User:Healthy4life/Zona

Zona Plus is the name of a small hand held, battery-operated personal therapeutic medical device used to lower blood pressure. Sold over the counter (OTC) as a natural method to lower blood pressure, its clinical version (the CardioGrip, 1998) is a non-drug, non-invasive hypertension treatment device cleared by the FDA.

History
In the late 1960’s, the U.S. Air Force commissioned Dr. Ronald L. Wiley, a cardiopulmonary physiologist, to be part of a study to help increase G-tolerance in F-16 pilots. The study used extreme isometric handgrip efforts that rapidly elevated blood pressure immediately prior to imposing high G-loads on the test pilots.

Wiley discovered that over the 10 to 12 week test periods, not only was G-force tolerance increased, some test subjects with slightly elevated blood pressure experienced a lowering of blood pressure.

Indications
There are two major measurable effects upon the body caused by Zona Plus therapy. One is improvement in endothelial dysfunction, a systemic dilation of blood vessels (possibly related to an increased production of Nitric Oxide), and the other is improved vagal function, a massive switch in nervous system function including a decrease in sympathetic activity and a prevalence of parasympathetic activity.

The two fold approach of combining a physiological change with an autonomic nervous system change produces additional benefits in lowered blood pressure for many people, compared with a simple biofeedback device. The relatively small body of research concerning Zona Plus (a.k.a. CardioGrip and isometric handgrip training) is comprised of ten articles published in peer-reviewed journals. It was also reviewed by the Harvard Health Letter.

The clinical model of the Zona Plus, known as the CardioGrip, was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June of 1998.

Physical properties of the Zona Plus
The device uses a form of handgrip dynamometer to measure the strength of each hand separately, at the beginning of each use, and stores that measurement in device memory. Then, using the measured hand strength, the user is guided through a short isometric hand therapy routine. The device includes a sensor for measuring strength and monitoring performance, a screen for displaying feedback to the user, a microprocessor based control system for managing the therapy and guiding the user to meeting goals, a speaker for giving feedback to the user, and a battery to make the units portable allowing a greater range of use.

Legal status
The Zona Plus is the main product manufactured by CardioGrip Corporation, an American corporation with headquarters in Idaho. It was originally patented by M.D. Systems. Zona Plus is a trademark owned by Zona Health.