George Bentley
Micro-Capillaries? In this blog I discuss the importance of micro-capillaries, the smallest blood vessels in our bodies, and how Bentley Baths’ Pro-Aging™ technologies, including our Medical Hydrotherapy® System, help rejuvenate these micro-capillaries in a safe and efficient manner.
Happy Thanksgiving! This is my favorite time of year, when we get to enjoy time with family and friends in a relaxed setting. And nothing helps relax me more than a good soak in one of my walk-in tubs! As an aside, if you have a FSA or HSA health savings plan, those dollars can be used to pay for our products and services and, depending on your plan, you may not be able to roll over unused funds to future years. So if you have a spend-it-or-lose-it plan, now is the perfect time to invest in a Bentley Bath.
Today I’d like to talk about one of the main benefits of a walk-in tub equipped with our proprietary Medical Hydrotherapy® system. Micro-circulation is the circulation of the blood in the smallest blood vessels, also known as micro-capillaries, which are omnipresent in the vasculature embedded within organ tissues. This contrasts with macro-circulation, which is the circulation of blood to and from the organs. Micro-circulation is composed of terminal arterioles, capillaries, and venules that drain capillary blood. The vessels on the arterial side of the micro-circulation are called the arterioles, which are well innervated, are surrounded by smooth muscle cells, and are 10-100 µm in diameter. Arterioles carry the blood to the capillaries, which are not innervated, have no smooth muscle, and are very small (about 5-8 µm in diameter). Blood flows out of the capillaries into the venules, which have little smooth muscle and are 10-200 µm, and from there into the veins. In addition to these blood vessels, micro-circulation also includes lymphatic capillaries and collecting ducts.
The main functions of micro-circulation are the delivery of oxygen and nutrients, the removal of carbon dioxide (
CO2), and the regulation of blood flow and tissue perfusion that affect blood pressure and responses to inflammation which can include edema (swelling). The regulation of tissue perfusion occurs when arterioles control the flow of blood to the capillaries. Arterioles contract and relax, varying their diameter and vascular tone, as the vascular smooth muscle responds to diverse stimuli. Distension of the vessels due to increased blood pressure is a fundamental stimulus for muscle contraction in arteriolar walls, a mechanism that is present in all tissues and organs of the human body. In addition, the nervous system participates in the regulation of micro-circulation, activated by such hormones as noradrenaline, adrenaline, catecholamine, renin-angiotensin, vasopressin, and atrial natriuretic peptide. which circulate in the bloodstream and effects vasodilation as well as vasoconstriction.
Bentley Baths’ proprietary Medical Hydrotherapy® systems, which introduce soothing jets of air into bathwater that gently and deeply massage tissues, reactivates blood circulation and defense systems, prevents venous and lymphatic stasis, bathes tissues, and relaxes, refreshes, and promotes warmth and circulation to the extremities. Such revitalization of the neurovascular system stimulates vascular drainage pumping and thermal regulation, tones the lymphatic and cardiopulmonary system, activates by reflex the peripheral nervous system, and resets the vegetative nervous system.
Using a Bentley Baths Medical Hydrotherapy® walk-in tub thus can help with a variety of illnesses: states of excessive nervousness and depression, fatigue, poor organ general functionality, neurovegetative dystonia and stress syndrome, insomnia, family history of vascular stasis, phlebitis and venous thrombosis, lymphedema and lymphangitis, peripheral edema for stasis, Raynaud’s syndrome , atherosclerosis of the deep vessels, thromboangoitis obliterans, eczema and flebodermitis, hypertension, hypotension, and peripheral neuropathies. Please note that to be most effective such treatments must be repeated as short, intensive, and preventive courses for vascular training or as recommended sanitary care (i.e., a cycle of six to twelve days every six months) for the enhancement of microcirculation.
At Bentley Baths we are justifiably proud of our products, including our proprietary aging-in-place systems such as Medical Hydrotherapy®. With the end of the year quickly approaching, Flexible Spending Account (FSA) rollovers capped at $500 from year-to-year, and the ability to deduct the costs of our aging-in-place products from your income taxes, doesn’t it make sense to purchase and install that walk-in bathtub now?
For more information about this and all of our other products, please don’t hesitate to call us at 303-388-8887 or email me personally at George@BentleyBaths.com.
Stay tuned for the next installment of the Bentley Baths blog, in which I continue the discussion of cutting-edge techniques that are used to help rejuvenate both body and mind as we age.
