ABSTRACT
The amethyst BioBelt was used by 12 subjects for 1 hour three times per week along with the amethyst Bio‑Mat during sleep, daily over a 3-month period. The author used two different biofeedback devices to measure pain reduction, body mass index (BMI) to measure fat reduction, and blood cortisol levels to measure stress reduction. The BioBelt and the far infrared, negative ion amethyst Bio-Mat reduced pain by 18%, reduced BMI by 10%, and reduced stress by 82% in the 12 subjects over 3 months as validated by pre- and post‑biofeedback, brain scans, and fasting blood tests to measure the stress hormone cortisol. Thermotherapy was enhanced when the BioBelt was combined with the use of the Bio-Mat during sleep to reduce stress, pain, and abdominal fat.

The BioBelt (Richway International Inc., Honolulu, HI, US) made from amethyst is a small Bio-Mat (Richway International Inc.) wrapped around the abdomen to reduce abdominal fat and around the back to reduce pain and stress. The Bio‑Mat technology is a combination of far‑infrared rays (FIR), negative ion effects, and the conductive properties of amethyst channels. These three powerful health stimulators are combined in a single, easy-to-use product with remarkable healing properties. The Bio‑Mat delivers soothing, deep-penetrating heat while stimulating the regeneration of damaged cells in the body. It’s a safe and natural way to achieve optimal health now and maintain a stronger, more resilient, body in the future. The combination of the BioBelt and the Bio‑Mat is a highly effective thermotherapy available to medical professionals and home consumers who want to reduce pain, stress, and abdominal fat. The Bio-Mat is approved as a medical device by the FDA.

Objectives of the study

The study aims to examine the synergistic benefits of the BioBelt and the infrared negative ions amethyst Bio-Mat in reducing stress, pain, and abdominal body fat in 12 subjects over 3 months.

The study intends to examine the effect of using the BioBelt and the Bio-Mat to increase serotonin, which is responsible for reducing stress and costisol levels — the stress hormone partially responsible for increased abdominal fat — and to measure pain reduction. Biofeedback devices were used to measure the improvement in the 12 subjects before and after using the Bio-Mat and BioBelt.

The main objective of the study is to measure the reduction of inflammation, joint pain, and stiffness, as well as the reduction of abdominal fat and stress for 12 subjects over 3 months. This was achieved by using biofeedback devices and blood cortisol tests that correlate with stress; body mass index (BMI) somewhat correlates with subcutaneous and abdominal fat.

Methods

Twelve subjects were tested before and after using the BioBelt for 1 hour, three times per week, and during sleep with the Bio-Mat daily, over a duration of 3 months. The biofeedback test for stress was conducted using the ICAP™ Release Meter System (ICAP™ Technologies, Cardiff, CA, US), and the measurement for pain and BMI was done using a bio‑resonance magnetic analyser biofeedback device. The results showed a reduction in stress of 82% among subjects tested and an increased sense of wellbeing. Pain was reduced by 18% and BMI was reduced by 10%. All 12 subjects were tested at the author’s clinic in North York, ON, Canada.

The psychometric properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) were evaluated in a normal sample of 12 (n=12); the subjects were also administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The DASS was shown to possess satisfactory psychometric properties and the factor structure was substantiated by both the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. In comparison to the BDI and BAI, the DASS scales showed greater separation in factor loadings. The DASS anxiety scale correlated 0.81 with the BAI, and the DASS depression scale correlated 0.74 with the BDI. Factor analyses suggested that the BDI differs from the DASS depression scale primarily in that the BDI includes items such as weight loss, insomnia, somatic preoccupation, and irritability, which fail to discriminate between depression and other affective states. The factor structure of the combined BDI and BAI items were virtually identical to that reported by Beck for a sample of diagnosed depressed and anxious patients, supporting the view that these clinical states are more severe expressions of the same states that may be discerned normally1. Implications of the results for the conceptualisation of depression, anxiety, and tension/stress are considered and the utility of the DASS scales in discriminating between these constructs is discussed.

The ICAP biofeedback device was used to measure stress reduction. The bio-resonance magnetic analyser biofeedback device was used to measure pain, and BMI was used to reflect the reduction in abdominal body fat. Blood costisol tests were used to measure stress, as it is inversely correlated with serotonin levels.

Subject selection criteria

Twelve healthy subjects with mild to moderate stress, pain, or obesity were selected to participate in this case study and signed an informed consent form. Subjects with medical or psychiatric conditions and those taking heavy medications were excluded from the study.

Subjects were tested using biofeedback devices before and after using the BioBelt and Bio-Mat each week, and a blood test was also performed to measure cortisol levels from each subject before the study began and then again after 3 months at the completion of the case study.

How it works

Thermotherapy treatment on a Bio-Mat, as well as applying the BioBelt to the abdominal area, results in an increase in serotonin and heat shock protein production.

Research shows that serotonin, a neurotransmitter that exists in the brain, also exists in the intestines, with as much as 90% of the serotonin being found in the small intestine2. As such, our intestine uses the neurotransmitter serotonin to balance the active immune functions of our body.

There are over 500 different types and 100 trillion bacilli living inside our intestines3. Among these, there exist beneficial bacteria such as bifidus and lactobacillus, as well as harmful bacteria such as clostridium perfringens, bacillus, and staphylococcus. While the beneficial bacteria help increase our immunity, the increase of harmful bacteria leads to a decrease in our immunity level.

By warming the abdominal region with smooth far‑infrared radiation, the beneficial bacteria will become more active, producing heat shock protein and increase our levels of immunity.

The Bio-Mat is a natural heating pad, which lies on top of a massage table or home mattress. It converts electricity through a computerised control panel, produced by Texas Instruments (Dallas, TX, US), into FIR, nature’s invisible light. FIR was discovered by NASA to be a safe, beneficial light wave. It reduces pain and swelling, while increasing blood flow and reducing stress by increasing the secretion of serotonin.

The Bio-Mat also produces negative ions, nature’s energiser, which deliver a molecular level massage. This accelerates and deepens all healing and cleansing processes. It balances pH by decreasing acidity and is considered the ‘master power switch’ that activates the body’s entire cellular communication system. Negative ions can alleviate allergies, migraines, and sinus problems.

These two components are transferred through amethyst quartz channels that cover the entire Bio‑Mat’s surface. Amethyst quartz is a super conductor scientifically found to offer a steady delivery of healthy far‑infrared light waves and the highest vibrational frequencies into the body.

The core of Bio-Mat technology is a combination of FIR (6–12 µ), negative ion effects, and the conductive properties of amethyst channels. These three health stimulators are combined in this single product. The Bio‑Mat delivers deep-penetrating heat while stimulating the regeneration of damaged cells in the body. This therapy, based on Nobel prize-winning scientific research pioneered by NASA and developed using natural materials, is available to medical professionals and home consumers who want to improve health and wellbeing.