Biofeedback, also called neurofeedback is a non-invasive, drug-free way to retrain your brain. It’s been effective in alleviating symptoms associated with ADD/ADHD, fibromyalgia, migraine and tension headaches, memory loss, insomnia, chronic pain and fatigue, and more. Though this treatment has been effective for patients in many areas, some are left wondering, “how does biofeedback work?” The answer is not as complicated as you think:
What is biofeedback?
Biofeedback also called neurofeedback, is a non-invasive, all-natural approach to training the brain to function optimally. BrainCore Therapy is the therapy used for patients who want biofeedback and the benefits it provides.
What does biofeedback do?
Many of the less than ideal symptoms we experience, like headaches, migraines, pain, ADD/ADHD and more, are due to brain wave imbalances. In order for our bodies to function optimally, the parts of our brain need to talk to each other. This is done through electrical signals, called brain waves. There are 4 kinds of brain waves frequencies and each one signals something 
different:
- Beta Waves are produced when you are awake and engaged in active thought
- Alpha Waves are produced mostly when you close your eyes and relax.
- Theta Waves are produced when you start to fall asleep.
- Delta Waves are produced when you are sleeping
Sometimes though, these signals get mixed up, leading to less than optimal functioning. For instance, someone may be producing Theta waves rather than Beta waves while they are trying to get an important task done. Because their brain is applying the incorrect frequency for that situation, the person may have trouble focusing, sitting still, or finishing the task because they are fighting to stay awake. This is usually the case with ADD/ADHD patients.
If the brain can be trained to start applying the appropriate frequency for each situation, in the appropriate amount, many of these symptoms can be alleviated and conditions can be eliminated. Biofeedback is an all-natural approach to doing exactly this. In the process, many patients will notice that their ADD/ADHD, migraine, insomnia, and other symptoms and conditions are alleviated or resolved.
How does biofeedback work?
Biofeedback, specifically BrainCore therapy, trains the brain to produce the right brain waves in the appropriate amounts, for appropriate situations.
A doctor will start off by placing electrodes on the patient’s scalp to be worn during an activity. These electrodes are completely non-invasive and pain free. Their job is to simply measure the brain waves the patient produces during an activity–like watching a movie, listening to a story, reading a page, or playing a video game. From this assessment known as a Q-EEG, we can determine where there is a dysregulation of brain waves.
For the treatment, the patient watches the video or plays a video game while hooked up to the the program. During the retraining sessions the biofeedback machine will alert them if they’re applying the wrong brain wave by pausing, dimming, or distorting the movie or the game. This instant feedback signals to the patient that their brain wave production or frequency is not situation appropriate. Once the production or frequency is corrected, the video or game will return to normal.
Overtime, this instant feedback helps train the patient’s brain to apply the appropriate brain wave in the right amount for every situation. After 10 to 20 sessions, the brain begin to naturally modify itself to produce the appropriate frequencies and many of the troubling symptoms will resolve themselves. At any age the brain is plastic and can be retrained to normal patterns.
To find out if this natural therapy could help resolve your symptoms, contact Parkside Health & Wellness Center for a free BrainCore consultation.