Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Ryan Ballance, A Lifesaver

For who? Baby Boomers, retirees, student-athletes, lifeguard
For what? Strength, stamina, functional movement, mobility, flexibility, recovery







































Courtesy of Mayor Bob Whalen, Laguna Beach, California.

Ryan Ballance [standing on the right] is a retired fireman and an experienced waterman originally from Long Beach, California. He is a regular KAATSU Nano user on dryland and uses KAATSU Aqua Bands in the water.

Throughout 25 years of his stellar firefighting career in Florida, the former All-American water polo player helped numerous people in all kinds of situations.

Upon his retirement on the firefighting force, he moved back to Southern California - and continues to save lives.

He made his second lifesaving rescue in less than a year. His first save was with a cardiac arrest victim on the shores of Laguna Beach. His latest safe was in the city's swimming pool with another cardiac emergency.

The City of Laguna Beach honored Ballance with a proclamation:

Whereas, On February 25, 2019, Ryan Ballance successfully rescued a drowning swimmer at the High School and Community Pool; and

Whereas, Ballance is a Pool Lifeguard for the City of Laguna Beach, bound by a duty to act while carrying out his job responsibilities; and

Whereas, The Community Services department prides itself on its tradition of providing exceptional service to its residents; and

Whereas, Ballance responded quickly and professionally, and displayed a high degree of skill and expertise in his life-saving actions; and

Whereas, The swimmer made a full recovery with no lasting heart or brain damage thanks to Ballance's efforts.

Now, therefore, The City Council of the City of Laguna Beach, congratulates and recognizes, on behalf of the entire community, Ballance's excellent work and successful rescue and resuscitation...congratulations!


Copyright © 2014-2019 by KAATSU Global

Joe Gomes, A First Move, An Early Adopter, A Visionary

For who? student-athletes, warfighters
For what? Strength, stamina, conditioning, functional movement, mobility, flexibility, recovery

Joe Gomes is the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC) high performance director responsible for the development of staff and systems that evaluates, educates and prepares elite athletes or warfighters to perform at their best when it matters most.

Prior to joining the IHMC, the London native spent 3 years as the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. While at the Raiders, he purchased KAATSU Masters and KAATSU Nanos and requested extra large KAATSU Air Bands for his oversized athletes.

He oversaw sport science, nutrition, strength & conditioning, player reconditioning and performance analytics, and was instrumental in the design, planning and opening of its new Performance Center near the Oakland Airport. His efforts helped the Raiders increase the number of their victories and boosted them to their first playoff appearance in 14 years.

Prior to the Oakland Raiders, Gomes was a Senior Advisor and Performance Director to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) where he oversaw aspects of programming and monitoring for USASOC as well as research and innovation for human performance initiatives.

The former rugby player and track athlete served as the Director of Performance for EXOS for 9 years where he ran the preparation program for the annual NFL Scouting Combine for 4 years. He trained 35 first-round draft picks, 13 top-10 players and four first-overall picks.

As a consultant, his clients include all branches of U.S. Military Special Operations, the U.S. Secret Service, and numerous sporting federations and professional teams across a number of sports.

To listen to Joe Gomes discuss a wide variety of topics, listen here.

Copyright © 2014-2019 by KAATSU Global

Sunday, April 21, 2019

The White Heart Foundation Visits Joseph Lowrey

For who? soldiers, veterans
For what? mobility, flexibility, recovery






























The White Heart Foundation visited retired U.S. Army Green Beret Sergeant 1st Class Joseph Lowrey at his home in Ontario, California last week.

The Foundation representatives is committed to serving the needs of severely injured warriors like Lowrey and filmed a day in the life of the Purple Heart recipient originally from Long Beach, California who enlisted in the Army right after his high school graduation.

Ryan Sawtelle, Founder & Executive Director of the White Heart Foundation, explained, "White Heart is focused on having the greatest impact on [wounded] warriors. Our goal is to determine and address each warrior’s most pressing need with the help of your donation — 100% of which goes toward the warrior.

White Heart was created with the donor’s intent in mind. We believe that donor's dollars are best spent working one on one with warriors, rather than treating them as if they were numbers
."

While the Foundation cameras zeroed in on Lowrey going about his day in his home, including red light therapy + KAATSU sessions with KAATSU Master Specialist David Tawil, it was clear that the Green Beret was enjoying the spotlight.

"It is such a joy, honor, and inspiration to work with Joe," said Tawil. "We did KAATSU Cycles on his arms, starting at a low SKU and then gradually building up as we asked him to do simple but challenging movements like reaching for the sky with his left hand. Then we did some KAATSU Walking, initially at a controlled pace and then at a faster pace."

Lowrey used KAATSU daily and nightly [before bedtime] after improbably surviving a horrific gunshot wound to his head during a combat tour in Afghanistan.

While serving with the 7th Special Forces Group on July 7th 2014, Lowrey and his fellow soldiers were tasked to enter an area known to be a Taliban stronghold. The injury occurred during Lowrey’s third deployment while manning the gun turret on top of a truck during an intense firefight against Taliban insurgents.

Immediately after Lowrey was hit when PKM machine gun fire (the round pierced his Kevlar helmet and caused a massive traumatic brain injury to his right hemisphere), the medic onboard heroically saved his life by conducting an emergency tracheotomy on the battlefield. Even so, after surgery, his colleagues were told that Lowrey would not survive.

Inexplicably, Lowrey survived the next day as well as the next week and next month. Just after he and his wife Jennifer welcomed their fourth child, Lowrey was airlifted from Afghanistan to Germany's Landstuhl Hospital where he remained in a coma. Despite being given a small chance of survival by doctors, Lowrey was airlifted to the United States where he rehabbed at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Palo Alto, California at a rehabilitation hospital, and then at Casa Colina and Centre for Neuro Skills in Southern California.

After years of believing in himself and his caregivers through an excruciatingly painful recovery and rehabilitation, Lowrey emerged well enough to move back in with his family albeit without use of his left side and with some short-term memory losses due to his traumatic brain injury.

"My brothers rescued me from the fight," recalled the former highly competitive ice hockey goalie and self-defined fitness fanatic. "It has been a very long road to recovery, but I want to run again. That is one of my goals."

Together with Tawil, the pair delved into every possible KAATSU protocol covering muscle development, rehabilitation enhancement and basic recovery.

But they also concurrently took a deep dive into nutrition, specifically ketogenic diets, and all kinds of healthy biohacks in an attempt to recover from complete paralysis on his left side. "Due to being sedentary for the first time in my life, I gained a lot of weight and was just eating everything including too many hamburgers," recalled Lowrey. "But then I lost the added weight when I began eating a low-carb diet and sleeping right."

But he also experienced significant muscle mass loss while undergoing physical therapy in several Veterans Administration hospitals and medical clinics for four years.

Lowrey started KAATSU in June 2018. Under Tawil's guidance, Lowrey established a smooth-running protocol where he does KAATSU twice daily in the convenience of his home. He does a morning exercise protocol where he focuses on muscle toning, balance and gait fluidity as well as an evening sleep protocol where he focuses on relaxation and vascular elasticity that enables him to get a solid 8 hours of deep sleep.

"I loved how my legs felt the very first time that I tried KAATSU in the comfort of my living room," recalled Lowrey. "I didn't know how to use the KAATSU equipment at first; it was all new to me, but David was patient and taught me and my caregiver how to apply it during my morning and evening sessions. Now it is just part of my daily routine."

Tawil reiterated, "It is important to teach KAATSU users like Joe to understand how to do KAATSU by himself. Because of Joe's limited strength, uncertain balance and lack of complete mobility, we spend all the time necessary for Joe to feel comfortable and gain the maximum benefits from KAATSU.

Lowrey first started with very low-pressure KAATSU Cycles on both his arms and legs. He learned what the appropriate Base and Optimal pressures are for him - both in the morning where Joe does more vigorous workouts and in the evening where it is all about relaxation and getting ready to reap all the benefits of a good night's sleep
."

Over the next 8 weeks, Lowrey started to stand, balance and walk with KAATSU.

"We walk around the house and in his backyard," explains Tawil. "But we also go outside in his complex and tackle walking on grass. All of the different textures and slightly different elevations on the grass and a nearby hill are great challenges and objectives for Joe to achieve during his walking sessions. This sort of KAATSU Walking on a grassy hill - so simple for able-bodies people - are extremely helpful for Joe's improvement.

Joe does KAATSU 2 times per day: the first time at 10 am and then again at 7 pm before going to bed. At night, Joe just does simple KAATSU Cycles at a relatively low pressure. This double daily session has been essential for his rapid improvement. He is up to 2,000 steps a day, but his long-term goal is running a marathon
."

For more information on the White Heart Foundation, visit www.whiteheart.org.

Copyright © 2014-2019 by KAATSU Global

Monday, April 15, 2019

The Body's Healing Capabilities: KAATSU Self-Care Protocols

For who? Baby Boomers, retirees, student-athletes
For what? self-care, Strength, stamina, functional movement, mobility, flexibility, recovery



Day 1 and Day 7 Photos
Before and after photos of a young female's toes - one week of doing daily KAATSU protocols, 20 minutes per day



Day 4 and Day 9 Photos
Before and after photos of a young female's toes after doing the daily KAATSU protocols, 20 minutes per day

KAATSU Master Specialist David Tawil utilizes the KAATSU Cycle on his handheld KAATSU Nano for a wide variety of purposes, from increasing the range of motion and strength for paraplegics to improving the muscular strength of Olympic athletes. He does this utilizing the KAATSU Cycle mode on a daily basis with individual sessions no longer than 20 minutes each. The efficiency and efficacy of his protocols are unheard of.

Tawil also utilizes the KAATSU Cycle to help the body heal itself of unsightly problems as varied as improving and eliminating toenail fungus.

Toenail fungus is an infection that gets in through cracks in the nail or cuts in the skin. The toenails change color or become thicker while it can cause pain. Because toes are often warm and damp, fungus grows well there. Different kinds of fungi and sometimes yeast affect different parts of the nail.

"The photos above show the progress Victoria is experiencing with her toenail fungus," Tawil explained. "When I first started the KAATSU Cycle Self-Care Protocols, she had fungus, ingrowths, dead skin, facia and overall stagnation. After treating comfortably and easily over the last few weeks, she is now enjoying stretchy new skin.

We combined KAATSU Cycles with coconut oil, oregano, magnesium and salt for their antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal and antibiotic properties.

While doing KAATSU Cycles with the KAATSU Nano, we gently stretched the toe, her skin, the ankle joint, and her overall foot. We also gave her a magnesium and salt bath for additional antiseptic properties that enabled her local muscles to relax. This combination initially led to a total removal of stagnation that stopped the fungus in its path. She moisturized her skin with oils and greatly improved the blood circulation with KAATSU Cycles.

Concurrently, she continued to flex and stretch her toes, feet and ankles and kept her feet and toes clean. We could have also added the standard KAATSU 3-point Leg Protocols (e.g., Heel Raises + Leg Curls + Quarter Squats) if she had wanted, but these exercises are entirely optional.

In summary, the KAATSU Cycle Self-Care Protocol is simple: essentially, clean, hydrate, oxygenate with KAATSU Cycles.

The result was the elimination of edema (swelling was reduced via KAATSU), no more curling of the toenails with oil, magnesium, salt, toenail clippers, and the elimination of fungus with KAATSU, antiseptics, and good hygiene
."

Copyright © 2014-2019 by KAATSU Global

Robert Griswold Giving Back And Inspiring Others

For who? Baby Boomers, retirees, student-athletes
For what? Strength, stamina, functional movement, mobility, flexibility, recovery

Robert Griswold has energy that is palpable. He thinks fast, he talks fast, he executes fast and he swims fast, very very fast.

The 2016 Rio Paralympic swimmer won one bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, but he has been on a tear on the recent 2019 World Para Swimming World Series where he has won every event he has swum.

His specialties include the 400m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 200m individual medley in the S8, SB7 and SM8 classification. He is the world record holder in the S8 200m back in 2:22.04.

The 22-year-old from Freehold, New Jersey is currently studying at Indiana State University, training under coach Josh Christensen.

He is clearly a driven athlete, but he is even more inspirational. At the age of 16, Griswold organized a clinic to educate his community in New Jersey about the sport of adaptive swimming. He exposed and advised individuals with physical disabilities and their families to learn about and seek athletic opportunities that available to Paralympic athletes. He continues to share the opportunities with others who he meets and inspires.

Every morning before his first workout of the day, Griswold understands the value of doing repeated KAATSU Cycles to warm-up his limbs - and repeating the KAATSU Cycles after the workouts as a recovery modality.

He is shown with fellow American Paralympic swimmer and KAATSU user Jamal Hill.



Copyright © 2014-2019 by KAATSU Global

Jamal Hill Taking It To The Next Level

For who? Baby Boomers, retirees, student-athletes, swimmers
For what? Strength, stamina, functional movement, mobility, flexibility, recovery





















Jamal Hill of Inglewood, California struggles with the degenerative disorder Charcot-Marie-Tooth - but not much else.

The personable entrepreneur is a member of the USA Paralympic swim team and is looking forward to competing in the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Paralympic Games despite living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease which is an inherited disorder that causes nerve damage in his arms and legs. The disease results in smaller, weaker muscles, a loss of sensation and muscle contractions, and difficulty walking. In Hill's case, it significantly reduces the mobility in his legs where his motor function stops at his knee caps and his motor function in my arms is also impacted.

[The disease] runs in my family,” Hill explained. “It affects my mom a little bit. It affects my uncles pretty heavily. Essentially my motor neurons in my outer extremities, from my elbow to my fingertips and from my kneecaps all the way to my toes gives me a lot of problems.”

But his overwhelming positive nature has enabled him to succeed in a sport he could have easily quit many times.

Currently, Hill is ranked #1 among American Paralympic swimmers and 13th in the world going into the Olympic year. But he has also created Swimming Up Hill, a digital marketing company that markets health and fitness brands, insurance and medical practices.

At its core, Hill's mission is to teach 1 million people how to swim. He works with swim schools in Southern California to help the schools facilitate more lessons for lower cost to the customer.

Hill balances his work at Swimming Up Hill with his participation on the World Para Swimming World Series 2019 where he travels the world, using his KAATSU Nano for recovery.

His next major goal is to compete at the 2019 World Para-swimming Championships in London this September where he will compete among 600 swimmers from 60 nations who are trying to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

Hill is shown above with his fellow KAATSU Specialist and American Paralympic swimmer Robert Griswold of Indiana.

Copyright © 2014-2019 by KAATSU Global

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Tina & Michael Andrew Involved In International Swimming League

For who? swimmers, student-athletes
For what? Strength, stamina, functional movement, mobility, flexibility, recovery

KAATSU users Tina Andrew and her son 5-time world champion Michael Andrew will both participate in the new International Swimming League, the first professional swimming league for elite swimmers.

The International Swimming League (ISL) will debut this year as the first professional sports league for elite competitive swimmers. In October, the ISL will host a series of U.S. and European-based competitions that will culminate in a global championship at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

By putting the most popular sport in the Olympics on display, the ISL will shift the paradigm of swimming by offering professional athletes a chance to participate in regular seasons and earn competitive bonuses, prize money, appearance money, and build commercial value.

The ISL was founded by Ukrainian financier Konstantin Grigorishin who has focused on securing and providing sustainable commercial growth in the swimming.


Mixed ISL gender teams will compete for points in fast-paced races - including sprint, relay and skin. The league offers the following characteristics:

* A team-based competition format where swimmers compete for team points
* Financial incentives where each athlete signs two contracts: one with their team and another with the ISL that enables them two sources of revenue: one that runs through their teams and a separate one that comes directly from the league
* Gender equality is guaranteed where 12 men and 12 women will represent each team
* World’s best athletes will participate in the ISL including 75% of swimming's current Olympic champions and world record holders
* Regular seasons with swim meets held around the global from October to December. In 2020, the season will be expanded.
* Zero tolerance of doping is the rule as no athlete with a previous doping violation is allowed to compete and there is zero tolerance policy if doping is discovered

The U.S. will be represented by four teams:

1. New York Breakers headed by General Manager Tina Andrew, mother-manager of 5-time world champion Michael Andrew
2. Los Angeles headed by General Manager Lenny Krayzelburg, a backstroking Olympic gold medalist and former world record holder
3. DC Trident headed by General Manager Kaitlin Sandeno, an Olympic gold medalist, world champion and former world record-holder
4. Cali Condors headed by Jason Lezak, a 4-time Olympic gold medalist

Current Olympic champions and world record holders like Katie Ledecky, Nathan Adrian and Ryan Murphy will serve as ambassadors for the ISL that will kickoff on October 4th - 5th 2019 and will continue almost every weekend through November 24th.

The finals will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on December 20th and 21st 2019. The four best clubs from the United States and Europe will compete for prize money.

For more information about the International Swimming League, visit here or on Twitter @SwimISL, Instagram @iswimleague, and Facebook.





Copyright © 2014-2019 by KAATSU Global

CEOCFO Magazine Interview With David Weinstein

For who? Baby Boomers, retirees, student-athletes
For what? Strength, stamina, functional movement, mobility, flexibility, recovery



Courtesy of Bud Wayne, Editorial Executive, © CEOCFO Magazine.

"I have been funding disruptive technology companies in healthcare for the length of my career," explained entrepreneur and former investment banker David Weinstein to Bud Wayne, Editorial Executive of the CEOCFO Magazine.

"I have looked at hundreds of products during my 35 years of investment banking, and landed on a few that I thought were heads and shoulders above everything else. Kaatsu is one of them."

Weinstein's interview with CEOCFO Magazine's Wayne is posted here in full.

For an interview with Weinstein's wife Leidy, visit here.

For more information about the Weinstein's LifeForceIQ concept, visit here.

For more information about the CEOCFO Magazine, visit here.

Copyright © 2014-2019 by KAATSU Global