text: OverviewBack to top Sound Oasis - Vibroacoustic Therapy System VTS-1000 Item# :118565UPC# :680583000019 Brand:Sound Oasis Ship Weight:13.23 Click here to read a PDF brochure on this product Sound Oasis Vibroacoustic Therapy System VTS-1000 The Sound Oasis Vibroacoustic Therapy System is proven to help you sleep, relax, renew. The Sound Oasis Vibroacoustic Therapy System incorporates clinically proven, doctor developed sounds to help you relax, renew your body and prepare you for sleep – naturally! The Sound Oasis Vibroacoustic Therapy Ststem's clinically proven low frequency vibration that stimulates body cells into therapeutic states of relaxation and healing. The Sound Oasis Vibroacoustic Therapy System incorporates sound therapy that provides soothing music with clinically proven brainwave entrainment for effective stress reduction, relaxation and healing. Sound Oasis Vibroacoustic Therapy System Benefits: Sleep and fall asleep naturally without drugs Doctor and hospital proven Change sounds with Sound Oasis' exclusive sound card system Use on your favorite chair or on your bed Sound Oasis Vibroacoustic Therapy System Features: 60 Minutes of Therapeutic Sound - 12 Relax / Sleep / Energize / Stress relief sounds. #1 Rated Sound Quality - Professional, digitally recorded sounds and music. Backlit Remote Control - Controls sounds, volume and vibration intensity. Outlet Powered - Power unit with included AC adapter Soun Oasis Vibroacoustic Therapy System's Clinically Proven Benefits: Increased circulation Decreased pain Increased mobility Why is Vibroacoustic Therapy so Effective?Vibroacoustic Therapy is clinically proven to provide therapeutic health and wellness results.It works because: Sound penetrates deeper. It provides massage therapy to muscles and joints that hand/mechanical massage can not reach. For comparison purposes, ultrasound is a well known and accepted sound technology for viewing tissue inside a body and it operates at 20 KHz + (see below graph). Vibroacoustic Therapy frequencies correspond to key brainwave activities. Vibroacoustic Therapy functions at 20 Hz to 100 Hz, the same frequency range that the body's energy channels operate at. Sound Oasis can bring these energy channels into healthy alignment with Vibroacoustic Therapy. Vibroacoustic Therapy provides sensual stimulation. Like hand/mechanical massage,Vibroacoustic Therapy aids circulation, relaxes muscles and feels good. Your brain responds to sounds that it hears. The Sound Oasis Vibroacoustic Therapy System plays back nature, music and therapy sounds with Delta, Alpha or Theta brainwaves to coax your brain to match these frequencies, thus entering states of sleep, relaxation or renewal. Sound Oasis Can Help TinnitusTinnitus is the perception of sound when no corresponding environmental sounds exists. It usually sounds like ringing, clicking or hissing in your ears. Tinnitus is equally common in men and women and its prevalence increases with age (it occasionally affects children and is becoming prominent among teenagers - 17% of students now experience tinnitus or ringing in the ears according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association). According to the American Tinnitus Association, at least 12 million Americans have tinnitus and 1 million of these experience it so severely that it interferes with their daily activities (hearing, working or sleeping). What Causes Tinnitus? Hearing Loss: Different kinds of hearing loss, including age related hearing loss, can cause tinnitus. Loud Noise: Too much exposure to loud noise can cause noise induced hearing loss and tinnitus. Medicine: More than 200 medicines can cause tinnitus. Other Health Problems: Allergies, tumors and problems in the heart and blood vessels, jaws and neck can cause tinnitus. Sound Oasis Can Help InsomniaSleep is a basic necessity of life. Getting enough continuous quality sleep contributes to how we feel and perform the next day, and has a huge impact on the overall quality of our lives. Insomnia, defined as "too little or poor quality sleep, is one of the most prevalent health complaints in the general population and in medical practice. According to studies from the Mayo Clinic, as many as one in 10 Americans have chronic insomnia and at least one in four has difficulty sleeping sometimes. Nearly everyone has the occasional sleepless night however chronic insomnia is characterized by: having problems falling asleep waking up during the night waking up too early and daytime fatigue or sleepiness According to the 2002 National Sleep Foundation (NSF) America poll approximately 74% of American adults experience sleeping problems, 39% get less than seven hours of sleep each weeknight, and more than one in three (37%) are sleepy enough that it interferes with daily activities. Women report insomnia more frequently than men and chronic insomnia increases with age. Research has shown that special sounds and noises heard by individuals can enhance the capacity to sleep. In the past century, there has been a reduced average time in sleep as life has become more demanding. For example, employees experience extended working hours in the evening, longer working hours, 20% - 25% of the Americans are shift workers, and people commute long distances to and from work. Though our society has changed the way we live, our brains and bodies still demand the usual sleep time to function without fatigue. Dr. R. H. Carmona, at the March 2004 National Health Medicine conference in Bethesda, M.D. stated "Sleep science is some of the most important work in medicine today; however, it is some of the least understood and least appreciated." Further to this, he stated that seventy million Americans may be affected at an annual cost of $15 billion in healthcare expenses and $50 billion in lost work productivity. What Causes Insomnia? Stress: Concerns about work, school, health or family can keep the mind too active, making you unable to relax. Stimulants: Prescription drugs, including some antidepressants, high blood pressure and corticosteroid medications can interfere with sleep. Many over-the-counter medications such as decongestants and weight loss products containing caffeine and other stimulants that causes insomnia. Antihistamines may initially make one groggy but they can worsen urinary problems, causing a person to get up more during the night. Change in environment or work schedule: Travel, working late or early shifts can disrupt the body's circadian rhythms, making a person unable to get to sleep. The word "circadian" comes from two Latin words "circa for about" and "dia for day". Circadian rhythms act as internal clocks guiding such things as ones wake-sleep cycle, metabolism and body temperature. As we sleep we pass through different states and stages of sleep - more likely to be experienced with continuous sleep. The normal sleep cycle consists of two different kinds of sleep -REM (rapid eye movement or dreaming sleep) and non-REM (quiet sleep). Everyone has about four or five cycles of REM and non-REM sleep a night. Both states are important to experiencing quality sleep. For older persons, the amount of time spent in the deepest stages of non-REM sleep decreases. This may explain why older people are thought of as light sleepers. Circadian Rhythm Disorders- A complex biological "clock" in humans sometimes breaks down. In delayed sleep phase syndrome, the "clock" runs later than normal. The sufferer often cannot fall asleep before 3 or 4 a.m. and cannot "wake" before noon. In advanced sleep phase syndrome, a person falls asleep early, for example at 7 or 8 p.m. and wakes at 3 or 4 a.m., and is unable to fall back asleep. Long-term use of sleep medications: While the use of sleep medicines is a common treatment that helps you get to sleep faster and sleep through the night, it is not a cure for insomnia. Sleep medications carry an element of caution due to common side effects such as; daytime sedation, impaired psychomotor performance, falls and hip fractures, and respiratory depression. There are several types of prescription sleeping pills that have been approved for the treatment of insomnia. These include medications in the class known as benzodiazepines, such as temazepam (Restoril), newer medications that are known as benzodiazepine receptor agonists, such as zolpidem (Ambien) and zaleplon (Sonata) and most recently Ramelteon is being used as a remedy for insomnia. Some prescription drugs may be short-acting and work best for trouble initially falling asleep. Others may be long-acting and work best for maintaining sleep during the night. Physician's choice in prescribing will depend on the patient's symptoms. In general, when sleep medicines are used every night for a long time, they may lose their effectiveness. In most cases, sleep medicines are used only for short periods of time, such as 1 or 2 days, and generally for no longer than 1 or 2 weeks unless the patients insomnia has become chronic. Aging: Insomnia becomes more prevalent with age. As you get older, changes can occur that may affect your sleep. You may experience: A change in sleep patterns. Sleep often becomes less restful as you age, but a lack of restful sleep isn't a normal consequence of aging. Circadian rhythms change and more time is spent in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and less time in quiet, deep sleep (non-REM), the most restful kind. Because a person is sleeping more lightly, there is greater tendency to wake up. This may explain why older people are thought of as light sleepers. With age, your internal clock often advances, which means you get tired earlier in the evening and consequently wake up earlier in the morning. A change in activity. As one grows older an individual may be less physically or socially active. Activity helps promote a good night's sleep. You may also have more free time and, because of this, drink more caffeine, alcohol or take a daily nap. These can also interfere with sleep at night. A change in health. The chronic pain of conditions such as arthritis, back problems, fibromyalgia as well as depression, anxiety and stress can interfere with sleep. Older men often develop non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland (benign prostatic hyperplasia), which can cause the need to urinate frequently, interrupting sleep. In women, hot flashes and night sweats that accompany menopause can be equally disruptive. Other sleep-related disorders, such as sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome, also become more common with age. Sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing periodically throughout the night and then awaken. Consult your doctor for treatment regarding this disorder. Restless legs syndrome causes unpleasant sensations in your legs and an almost irresistible desire to move them, which may prevent you from falling asleep. Sound Oasis Can Help MenopauseMidlife is a challenging time for most women. At this time women's bodies undergo the hormonal changes of menopause, just as they do when we enter puberty. These changes are more dramatic for some women than for others, and do not necessarily account for all the stress we feel at this time of our lives. Our changing bodies demand that we pay attention to them. The average age for menopause is 52, but menopause commonly happens anytime between the ages of 42 and 56. According to Amy Eyler, PhD, of the Saint Louis University School of Public Health about 1.5 million American women reach menopause each year, at an average age of 52, and 80 to 85% experience unpleasant symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, anxiety or emotional instability. Lorna Vanderhaeghe states in her book No More HRT Menopause: Treat the Cause (2002) "Women who have uncomfortable menopause symptoms or are preparing for menopause should become as knowledgeable as possible about the choices that are open to them. Talk to health-care providers and read more about menopause, its effects, and treatment options." Learning about exercise techniques, relaxation opportunities and various herbs' physiological actions, including side effects and contraindications, can help women decide the best way to deal with the physical and emotional changes. What Is Menopause ?There is significant disagreement about the definition of menopause. Some confusion exists because there are several stages of the natural menopause process. Technically, natural menopause is the transition between perimenopause and postmenopause, the entire process culminating with the ceasing of the menses, generally around age 50 for most women. During the time, called perimenopause, which can last anywhere from five to fifteen years, the brain continues to send out hormones trying to stimulate the development of ovarian follicles, and it is common for a woman's ovaries to respond erratically, so that her hormones fluctuate a great deal from month to month. These fluctuations are responsible for many of the symptoms of perimenopause. This natural menopause process itself is usually identified retrospectively, when it's been a year since a last period. Susan Weed, in her book Menopausal Years: The Wise Woman Way, describes natural menopause as a metamorphosis, a change from one person to another, similar to puberty. It can be viewed as a hormonal shift mirroring puberty. The natural smooth hormonal rises and falls in our monthly cycle can become more like the waves of a rough sea, with pronounced peaks and valleys. Natural menopause occurs when the monthly cycle of ovulation comes to an end. This occurs because the ovarian supply of follicles and eggs decline sharply as a woman approaches menopause. Eventually, though, the ovaries are no longer able to develop an egg for ovulation. Ovarian production of estrogen goes into a permanent decline, and progesterone is no longer produced. The lining of the uterus thins, since it isn't being stimulated by high estrogen levels each month and monthly bleeding stops. At this time menopause has occurred, however, most refer to the term 'menopause' for both the perimenopausal years as well as the few years following menopause. We cannot discount the importance of the postmenopausal ovary as it continues to produce hormones even after ovulation ends, producing some estrogen and also androgens (male hormones) including testosterone. Some of the androgens are converted to estrogen (estrone) in a woman's fat tissue. Sound Therapy For StressWe cannot exist without stress. Stress is the body's normal response we use to appraise and attempt to cope with emotional threats and challenges; it is meant to protect us. In fact, it is often what provides us with the energy and motivation to meet our daily challenges both at home and at the workplace. Stress in these situations is a positive stress that helps you "rise" to a challenge and meet your goals such as deadlines, promotions, sales or production targets, or finding new clients. Thus, positive stress allows us to perform at higher levels and to face new challenges in life. Great athletes are created from the use of positive stress! Too much stress, however, can have negative impacts. "The cost of stress to employers is huge," says Russ Newman, PhD, JD, American Psychological Association (APA) executive director for professional practice. "Employers spend an estimated 300 billion dollars a year on stress-related absenteeism, turnover, lowered productivity, and direct medical, legal and insurance costs." Although most everyone has used stress to motivate themselves to move forward, stress can become unmanageable and it becomes difficult to see it as anything other than negative. Some interesting studies have been published recently that provides evidence to the importance of learning to cope with stress in a healthy way to prevent chronic diseases. A study (August 2006) conducted in the University of California – Irvine has found stress hormones appear to rapidly intensify the formation of brain lesions (plaques and tangles) that are the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. This study suggests that not only is stress management an important factor in treating Alzheimer's disease , but physicians may want to pay close attention to pharmaceutical products they prescribe for their elderly patients as some medication contain glucocorticoids that increase stress hormones. The stress hormones may lead to accelerated cognitive decline in patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's. In another study Robert Spolsky and others at the Stanford University have investigated stress and health. They report a prolonged flood of stress hormones can actually cause shrinking in certain brain areas, particularly in the hippocampus. A major area of the hippocampus constitutes memory. It is not unusual for persons with prolonged stress to report forgetfulness and difficulty learning. A hopeful discovery is that certain portions of the hippocampus can recover once the stress response is reversed. According to an American Psychological Association study printed in New York, February 23, 2006 findings show gender differences in dealing with stress and nearly half of Americans, especially women, parents, and people of working age, are concerned with the amount of stress in their lives. Women say stress affects them more than men do (51 percent versus 43 percent) and are more likely than men to report more things that stress them out. Women also express concern about how stress affects their lives more than men. About StressStress is the way your body responds or reacts to change, both internal and external and can come from any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or anxious. What is stressful to one person is not necessarily stressful to another.Whether the change is positive or negative, it will cause stress. Stress keeps us going but stress may build up over time if we experience numerous changes in our lives all at once. Everyone has experienced common stress symptoms such as: anxiety: sweaty palms, fast heart rate, and churning stomach, however, too much stress will cause a person to exhibit some of the following symptoms: Increased irritability and fatigue Heightened sensitivity to criticism Signs of tension, such as nail-biting Difficulty getting to sleep and early morning waking Drinking and smoking more Indigestion Loss of concentration Chronic StressChronic stress affects our organs and creates a magnitude of health problems. In the United States, researchers have found that 90% of office visits to the doctor can be attributed to some stress related symptoms. Some of the effects of chronic stress are heart attack, high blood pressure, digestive problems, asthma or trouble breathing, ulcers, muscle tension and hair loss in women. An overload of stress in our body basically upsets the balance in our bodies and weakens our immune system. Glucose sugar levels RISE when under stress in people with diabetes, making them more susceptible to long-term physical complications such as eye, kidney or nerve disorders. Patients with type 2 diabetes who incorporate stress management techniques into their routine care can significantly reduce their average blood glucose levels, according to a new study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center. This is the first large study to show that a simple, cost-effective treatment can have a meaningful therapeutic effect on the control of blood sugar, said the researchers. Such stress management techniques include instructions on how to identify everyday life stressors and how to respond to them with such techniques as progressive muscle relaxation and breathing exercises. Sound Therapy for Crying BabiesCrying is the most effective way a baby has of communicating its needs! Why do babies cry? Most babies cry quite a lot and for a variety of reasons. Crying is normal. Crying is the only way babies can let you know that something is upsetting them and that they need you. When babies cry they might be hungry, thirsty, too hot, too cold, off color, gas pains (colic), over-tired or uncomfortable. They may have been startled and just need to be held close and cuddled for a while. There are some babies who cry a lot from the time they are born. They pull up their legs, clench their fists, go red in the face and become very distressed. The problem is usually worse in the afternoons and evenings. Other babies may develop severe bouts or attacks of crying when they are a few weeks old. After six to eight weeks these bouts of crying usually become less intense and most babies become more settled at about four to five months old. However, some babies continue to cry for longer than that. Some babies find it hard to settle into a routine, while others can not get themselves off to sleep very easily. Some babies need to be left in a quiet, dark room, while others want to be held, massaged and stroked. Some like silence while others prefer some quiet music. A regular routine of bath, feed and song seems to be most successful. Tears before bedtime...and after too!The first few months with your new baby are a learning curve - even if the baby is not your first. It takes time to tune in to the newest member of your family, and learning your baby's cries will be part of this process.Quick facts: Your baby will cry. It is his/her main language for communicating the baby needs at first It is never spoiling to attend to your baby's needs All parents need a break from excessive crying, or it can become unbearable Some babies find it hard to settle into a routine, while others cannot get to sleep very easily. It takes the average baby about 12 weeks for brainwave patterns to develop a regular routine.Reasons for crying in the newborn and young babiesCrying is the only means of communication for young babies. A normal healthy baby cries between one and three hours a day. Parents will start to notice and pick out different types of crying in their baby by the time the baby is ten to 14 days old. Parents will discover there are usually distinct sounds for reasons for crying. For instance, a hungry cry is short and low-pitched, an angry cry sounds angry, a cry of pain comes on suddenly with a long high-pitched shriek, followed by a long pause and then a flat wail; then a half awake whimper may indicate your baby is dreaming and will return to dreamland. Other than physical needs such as hunger, tiredness, a wet nappy, being too hot or too cold or even discomfort from tight clothing there are two real possibilities for younger babies to cry; these are colic and a nappy rash. Sound Therapy for ConcentrationWe live in a fast-paced era. People wear multiple hats due to work, school, families, volunteer responsibilities, and social and personal relationships. With such constant demand, our minds become overloaded and sometimes we find it difficult to concentrate. Stress radically reduces our abilities to concentrate. Concentration has been defined as "the ability to direct one's thinking in whatever direction one would intend". Thus the word "concentration" is seen to mean literally, "the act or state of bringing to a fixed point or focus." More than 10,000 random thoughts and fleeting images zip though an average person's mind every day. They could include a snippet of a song, a momentary image of an old friend, or a fragment of a joke. In most cases, these intruders are quickly banished from the mind so you can concentrate on the task at hand. Poor concentration also can affect your memory. So if you're doing the laundry, for instance, you may forget all about a boiling tea kettle in the kitchen until the smoke alarm goes off.ConcentrationConcentration can be seen as an elusive state of mind. Why? Ironically the more you think or worry about concentration the less you're actually concentrating on the task at hand. That is why strategies to improve concentration usually approach it indirectly, by focusing on the elimination of distractions. Distraction is a major cause of poor concentration. There are two types of distractions: external and internal. External distractions are related to the physical environment and internal distractions are related to you: your body, your thoughts and your emotions. Music in the background is a popular strategy to reduce distractions as long as the music is not allowed to become a distraction. Studies show that listening to music can make people more likely to stick to a plan, activity or a fixed point or focus.What is concentration?Concentration means to focus attention on one thing, and to one thing only. The art or practice of concentration then, no matter if studying biology or playing pool, is to focus on the task at hand and eliminate distraction. Quite often it is our way of life that takes away our former ability to concentrate fully. For example, ones mind wanders from one thing to another, your worries distract you, outside distractions take you away before you know it, or what you are doing is boring, difficult, and/or not interesting to you or your thoughts are scattered. Small children are very skilled in concentration. Children can get much absorbed in their play; yet we all have the ability to concentrate. Think of the times when you were "lost" in something you enjoy: a sport, playing music, a good book, a good game, a movie. This is total concentration.When people say that they can't concentrate it usually means that they cannot stay focused on one thing for as long as they would like. Most of us experience lapses in concentration every day. We are not usually concerned about it; we may not even notice these lapses in concentration. They only become a problem when we find that we cannot get things done as quickly as we would like, or when they cause us to make mistakes. How White Noise Can Help: White Noise Uses: Sleep Aid Block Distractions Enhance Privacy Pacify children and pets Mask Tinnitus Soothe Migraines Increase Focus Melt Away Stress Sound Oasis / Sound Therapy SystemsSound Oasis is a unique sound and tinnitus therapy product that allows users to create their very own sound environment conducive to relaxation, sleep and improvement of everyday life. By bathing a room with authentic sounds of nature, Sound Oasis blocks out irritating noises, helps circumvent tinnitus discomfort and creates a peaceful atmosphere. Users fall asleep easier, get higher quality sleep, enhance concentration, and feel more alert and comfortable throughout the day!


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On Film
Pox: On 'Contagion'By Caleb Crain
Soderbergh's movie is scored to a similar drumbeat of numbers. Five dead in London. Three dead in Tokyo. Eighty-nine thousand cases worldwide. Eight million cases worldwide. The human mind can't really make emotional sense of such numbers, of course, and for that Soderbergh turns to interwoven vignettes of the sort familiar from movies like Traffic and Crash. With such dismaying material, the artist's challenge is how to make it real but not too real. If the deaths seem too real, sorrow will overwhelm viewers. (This is probably why John Lithgow's performance of Alzheimer's is so halfhearted in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. If anyone in your family has ever had Alzheimer's, the last thing you want to see in a sci-fi romp is realism.) Read More

subset: commoncrawl


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On the seventh race weekend of the 2012 ATS Formula 3 Cup weekend, teams, drivers and visitors were delighted by a lot of sunshine. The 19th, 20th and 21st races of the season were held at the Lausitzring and the Eastern German circuit obviously suited Australian Mitchell Gilbert particularly well. The Australian dominated the qualifying session and won the first round of the weekend with a massive lead.
Round two was also won by a rookie: this time, Artem Markelov (Russia) crossed the line as race winner. On the grid for the 20th round of the season, ATS Formula 3 Trophy driver Andre Rudersdorfer was the pole sitter due to the reverse-grid format. The German succeeded in defending his lead for two laps, with his older car, but then, fending off the ATS Formula 3 Cup drivers proved to be impossible - and the 17-year old had to settle for finishing seventh. The third race of the weekend was won by Austrian Lukas Auer and so, all the three race wins of the weekend were secured by drivers who are contesting their maiden Formula 3 season, this year.
While Mitchell Gilbert was the man who scored more points than anybody else, on the Lausitzring weekend, Lukas Auer worked his way up to second position in the championship, with the Australian moving up to fourth, behind Japanese Kimiya Sato. While Sweden's Jimmy Eriksson still holds the dominant championship lead, with six more races to go.
For the first time in the second half of the season, Jimmy Eriksson failed to add some of the extra points that can be secured on a race weekend to his tally: No pole position secured in the qualifying session, no fastest race lap. Particularly in round 21, the Swede who usually is one of the front-runners, was outpaced by his rivals and had to settle for finishing sixth. Nonetheless, preventing the championship leader from securing the title will be anything but easy. Eriksson currently holds an 86-point lead over second-placed Luks Auer and there are another 150 points to be scored, at the Nürburgring and the Hockenheimring. So, Eriksson theoretically could lose his lead but the chances that someone will be able to beat him in the battle for the title are slim.
The Formula 3 appearance at the Lausitzring proved to be a weekend of the rookies. All the three races were won by rookies, the qualifying session was dominated by a rookie - and on the grid for the 20-minute sprint on Saturday afternoon, another rookie held the pole position. No doubt: the newcomers are on the way up, in the ATS Formula 3 Cup. The are two more opportunities to witness the progress of the young guns: the race weekend held in three weeks time at the Nürburgring and the season finale held on the last weekend in September at Hockenheim.