What is Biofeedback?
Biofeedback is a treatment technique that enables you to improve your health and well being by using information from your body.
By using highly sensitive, scientific instruments we are able to see how your body works. In other words, biofeedback provides information about various aspects of your physiology.
Biofeedback allows us to observe physiologies that work well within your body and also see those that are unhealthy and cause symptoms. Once we understand and observe these unhealthy physiologies, we can use biofeedback to help you change and thus correct them.
The ability to change and correct unhealthy physiologies is referred to as self regulation.
A primary goal for biofeedback training is for you to learn self regulation to improve your health, well being, and overall function.
Biofeedback is an empowering method of treatment. Kate will be your coach and teacher; but, your motivation, participation, and practice are key to successful biofeedback training.
Biofeedback Instruments used at the Center:
Biofeedback instruments are sensitive, safe, and scientifically sound electronic devices that measure aspects of body function (physiology).
Although the term biofeedback has been used since the 1960’s, the instruments of biofeedback have been with us much longer. In addition to monitoring heart rate and blood pressure, the following is a list of instruments Kate frequently uses:
1. Muscle Feedback - Electromyography or EMG measures electrical energy that is given off by your skeletal muscles. Sensors are placed over muscles in your body. Information is displayed in a number of ways on a computer. EMG indirectly gives us information on muscle tension and muscle relaxation. It is used when muscles need to be relaxed, when the nervous system needs to relax, or, when certain muscles need to be strengthened. EMG is also used to re-educate muscles during rehabilitation treatments. As examples, it is helpful with problems such as repetitive strain injuries, muscle tension, chronic pain, headaches, TMJ disorders, general relaxation, and strengthening pelvic floor muscles in the treatment of incontinence.
2. Thermal Feedback - Thermal biofeedback instruments indirectly measure how open or closed blood vessels are by looking at blood flow to your skin. We do this by looking at skin temperature, and most frequently temperature of your hands. For example, blood vessels in our hands are very sensitive to stress. When we feel anxious or stressed many of us experience cold hands. This can happen because of a stress reaction. With thermal feedback, we can learn how to open (dilate) blood vessels which produces warm hands. Thermal feedback is used for general relaxation, vascular disorders such as migraines, Raynaud’s Disease, pain, and vascular complications of diabetes.
3. Electro-dermal feedback - Electro-dermal feedback measures skin conductivity in the hands. With stress and anxiety some of us experience sweaty palms. This type of feedback is an indirect measure for a stress reaction within the body. It is used most frequently with stress related disorders, anxiety and panic.
4. Breathing Feedback - There a several different devices that are used to look at breathing. Looking at and learning breathing techniques is taught in just about all biofeedback training. Proper breathing is fundamental to most self regulatory activities.
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