Neurofeedback

Recently the University of Texas did a study using neurofeedback for neuropathy, and the results were surprising: They observed “clinically and statistically significant reductions in peripheral neuropathy following neurofeedback techniques”.

Neuropathy is a debilitating condition in which nerves function improperly due to injury or disease. The most common symptoms are numbness tingling and pain ranging from mild to severe. There are also many different types of neuropathy affecting the brain, nervous system, extremities, optical nerves and more

Neuropathy has a variety of causes including diseases, injuries, infections, and even vitamin deficiency. The most common cause in America today is diabetes, but can also be caused by autoimmune disease, tumors/cancer, infections, alcoholism, an inherited genetic disorder, toxic exposure, and even drugs and medication.

The most common medical treatments today will include opioids for pain. But opioids are addictive and can lead to much bigger problems. But the bigger issue is that they don’t treat the problem, they just relieve pain, leading to a lifetime reliance on them. As a result, many neuropathy patients are turning to alternative medicine.

If you live near Fort Wayne, Neurofeedback is one such alternative therapy that is showing promise. Last year a randomized, controlled pilot study by researchers at the University of Texas on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) observed “clinically and statistically significant reductions in peripheral neuropathy following neurofeedback techniques”. By the end of the study, the patients in the neurofeedback group had significantly reduced BPI scores for worst pain, activity interference, numbness, and tingling.

In another experiment researchers investigated the effects of neurofeedback training on central neuropathic pain (CNP) which affects spinal cord injury patients, as well as individuals with stroke, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. Reduction in pain levels are directly visible on the EEG, which persisted for at least 1 month following neurofeedback treatment. More research is needed, but the results look promising. When opioids are the primary tool being used today for treatment of pain related illness, it’s only a matter of time before alternative options like neurofeedback become more mainstream.

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In the United States alone, 1 in 5 children are diagnosed with learning and attention issues each year.

That’s an astonishing statistic, and one that causes frustration and distress for children who end up feeling shame, fear and anxiety related to school and schoolwork as a result. Their parents, too, become desperate for answers and help as they try to understand why their smart, curious student withdraws from schoolwork or acts up in the classroom.

What’s more astonishing, however, is how many children are misdiagnosed from the start.

As many as 1 in 4 children have a vision problem that affects learning, and yet because many of them have never had a comprehensive optometric exam outside of school, their symptoms are attributed to disorders like ADHD or dyslexia. Those symptoms, however, can overlap a great deal with those that indicate a vision problem, including:

• Headaches
• Eyestrain
• Fatigue
• Difficulty concentrating
• Rereading or skipping lines of text
• Difficulty recognizing words
• Poor handwriting

Worse, many children are needlessly medicated for what appear to be behavioral or attention-related disorders when vision challenges are at the root of their struggles in the classroom.

But you can solve this by giving your child a comprehensive vision screening. It may be able to help many students and families catch deficiencies far earlier – and more accurately – so that kids can spend less time struggling with their confidence and school performance, and more time learning and growing. Getting a QEEG Brain scan can be important as well. It can help identify problem areas in the brain, especially in the Occipital lobes which are responsible for visual processing. If there is an issue with brain activity there, it will also impact a child’s learning abilities. We encourage you to look into a QEEG brain scan today.

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From:  Leigh Brain and Spine     Dr. Trish Leigh and Dr. Cosmas Leigh    “Stuttering Treatment Center. 

If you struggle with stuttering, our certified Neurofeedback doctor at Fort Wayne Neurofeedback can perform the proper testing in order to create a treatment plan for a better way of life. Stuttering begins in the brain and thus is most efficiently treated using brain-based techniques and strategies.  Studies have shown that the brain areas that control planning and programming for speech are not working as they should in the people who stutter. Wiring of the brain within and between pivotal brain areas for speech production is not as smooth a  pathway as it should be.  How can the brain be rewired?  A variety of brain-based techniques are available including Neurofeedback Therapy which has been shown in a research study to decrease the amount of stuttering for people with persistent developmental stuttering after a few sessions . . . .”     Drs. Vicki and Charles Kelsey.     Fort Wayne Neurofeedback helping people with stuttering challenges.

Here is a fact that may surprise you: Anxiety related disorders are the most prevalent type of mental health disorders in America. This includes general anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, separation anxiety and more. It is far more common in younger aged adults and lower in those over 50. With todays societal pressures, such as making money, raising a family and having enough for retirement, this should come as no surprise.

The good news is that there are more options available now for proper care and treatment than in the past. This is because the disorder is more understood and there is substantial research available. To understand how to address this issue, we need to dig in deeper on current methods for treatment.

Western medicine’s approach to anxiety in the past has been problematic- the class of drug most often used is tranquilizers, which are a temporary solution at best, and can actually cause anxiety as they wear off. These drugs can also cause dependency, which is why they are listed as controlled substances that come with a no driving or operating heavy machinery warning.

Neurofeedback has been successfully researched as an alternative therapy choice for anxiety disorders. In a recent study  neurofeedback was shown to effectively reduce anxiety in 26 healthy subjects with high anxiety. A protocol was designed to enhance connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala in the presence of a threat. Subjects showed a subjective reduction in anxiety as well as an objective change in neural pathway regulation, all positive signs.

Best of all, continued positive regulation was observed even in the absence of neurofeedback, meaning participants were able to regulate their own brains in the presence of a threat stimulus without using neurofeedback. This suggesting permanent, positive brain changes resulted from the neurofeedback training.

There are many more positive case studies relating to neurofeedback and anxiety, which can be found in the research section of this site.  The research all suggest that neurofeedback may be a permanent, non-invasive solution for anxiety disorders.

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For those who live near Fort Wayne…whether you perform live on a regular basis or are practicing your craft at home, studies have shown that neurofeedback can significantly improve your ability to perform at your best. Why? Neurofeedback can improve creativity, reduce performance anxiety and improve overall focus. It allows your body to relax and be present in the moment, qualities highly valued by performing artists.

There are literally hundreds of studies that show neurofeedback can improve focus, memory, emotional stability and motor skills. These improvements in the brain can easily contribute to fine-tuning one’s performance ability. But more specific studies hadn’t been done until recently.

Neurofeedback was first applied to music performance in 2009 in London, when the Royal College of Music (RCM) completed a study on musical performance with 36 participants. This study (Enhancing maginative Expression in the Performing Arts with EEG-Neurofeedback, Gruzelier, 2011) demonstrated that Neurofeedback substantially improved students stylistic accuracy, interpretive imagination and incidental error count. Substantial improvement was found in musicality, technique, and communication for 22 musicians receiving neurofeedback. Playing music alone has been shown to cause greater organizational and higher-order executive functioning in the brain. Neurofeedback can help sharpen and enhance those skills as well as calm the nerves. If you are a performance artist, neurofeedback is a tool worth considering.

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Scientists are racing to figure out why some patients also develop neurological ailments like confusion, stroke, seizure, or loss of smell.

By now you’re probably familiar with the typical hallmarks of Covid-19, the disease that has so far killed more than 125,000 people around the world: fever, cough, difficulty breathing. But stories of other, stranger symptoms—headaches, confusion, seizures, tingling and numbness, the loss of smell or taste—have been bubbling up from the frontlines for weeks. Published data on how frequently the disease manifests in these types of neurological symptoms is still sparse, and experts say they likely occur in a minority of the 2 million officially tallied Covid-19 infections worldwide. But for physicians, they are important because some of these new symptoms may require a different line of treatment, one designed for the brain rather than the body.

“The medicines we use to treat any infection have very different penetrations into the central nervous system,” says S. Andrew Josephson, a neurologist at UC San Francisco. Most drugs can’t pass through the blood-brain barrier, a living border wall around the brain. If the coronavirus is breaching the blood-brain barrier and infecting neurons, that could make it harder to find effective treatments.

Right now, many doctors are trying a two-pronged approach. The first is finding antiviral drugs that can knock back how fast SARS-CoV-2 replicates. They often combine that with steroids, to prevent the immune system from going overboard and producing inflammation that can be damaging on its own. If doctors knew people had coronavirus in their brains, that would alter the equation. Unlike the lungs, the brain can’t be put on a ventilator.

“We’ve been telling people that the major complications of this new disease are pulmonary, but it appears there are a fair number of neurologic complications that patients and their physicians should be aware of,” says Josephson. Any serious viral infection is likely to affect the central nervous system, either through a direct infection or indirectly through inflammation caused by an immune system response. More research is needed, but this is hard due to the realities of trying to document a new disease while being buried beneath the first wave of the outbreak. With hospitals in Wuhan overwhelmed by a crush of Covid-19 patients during the first half of February, doctors often had to rely on patients’ own descriptions of their symptoms. There was a lot they couldn’t do, like imaging people’s brains, measuring their nervous system activity, or looking for copies of the coronavirus in their spinal fluid. But that’s the kind of data that would help pinpoint what’s disrupting brain function for some Covid-19 patients.

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From:  Biofeedback for the Brain by Paul G. Swingle, Ph.D.     

“The increase in the use of these dangerous drugs is alarming.  In addition to a threefold increase in the use of stimulants with two-to four-year-old toddlers from 1991 to 1995, surveys indicate major increases in the use of all psychotropic medications with children.  Ninety percent of the world’s Ritalin is used in the United States, as reported by Breggin.  His summary encapsulates the tragedy:  “Our society has institutionalized drug abuse among children.  Worse yet, we abuse our children with drugs rather than making the effort to find better ways to meet their needs.”  pg. 181  Neurofeedback is a natural way to help young, dis-regulated brains improve.

From:  The Healing Power of Neurofeedback by Stephen Larsen, Ph.D.   

 “The discipline called “neurofeedback” or “neurotherapy” is itself a subdiscipline  of “biofeedback,”  a term broadly used for techniques of self-regulation.  In biofeedback, a machine is used to generate electronic signals that inform a person about factors such as his or her hand temperature or muscle tension.  Starting in the 1950’s, it was discovered that, guided by such feedback, a person could learn to raise or lower blood pressure, quiet muscle spasms, or soothe an irritable bowel.   Neurofeedback is simply the application of this same principle to the electrical waves produced by the brain, as recorded on an EEG (electroencephalogram).  With subtlety and skill, it is helping thousands of children and adults learn to regulate their own nervous systems–a not insignificant matter, for the CNS (Central Nervous System) determines just how one functions in life!” pg. 2.     

Want to know if your brain can improve with neurofeedback?  Call Drs. Kelsey at 260.432.8777 to schedule a free consultation.  If you are a candidate, you can schedule a brain map and doctor’s report of findings.

Autism is a condition that effects 1 in 88 children, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control. Until recently, treatments for autism have been limited to changes in diet, supplements, or other interventions. But since Autism is a brain based problem, it would make sense that the best way to address it would be one that targets the brain directly. This is precisely what neurofeedback is designed to do, and it may offer hope to those who are suffering from the effects of autism. Read the full article here:

Related symptoms of ASD are the result of brain dysfunction in multiple brain regions. The brains of individuals with ASD show areas of both excessively high connectivity and deficient connectivity. In other words, some areas of the brain are chatting excessively with themselves, while failing to communicate normally with other relevant regions.

Research on autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) shows that neurofeedback (EEG biofeedback) can remediate anomalies in brain activation, leading to symptom reduction and functional improvement. This evidence raises the hopes for a behavioral, psychophysiological intervention moderating the severity of autism. Neurofeedback seems capable of improving connectivity disturbances and reducing autistic symptoms. Hyperconnectivity seen in patients with ASD can be remedied with coherence training and other neurofeedback approaches. As with any activity, practice is essential to improving performance. Very few side effects to neurofeedback have been identified, and in large part no serious concerns have been seen.

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From Biofeedback for the Brain by Paul G. Swingle, Ph.D.     

“The evidence speaks for itself.  Neurotherapy is a primary-care alternative for the treatment of many disorders that have traditionally been sedated, if they could be corrected at all.  It truly satisfies the medical credo Primum Non Nocere,  “First, do no harm.”  Problems in brain functioning that cause symptoms can be corrected, with the result that the symptoms go away.  Families abandoned with their autistic children can find help; depressed and anxious people can find relief and freedom from drugs; those who have problems with concentration or sleep or anger or alcohol or mental quietude can find these problems resolved.  Those with head injuries, stroke, pain, seizure disorders, and age-related declines can also find help.” p. 188. 

Sounds too good to be true?  Well, it is true.  To improve your mental health (brain functioning) you may need to step outside of your comfort zone to find a natural solution.  The first step is a consultation with Dr. Kelsey to answer your questions.  Phone 260.432.8777.

From Biofeedback for the Brain by Paul Swingle    

 “Many of us have had “ah-ha” and “om” experiences.  The ah-ha experience is an instant burst of insight in which an explanation, a problem solution, or the proper course of action suddenly occurs to us.  In our culture, the om experience is less common.  It is the profound sense of spiritual groundedness, unity, and cosmic understanding that occurs when the mind is uniquely quiet, save for tightly circumscribed areas of activity.  This experience is the ultimate goal of many types of meditation.  How can it be enhanced by neurotherapy?  When a child has CADD, characterized by excessive slow-frequency waves over the top of the brain, the condition is treated by speeding up the brain.  By analogy, the child’s brain is a digital computer that is running at too slow of a speed.  The brain is made for more active, faster by analogy, so that the tendency to lose focus is reduced.  As the ability to focus is honed, the cognitive process kicks in, and the child receives gratification from intellectual activities such as reading and problem solving.  By contrast, meditators gain from marked increases in theta amplitude at the back of the brain.  This increase in slow frequency amplitude is associated with mental quieting, during which time the brain rests and restores.  Slow frequency activity in the back of the brain is also associated thinking that is more global with less attention to detail.  Optimal performance training focuses on both increasing brain efficiency  when processing information and on rapid change to the restorative mentally quiet state  when sharp focus is not required.  Peak performance is the training of the mind to become insulated from distractions while releasing the mind to be in sync with the energy of the universe.   The brain is trained to  efficiently engage and disengage at the highest level.”     

Virtually all conditions we treat benefit from training the brain to be engaged and disengaged at optimal level for each person.  A brain map will show us where the brain is disregulated and how we can help you optimize yours.  Call us at 260.432.8777 to set your appointments.  Drs. Kelsey

From Biofeedback for the Brain by Paul G. Swingle, Ph.D.

“Question:  I received neurotherapy treatment for a severe anxiety condition.  I found that my general health seems to have improved as well.  Is this improvement related to the neurotherapy?

Answer:  The improvement could be either a direct or an indirect benefit of the treatment.  Increasing the speed of alpha frequencies, for example, has been found to be related to improved immune-system functioning.”  pg. 186. 

If these benefits interest you, a consultation and Brain Map with Dr. Vicki is the place to start.  Phone 260.432.8777 to schedule.  

There are on average two million reported brain injuries every year in the US. Up to 50 percent of those can have enduring symptoms six months or more after the injury (source-Jacobson, 1995).

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result in problems with memory recall, behavior, emotional control and attention. Those affected can also become much more impulsive and exhibit poor judgment. Many often are not very aware of their problems. But a permanent solution that uses no drugs may actually be available right in their neighborhood.

Neurofeedback training seems to be a good non-invasive therapy for brain injury. This computer-based therapy uses biofeedback to monitor and correct irregular brainwaves. So how does it work?  Sensors are placed on the patient’s head to measure and monitor the electrical activity that is produced by the brain. In the case of brain injury, when there is excess delta and theta brainwave activity the computer helps normalize these brainwaves into proper ranges.  Over time and with multiple sessions this tends to improve the symptoms.  Usually neurofeedback can help to achieve lasting results.

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From:  Biofeedback for the Brain by Paul G. Swingle, Ph.D.     

“Although the major focus of this book is the neurotherapeutic treatment of disorders, neurotherapy can be directed at heightening brain efficiency in people without disorders.  As I explain to my clients, you can think of neurotherapy as a continuum running from left to right:  the left side represents the normalization of brain functioning, and the right side represents the optimizing of brain functioning.  Most clients are thrilled when their problems are resolved, and they end treatment at that time.  Some, however, continue because they feel that they can progress even further.”  Many high performers in education, business, sports are able to improve their performance with neurofeedback.  We have seen many do just that.  If you are interested, call our office for your qEEG/brain map and interpretation.   Drs. Kelsey.   Phone:  260.432.8777.