http://www.nletc.com/files/GJPD--LVNR-Staff-Study.pdfJust figured I'd keep throwing some actual facts into the conversation.
"Medical research on the use of neck restraints can be divided into two categories. An extensive amount
of research has been conducted regarding neck restraints in the sport of Judo. This res
earch consistently
shows that there are no deleterious effects of Judo “chokes.” "
"The carotid arteries supply approximately 70%
of the blood to the brain. The carotid arteries are very resilient and it is not possible to completely stop
the blood flow through these arteries with o
nly pressure applied with the arms."
"One of the first studies was
conducted by the United States Military in 1943. A
team of American military scientists examined the
effect of acute cerebral anoxia
—
a short and severe lack
of oxygen to the brain
. To do this, they
used an
inflatable cervical pressure cuff designed to induce temporary arrest of circulation without affecting the
respiratory tract; essentially, a mechanically created carotid pressure hold. The cuff was held down to
the lower third of the neck and press
ure increased to 600 mm of mercury within one
-
eighth second.
One hundred and twenty six prison volunteers and 11 diagnosed schizophrenic patients were fitted with
the cuff which was tightened until unconsciousness was induced. The average time from arrest
of
cerebral circulation to loss of consciousness was six to eight seconds. The study concluded that arrest of
cerebral circulation in normal
young
men results in fixation of the eyes, tingling, constriction of the
visual fields, loss of consciousness, and
brief, mild tonic and clonic seizure after restoration of the blood
flow. This study, though dated, is perhaps the largest study ever conducted in terms of the sheer
number of participants. No deleterious effects were observed from
repeated tests on these
subjects.
There were a number of studies conducted in Japan during the time frame of 1958
-
1963 that focused on
the physiological effects of choking in Judo. Judo authority Dr. E.K. Kiowai summarized the results of
these studies in an article entitled, “H
ow Safe is Choking in Judo” in which he stated that there were no
negative effects following application of a Judo choke hold. For the purposes of Judo both a respiratory
neck restraint and a vascular neck restraint are both deemed “chokes.” Dr Koiwai who
is an Associate
Professor of Pathology and Anatomy at the Hahnemann University School of Medicine summarizes that
carotid holds are safe for three reasons: there have been no fatalities since Judo was invented in 1892,
scientific studies have shown no del
eterious effects and precautionary rules and methods make the
technique safe.
In a 1963 report
entitled, “ Physiologica
l
Studie
s of C
hoking in Judo”
a
group of medical specialists and
ranking educators
representing
several of Japan's foremost medical sc
hools and universities as
well as
the Kodokan developed an experiment to determine the safety of chokes. They utilized
the
electroencephalograph to detect brain changes; the earoxymeter for blood oxygen saturation, the
sphygmomanometer for arterial blood p
ressure; the plethysmograph peripheral blood vessel reaction
and the micropipometer for skin temperature changes. Other studies probed the plasma protein
concentration, blood water volume, hematrocrit complete blood count, eosinophil count and urine 17
ket
o
-
steroid content
to determine the risk associated with a Judo neck restraint. The test group
consisted of 6 Judo experts. Chokes were administered using the three methods common in Judo. These
included vascular and respiratory holds. This research experim
ent showed that there were no negative
effects related to the holds. However, the researchers did recommend that a choke hold not be used
against anyone with a cardiac disorder or hypertension. This was based on the increased blood pressure
associated with
the hold."
So you guys can go by anecdotes or by actual extensive medical research. I'll take the actual extensive medical research.
