What is Biofeedback?

Bio feedback is a method of training one's body processes such as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate and more to improve your health.

Electrodes are placed on your skin to monitor your heartbeat, pulse rate, body temperature, muscle tension, blood pressure, breathing rate, and whatever else you are trying to improve. These electrodes are connected to a monitor so you can watch your progress. Though you start out watching the monitor to see the level of progress you are making, you will be able to learn to do this on your own whenever or wherever you choose. It will just take practice and time to learn the techniques of concentration needed.

Biofeedback is often used to improve blood pressure, migraine headaches, back pain, TMJ and incontinence. There are three main types of biofeedback:
    
     • Electromyography, (EMG), used to measure muscle tension.
     • Thermal biofeedback, used to measure skin temperature.
     • Neurofeedback or electroencephalography (EEG), used to measure brainwaves.

No one knows exactly why biofeedback works. The only thing known for sure is that most patients who are successful with it, have symptoms brought on by stress.
Since most of the techniques taught during a biofeedback session are exercises to relax, they are very useful for lowering blood pressure and tension headaches. As you see your pressure lowering, or your heartbeat settling down on the monitor, it reinforces the process you are learning so you can continue anywhere.

Biofeedback is done by attaching electrodes to the skin and having their signal produce a tone, graph on a monitor, or light that flashes that you can track.
As you learn the relaxation techniques from the therapist, you will see, or hear, which ones work for you by changing the tone, or graph on the monitor.

Biofeedback can be used to help many conditions improve.

Many stress related problems are improved or eliminated with biofeedback. Doctors are now suggesting it to improve urinary incontinence and some improvement has also been seen in fecal incontinence as well.

Researchers have also discovered that many people with Raynaud's disease, which is the lack of blood in the fingers, ears, nose and toes, can be improved with thermal biofeedback as well.

Many other diseases are helped with biofeedback. As the body relaxes, the brain quiets, the heart rate settles and the blood pressure drops, many conditions can and will improve or be lessened. Depending on what condition you are trying to improve, you may need anywhere from eight to twenty sessions to see results. Much depends on how quickly you are able to learn the techniques and follow the exercises given to you to do at home.

Most sessions last about an hour and your home exercises are usually able to be completed within ten minutes daily.