating platform rather than just standing still.

Lymphatic drainage

You could probably label the effects of WBV as a “mechanical massage” when it comes to lymphatic drainage.  Without any outside effort, the thousands of muscle contractions taking place pump the lymphatic fluid out of the area.  This reduces fluid buildup—resulting in a localized detoxification process and a lessening of the load on the immune system.

Whole Body Vibration is truly worthy of looking into.