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Heart Rate Variability: A Window Into Your Health

Have you ever noticed that your heartbeat is not as steady as a ticking clock? This is perfectly normal—and actually a good thing! The time between two heartbeats changes from moment to moment. This natural variation is called heart rate variability (HRV). A flexible heart rhythm shows that your body can adapt to stress, rest, and activity. In fact, a higher HRV is usually a sign of a healthier, more resilient body.

How HRV Reflects Your Nervous System

Your HRV is directly connected to your autonomic nervous system. This system controls many automatic functions of your body—like breathing, digestion, blood pressure, and heartbeat. It has two main parts:

  • Sympathetic system: activates your body in stressful situations (“fight or flight”).
  • Parasympathetic system: calms your body and supports recovery (“rest and digest”).

In a balanced state, these two systems work together smoothly, keeping your heart rhythm adaptable. But if this balance is disturbed, HRV can drop.

Signs of Autonomic Dysfunction

When the autonomic nervous system is out of balance—also called autonomic dystrophy or dysfunction—you may experience symptoms such as:

  • Constant fatigue
  • Sleep problems
  • Dizziness when standing up
  • Digestive issues
  • Cold hands and feet
  • Irregular heartbeat
  • Feeling stressed or unable to recover properly

These symptoms are your body’s way of signaling that the nervous system may not be working at its best.

Why HRV Is Relevant for Your Health

Measuring HRV gives us important insights into how well your body can handle stress and how quickly it recovers. A lower HRV doesn’t necessarily mean something is seriously wrong right now—but it can be an early warning sign that your body is overloaded. That’s why HRV is increasingly used as a marker for prevention, therapy, and monitoring progress.

Interval Hypoxia-Hyperoxia Therapy (Cell Training)

One modern method to improve HRV and restore nervous system balance is interval hypoxia-hyperoxia therapy (Cell Training). During this therapy, you breathe air with alternating lower and higher oxygen levels in a safe, controlled way. Think of it as a gentle “workout” for your cells and nervous system. This training helps your body adapt better to stress, improves energy production in your cells, and can strengthen your circulation.

How Cell Training Can Help You

Many patients report that after several IHHT sessions, they feel more energetic, sleep better, and cope with stress more easily. Over time, HRV values often improve, reflecting a more flexible and resilient nervous system. In other words: by training your body with controlled oxygen intervals, you can regain balance and support long-term health.


Tip: A simple way to support your HRV every day is through breathing exercises, regular physical activity, and sufficient rest. Combined with therapies like Cell training, these lifestyle habits can make a big difference in your overall wellbeing.

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Breathe Freely – Why Your Diaphragm Matters More Than You Think

Breathing is automatic—but that doesn’t mean we’re doing it well. How we breathe affects everything from energy and posture to digestion and stress. At the center of it all is an often-overlooked muscle: the diaphragm. In this article, you’ll learn why the diaphragm is vital to your health, how to spot a possible dysfunction, and what you can do to support better breathing.

The Diaphragm – Your Most Underrated Muscle

The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that separates your chest from your abdominal cavity. It plays a central role in breathing: every inhale and exhale involves its movement. But the diaphragm does more than just support respiration. It also influences posture, circulation, digestion, and even emotional balance. A well-functioning diaphragm promotes calmness, stability, and improved overall vitality.

What Happens When the Diaphragm Gets Stuck?

Stress, poor posture, shallow breathing, or prolonged sitting can cause the diaphragm to lose its mobility. When this happens, breathing becomes shallow—mostly in the chest—and the diaphragm stops moving freely. This can lead to neck and back tension, fatigue, digestive issues, or feelings of anxiety and unease. In our clinic, we often see how restoring diaphragmatic function brings noticeable improvements in both physical and mental health.

Selbsttest: Wie gut ist Ihre Atmung?

A simple tool to check your breathing efficiency is the BOLT score (Body Oxygen Level Test). Breathe in and out normally, then hold your breath after a regular exhale. Time how long it takes until you feel the first natural urge to breathe in. If your score is under 20 seconds, it may indicate dysfunctional breathing and poor diaphragm activity. This test isn’t a diagnosis, but it’s a valuable starting point for deeper awareness.

How We Can Help – Breathing Is the Gateway to Healing

If your BOLT score is low or you recognize yourself in the symptoms described, we’re here to support you. We combine breathing techniques such as the Buteyko Method, manual treatment through osteopathy, and nervous system resets like RPR (Reflexive Performance Reset) to help you activate your diaphragm and improve your breathing patterns. When you breathe better, you feel better—physically and emotionally.

👉 Schedule your appointment today and take the first step toward easier, deeper breathing.

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Recharge Your Energy with IHHT – The Gentle Answer to Chronic Fatigue

Many people feel persistently tired and drained, even with enough sleep, healthy food, and exercise. Often, the cause is mitochondrial fatigue – the “power plants” of our cells are no longer working efficiently. Intermittent Hypoxia-Hyperoxia Therapy (IHHT) addresses this by alternating sessions of low-oxygen (hypoxic) and high-oxygen (hyperoxic) air to stimulate cellular regeneration and improve energy metabolism.

IHHT acts like a gentle workout for your cells. During the therapy, patients inhale alternately low- and high-oxygen air through a mask while lying down. This controlled stimulus triggers the mitochondria to renew themselves, replacing weak and inefficient cells with stronger, more effective ones. The result: more energy, reduced fatigue, and a noticeable improvement in overall well-being.

Especially in cases of stress-related fatigue, burnout, or Long Covid, many patients report improvements after just a few sessions. IHHT may also stabilize the immune system, enhance sleep quality, and boost mental resilience – all without medication or side effects. Even athletes use it for faster recovery and performance enhancement.

The therapy is pain-free, deeply relaxing, and most patients find it highly pleasant. Each session lasts about 40 minutes and fits easily into a busy schedule. If you’re struggling with chronic fatigue and looking to restore your vitality, IHHT offers a modern, evidence-based solution for activating your cells and reviving your energy.

Take Back Your Energy – Book Your IHHT Session Now

Give your cells a fresh start! Call us at 0211 94 21 25 43 or book your consultation directly online with Doclib.
We look forward to guiding you on your path to more energy, clarity, and resilience.


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The American PT concept for runners regeneration

Winter is characterized by cold, early darkness and inconsistent weather conditions. These conditions often interfere with running training and force regular runners to take long breaks during the cold months. Whereas in summer long laps are performed after work, in the winter regeneration phase the focus is increasingly on short but effective runs and additional indoor training.

We have developed a sophisticated training plan to guide you through the winter months and treat minor instabilities from the previous season that can rob you of your strength and performance and in the long term lead to dysfunctions and injuries. In order to find and eliminate these dysfunctions, we pay increased emphasis on your breathing, movement and fitness.

Breathing

Before we can move properly, we must breathe properly. Breathing gives us stability and at the same time guarantees full mobility. A dysfunctional breathing can cause painful tension and back pain. The result is pain, careful movement and lost training days. To avoid this, we work specifically on your breathing technique for more energy and performance.

Movement

Movement is the foundation of all sports. To move freely, we depend on mobility and stability. If any of these are missing, energy leaks occur. They rob us of a lot of strength and lead to unnecessary wear and tear of our joints and ligaments. With the so-called runner’s TÜV we can recognize injuries and dysfunctions and correct them with specific exercises.

Fitness

In order to achieve optimal performance in training and competition, we need to be sufficiently fit. Running requires strength and stability in our posture, a lot of endurance to maintain this strength over several kilometers and explosive power when the finish line is in sight. During the quiet winter months, the focus for runners should therefore be on stabilizing the back and trunk muscles, so-called core training, functional and joint-gentle muscle building and fascial training to prevent shortening of the tendons and muscles in the legs.

  • First we treat all pain and movement restrictions (e.g. blockages) with
    Chiropractic, dry needling, fascial treatment and various physiotherapeutical
    techniques.
  • Next we test breathing, movement and fitness. In case of dysfunctions, corrective
    exercises offered.
  •  If we can‘t find any dysfunctions, we offer individual training, training plans and group training to prepare for the next season.

American PT will help you enjoy running again and optimize your performance so you can get back on track in spring.

Yours Michael Boettcher

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Stretching – lengthen your muscles

Stretching exercises maintain the flexibility of muscles and the mobility of joints, which is a prerequisite for a healthy musculoskeletal system. Stretching can also improve training performance, relieve tension and reduce stress.

An indispensable part of professional sports

That’s why stretching exercises are a must in professional sports. If the sport requires particularly explosive movements or flexibility, stretching afterwards is indispensable. It increases flexibility, reduces muscle shortening and has a positive effect on performance. Stretching should be done for at least five minutes after each fitness session to promote recovery. One-sided movement patterns and incorrect posture can also be corrected through stretching exercises.

Effects on the musculoskeletal system

In the long term, stretching primarily improves the mobility of joints and surrounding structures. Tendons and ligaments are strengthened, and muscular imbalances are corrected in the short term by lengthening shortened muscles, thus reducing tension in the muscle. Additionally, it can reduce stress and restore circulation.

In the field of physical therapy, stretching is used to reduce muscular imbalances and correct problems caused by muscle shortening, as well as speed recovery from injuries.

Stretching correctly

However, to avoid injury, some important rules should be followed when stretching:

  • Stretch dynamically before the fitness session, as the muscles are not yet warmed up and thus injuries can easily occur.
  • The movements should be performed slowly and in a controlled manner
  • It is better to do static stretches after the training session.
  • Do not forget to breathe
  • The pain should be sustainable at all times
  • Always stretch on a non-slip surface

Static and dynamic stretching

Static stretching involves trying to pull the muscle to be stretched as far as possible and holding this position for 20-30 seconds. Static stretching should never be done before a workout, as it can reduce performance and lead to injury. Static stretching exercises are also not recommended if muscle soreness is noticeable.

Dynamic stretching exercises, on the other hand, consist of gentle movements that could also be described as springy. The muscle is stretched for a few seconds, but can always contract again. This form of stretching promotes blood circulation and thus also the oxygen supply to the muscle and is therefore particularly suitable as a warm-up before the fitness session.

If you want to improve mobility and promote health through regular stretching, you should be patient in your approach. The muscles need a few attempts to stretch properly, so it’s better not to rush things.

Your Michael Boettcher

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Pain in the knees from running

Many of our customers complain about knee pain while running. They often describe the pain as dull around the knee joint or as a twinge at the kneecap. Most often, the pain occurs during running or immediately following exercise. Clients often try stretching exercises or using a fascia roller to loosen the surrounding muscles and get rid of the pain that way. Unfortunately, the pain can be persistent and, in the worst cases, force them to take a longer break.

Causes of knee pain

The most common reason for knee pain is overuse of the lower leg extensor muscle quadriceps. If the muscle is used too frequently, so-called trigger points develop. These are small nodules in the muscle that have poor blood supply and cause a characteristic pain pattern. If there is overuse of the quadriceps, the pain tends to feel dull and is located around the knee. If the fascia is stuck or tight, the pain tends to be located on the sides of the knee or just below the kneecap (patellar tendinitis). In both varieties, the pain occurs during and after running.

Our holistic approach

Our strategy for this situation is first to lower the tension in the muscles by dry needling and massage. This is done by working on the fascia with a special tool to loosen it up and release any adhesions. With special tests we can determine if the connection between the nerve and the muscle is working properly. If this connection is inactive, the muscle will be overloaded or misloaded again and the discomfort will return even after the therapy is finished.

Functional Movement Screen

Once we have the local discomfort under control, we do a Functional Movement Screen and look at the patient’s overall movement amplitude. This gives us the opportunity to identify and target further faulty movement patterns. Through corrective exercises at home, discomfort and thus pain can be prevented in the future. Yours Michael Boettcher
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Reflexive Performance Reset – not only for competitive athletes

Reflexive Performance Reset, or RPR is more than just an ordinary therapy. It activates muscles that have a key function in our musculoskeletal system via certain reflex points. These key muscles give our body more support, bounce, energy and lead to more mobility in the long term. The Reflexive Performance Reset consists of different breathing exercises and the stimulation of certain nerves in the body, which help to increase the training success and prevent injuries.

When we are under constant stress and give our body little time to regenerate, it is inevitably put into stand-by mode. In this state, the body has little energy and performance is significantly reduced. Reflexive Performance Reset can help to bring the body back to its performance peak, reduce pain caused by compensating for poor posture, improve mobility and increase resistance to injury.

By activating specific reflex points that bring the body out of these damaging compensation patterns and targeted breathing exercises, the muscles can recover faster, you have more energy and are more resistant to stress. Whether you are a competitive athlete, an athlete or simply a sports enthusiast, the RPR concept is so simple and yet so promisingly designed that it can be implemented at any time. Just contact us!

Yours Michael Boettcher

Nutrition Coaching

Cold season – defying the weather with exercise and nutrition

The winter period is characterised by cold weather and little sunlight and tugs at our energy.
Warm clothing and long walks outside are good for health and general well-being. If you want to protect yourself against colds in winter, you should pay particular attention to a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise. In our practice for alternative medicine and physiotherapy we offer a wide range of possibilities for exercise and relaxation as well as nutritional advice. Defy the cold weather and say goodbye to your cold!

The right diet is essential

Food plays a central role in our lives. It supplies not only our body, but also the soul and spirit with nutrients and energy. Like everything else in life, nutrition must remain in balance, only in this way can optimal health be achieved. Especially during the cold season, you should pay more attention to your vitamin intake to strengthen your immune system. The body needs sunlight to produce vitamin D. In the winter months, the daily sunshine hours are few and often there is no opportunity to use these few hours for outdoor activities. The consequences are: Exhaustion, lack of drive or concentration problems. With our nutritional advice tips, we help you to bring your health and your diet back into balance.

Exercise is the key to optimal health

Regular exercise is not only good for our musculoskeletal system, but also stimulates the metabolism. This in turn leads to increased performance and, in the long term, to more energy. Movement is therefore essential for health. Physical processes such as digestion, circulation and respiration are strengthened – and ultimately so is the immune system. With the special personal training in our physiotherapy practice, we combine ambitious training with the latest scientific findings from sports and movement medicine. With your personal training goal in mind and a mobility test, problems are recognised and corrected, mobility is improved and fitness is increased.

Relaxed through the day

When it comes to strengthening the immune system, relaxation is an important part of our health, along with exercise and nutrition. Stress and lack of exercise can lead to muscle tension and attack our immune system. With massages, we release all forms of tension in the muscles. In this way, we help you with tension pains and at the same time stimulate the blood circulation and metabolism. The immune system is activated and cold viruses have no chance.

If you have any questions about nutritional advice, personal training or massages, please call us or make an appointment via our website.

Your Michael Boettcher

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Medical rehabilitation training – effective and gentle on the joints

What is medical rehabilitation training?

Medical rehabilitation training is generally used after injuries and operations to restore mobility and treat diseased areas of the musculoskeletal system. Targeted training units are used to improve strength, mobility and endurance in the long term. The specially developed medical build-up training for therapeutic purposes is considered part of rehabilitation treatment and is often accompanied by a doctor.

For whom is medical rehabilitation training recommended?

In general, medical rehabilitation training is prescribed by a doctor after an injury or operation on the musculoskeletal system. However, it can also be used for persistent pain in the joints or back. The physiotherapist draws up an individual training plan tailored to the problem area and person. Medical rehabilitation training is also suitable for the prevention of painful muscle tension and resulting damage to the spine.

What is trained in medical rehabilitation training?

Depending on the type of training, medical rehabilitation training trains balance, coordination and posture, strength, flexibility, speed or endurance. The essential components of the medical rehabilitation training are: mobilisation and mobility training, strength and stabilization training, coordination training, endurance and cardiovascular training.

What equipment is used for medical rehabilitation training?

The medical rehabilitation training uses training equipment that is easy on the joints and yet highly effective, while putting optimal strain on the muscles and joints. Additionally, computer-controlled training devices such as the Power Plate or EMS allow a targeted training of the deep muscles and can be used, for example, for muscle building before an operation.

In our practice for physiotherapy we offer medical rehabilitation training for therapeutic purposes. Do you have any questions or would you like to arrange an appointment? Call us, we will be happy to assist you!

Yours Michael Boettcher

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Homeoffice – risks and side effects

Due to the ongoing pandemic, more and more people are being forced to work from home, but not everyone has an ergonomic workplace available. People often work at the kitchen table or on the sofa and often lack the time or motivation for compensatory movement after work or during breaks. Especially in the dark season, when it is already dark outside after work, many people find it difficult to get enthusiastic about exercise and sports. Instead, they make themselves comfortable on the sofa with a bag of chips.

From a medical point of view, these factors can in the long term promote physical complaints such as tension in the neck and shoulder area and headaches or lead to pathological obesity and associated chronic cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, lack of exercise and an ergonomically inappropriate sitting position can increase the potential for musculoskeletal disorders. Through a prophylactic posture, the respiratory muscles tense up, breathing becomes shallower, we feel tired and exhausted and have difficulty concentrating.

Anyone who wants to prevent this should therefore provide for compensatory exercise in their free time. True to the motto “if you rest, you rust”, even small units of one hour per week can provide sufficient mobilization and relaxation. In our practice for physiotherapy and personal training, we offer not only classic physiotherapeutic applications but also an extensive portfolio of holistic training with a focus on joint-sparing movement sequences and medical muscle building.

We recognize and treat dysfunctions so that you can work in your home office in a relaxed and pain-free manner. Say goodbye to pain and make an appointment today.

Your Michael Boettcher Continue Reading