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Mary Ryde A Horse
Mary Ryde A Horse
"Biosignature is a revoluntionary tool for the clinician who wants to individualize metabolic healing by designing
protocols that have the greates success."
Suzanne Mack, M.D. , North Texas Institute of Functional Medicine
"Biosignature is one of the most advanced non-invasive methods available to rapidly and accurately identify insulin
resistance and cardiovascular risks. This allows for on-site effective medical treatment decisions."
Mark Houston, M.D., M.S., F.A.C.P., F.A.H.A,
Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine ( Vanderbilt University School of Medicine)
Director, Hypertension Institute Saint Thomas Hospital Nashville , Tennessee
Spot Reduction... Maybe Not A Myth
Spot Reduction Revisited
This extraordinary system developed by Charles Poliquin is being embraced by many of the top North America?s
functional medicine practitioners.
Spot reduction is a myth, right? Sure, there are endless articles in fitness magazines about how to target and tone
specific muscles, but no personal trainer worth their certification certificate will promise they can help you take off fat
from specific areas. Reduce your body fat by three percent, no problem. But get rid of that annoying cellulite on the
back of your thighs or that little pouch on your lower belly - and nothing else - well, that's just not possible. Or is it?
The promise of spot reduction is an obsession that many in our culture just won't abandon. How many pills, creams
and celebrity-endorsed gadgets have people tried that were supposed to develop ripped abs or to slenderize the
thighs? And even though those tight corsets of the Victorian era that caused women to pass out due to lack of
oxygen are a long-dead fashion trend, today there are special pants and girdles that give the illusion that the
troublesome fat is gone. Every trainer constantly warns their clients to stay clear from such nonsense. However, the
advancements in exercise endocrinology may give personal trainers new tools for combating site specific fat storage.
The system is called Biosignature Modulation.
Biosignature Modulation is a scientific approach to spot reduction that I have developed over 20 years of performing
blood, urine and saliva tests while working with world record holders, professional athletes in all the major sports,
and Olympic medalists in sixteen different events. My entire professional life has been devoted to finding ways to
improve athletic performance among the elite, and along the way I have found innovative and amazingly effective
ways to help the non-athletic population in the area of fat loss.
Based on my testing, the reason so many people have stubborn problems areas is due to imbalances in their body
biochemistry, especially with hormones. Doubt the power of hormones? Just look at what steroids have done to so
many athletes, turning men into supermen and women into superwomen (and sometimes into supermen unfortunately these drugs do have side effects). And just as steroid hormones can build muscle, other hormones can
cause unwanted fat stores in your back, legs, hips and - well, you get the idea.
Here's how Biosignature Modulation works. There are 12 major body fat sites that can be quickly and accurately
tested by a pair of quality skin calipers and a qualified technician. These sites include the cheek, chin, pectoral
region, triceps, umbilical, supra iliac, subscapular, mid axillary, quadriceps, hamstrings, knee and calf. Although there
are many other methods to test body fat, such as underwater weighing and electrical impedance, I believe that body
fat testing with skin calipers is the best method to be used for Biosignature Modulation because it can determine
precisely the amount of fat in each of the major fat-testing sites were other testing methods only tell you your
percent body fat.
Measurements from each site are then compared to the triceps reading and this identifies which areas of the body
have excessive levels of fat relative to the other 11 body fat sites. Some people may have excessive fat in just one
area, while others may have several problem areas. Most clients will already have a good idea of what their problem
areas are and an experienced practitioner in Biosignature Modulation can often make an accurate visual
determination of the problem, but the calipers are quick, easy and reliable.
Once the biosignature sites are analyzed, the next step is to set out a specific protocol of diet, exercise and
supplementation to resolve the problem. Let's say that after being tested, it's discovered that there is an excessive
amount of fat on the lower thighs (again, relative to the other major fat sites). This indicates that there is a problem
with the estrogen levels. If the problem area is the triceps, the issue is with the androgen levels. If the problem area
is the shoulder blades or hip, the problem is with your insulin levels.
After determining the cause of the fat, the next step is to make appropriate modifications in your diet and exercise
prescription. For the subscapular -shoulder blade- and suprailliac -hip-, controlling the blood sugar levels of the body
with more frequent meals, reduced daily carbohydrate and low GI food choices is critical. For lower abdominal fat,
the key is reducing cortisol levels by restricting the consumption of caffeine and sugar. For the glutes, it's important
to detoxify estrogen levels by consuming vegetables such as broccoli that have biochemicals that accomplish this
important task. Many of these dietary recommendations overlap, none of them involve any method harmful to the
body, and in fact, all of them will improve the overall quality of life.
The next step is supplementation. For the fat on the back of your arms, herbal products such as licorice root, ginseng
(which is most effective when taken 45 minutes before a meal), and rhodiola rosea might be prescribed. For the fat
stored around the lower back, a supplement of guggul, coleus root and bladderwrack algae could be recommended;
as it contains iodine which will strengthen the thyroid gland. For the fat stored around the shoulder blades and hips,
corosolic acid, alpha lipoic acid and fish oils may be prescribed to control insulin. For fat storage on the thighs,
indole-3-carbinol may be recommended. Taking a multivitamin/mineral pill usually doesn't cause any harm, but it's
doubtful that any one product will have the precise quantities of nutrients needed to correct a specific problem,
especially with those fat-storage problems involving hormone imbalances.
The final step is determining an appropriate exercise regimen. For example, for those with lower-body fat, spinning
will likely do more harm than good. Spinning will increase the storage of intramuscular and subcutaneous fat in the
hip and thigh areas to provide a more readily available source of fuel for the muscles. Instead, a weight training
protocol of high reps (10-15) and short rest intervals (about 30 seconds between sets) would be a much more
effective choice.
The Biosignature Modulation program will always be in a constant state of growth as new and better research is
constantly being published which improves the system. But now, for the first time, personal trainers can effectively
combat site specific areas of fat storage using a simple 12-point skinfold test, dietary changes, supplementation and
exercise based on their individual biochemistry.