Hasselt - "The reason why I invited this Japanese yogi is that I wanted to know how much pain he feels and how he can do these things without screaming of pain", says Dr. Peper, president of the Biofeedback Foundation of Europe . Ten minutes later Mitsumasa Kawakami wets the iron skewer with his tongue and pierces it through the skin of his throat. His respiration rate does not increase, his heart rhythm remains stable. "Health is control over your body", concludes Dr. Peper.
Biofeedback is a relatively new field within medicine. The method is monitored closely by the pharmaceutical industry, because if Dr. Peper could influence medicine , patients in Western society would need a lot less pills to control pain. A computer with screen would be all that is needed to control pain. Through biofeedback people can see on a computer screen how their body reacts. These reactions are monitored using sensors. The sensors measure muscle tension, skin temperature and blood pressure, analyze these data and show them on the screen in an understandable way. For the patient the computer screen is like a mirror to his inner body. He can see how his muscles react to inner (stress) and outer (workload) stimuli. Working with the physician the patient can figure out how his physical complaints are related to his psychological state. Then he can learn how to react in order to suppress the physical complaint, for example by adapting his respiration rate. "Biofeedback has proven to diminish incontinence in women by 80%", says Dr. Peper, who is the coordinator of the scientific program at the 9th Annual Meeting of the BFE in Hasselt .
Respiration
"Biofeedback makes it easier to understand your body", says Dr. Peper. Often people are unaware that they work in a certain posture that can cause severe complaints in the future. It is common for journalists to work on the computer with tensed shoulders. This causes , after a period of time , a cramped posture, which leads to pain, faster breathing and the beginning of a vicious circle. While a relaxed posture and slower breathing can reduce pain by a large extent. By using biofeedback you can make this visible in an easy way.
Health
"Health is control over your body. A yogi practices this skill in an extreme way", says Dr. Peper. Then he asks Mitsumasa Kawakami to show his tongue to convince us that the tongue has no hole in it. We confirm that Mitsumasa has no hole in his tongue and noticed that he has not had any alcohol. "I concentrate and force my body to take the same atomic structure as the steel", explains the yogi. "Apart from a strange cold feeling, I felt nothing at the time the skewer pierced my tongue. But this morning I accidentally pierced my finger while getting the skewers out of the car, and I was bleeding and feeling pain. How I can do these things? By training my brain a lot. It is possible, but you have to be willing to believe in it". |
