Transcript #386 The Benefits of a BioMat for Detox, Stress, and Grounding The Body with Jennifer Horton

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1. Find out what’s in store for this Myers Detox Podcast with Jennifer Horton, Director of Operations at BioMat, joins the show to talk about all of BioMat’s incredible benefits and how it works! Jennifer also discusses how the BioMat to help release infrared rays and negative ions, and why negative ions are needed to ground the body and essential for health!
2. Find out what BioMat is!
3. BioMat is actually made with amethyst and tourmaline crystals built in. Find out what each of these crystals do to help with the BioMat’s health benefits.
4. Learn about some of the amazing benefits of far infrared light, and how the BioMat produces it.
5. Find out some of the key differences between BioMat and infrared saunas.
6. Learn how BioMat can help release negative ions from the body, which is essential for health.
7. Learn more about how often you can use the BioMat, and some of the best ways to use it.
8. The BioMat can help with so many important functions in the body, and can even be used to help post surgical healing. Learn more about what it can be used to help in the body.
9. Learn how the BioMat can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system and greatly improve your stress levels.
10. Find out about some of BioMat’s very few contraindications.
11. Find out some of Jennifer’s top tips for using the BioMat to receive its optimal benefits.
12. Learn more about the crystals BioMat uses in their products.
13. You can learn more about Jennifer and BioMat’s incredible products at www.biomat.com

Wendy Myers: Hello everyone, I’m Wendy Myers of Myersdetox.com. Thank you so much for joining the Myers Detox Podcast, and on this show, we talk about everything related to detoxification and the tools that you can use to facilitate the body’s ability to detox.

Wendy Myers: Today, I want to highlight the BioMat. This is a mat that’s been around for 22 years, and we’re going to be talking to the Director of Operations today. Her name is Jennifer Horton, and she is going to be telling us about all the different benefits of the BioMat. Like, what is it exactly? How do you use it? The types of crystals used in the BioMat to help release infrared rays and negative ions, and why negative ions are needed to ground the body. And, we’ll also talk about how the BioMat helps reduce stress, how you can use it to detox your body, and how easy it is to use it, integrate into your health practice and your health routine, and the differences between the BioMat and other infrared saunas as well. And the ease of use, and they’re a little bit less expensive, and just lots of different tips and information, and some of the research about the BioMat technology.

Wendy Myers: I know you guys listening are really concerned about the level of toxins that you have in your body. So, I created a free quiz at heavymetalsquiz.com. You can go there, take the quiz. It’s just a couple of minutes. And after the quiz, you get a free video series about, how do you detox your body? Where do you start? How do you go about this? How long does it take? What kind of tools can you use? What kind of testing do you do? I answer all those questions and more in the totally free series. Just go check that out, and take the quiz at heavymetalsquiz.com.

Wendy Myers: Our guest today, Jennifer Horton, is one of those rare gems that truly loves what she does, especially for the last 11 years. And from her first breathless moment, dissecting a cow’s heart in seventh grade, Jennifer wanted nothing more than to be a cardiothoracic surgeon until she found herself pregnant and having to choose between her family and career. She voraciously devoured medical reports, studies in alternative use to health in her fun time, her off time raising a family. And, having put her career on pause to raise her kids in her early years, she stepped back into the workforce, pursuing certifications in coaching and mediation. And, today she blends a lifetime of skills and interests from both the corporate medical and entrepreneurial worlds as the Director of Operations for BioMat.com. She prides herself on authentic leadership and a practical approach to health. You can learn more about Jennifer and her incredible product at BioMat.com. Jennifer, thank you so much for joining the show.

Jennifer Horton: Thank you, Wendy. I’m super excited to be here today.

Wendy Myers: Yeah, I love doing shows on infrared light and you represent a company called BioMat. This is a device that’s been around for years and years and years. And, I love this technology. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about what the BioMat is exactly.

Jennifer Horton: The BioMat is an infrared and negative ion mat. It is an FDA class II medical device that, as you said, has been around for years. The manufacturer, Richway International, has been making these products for over 22 years now. And, one of the things that makes it really unique is that it incorporates amethyst and tourmaline in it.

Jennifer Horton: We have, actually, an FDA 510(k) for a number of benefits, including relieving pain, reducing inflammation, helping to improve sleep, increasing circulation in the body, and reducing stress. These are all things that are really relevant right now that we’re all afflicted by, and there’s a lot of crossover. If you have pain, you probably have inflammation. So, it really hits a lot of the big buckets for people.

Wendy Myers: Can you tell us a little bit about what the benefits are of the amethyst and tourmaline on the mat?

Jennifer Horton: Yeah, that’s actually a great question because a lot of people just think, oh, it’s a pretty crystal mat. And, it’s actually directly correlated back to the technology. The two main technologies are infrared and negative ions. Amethyst, one of its natural properties, is it emits the natural frequency of infrared called a resonant frequency. And that frequency is something that’s most easily recognized by our bodies, and is most easily absorbed. Not only that, but crystals are well-known in electronics to be excellent conductors. There are crystals in our computers, and in our cell phones, and everything else. So, it’s also actually helping to conduct that infrared into your body. And then, in the tourmaline, tourmaline is very well researched and documented as a very high, negative ion generator. So those two particular crystals were very specifically chosen to support this technological benefit.

Wendy Myers: Fantastic. Tell us a little bit about infrared light. What type of infrared light is emitted by the BioMat, and what are the benefits for anyone that doesn’t know? I’ve done a lot of shows on infrared saunas and the benefits of infrared light, but just refresh us on those benefits of infrared.

Jennifer Horton: Yeah. Well, it’s what we have that FDA 510(k) for, so it really goes back to that. It’s very well-documented for increasing circulation of the body, which is super important. And, by doing so, it can help reduce inflammation, which is usually an underlying cause of pain.

Jennifer Horton: There is something else about infrared and perhaps the crystals themselves that really helps decompress the stress response in the body. So, you’re helping the body to shift from sympathetic into parasympathetic, where real rest and restoration and healing can actually occur. Infrared is really just a frequency in the invisible light spectrum. And so, here we’re talking about, in terms of the BioMat and in terms of the amethyst, we’re talking eight to 14 microns. That is something that is a frequency that’s emitted by all living beings. It’s something that we get naturally from being outdoors in the sun and with nature.

Jennifer Horton: We see a lot of crossover benefits with other frequencies that are near it. We have the visible light spectrum, the roygbiv, and red bumps right up next to this invisible light spectrum, where you start to see infrared, and you have near infrared, medium infrared, and far infrared. And that’s just defined by the microns or the frequency. And as you start to get more into far infrared, that’s where you actually have the benefits of heating up the body. That’s one of the unique things that far infrared is able to accomplish that red light and near infrared really can’t do quite as well.

Jennifer Horton: The way that that works is, infrared deeply penetrates into your body, and it doesn’t feel like a stove top heat. It’s a completely different type of heat than when we think, about 95 degrees or 100 degrees. It doesn’t feel to the touch the same way that we think about it conceptually. And, what the infrared is doing when it deeply penetrates is, it’s actually vibrating the water molecules in our body, which is creating friction, and then that is creating heat. So, you actually have the opportunity with far infrared to use this for what’s called thermotherapy for a lot of different applications. You said you’ve talked a lot about infrared saunas and everything, and what you’re really doing is kind of creating a fever from within the body, not outside the body.

Wendy Myers: And what are the differences between the BioMat and an infrared sauna?

Jennifer Horton: A number of things. There’s the obvious ones, like cost and space. The BioMat, one of the things that I really love about it, is how versatile it is. You can use it in a lot of different ways to integrate into your lifestyle, because when I’m working with clients that are interested in this, I always want to make sure that they’re going to get the maximum benefit. And that’s not only a health question, like what are your health goals, but, it’s also a lifestyle question. What is your lifestyle that’s going to support this? And so, this is a mat that really supports almost any kind of lifestyle. I don’t know if you can see it, but I’m actually sitting on a mini mat right now. And I can do that during my workday, and it integrates very easily that way.

Jennifer Horton: It’s very easy to weave into your everyday life. Another one of the key differences is that I am in direct contact with the source of the infrared and the negative ions right now. So, compared to an infrared sauna, I’m actually able to get deeper penetration into the body because it’s not just in the air around me, I’m in direct contact with it.

Jennifer Horton: And then, one of the fundamental differences is that key difference with the negative ions. When I discovered this, I got so excited because I thought, how intelligent that they paired infrared with negative ions, because infrared is well-known for one key buzzword. Do you know the buzzword?

Wendy Myers: Yes. Detox. Detox.

Jennifer Horton: Detox. It’s all about detox, right? But the way that infrared detoxes is by stimulating your circulatory and lymphatic system. But what that presupposes, is that what you’re already looking to detox is already available in those systems to be removed from the body. The key difference here is that you’re getting the negative ions. And so, what negative ions are doing is, they send a signal to your cells, telling those cellular channels it’s okay, you can open up, you can uptake nutrition and hydration, but you can also release that cellular waste. Now we have the negative ions tapping into the cellular level, and providing the body with a secondary source to remove. So, that’s really getting the deepest benefits.

Wendy Myers: Yeah. I really think that’s one of the biggest impediments to health and to detoxification, is people aren’t grounded enough, their body isn’t grounded. Negative ions facilitate grounding the body, and your body is electric. It has to be grounded and have that negative charge in order to work properly. That’s one of the most basic premises of health and how the human body works. And, because we have EMF affecting us and throwing our bodies charge off these days, and some more so than others, we really have to work harder and be highly aware of recharging our body and grounding our body on a regular basis.

Wendy Myers: I think that’s one of the most compelling things about the BioMat is that negative ion release, which we need a lot of, and the fact that it’s just so easy. You can put on your bed. A lot of people don’t have room for a sauna, even if they want one, or they can afford one. So, you can lay on it at night, you’re sitting on it. And that can be really, really helpful, that ease of use and not taking up very much space.

Jennifer Horton: Absolutely. And it is so easy to integrate. I actually do sleep on mine every night. That’s just for my lifestyle, it’s what works best. I can get those benefits that I so deeply believe in, passively while I sleep. I can’t think of a better hack as a mom.

Wendy Myers: Can you use the mat too much? Can you just be on it all day? Does it make you sweat? Does it help you detox? Give us some details.

Jennifer Horton: It really can be customized to how you want to use it. The professional size has eight different heat settings, and one negative ion-only no heat setting. The mini that I’m sitting on has seven heat settings. That ranges from 104, which again, sounds like a lot. It’s actually very little. It’s very gentle, low grade heat. But, you can also crank it up all the way to 158, which is a sauna level. If you wanted to use it for that sauna type detoxification benefit, or engage that thermotherapeutic effect, which a lot of people do for their healing process, then you just crank up the heat.

Jennifer Horton: Could you use it too much? Yes. But the main contraindication there is simple dehydration. I always encourage people to be in their own bodies. I think that’s also something that we’re really missing these days, is people paying attention to what their body is telling them, and looking less outside of themselves for answers from other people. I’m the only one that’s in my body. So, when I start to feel overheated, dehydrated, that’s my signal to stop. The body will always tell you.

Jennifer Horton: That’s the main thing to look for. Other than that, you can be on some of the lower heat settings, like I said, for as long as overnight. My bed BioMat, I’m on that on 95 degrees, especially in winter, all night long. In the summer, not so much, but I do live in Southern California.

Wendy Myers: Can you talk to us about some of the other benefits that the mat has? You said it’s great for detoxification. It’s great for grounding the body, which helps to solve a lot of downstream issues that that causes. I imagine it’s amazing for circulation and lymphatic flow for people who maybe are injured or can’t work out, or elderly people where they need circulation in their bodies, but they just can’t get it. Can you just elaborate on some of the other benefits, or even any research that the company has?

Jennifer Horton: Yeah, it’s huge for all of those things. In fact, I was just talking to a doctor yesterday who called and is wanting to use it to help support post surgical healing. All of those things, it’s funny, because I think we tend to undermine some of the simplest things like grounding, or healthy circulation in the body. It’s really a fundamental thing that our bodies rely on and were designed to do naturally. So, the fact that this really helps support that healthy circulation is huge. It’s helping to cleanse the body and keep all of the systems flowing and moving. Movement is life.

Jennifer Horton: That’s also really relevant for a number of populations. People that have auto-immune conditions can use it. People that have circulatory conditions really, really helpful for them. Post-surgical. Even kids can use it. It’s really good for helping to ground the kids with hyperactivity, or distractions, stress, anxiety. Think of all the things that we’ve been through in the last year.

Jennifer Horton: The way that I look at it is, from an evolutionary standpoint, how did we evolve? What are our bodies tuned into? Well, it’s naturally tuned to receive a certain amount of light, infrared, and certainly negative ions. And now, like you touched on earlier, we’re in these highly positive ion charged environments with the EMS. It’s all around us. Our body is not acclimated to handle that onslaught of positive ions. So, it really helps get that grounding back in the body. Not everyone has the time, let alone the weather, to go outside and ground for 20 minutes. I do, but life is more demanding than that.

Jennifer Horton: I love the practical application of it, where you can integrate it. A lot of people put it in their family rooms, like the larger sizes where everyone can use it. You find kids and pets are really naturally drawn to this mat. It’s like they just know there’s something in it that their body is wanting and needing.

Wendy Myers: It helps a lot with stress as well.

Jennifer Horton: Huge.

Wendy Myers: Because when you get that infrared, you get those negative ions, it activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which is one of the benefits of using this, and just totally relaxes you. There’s so much stress going on in the world today. So many different types of stress, that I think it’s really, really important to use a device like this, to help to counteract that, especially at the end of the day when you’re trying to wind down.

Jennifer Horton: Exactly. It really helps support that. You can use as many mindfulness techniques as you can and want to, and I certainly do too, but I know, especially with where the world has been in the last year, sometimes you just need an extra tool that’s going to help you get there, because you’re doing everything on your own anyways. And, it does a beautiful job.

Jennifer Horton: I actually kind of coined the term bio napping on the BioMat, because we would go to conferences and demo the BioMat. And, we’d be in a super busy hallway and have people doing 15-minute demo sessions on the BioMat, and have it cordoned off a little bit from the hallway and all the traffic and everything. But, we would have people literally falling dead asleep in 15 minutes. And, I’d touch them and they’re not responding at all, and I’m like, oh, we have a non-responder here. And I shake them a little bit harder. They’re like, drool coming down because they went to a different place. It’s amazing that someone can get in just 15 minutes, that level of just relief and release from the body.

Wendy Myers: I don’t think people realize how much stress they’re under today.

Jennifer Horton: I agree.

Wendy Myers: Until they get to an environment, like they’re out in the country and they’re not around tons of EMF, and not around tons of artificial light, and they’re around more negative ions. I don’t think people realize just how beneficial and helpful that that can be, because stress kills. Stress is the number one killer today on so many different levels. I can’t stress enough how important it is to use tools like this, to try to really tap into your parasympathetic nervous system.

Jennifer Horton: It really is. And you’re so right, people usually don’t realize it until they’re having a health crisis. And there’s no more stressful event that a person can go to, than having some sort of diagnosis come down the pipeline and all of a sudden they’re in crisis, and they have to pay attention. I had a mentor tell me a long time ago, you’re either going to pay attention, or you’re going to pay with pain.

Wendy Myers: And then, people have a health crisis, they get a diagnosis, or they have some serious symptoms they’re dealing with. Their doctors aren’t recommending tools like this, totally natural tools that can get your body back into alignment very quickly, very easily, very naturally. So, that’s why I do this show, to give people ideas about things that they can do to naturally get their body in alignment.

Wendy Myers: And you had mentioned that children can use these. Pets, I’m sure, are attracted to them and will lay on them if given the opportunity as well.

Jennifer Horton: Oh yeah. You’ll be competing with your cats and dogs.

Wendy Myers: Yeah. For sure. Any contraindications at all? Anyone that maybe can’t use a mat like this?

Jennifer Horton: Well, always consult with your physician. I think the question that’s really helpful for people, because people ask me all the time, well, my doctor’s not going to know about BioMat. That’s okay. Your doctor will know, and should be familiar with infrared technology. So, the question to ask is, can I use infrared heat therapy, and a doctor should be able to answer that. In terms of contraindications, it’s some of the basics. We do have a safety precautions page on our website, and it can run from anywhere, like the logical thing, like heat-sensitive MS. The main contraindication is really dehydration. So, you want to be mindful with how you use it, and be sure to take care when you’re on it. There aren’t a lot of contraindications, though.

Jennifer Horton: You do have to be aware when you’re dealing with someone who is actively going through something like chemotherapy or radiation, because with the increase in circulation, if they’re choosing to go through that therapy, it can move those drugs out of the body faster than perhaps their physician would like. So, always consult with the physician.

Jennifer Horton: For example, radiation can also make those areas of the skin more sensitive. Diabetes is also one where you just have to take precaution and know yourself. Are you one of those diabetics that has very thin skin, and where your skin makes you more vulnerable to heat as a consequence of the condition? Those are some of the more intuitive basics, but there really aren’t a lot of hard and fast do not use this, unless it’s something like heat-sensitive MS.

Wendy Myers: Okay, great. Are there any tips on how to use it? Like, how often and how long should people use it every day to get the most benefit? What are your tips on getting the most benefit out of the BioMat?

Jennifer Horton: I’d say my first tip is choose the size that’s going to integrate best into your lifestyle, because if your lifestyle supports it, you’re going to use it the most. I’ll take myself as an example. I use mine in my bed. So, using it for a prolonged period of time is naturally going to dictate that I’m only going to use it on low heat. Now, if I wanted to, I do also have the option, and I’ve done this before, where I want to do it more aggressively, like a cleansing process. And so, I’ll wake up in the morning, set my alarm extra early, rollover, crank up the heat, and basically lay back down and let the Biomat do its job. And then, I can go through that high heat session. I’m done with it 45 minutes later, jump in the shower, wash all of that off your body, because you don’t want it being reabsorbed by the skin, and you’re off and going about your day. And that’s actually a really energizing way to start your day.

Jennifer Horton: Aside from that, in terms of low heat, do this and high heat, do this, I would say the maximum on high heat would be about an hour. And honestly, if someone’s paying attention to their body, that’s probably going to be about the maximum they can tolerate anyways, because it does get hot. On the flip side, on say 95 degrees, you can be on it as long as overnight, like me. Or, there are four different timer settings that you can toggle.

Jennifer Horton: For a woman who’s really struggling with heat exposure, maybe she’s going through menopause and she’s like, I really want the benefits, but I struggle with being on a heated mat, she can always use the timer settings to be on a very low heat, and then toggle the timer so that it shuts off after two hours, four hours, eight hours, 12 hours. So, she’s not committed to being on it all night. That’s another way where you can really customize your experience and the treatment that you’re getting.

Wendy Myers: Fantastic. Can you talk a little bit about some of the benefits of the crystals, and maybe where the crystals are sourced. I love this. I’m really into crystals. I love amethyst. I have this huge amethyst geode in my room, because crystals are very adept at absorbing energy and giving positive healing energies to you. And, I’m definitely learning more and more about this. I think it’s just a beautiful thing that you have this amethyst and the tourmaline that you’re laying on for hours at a time, facilitating healing. Can you talk just a little bit more in depth about those crystals?

Jennifer Horton: Yeah, I can talk a bit about it. I actually need to do more research on crystals as well. I’m in a crystal masters class right now, but there’s so much to learn. But, what I do know is that amethyst is associated with the crowns chakra. It’s purple. It’s that same deep color. And, one of the interesting things about the history of amethyst is the name itself. I think it’s Greek, but it’s meaning actually means something like detoxification, and they used to use it for alcoholism. That’s some of the history of it, and why it’s now used today for exactly these same purposes.

Jennifer Horton: Tourmaline, like I said, is a very high negative ion generated. This is a black tourmaline, as opposed to a green tourmaline. I don’t know a lot of the other more spiritual meanings of tourmaline. I know that a lot of people are really drawn to it and really like it. In fact, I’m wearing a bracelet that’s tourmaline.

Jennifer Horton: But, in terms of the sourcing, it does come directly from mines in South Korea. Our manufacturer is Richway International, and they own the mines. The way that this started is, years ago, the owners of Richway International, I believe they inherited some mines, jade mines actually. The very first BioMat was actually Jade. Jade also is a good provider of infrared. They started to allow people to just come into the mines and use them, and people started bringing their elderly family members. And they started noticing people who were very ill and not able to even walk themselves in the mines, were suddenly walking out.

Jennifer Horton: And that was what really sparked the light bulb. So, the Kims, it’s Jenna and Calvin Kim who are the owners of Richway International. And that’s what really sparked their interest and thought, okay, what is going on here? They have some amazing educational backgrounds that really supported that research in finding out why this was the case. Why were people who were not walking in the mines, suddenly walking out? As they did their research, they started learning about negative ions and infrared, and that ultimately led to the creation of the very first BioMat with jade. As they continued down that road and started doing more of their research, they found that amethyst was actually a better source of infrared for the body, and for the benefits that they wanted to deliver. And so, after 22 years, we’re now an FDA class II medical device, and have a strong following of health practitioners and health users all around the world.

Wendy Myers: Fantastic. Yeah. I love the BioMat. I highly, highly recommend it. I think it’s an amazing tool. And  sometimes when I’m just too lazy to get into my sauna, I can just walk up and I can just turn it on, and it’s just a super simple way. Or, I like to do it also before I go to bed to just help relax me, kind of warm me up, because when you heat up your body temperature right before you go to bed, during the night your body temperature drops. And when that happens, you end up sleeping better. But, it also helps me de-stress at the end of the day, by relaxing you into that parasympathetic nervous system.

Wendy Myers: I think it’s just a great health tool, and it’s beautiful also. I really, really like them and I highly recommend them. You guys can click a link below. If you want to learn more about the BioMat, you can click a link below and learn more about it.

Wendy Myers: Is there anything else that we haven’t talked about that you wanted to share about with the BioMat, with any research? I imagine they have research, being in business 22 years.

Jennifer Horton: Yeah, there is research. There is a research page on your link as well, that can be checked out. Because of the FDA benefits, we can only provide research that is in alignment with those specific benefits. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t more benefits to infrared. It’s just, those are the ones that we can talk about.

Wendy Myers: Yeah, like stress. Very basic things. Yeah. The FDA, they’re very restrictive on claims that people can make. But, there’s thousands and thousands of research studies on the benefits of infrared.

Jennifer Horton: Thousands.

Wendy Myers: And negative ions, and it’s good for you. But, I understand completely.

Jennifer Horton: Well documented for sure.

Wendy Myers: Yeah. And even on my website, I have to be totally careful with everything. You can’t even say this detoxes you. It’s kind of crazy, the restrictions. So, yeah. So, guys just click the link below, learn more about the BioMat, the benefits, and the research.

Wendy Myers: Well, thank you so much for coming on the show. And everyone, thanks for tuning in to the Myers Detox Podcast, where we talk about everything related to detox and all the different tools that you can use to detox your body, and to just promote health as well. Because you do have to have a reasonable level of health to be able to facilitate detox. You have to be grounded. You have to be hydrated. You have to be relaxed and de-stressed, and it’s something I talk about a lot. You can’t just take something and expect it to rip everything, all the toxins out of your body. You have to facilitate your body’s ability to excrete and clear out toxins as well. And the BioMat, it’s an amazing way to get your body into a better state of health in order to facilitate detoxification.

Wendy Myers: So, thank you so much for coming on the show. And everyone, thanks for tuning in to the Myers Detox Podcast. I’m Wendy Myers of Myersdetox.com. I’m so privileged to do this show every week. I just love educating everyone about my passion, which is detoxing the body. So, thanks for tuning in and much more to come.

Speaker 3: The Myers Detox Podcast is created and hosted by Wendy Myers. This podcast is for information purposes only. Statements and views expressed on this podcast are not medical advice. This podcast, including Wendy Myers and the producers, disclaim responsibility for any possible adverse effects from the use of information contained herein. Opinions of guests are their own, and this podcast does not endorse or accept responsibility for statements made by guests. This podcast does not make any representations or warranties about guests’ qualifications or credibility. Individuals on this podcast may have direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to herein. If you think you have a medical problem, consult a licensed physician.