By David Cosio, Ph.D

Biofeedback has been an alluring treatment modality used by many health practitioners over the last few decades. Today, biofeedback is used to treat several medical conditions and improve human performance. But what is biofeedback?

Biofeedback is like looking into a mirror. The person first uses the information reflected in the mirror as feedback to increase awareness. So the mirror tells us how we look and then we can become aware of any changes that we might want to make --like needing a new hairstyle or noticing our butt does look big in the jeans we have on.  So as a result of the awareness we can change into a more flattering pair of pants or get a new ‘do.

In biofeedback, we are becoming more aware of the physiological processes going on within use. You’ll learn about muscle tension, temperature, blood pressure, breathing, skin response, heart rate, and brain wave activity that inform patients about their physical functioning. This feedback enables the individual to become an active participant in the process of health maintenance and relies on the mind-body connection. Because these bodily functions are often implicated in our stress response, this is especially important to those of us who tend to get stressed often and might otherwise end up with some health concerns as a result.

Now, instead of a mirror, biofeedback uses various medical instruments that send out visual cues that reflect the status of select bodily functions, like breathing and heart rate. Biofeedback training can involve the following instruments:

•Electromyograph (EMG)- involves the monitoring and training of electromyographic activity associated with body relaxation, chronic muscle tension, and states of muscle dysfunction. It is the most widely used of all the biofeedback instruments. It is attached to the area of tension. The most basic placing is on the forehead.

•Thermistor (Thermal)- measures the subject's skin temperature and is attached to the subject's digits. The physiological processes (relaxation techniques) which are being trained in this modality are vasoconstriction and vasodialation, where blood vessel size is a result of the contraction and relaxation of smooth musculature in the vessel walls.

•Electrodermograph (Skin Conductance)-sensors measure the activity of a patient's sweat glands. The amount of electrical resistance measured on the skin indicates the level of anxiety.

•Pneumograph- measures abdominal/chest movement (as when breathing), usually with a strain gauge. They are used to detect breathing rate, and correct ineffective breathing patterns such as thoracic breathing, reverse breathing, and apnea.

•Photoplethysmograph- used to measure heart rate variability

1. •Electroencephalograph (EEG)- monitors the activity of brain waves. These brain waves correspond to different mental states, such as wakefulness, relaxation, calmness, and light and deep sleep. It is the least accurate of the instruments.
   

2. •Household items - There are other household items that can be used as biofeedback, including a thermometer, a mirror, a blood pressure monitor, a bathroom scale, a mood ring, etc.
   

Biofeedback has been shown to be effective for the treatment of chronic pain, alcohol/substance abuse, migraines/headaches, urinary incontinence/fecal elimination, hypertension, TMJ, anxiety, ADHD, and insomnia.  Moreover, biofeedback may reduce, or even eliminate, the need for medication! It even has the potential to help ailments that have not responded to medication. Furthermore, it empowers patients by getting them directly involved in their own healing. And if that isn’t enough, it may help decrease medical costs for the patient and the medical setting.

There are almost always risks involved in all we do. So, what are the risks of biofeedback? Biofeedback therapy is not recommended for persons with severe psychosis or neurosis, individuals with a pacemaker/other implantable electrical devices, debilitated patients, and those with psychopathic personalities. Furthermore, biofeedback should be an adjunct to, not a replacement treatment for persons suffering from depression, diabetics, and others with endocrine disorders.  Please check with your health care professional to see whether biofeedback is an appropriate treatment for your condition.