Biofeedback therapy was proposed in the 1960s. Biofeedback therapy is one of the complementary and alternative medical treatments.
It uses various methods to measure your body’s processes, helps to become aware of them, and learn to gain conscious control of them.
Usually, biofeedback therapy uses some sort of device to make the subject aware of his own responses to stimulus.
Biofeedback therapy is a noninvasive procedure, so it is certainly preferred over many other monitoring procedures.
Benefits of biofeedback therapy:
- Biofeedback techniques can be used to treat different conditions. Some of them are asthma, ADHD, high blood pressure, incontinence, headaches, cardiac arrhythmias, diabetes, epilepsy, and anxiety.
- It is widely accepted as a treatment for incontinence disorders, especially bedwetting and to control hypertension in adults.
- Some psychiatrists use biofeedback therapy as a training tool to help you in dealing with phobias.
- Biofeedback techniques are also useful in maintaining some conditions like:
- Controlling hunger
- Treatment of insomnia
- Controlling migraines
- Controlling impulse behavior in patients with ADHD
- Anger management
- Treatment of phobias and anxiety
- Treating sleep disorders
- Treating muscle tension
- Treating spinal cord injuries
- Learning disabilities
- Anorexia nervosa
There are different kinds of biofeedback therapies used for different kinds of treatments. These treatment methods are most commonly used for measuring heart rates, galvanic skin tension, brain waves, muscle activity, pulse rate, perspiration levels, and body temperature.
Temperature biofeedback therapy – In this therapy sensors are attached to your finger or feet. Measures skin temperature and is used to treat circulatory disorders including high blood pressure and migraine headaches
Electromyogram feedback – This therapy uses electrodes to measure muscle tension and also used to treat stress related illness. It is used especially to teach how to relax the muscles involved in neck pain, headaches, backaches and grinding your teeth.
This therapy is used to treat the disorders including epilepsy, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, and specific learning disabilities.
Galvanic skin tension biofeedback – This therapy measures the activity of sweat glands, and is used to treat anxiety related illness like phobias and stuttering.
Biofeedback migraine therapy – This therapy is completely safe for most of the people. Before, you should consult your health care provider who knows something about it.
Criticisms of biofeedback therapy:
The most important criticism of biofeedback is based on lack of scientific evidence that it works. It is very expensive therapy. In place of biofeedback therapy you can use less expensive but just with the addition of meditation and relaxation exercises.
