Imagine in these stressful, pandemic-ridden times that you could easily soothe yourself and calm your nervous system, but without using drugs or alcohol. The NuCalm app and kit, now available to the public as a subscription-based service, aims to do precisely that.
“NuCalm helps reduce stress, promote recovery and generate calm by working at the root causes of the problem – the imbalanced neurochemical and neuroelectrical systems,” NuCalm CEO Jim Poole tells Parentology.
Indeed, NuCalm can, over time, train your brain to go into a theta brainwave state, which is the goal for many meditation practitioners. A 2015 article in Basic Clinical Neuroscience found that increasing alpha and theta brainwaves greatly helped people suffering from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). However, where getting reliably into a theta state through meditation practice alone might take years, NuCalm provides a valuable shortcut.
Helping Your System Calm Itself
Much of what goes on when we get stressed is beyond our control; our fight or flight responses demand immediate action, and the constant stimuli and stress of modern life amplifies anxiety and panic. Rather than using a substance like a tranquilizer, alcohol, or marijuana to blunt the brain’s panic response, the NuCalm app prompts your brain to produce more Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that inhibits excitable responses.
Convincing your brain to produce GABA, though, wasn’t an easy process. NuCalm itself went through many permutations before arriving at the subscription service currently available. It previously involved oral GABA, moved to GABA skin patches, and eventually evolved into an extraordinary technology mix:
- Neuroacoustic Software
Its proprietary neuroacoustic software paces the brain by delivering specific frequencies resulting in relaxation, recovery, and rejuvenation for the mind and body. - Biosignal Processing Disc
Technology that reliably and predictably activates the parasympathetic nervous system, disabling the stress response. The disc is a sticker worn on the wrist. - Light-blocking Mask
Eliminating visual stimulation for deep relaxation.
The disc sticker is the biggest breakthrough, and what allowed NuCalm to not just be a third party medical device, but a subscription based product available to the public at large.
“Each NuCalm disc holds the EM frequency patterns of GABA and its precursors to deliver a pure biological signal to your body. When placed on the inside of your left wrist, at your Pericardium-6 acupressure point, the disc sends a signal to the pericardium of your heart to activate local parasympathetic nerve fibers, which then transmit the signal to your brain telling it to increase vagal nerve output and begin the process of slowing down the body,” Poole explains. “The disc stops your acute stress response, so the brain wave pacing with NuCalm’s neuroacoustic software is always reliable and efficient at getting you into theta brain wave range, where restoration and relaxation is realized.”
Each NuCalm session consists of sticker placement, mask placement, and listening to the software session of your choice (anything from preparing for sleep to gaining focus before public speaking). Daily use creates a far calmer, less reactive nervous system over time.
Originally Used in Medical Settings
Starting in 2010, NuCalm began its job as an acute stress blocking agent in places like dentist’s offices; it’s actually been used in over 1.6 million dental surgeries to resolve patient stress and as a safe and reliable replacement to sedation.
“Additionally, NuCalm is currently used by chiropractors, psychotherapist, psychologists, oncology and energy medicine physicians, and health and wellness leaders to treat a variety of issues that range from chronic pain, stress disorders, insomnia, alcohol addiction, and the management of serious illnesses like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Also, NuCalm is used by neuroscientists, biologists, and cardiovascular physicians to monitor patients’ overall health and well-being, as NuCalm’s effect can be measured by heart rate variability (HRV) which measures and quantifies the overall health of the autonomic nervous system,” Poole says.
For All Ages and Conditions
Poole calls NuCalm “as safe as napping or meditating and provides deeper benefits.” He points to millions of patients who have “experienced NuCalm in challenging environments without a single reported adverse reaction and there are thousands of consumers using NuCalm regularly without incident. “
Because it’s not a drug or substance, NuCalm is fine for those on anti-depressants and anxiety medication. It’s touted for insomnia treatment, with one testimonial on the NuCalm site discusses shelving a seven-year Ambien habit thanks to NuCalm. And, it can be used by kids, useful during these stressful times when families are locked up in small spaces.
Home Based Calm for Tough Times
Given that much of the country is back in some form of lockdown, and restrictions will probably continue through the spring, stress relief is necessary. NuCalm’s substance-free nervous system training offers an easy, home-based tool for targeted stress relief.
“Stress continues to be more of an issue with every passing year. The pandemic, economic uncertainty, political discord, and social unrest in 2020 have added tremendously to the need for better, accessible stress management,” Poole says. “While we are still working on creating awareness of NuCalm as we launch our new consumer-friendly product version, we know that over 95% of people that have tried NuCalm would like to use NuCalm again.”