From early laboratory procedures biofeedback has advanced to modern-day clinical biofeedback techniques that are now widely used to treat asthma, Raynaud’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, hot flashes, nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, incontinence, headaches, irregular heartbeats, high blood pressure, epilepsy, migraine headaches, tension headaches, bruxism TMJ, paralysis, stroke, Attention Deficit Disorder and hyperactivity, alcohol and drug-related conditions.

It is used for controlling problems related to stress or blood flow such as headaches, high blood pressure, and sleep disorders. Biofeedback is a good option, chiefly because it is a non-invasive process.

Your therapist may use several different techniques to gather information about your body’s responses. Determining the one that’s right for you will depend on your particular health problems and objectives. Machines and techniques include:

Types of biofeedback and their uses:

Biofeedback works by using electronic instrumentation to monitor specific physiological activities-often unconscious-and habits of your body and then feeds it back to you. With this information, you can change those patterns of behaviour or eliminate them completely. It is helpful in curing chronic, benign problems because it lowers the use of drugs and visits to the doctor. Some of the equipment it uses are:

Electromyogram (EMG):

This equipment uses electrodes or other kinds of sensors to measure muscle tension. Once you are alerted to muscle tension, you can begin to recognize your own feelings early on and try to control the tension. With EMG, you can learn to relax your muscles that bring on backaches, headaches, neck pain and bruxism or grinding of teeth, apart from asthma and ulcers.

Temperature biofeedback:

With sensors attached to your fingers or feet, you can measure your skin temperature. When your temperature falls at stressful times, a low reading can make you begin relaxation techniques. Besides, biofeedback can also help treat Raynaud’s disease and reduce the frequency of migraines.

Galvanic skin response training:

With the help of sensors, you can also measure the activity of your sweat glands and the amount of sweat on your skin, which can alert you to become anxious. With this information, you can treat emotional disorders such as phobias, anxiety and stuttering.

Electroencephalogram (EEG):

The activity of the brain waves linked to different mental states, such as wakefulness, relaxation, calmness, light sleep and deep sleep, can be measured by an EEG.

Biofeedback can also be helpful in these conditions:

• It can reduce or negate the need for medication.
• It can help in those conditions where medication hasn’t.
• By providing measurable feedback, it allows you to be in charge of your own healing and monitoring your own progress.
• It can decrease your medical costs.

Unfortunately, people are not sure of using this therapy nor can they fully understand the extent to which it can be effective. Though it is a safe therapy, you should speak to your doctor if you suffer from depression, severe psychosis, diabetes or other endocrine disorders.

So, don’t be hasty about using biofeedback without first checking with your doctor.