Common Biofeedback Questions

People want to be healthy in general. Many people are turning to alternative medicine practices in order to attain a level of health they desire. Biofeedback is one of these alternative medicine practices that have garnered a lot of interest. It has experienced a revival in recent years. It was first invented in the 1960's but lost interest as more developments in medicine were introduced. Nowadays people are tired of taking a pill or a powder in order to feel better.

They want a natural way to help their bodies become healthier and biofeedback is providing an answer to the problem of not feeling good. There are many reasons why biofeedback is used and many people are reporting that it does work and will continue to use biofeedback as a way to fight a plethora of medical conditions. But do you know what biofeedback is used for or even what it is? You are in luck because this article will provide you with some of the answers.

What is biofeedback?

Biofeedback is a way to use the body's signals to improve your own health. You have seen it used countless times in a physician's office when they monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and even your muscle tenseness. Going on those results from the machinery, your treatment plan is put into action. If you have ever stepped on a scale at home and measured your weight you have used a biofeedback machine. You see the weight and then take actions based on what you have seen such as losing weight or subconsciously registering that you need to gain weight by eating more.

Why types of biofeedback machines are there?

There are several types of biofeedback machines such as a thermometer that measures not only your internal body temperature but also your external body temperature to determine what your level of illness and stress is at currently. There is the electromyography which measures your muscle action potential to monitor your level of tension. There is the electrodermograph which measures the activity of your sweat glands to determine the levels of anxiety that you are currently facing. There are many more tools used by researchers, scientists and doctors to measure different aspects of your body such as respiration, brain activity and even the levels of carbon dioxide in your body.

What is biofeedback used for?

Biofeedback is used to monitor the levels of stress your body is undergoing, any physical conditions that may be affecting you and a host of other ailments. Some biofeedback researchers are using biofeedback to monitor brain activity in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. There is a wide variety of ailments that are studied using biofeedback and researchers are proving that biofeedback does work.

What are the origins of biofeedback?

It began in the middle of the 20th century with a psychologist and neuroscientist named Neal Miller. He was working and studying at Yale when he discovered that rats would respond to electric signals in the brain. He would stimulate their pleasure centers and in turn conditioned the rats to control their own physiological and physical reactions such as heartbeat, anxiety and muscle tenseness. Other researchers later took this information and began applying it to patients as a way to monitor illness and stress level. They found that if certain areas were studied the patients would unconsciously make the changes they need to heart rate, breathing and stress.

What are biofeedback modalities?

Biofeedback modalities are the machines and techniques used to monitor a patient's body signals. They range from a feedback thermometer to an electroencephalograph. Each machine measures a certain reading from the body. They are used to treat a variety of conditions ranging from stress to migraines.

What are efficacy ratings?

Efficacy ratings are a way to measure the results any test has on a subject or groups of subject. They range from Level 1 which shows no results to Level 5 which shows conclusive results that the biofeedback has shown evidence that it does indeed work and is not a "sham."

What does efficacy mean?

Efficacy in relation to the medical field means that a result of a given test is deemed acceptable meaning that it does work as well as any other method currently being used to treat a patient. When it is used during a trial to study the effects it refers to the effectiveness of the given trail in comparison to real world applications.

How is biofeedback used in art?

In art biofeedback is used through measuring an audience's reaction to visual art work. When a pleasurable level is reached where the audience is relaxed and their muscles are not tense, the music of the pieces is changed to mimic that exact wavelengths being monitored by the machines.

Does biofeedback really work?

Yes, surprisingly research has proven that some biofeedback does actually work. Researchers working to help patients with drug addiction or alcohol addiction have proven that biofeedback can help the patient relax and can also help ease their cravings for the substances. There is, however, some research that has not proven conclusively that biofeedback works as well as other accepted forms of treatment on the market currently. One of these treatments is for AD/HD. Researchers are still working to prove that biofeedback actually works for AD/HD patients.

Is there an association for biofeedback use?

There are associations that are accepted as reputable such as The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback which is closely akin to the American Psychology Association. You can visit the AAPB at www.aapb.org to find out more about biofeedback, disorders and the newest publications involving biofeedback that are currently being studied.

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