Your Health by Dr. Rallie McAllister

For fitness fanatics in search of ways to shake up their workout routines, a new kind of exercise may be just the ticket. Whole body vibration training promises to make getting in shape easier than ever.

All you have to do is climb aboard a specially designed platform, which generates vibrations in the range of 35 to 50 Hertz. In response to the vibratory stimulation, your muscles reflexively contract and relax dozens of times per second, without your conscious effort.

Manufacturers of vibration platforms claim that by simply standing, sitting, or lying on the new-fangled exercise equipment for 10 minutes a day, users can work up a sweat while they increase their muscular strength, flexibility, and bone mass. Even better, manufacturers say the machines can shake off excess body fat and shimmy away unsightly cellulite.

Scientific research supports some, but not all, of these claims. Nonetheless, total body vibration training is showing all the signs of becoming the latest, greatest fitness craze.

In recent years, vibration platforms have been popping up in athletic training facilities, high-end fitness clubs, and rehabilitation hospitals. Early models were big and bulky, and typically sold for around $3,500 to $10,000.

With the increasing popularity of whole body vibration training, both the size and price of vibration equipment are shrinking. Soloflex now offers a platform suitable for home use, which measures 10" by 40" and weighs around 35 pounds. With a suggested retail price of $495, it's one of the least expensive models on the market.

Is it worth the investment? At this point, the jury is still out. Scientific research regarding this new technology is in the early stages, and at this point, studies are yielding conflicting results.

In an article published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, researcher Gershon Tenenbaum, Ph.D. and colleagues reported that when male athletes exercised three times weekly in the presence of vibratory stimulation, they experienced greater gains in strength and flexibility than those who performed similar exercises in the absence of vibration.

"We found that the combination of exercise and vibration caused targeted muscles to become stronger and more flexible in the short term," said Tenenbaum, a professor at Florida State University and the author of "The Handbook of Sports Psychology." "Vibration training may produce immediate effects, but more research is needed to determine if strength and flexibility continue to increase over time."

Although several studies support the notion that whole body vibration can boost muscular strength and flexibility, there's less evidence to suggest that it can promote weight loss or reduce body fat.

The greatest benefit of vibration training may lie in its potential to increase bone mass. The results of a 2004 study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research suggests that a training program that includes vibratory stimulus may reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis.

Postmenopausal women who engaged in whole body vibration training three times a week for a period of six months experienced significant increases in bone mineral density of the hip, as well as improvements in strength and balance. Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that vibration training might be a feasible and effective way to reduce the risk of falls and bone fractures in older women.

NASA-funded scientists are investigating the use of whole body vibration in space. Preliminary research suggests that standing on a vibrating plate for 10 minutes a day may protect astronauts against the bone loss and muscle wasting that occurs as the result of prolonged exposure to weightlessness.

Vibration training may benefit astronauts and postmenopausal women, but it's still not clear whether it will significantly impact the health and fitness of other individuals. While it may not produce amazing results, there's probably no harm in trying it.

Scientists haven't found any significant adverse effects associated with short bouts of whole body vibration training lasting 10 minutes or less. Fatigue is a common side effect of prolonged use, and some subjects report mild symptoms of motion sickness.

Until additional research confirms the benefits of whole body vibration, it's probably not a good idea to give up exercising the old-fashioned way in favor of standing or sitting on a vibration platform.

"These machines can't perform miracles," said Tenebaum. "If you want to lose weight and stay healthy, you have to watch your diet and get plenty of regular exercise."

Rallie McAllister, M.D., M.P.H., is a family physician in Kingsport, Tenn., and author of "Healthy Lunchbox: The Working Mom's Guide to Keeping You and Your Kids Trim." Her Web site is http://www.rallieonhealth.com. To find out more about Rallie McAllister, M.D., and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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