What is Biofeedback?
Biofeedback is a technique by which an individual can receive ( feedback) i.e.,
information from instrumentation regarding bodily processes. [1] [2]
Whether the through use of
the Biodot, thermometer, thermal monitor, GSR , EMG, or EEG, individuals
monitor the selected body systems. Any change that is picked up by these
monitor's electrodes is transformed into visual and/or auditory cues.
By providing an objective measurement of bodily
functions, biofeedback has given credibility to the whole field of stress
management.
Chances are that you have used biofeedback yourself. You've used
it any time you have taken your temperature or stepped on a scale to weigh yourself. For
the next several sessions monitor your meditation and relaxation sessions with the use of
a Biodot and report your findings. Research the internet to see what diseases and painful
conditions have been improved with the use of Biofeedback. See if you can find information
and indicate what evidence there is that supports the use of Biofeedback with the
following conditions. Be sure and cite your source and/ or Website.
..tension headache
..migraine
..anxiety
..asthma
..poor blood circulation
..muscle tension
...teeth grinding
...insomnia
You may search the Internet for the various types of
diseases that have been treated by biofeedback. The following students earned extra credit by
submitting these hyperlinks:
http://www.alphatalker.com suggests that biofeedback can
reduce or treat: alcoholism, ADD and ADHD, anger, autism, chronic pain, depression, epilepsy,
headaches, learning disabilities, mood disorders, sleep disorders, Tourette's syndrome, and traumatic brain injury.
http://www.demOnmac.mgh.harvard.edu/neurowebforum/headache
A... suggests that
biofeedback for tension headache is very effective although at least an hour
a day must be devoted to doing it in order for the treatment to work.
http://www.alphatalker.com also suggests that biofeedback for tension
headaches is very helpful. It is also useful in the aid of migraine
headaches. More than
eighty percent of patients have reported a reduction in migraine headache due
to biofeedback. K. Morrow, Winter 2001
http://www.behavioralassociates.com/bio.html
This site gives a working definition of
biofeedback and provides an example of how variations in one's blood pressure
can be fed back in the form of a varying tone, so that a patient becomes aware
of those blood pressure fluctuations. Once aware the patient has a
better chance of gaining control over the biological functions. Joe
Casillas, Fall 2001
1. Brian Luke Seaward, Managing
Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Wellbeing, 3rd ed.,
Boston: Jones and Bartlett, 2002, pp.443-448
2. Jerrold S. Greenberg,
Comprehensive Stress Management, 8th ed., Boston: McGraw-Hill,2002, pp.
191-206
Email:
rbrehm@msn.com
Telephone: Cell
206-930-4197.
Copyright © 1998 [Robert Brehm]. All rights reserved.
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