In the Way Back Wednesday Halloween post, I described the electrifying properties of Rejuvenique, and how it uses electronic impulses to stimulate the muscles of the face.  While the appearance of the Rejuvenique facial mask is somewhat disconcerting, its use of electronic impulses for muscle stimulation is a form of beauty and exercise technology that has been around for years and is a continuing method of firming, toning, and relaxing muscles.

A decade ago, electronic muscle stimulation (EMS) was used by the famous Dr. Ho in his namesake Dr. Ho’s Muscle Massager.  This device looks suspiciously like an EMS machine I once endured during a bout of physical therapy (I think I may need to call my HMO about this).  However, most viewers of the Dr. Ho infomercial–at least most male viewers–won’t notice a thing about how the Muscle Massager looks.  See, much like fellow infomercial host Tom Vu, Dr. Ho relied heavily on scantily clad women in need of electronic stimulation.  In fact, male viewers may have been so busy noticing the models that they may not have even realized that one bikini beauty exclaims, after sampling the Muscle Massager, that she no longer needs men:

Now, the use of electronic muscle stimulation can be hazardous to certain groups.  As Dr. Ho states in his disclaimer, these devices are “not to be used by pregnant women, people with pacemakers, or epileptics.”

Or by idiots:

Electronic muscle stimulation (EMS) is a valid technology, however.  Remember, I mentioned earlier that EMS was used in physical therapy, and regardless of my joke about checking with my HMO to see if Dr. Ho is on my preferred provider list, the EMS is one of the reasons I’m not hobbling around like a geriatric at the age of . . . um . . . never mind.

Some modern electronic muscle stimulators that can be seen on TV include several that are used for strengthening and tightening the muscles of the abs.  Absonic, Abtronic, and the Contour Ab Belt have been among the more popular electronic ab stimulators seen on television infomercials.

The latest development in electronic stomach toning medical technology is the Flex Belt.  The FlexBelt ab belt has been clinically tested and proven to stimulate the abdominal muscles up to 150 times per thirty minute session.  Most importantly, the Flex Belt is the only EMS device to be cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a Class II Medical Device to be sold directly to the consumer.  Take that, HMO.

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