Dr. Michael Gach founded the Acupressure Institute in 1976, one of the leading international training schools in Asian bodywork. He is a national expert on acupressure therapy and has taught over 100,000 people from all over the world. He is also the originator of Acu-Yoga, a self-healing system of exercises that integrates acupressure and yoga. He received his PhD from Columbia Pacific University in health and human services.Beth Ann Henning, Dipl ABT, is the founder and director of Tao Institute Inc., located in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He has studied with various teachers and spiritual leaders, and holds certifications in various modalities including Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner, Reiki, acupressure therapy, herbology, Acu-Yoga, Shotakan karate, Shazen somatic therapies and esoteric theory.

For more information visit: www.Acupressure.com.

Full title: Measurement properties of the pressure biofeedback unit in the evaluation of transversus abdominis muscle activity: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Measurements from pressure biofeedback units (PBUs) can be used to evaluate the activity of the transversus abdominis (TrA) muscle indirectly. These measurements can classify patients or monitor the progress of treatment programmes for people with low back pain. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review studies on the measurement properties of PBUs for the assessment of TrA activity. DATA SOURCES: Eligible studies were identified through searches of PUBMED, CINAHL and BIREME (1990 to 2009). In addition, hand searches of journals and citation tracking were performed. STUDY SELECTION: Full-text studies involving any type of clinimetric tests of PBU measurement for the assessment of TrA activity were selected. DATA EXTRACTION: Two independent reviewers selected the studies, extracted the data and assessed methodological quality. DATA SYNTHESIS: Due to the heterogeneity of study designs and statistical analysis, it was not possible to pool the data for a meta-analysis. RESULTS: Six studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies were typically of low quality and recruited healthy subjects rather than patients with low back pain. The studies found moderate to good reproducibility (intra-class correlation coefficients from 0.47 to 0.82) and acceptable construct validity (intra-class correlation coefficients from 0.48 to 0.90). CONCLUSIONS: The current evidence about the measurement properties of PBUs for the assessment of TrA activity is mainly based on studies with suboptimal designs, and the findings from these studies are likely to be overly optimistic. The most important clinical questions about the measurement properties of PBUs for the assessment of TrA activity are yet to be answered.

Physiotherapy. 2011 Jun;97(2):100-6. Epub 2010 Oct 23. de Paula Lima PO, de Oliveira RR, Costa LO, Laurentino GE. Masters Programme in Physical Therapy, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Brazil. pedrofisioterapia@hotmail.com

Abstract Obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes mellitus are increasing to epidemic proportions globally. There are 400 million clinically obese adults worldwide and there are more than 220 million people who have diabetes. The global impact of these disorders is immense in terms of human suffering and economic burden. There is an urgent need for a more effective understanding of these disease processes and their management, including the use of natural strategies that are affordable and efficacious. The health care system known as Ayurveda has much to offer in this regard. Ayurveda describes a set of complex clinical disorders, collectively called Prameha, that are characterized by frequent abnormal micturition. The clinical conditions associated with Prameha correlate in many ways with obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes mellitus. The etiology, classification, pathogenesis, and management of Prameha are discussed at length and in detail in the Ayurvedic texts. The theoretical background and comprehensive set of strategies Ayurveda utilizes to treat Prameha may be valuable in managing obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes mellitus in an efficacious and cost-effective manner.

J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Jun;17(6):549-52. Sharma H, Chandola HM. 1 Center for Integrative Medicine and Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University , Columbus, OH.