Learn to Control Your Body With Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a comfortable alternative treatment method that trains individuals to control normally involuntary body processes, such as heart rate, skin temperature, muscle tension, brainwave activity, and blood pressure by using conscious concentration. Successful biofeedback can alter these functions, with positive effects on pain or other health problems as the person becomes more aware of his or her body and its functions.
In the U.S., biofeedback is used by doctors and other healthcare practitioners as an alternative therapy, often as a complement to traditional treatment, to promote relaxation and treat migraines, other types of headaches, insomnia, movement disorders and other health problems that are either caused or worsened by stress. Chronic stress often causes some internal processes to become overactive.
Biofeedback is also effective for easing the symptoms of Raynaud's disease, which affects blood circulation to the fingers and toes, making them painfully cold and numb. It decreases the soft tissue pain and stiffness of fibromyalgia. Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) learn to use biofeedback, with positive gains in behavior and intelligence scores.
An independent panel assembled by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) evaluated biofeedback as a complementary therapy for treating chronic pain. The panel found it moderately useful for this purpose, particularly to treat tension headaches. Biofeedback was also more successful than relaxation therapy for treating migraines. While this may not seem like ground-breaking news, patients who suffer incessantly from moderate to severe chronic pain may welcome a treatment other than pain medication—a treatment with no side effects or potential for addiction and withdrawal. Chronic pain is so prevalent that it is comparable to an epidemic. Any treatment method that provides relief without adverse effects is preferable to opiates and other pain pills that cause over-sedation, dizziness and, often, falls, especially in the elderly.
Another use for biofeedback that shows promise in clinical studies is for treatment of urinary incontinence. Officials of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research recommended biofeedback for treatment of this condition. Since more than 15 million Americans suffer from urinary incontinence, this could become a significant use of the technique.
There is no evidence that biofeedback has any effect on the progression of cancer, but it may improve quality of life by reducing pain without heavy sedation and, in combination with relaxation therapy, may reduce some side effects of chemotherapy.
Here's what happens in a normal biofeedback session. First, electrodes are attached to your skin and connected to monitoring equipment. This monitor changes the measurements into either a tone varying in pitch, a computer screen with lines moving across a grid, or a visual meter varying in brightness. The output is dictated by the form of biofeedback that is used: electromyography for measuring muscle tension; electroencephalography for measuring brainwave activity; monitoring of breathing rate; finger pulse measurements of anxiety; or thermal biofeedback for measuring skin temperature.
The biofeedback therapist will gently guide you through some easy mental exercises to discover which mental activities will create the physical changes needed. Under supervision, you will practice these mental activities for approximately one hour. A successful result is to lower or otherwise change the targeted body process measurement (blood pressure, skin temperature, muscle tension, brainwave activity, etc.). The monitor allows the patient to know what is happening internally and adjust concentration as needed. Most people see results within ten sessions, although blood pressure treatment usually requires twenty.
The practitioner will also teach you to perform relaxation techniques and mental exercises and instruct you to do them at home for up to ten minutes daily. Once you master the technique and can use conscious thought consistently to change a physical process and achieve the desired result, you will no longer need monitoring equipment or formal sessions. You'll be able to perform the technique at will, anywhere, at any time, with only the power of your mind. This method is perfect if you're one of the many people who do not like taking prescription drugs.
Biofeedback is safe, with no adverse effects ever reported. It is a noninvasive therapy. The electrodes do not cause electrical shock. No special skills are needed—only the ability to follow instructions plus persistence.
In the U.S., a resource for locating qualified biofeedback therapists in your area is the Association for Applied Psychology and Biofeedback at the website www.aapb.org . If you suffer from one of the health conditions listed or some other health issue that might be attributed to chronic stress, ask your doctor if he or she thinks biofeedback might be helpful. Most healthcare insurance will cover biofeedback if it is recommended by a medical doctor. Check with your insurance provider prior to treatment in the event written justification or pre-approval for the therapy is required.
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