Capetonian helps invent 'StressEraser'.

A Cape Town research psychologist has joined members of a New York research lab to come up with a new iPod-sized gadget to relieve stress. Called the StressEraser, it has been scientifically proven to work, says research psychologist Dr Justin Kennedy. According to StressFit.com, the StressEraser provides accurate moment-by-moment heart rate variability (HRV) feedback on how breathing, thoughts and the emotional state are influencing stress levels.

It tells you how to pace your breathing with your heart cycles to induce optimal HRV in a very short time, and gives you a relaxation point for each outbreath. It then adds up all your relaxation points so you can see if you have dosed yourself sufficiently. And it remembers your session scores over days or months so you can compare different relaxation techniques and track your progress. Clinical tests were conducted at UCT, but mainly in the USA.

Kennedy said: 'It has been tested locally and globally for clinical and occupational stress-related conditions. Locally it has been tested by UCT's Sports Science Institute human biology department.'

Kennedy said the device was sold in South Africa only as part of the 4-hour StressFit programme as it had been shown that people were more likely to use it properly if they had undergone the programme. It has also been approved by the USA's Food and Drug Administration for relaxation training. The product costs R4 695, which includes the four-hour StressFit programme.