Most people react to the BioPulser® by saying, "Oh, it's like a jack-hammer." That is true only if the BioPulser® is being used improperly. The jack-hammer smashes passive hard material with concussion. Fortunately, the muscles are not passive material which can be pounded into pieces. Although some muscles may feel as hard as concrete, this hardness is not the result of mechanical adhesion of particles, but is instead a fixed state of over-contraction (excess muscle tone) which must be stimulated to relax, not over-stimulated to contract even more; concussive action produces the latter effect. Unfortunately, such over-stimulation also triggers endorphin release which masks the resulting irritated muscle.

"Why is the Signature Series BioPulser® needed? Because everybody suffers, knowingly or unknowingly, from varying degrees of excess muscle tone (hypertonicity). This problem is for the most part ignored by health care providers. In those few instances when the MDs do recognize hypertonicity, they muck around with it by repeatedly but temporarily poisoning the muscles with Botox.

One medical anatomy book, when discussing one of the signs of hypertonicity, referred to it by the oxymoronic title "The Ligamentous Action of Muscles". They then defined this as an inability of the muscles to relax (i.e. hypertonicity). Their recommendation was to do exercises that help muscles relax; however, since they do not exist, there was no description given of any such exercises. There are exercises that very temporarily fatigue the fast-twitch fibers (sort of like a mini-botox treatment), thereby inhibiting rather than relaxing muscle.

Palpation of muscles after the use of vibrating devices or heat reveals that the feeling of relief produced is from endorphins (internal morphine) rather than relaxation. So-called muscle relaxant pills actually block spinal reflexes so the only contractions they block are 'guarding' spasms.

The Signature Series BioPulser®, (accompanied by NeuroSoma® fingertip manipulation), is the only modality designed to break the vicious neural cycle which drives hypertonicity. The design parameters were determined by the biological constraints of the neuro-muscular system.

The nerve-bodies which communicate with the cerebellum to control muscle tone are located deep inside the muscles. Any attempt to apply an external stimulus directly to the nerve-bodies (called muscle spindles) will be blocked by a reflex contraction of the surrounding musculature.

This is further complicated by the irritability of the "sickened" overworking muscles. This irritability causes excessive reflex reactions so that the harder a muscle's hypertonic contraction, the more gently it must be approached. Once the tonic contraction has been reduced to the correct level, the muscle can sustain high levels of flexibility without reflex contraction.

A solution to this impasse to an external stimulus is found in the old axiom "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em". Or in this case, trick them into joining you. We must somehow make the muscles provide the stimulus to the spindles that are in their grasp.

The tense state of the hypertonic muscles offers the possibility of getting them to vibrate, and the maximum vibration would occur at their natural resonant frequency. This good vibration would then provide the desired stimulus. The muscles can't be bowed like a violin or strummed like a guitar, but they can be drummed like tympani, using a snap percussion like a drummer.

Three factors control the amount of vibration produced by the drumming:

• First, the greater the velocity at which the drum mallets strike, the more the vibration. The drummer uses wrist action to maximize velocity, which is limited by human ability. The BioPulser® uses a cam to maximize velocity, which must be limited due to one of the biological constraints. The BioPulser® cam maintains a velocity just below that which triggers pain reflex contraction (3.8 miles-per-hour).
• Second, the more rapidly the percussion is repeated, the more the vibration. The timpanist uses two mallets to maximize the repetition rate which again, is limited by human ability. The BioPulser® uses a timing belt to control repetition rate which again, must be limited due to a biological constraint, i.e., the muscles aren't a simple passive structure, like a drumhead, but are complex reactive organisms; 15 repetitions per second has been found to be the maximum number that will not trigger reflex contraction.
• And third, the less time the mallet stays in contact with the drumhead, the less the initial vibration is damped. This is the 'snap' in snap percussion and is an example of less gives more.

At this point, we have already segued from "Why and What is the Signature Series BioPulser®" into "How to Use It and Why". To continue with our analogy, the drummer controls the snap by varying the length of his strokes and by positioning his arms to cause the mallets to vigorously tap the drumhead as near the end of the stroke as is humanly possible. The BioPulser® comes with stroke limiting washers, but YOU must apply them as needed for a given muscular situation. YOU must properly position the BioPulser® by 'floating' it on the skin so that the muscle receives percussion as opposed to concussion. The percussion is not in itself the relaxing stimulus; but it causes the taut muscle to vibrate at the muscle's resonant frequency, and this good vibration is the relaxing stimulus.

And so: the BioPulser® must not be used as a jack-hammer, but as a little drummer boy (or girl). And you must pay attention to the sound it makes: the hollow-sounding, low-pitch muscle vibration should readily be heard over the higher-pitched clicking of the machine's percussion. It will take practice to develop the feel and control of the floating. In the beginning you may need to limit the stroke more than is proper in order to more easily 'float' the BioPulser®. Be prepared to accept a lower level of stimulation if you need to do this.

The design of the BioPulser® and correct method of holding it will maximize the amount of stimulation-per-second, but the total stimulation delivered is determined by how many seconds YOU hold it in a given location. In routine application, hold the machine on each of the positions for up to one minute as you work your way along the entire length of the muscle from one attachment to another. If you have an unusually tough spot, hold for five minutes or more at that spot. Lift the tip when moving to the next position.

Now that the Why has been covered, you should better understand the BioPulser®. Just remember: "Caution: Engage brain before using BioPulser®."

RULE NO. 1: In order to "float" the applicator tip on the skin, you must hold the BioPulser® so that none of its weight comes to bear on the tip. In order to do this and keep it 'out of gravity', always hold the BioPulser® such that the shaft of the applicator tip is parallel to the floor, keeping the weight of the machine perpendicular to the applicator motion. The body of the BioPulser® does not have to be perpendicular to the floor to satisfy Rule No. 1.

RULE NO. 2: Hold the handle loosely; do not grip it. If you grip the handle, it will be impossible to float the tip. Several holds pictured on the web site show one digit (digit = finger or thumb) at the rear of the front handle and one or more digits at the front of the rear handle. The center of gravity of the BioPulser® is located off-side to the hold-point, causing the machine to tend to rotate on the digit(s) that support(s) the perpendicular weight; the other digit must resist that torque. You do not have to worry about Rule No. 2 when holding the machine by the "tail-end" because it is dangling freely from the support digit.

RULE NO. 3: The full stroke of the BioPulser (using no washers), as well as use of the more penetrating pointed tip, can be employed only after working muscles for several years; so for now, consider the pointed tip to be only a holder for spare washers. Use a minimum of 1 thick and 1 thin washer when percussing below the head, and 3 thin or 2 thick washers when percussing on the head, including the suboccipital muscles.

RULE NO. 4: Tilt the BioPulser® slightly so you are using the left or right edge of the lip of the cup tip. Use the flat tip flat-on only if an area is exceedingly tender.