Acupuncture and Acupressure have been used for thousands of years and are well known in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Both have been shown to produce chemicals in the body that allow a person to either relax or become energized. "We now have the ability to apply this to lines of clothing," says Donald Spector, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of New York College of Health Professions, and well-known inventor. "While the application in sports is obvious, these clothing and accessories can also be used to reduce motion sickness, help in weight reduction and assist in smoking cessation," says Spector. The means of attaining the natural drug release is by putting small seeds in the right places. When the consumer presses on these points they are basically practicing the most basic technique of Acupressure. "We are not going to say that this is as effective as our licensed professionals that the College trains to become practitioners of Acupuncture or Acupressure," says Lisa Pamintuan, "but there should be a noticeable effect in many cases."
"Imagine it’s the ninth inning, the score tied, you are one run up but bases are loaded with no outs. I wouldn’t want to be the pitcher," says Lisa Pamintuan, who years ago played at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and is now President of New York College, the 25-year-old pioneering institution of Holistic Health (www.nycollege.edu). "However, hopefully, our baseball cap will make situations like this a little easier. All athletes look for ways to enhance their performance, whether on the field or the tennis court. I wish I had worn this line of clothing when I was playing at Wimbledon as a 16-year-old. I would have been able to press the acupressure points in the clothing, like my sweatbands, and I would have been able to be either energized when I was tired, or relaxed when it was a tight match."
The College will be launching the clothing and accessories line under the brand name MyChi(TM) but is also expecting that major apparel companies will license its technology. "We are moving forward to the market, but our primary business is in offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs, not selling clothing. We are hoping that companies like Nike, Reebok, Champion, Russell, Adidas and other major sportswear companies will see the value of the College’s technologies," says Lisa Pamintuan.
Since Acupressure is also good for relieving pain this product will be great for the weekend warrior as well as the professional athlete. Whether addressing young athletes or seniors this line will have broad usage. The College also sees the line extending to recreational sports such as golf which opens the market to brands like Polo, Sean John, Calvin Klein and department store and mass merchandiser brands.
Donald Spector previously licensed Real Boxer, the highly successful house brand of men’s wear to Wards several years ago. "The College believes that MyChi and its new technology will not significantly increase the cost to the consumer, but will provide a long list of benefits. We think that our approach to having the College join with those in consumer product industries is a win/win, especially for the consumer who will learn to press all the right buttons," says Donald Spector.