mercredi 19 juillet 2017

Facts On Biofeedback Therapy Long Island Patients Should Know

By Jose Reynolds


The mind has a great influence on our general wellbeing. It is not uncommon for people to experience physical discomfort for causes that are entirely psychological. Biofeedback is a therapy that helps people to gain control of their minds and use this control to attain good health. Although the exact mechanism of action remains obscure, it is believed that a state of relaxation achieved using the therapy is responsible. Before undergoing biofeedback therapy Long Island need to know a number of things.

For the therapy to be carried out, electrodes are first attached to the skin. Fingers sensors may also be used to capture various parameters such as the heart rate, respiratory rate, skin temperature and muscle activity among others. These are all projected onto a screen graphically for ease of interpretation. Certain values will be displayed when one is stressed, relaxed or anywhere in between.

Stressful situations are associated with release of some hormones into the circulation. Examples include adrenaline and cortisol. The hormones have varied effects that include, among others, increasing the heart rate, the blood pressure, the body temperature and the tension within muscles. When an individual is relaxed, the levels of these hormones are much lower and so are the various rates. This could also mean that if one is able to lower these parameters, they can help their body relax.

Biofeedback can be done in two main ways. The traditional approach is where the client visits the therapist in their office and after evaluation, a certain form of treatment is prescribed. A different way of achieving this is the use of computer programs. Such programs interpret the data obtained from the sensors and device a treatment plan which the client can access from their personal computer.

A number of relaxation exercises have been shown to be effective in helping stressed out individuals. They include for example, deep breathing. This is essentially a breathing technique where a person uses their abdominal muscles to compress the lungs and expand the chest wall cavity in alternate fashion. Since the expansion and relaxation of lungs is increased, the number of breaths needed per minute will also be lowered hence a reduced respiratory rate.

Another technique that is used commonly is progressive muscle relaxation. The subject is taught how to tighten and relax different groups of muscles in a manner that eventually helps them gain more control over their bodies. During stressful situations, they can voluntarily relax their tense muscles which works to improve their overall wellbeing. Other successful methods include guided imagery and mindful meditation.

Biofeedback therapy is effective for a number of conditions. A common example includes the many forms of chronic pain (such as fibromyalgia, pelvic inflammatory disease and low back pain among others). Intractable headache is another problem for which the treatment has been used. This is because prolonged use of analgesic agents poses the risk of unwanted side effects.

Biofeedback is progressively becoming a much needed form of treatment for varied medical conditions. Its benefits can be realized when used singly or in combination with other conditions. Today, it is being offered by many specialists in the medical field including psychiatrists, psychologists, general doctors and even nurses. The number of centers at which the therapy is available is also growing by the day




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