Biofeedback

Biofeedback is a form of complementary and alternative medicine(CAM) which involves measuring bodily processessuch as blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature, galvanic skin response(sweating), and muscle tensionin order to raise a subject's awarenessand conscious control of these functions. Devices as simple as mirrorsand bathroom scalescan be considered rudimentary biofeedback devices, insofar as the information they provide can help a person with issues related to postureand weight; more complex biofeedback devices have been used therapeutically with several conditions, including epilepsy, asthma, incontinence, irritable bowel syndrome, Raynaud's disease, chemotherapy-related nauseaand vomiting, headaches, high blood pressure, and cardiac arrhythmias[1]. Electraencephalogram-based biofeedback, which measures brainwavesand is usually called neurofeedback, has gained popularity in recent years as a treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and is being studied as a potential treatment for anxiety, depression, and drug addiction.

By providing access to physiologicalinformation about which the user is generally unaware, biofeedback allows users to gain control over physical processes previously considered automatic.

Interest in biofeedback has waxed and waned since its inception in the 1960s; currently it is undergoing a bit of renaissance, which some ascribe to the general upswing of interest in complementary and alternative medicinemodalities. Neurofeedbackhas become a popular treatment for ADHD, electromyogram(muscle tension) biofeedback has been widely studied and accepted as a treatment for incontinencedisorders, and small home biofeedback machines are becoming available for a variety of uses.

Origins of biofeedback

Neal Miller, a psychology Ph.D and neuroscientistwho worked and studied at Yale University, is generally considered to be the father of modern-day biofeedback. He came across the basic principles of biofeedback when doing animal experimentationconditioning the behavior of rats. His team found that, by stimulating the pleasure centersof the rats' brains with electricity, it was possible to trainrats to control phenomena ranging from their heart ratesto their brainwaves. Until that point, it was believed that bodily processes like heart rate were under the control of the autonomic nervous systemand not responsive by conscious effort[2].

Dr. James S. Gordon, of the Washington DC-based Center for Mind-Body Medicine, testified before a House committee that "In 1961 when Neal Miller first suggested that the autonomic nervous system could be as susceptible to training as the voluntary nervous system, that people might learn to control their heart rate and bowel contractions just as they learned to walk or play tennis, his audiences were aghast. He was a respected researcher, director of a laboratory at Yale, but this was a kind of scientific heresy. Everyone 'knew' that the autonomic nervous system was precisely that: automatic, beyond our control."[3]

Types of biofeedback

One variety of biofeedback is EEGfeedback, which uses electrodes placed on the scalp to garner information about the user's brainwaves. This type of biofeedback is discussed in the article neurofeedback.

Other types of biofeedback include the following:

• electromyogrambiofeedback, which uses sensors and electrodes to measure muscle tension, and which is used to treat stress-related illnesses, such as asthmaand ulcers
• galvanic skin tensionbiofeedback, which measures the minute activities of sweat glands and which is used to treat anxiety-related illnesses, such as phobias and stuttering
• temperaturebiofeedback, which measures skin temperature and has been used to treat migraineheadaches and circulatory disorders.

Criticisms

While there is ample information about the use of neurofeedbackfor ADHDor electromyogrambiofeedback for incontinencedisorders, limited research has been done on some of biofeedback's other uses.[4] Additionally, some believe that the use of biofeedback for stressand anxietyis an expensive treatment for difficulties which could be addressed with relaxationtraining, meditation, and self-hypnosis.

Possible beneficial side effects

Possible beneficial side effects attested by biofeedback supportersinclude the following:

• ability to relax quickly on completion of training
• deeper state of relaxation during sleep
• easier to fall asleep
• easier to stay asleep while trying to sleep
• reduction of stress
• reduction of hypertension
• improved general health
• increase in amount of calmness
• increase in peacefulness
• reduction of anger
• less fearfulness
• fewer anxiety attacks
• amelioration of sorrow
• reduction of the depth of depression
• heightened muscle mobility
• enhanced mental clarity
• able to pay attention more consistently
• better focus of attention
• deeper concentration
• enhanced memory
• less attention to pain
• less attention to stressors
• less concentration on pain
• less concentration on stressors
• fewer feelings of pain
• fewer feelings of stress
• less intense focus on pain
• less intense focus on stressors
• less intensity of any pain
• less intensity of any stress
• more able to manage stress
• more able to manage pain

References

• Biofeedback FAQ
• Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback
• Biofeedback FAQ from the Mayo Clinic
• "Biofeedback Technology: A Prospectus"
• UK Guardian's obituary for Neal Miller
• Biofeedback 101 :: Helping People Heal Themselves de:Biofeedback

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofeedback Wikipedia article Biofeedback.