As the COVID-19 pandemic has hit humankind unprepared and without precedence of a similar scale, clinicians and scientists are frantically searching for and debating the best ways to prevent, manage, and treat the heterogeneous disease caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus. While the focus is still on prevention and treatment of the early and acute stages,…

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neuromuscular disorder, which means that due to changes in the nervous system, the muscles don’t respond properly anymore. In the skeletal muscles this becomes obvious as the characteristic tremor. However, respiratory muscles may be affected as well. These are the muscles used for breathing, but also for speech and swallow.…

Oscillatory Positive Expiratory Pressure (OPEP) is a drug-free therapy that helps clear secretions from the lungs and expand the lung’s air capacity. OPEP therapy uses small hand-held devices to support the lung’s natural cleaning mechanism and to provide an effective barrier to foreign particles. The body has primary defence mechanisms to fight invading respiratory pathogens.…

The COVID-19 pandemic has been coined the “most crucial global health calamity of the century”, impacting the lives of millions of people around the globe. Due to its sudden appearance and rapid spreading, scientists called all hands on deck to quickly identify ways to ward this attack on our immune system and to overcome the pandemic. Recently,…

During sleep or rest, breathing in and out seems natural because the body’s nervous system passively controls this process. However, conscious control of respiration needs training for efficient release of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the body and intake of enough oxygen (O2) on the next breathing cycle. Better oxygenation of the body is necessary during…

As part of Respiratory Muscle Training (RMT), Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) strengthens the muscles of inhalation specifically. This method focuses on deep diaphragmatic breathing against resistance. During inspiration, the diaphragm contracts and descends into the abdominal cavity, thereby expanding the lungs’ volume. At the same time, the chest wall (intercostals) and accessory neck and shoulder muscles move…

HOW RESPIRATORY MUSCLE TRAINING CAN IMPROVE YOUR BREATHING Respiratory Muscle Training (RMT) is a unique training method that targets and strengthens the breathing muscles. Breathing comprises the process of inhaling air into the lungs (inspiration) and expelling the used air (expiration). These two mechanisms involve different muscle groups, and RMT targets the muscle sets individually, or…

Heart Rate Variability, which is also known as ‘cycle length variability’, ‘RR variability’, and ‘heart period variability is a reliable marker for physiological factors that directly affect heart rhythms. It reflects the heart’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances – stress, exercise, and disease – by balancing the regulation of the autonomic nervous system which…

The BioStrap Biometric set offers clinical, research grade biometrics. How Biostrap Biometric set is different Most of the wearable devices in the market today are pedometers with some basic sleep analysis and heart rate tracking. Biostrap’s goal is to be an overall health platform that provides deep insights into your health and goes beyond just…

Breathing is part of life, as it transports the air to those places – the alveoli in your lungs – where the oxygen molecules can be filtered out of the air to be used by the body. When you exercise, the adaptation of the process of breathing has to be in step with your level of exercise.…