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Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) which
involves measuring bodily processes such as blood pressure, heart rate, skin
temperature, galvanic skin response (sweating), and muscle tension in order to
raise a subject's awareness and conscious control of these functions. Devices as
simple as mirrors and bathroom scales can be considered rudimentary biofeedback
devices, insofar as the information they provide can help a person with issues
related to posture and weight; more complex biofeedback devices have been used
therapeutically with several conditions, including epilepsy, asthma,
incontinence, irritable bowel syndrome, Raynaud's disease, chemotherapy-related
nausea and vomiting, headaches, high blood pressure, and cardiac arrhythmias
[1]. Electraencephalogram-based biofeedback, which measures brainwaves and is
usually called neurofeedback, has gained popularity in recent years as a
treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and is being studied as
a potential treatment for anxiety, depression, and drug addiction.
By providing access to physiological information about which the user is
generally unaware, biofeedback allows users to gain control over physical
processes previously considered automatic.
Interest in biofeedback has waxed and waned since its inception in the 1960s;
currently it is undergoing a bit of renaissance, which some ascribe to the
general upswing of interest in complementary and alternative medicine
modalities. Neurofeedback has become a popular treatment for ADHD,
electromyogram (muscle tension) biofeedback has been widely studied and accepted
as a treatment for incontinence disorders, and small home biofeedback machines
are becoming available for a variety of uses. |
