Coming

The Delta variant

#Triggerwarning or TW, for short: The Delta variant, a highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 virus strain that was first identified in India in December, is now responsible for the overwhelming majority of COVID-19 infections in the US, and it’s spreading fast.

As a result, the US won’t lift foreign travel restrictions, several cities have re-instituted mask mandates, and hospitals are filling up again. While there are breakthrough infections, deaths and hospitalizations from COVID-19 are almost entirely limited to the unvaccinated.

At press time, just 49.1 percent of Americans had been fully vaccinated, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Can this train be reversed? I don’t know, but the only thing that gives us a fighting chance to keep our practices open and make sure kids go to school is to get vaccinated and encourage others who can to do the same.

Going

flabby muscles

BTL launched Emsculpt NEO, Cartessa’s got Physiq, and Allergan’s got CoolTone, all of which focus on muscle toning. Emsculpt NEO combines high intensity focused electromagnetic (HIFEM) energy and novel synchronized radiofrequency technology for simultaneous fat reduction and muscle stimulation. Cartessa’s device uses sequential thermal and electrical pulse (STEP) technology, allowing electrical muscle stimulation and a super luminescent diode matrix to be delivered via one applicator. CoolTone uses magnetic muscle stimulation to induce involuntary muscle contractions.

Muscle toning has been considered the final frontier of minimally invasive body contouring, and we are in the thick of it right now. All of these devices cause minimal discomfort, have virtually no downtime, and make it possible to achieve results that can’t be seen with sit-ups…no matter how many you do.