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What
is
Biofeedback.................
The word "biofeedback"
was coined in the late
1969 to describe lab
procedures (developed in
the 1940's) that trained
research subjects to
alter brain activity,
blood pressure, muscle
tension, heart rate and
other bodily functions
that are not normally
controlled voluntarily.
Biofeedback is a
training technique in
which people are taught
to improve their health
and performance by using
signals from their own
bodies.
One commonly used
device, for example,
picks up electrical
signals from the muscles
and translates the
signals into a form that
people can detect. This
device triggers a
flashing light or
activates a beeper every
time muscles become more
tense. If one wants to
relax tense muscles, one
must try to slow down
the flashing or beeping.
People learn to
associate sensations
from the muscle with
actual levels of tension
and develop a new,
healthy habit of keeping
muscles only as tense as
is necessary for as long
as necessary. After
treatment, individuals
are then able to repeat
this response at will
without being attached
to the sensors.
Clinicians rely on
complicated biofeedback
machines in somewhat the
same way that you rely
on your scale or
thermometer. Their
machines can detect a
person's internal bodily
functions with far
greater sensitivity and
precision than a person
can alone. This
information may be
valuable. Both patients
and therapists use it to
gauge and direct the
progress of treatment.
Although most people
initially viewed these
practices with
skepticism, researchers
proved that many
individuals could alter
their involuntary
responses by being "fed
back" information either
visually or audibly
about what was occurring
in their bodies.
Through clinical
research and
application, biofeedback
techniques have expanded
into widely used
procedures that treat an
ever-lengthening list of
conditions. Some of
these include: Migraine
headaches, tension
headaches, and many
other types of chronic
pain Disorders of the
digestive system
Incontinence High blood
pressure Cardiac
arrhythmias
(abnormalities in the
rhythm of the heartbeat)
ADD/ADHD (Attention
Deficit Hyperactive
Disorder) Raynaud's
disease (a circulatory
disorder that causes
uncomfortably cold
hands) Epilepsy
Paralysis, spinal cord
injury and other
movement disorders
In addition, studies
have shown that we have
more control over
so-called involuntary
bodily functions than we
once thought possible.
As a a result,
biofeedback can train
individuals with
techniques for living a
healthier life overall -
whether one is afflicted
with a medical condition
or not.
Did you Know
that...........
Biofeedback is an
effective treatment for
migraine and tension
headaches among both
children and adults.
This has been proven by
numerous controlled
studies with follow-ups
of up to 15 years. The
American Association for
Headache cites
biofeedback as an
acceptable treatment.
The Agency for Health
Care Policy and Research
Consensus cites
biofeedback as the
primary treatment for
urinary incontinence, a
condition affecting up
to 30 percent of elderly
people living
independently and about
50 percent of patients
in long-term care
facilities. Illnesses
such as multiple
sclerosis, muscular
dystrophy or lupus, as
well as strokes and
prostrate surgery can
cause incontinence.
Eighty percent of
individuals with
essential hypertension
who underwent
biofeedback training in
one study reduced their
prescription medications
or no longer needed them
at all, even after years
of taking medication.
More than 700 groups
worldwide are using EEG
biofeedback (neurofeedback)
for treatment of
ADD/ADHD (Attention
Deficit Hyperactive
Disorder). Clinicians
have reported that
patients who experienced
a 60 to 80 percent
significant improvement
in the condition and a
marked reduction in
medication requirements.
Dr. Lester Fehmi, the
Director of the
Princeton Biofeedback
Centre is a consultant
to Coach Bob Ward of the
Dallas Cowboys (NFL) for
stress management and
performance.
The New England Journal
of Medicine stunned the
health care world when
it reported that
alternative medicine
almost equaled
traditional medicine in
total revenues.
Studies on women with
PMS have shown
biofeedback can help
relieve the symptoms.
In more than 90 percent
of children under the
age of twelve with
sleeping problems such
as bedwetting, recovery
is expected within the
first two months of
biofeedback treatment.
Therapists in several
states, including
Florida, Wisconsin and
New Jersey have found
that some spinal cord
injury and chronic
neuromuscular disease
paralysis victims have
been able to regain most
of their muscular limb
abilities after
biofeedback training.
This dramatic approach
is not yet readily
available in many
states. The results,
though they sometimes
appear to be miracles,
(i.e., helping people
told they will never
walk or use their hands
again to walk or feed
themselves) are really
just the results of
practical use of
existing biofeedback
technologies.
Numerous studies have
shown that people with
panic and anxiety
disorders who undertake
biofeedback training
gain significantly in
their ability to control
these states, to the
point that these no
longer interfere with
their daily life.
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