Weil Lifestyle

Biofeedback is an ingenious mind-body tool that helps teach patients how to influence their autonomic nervous systems. This is done by attaching an electronic "cue" (usually a "beep," tone or visual image on a screen) to a physiologic process. A person can thus monitor his or her internal responses and develop a sense of how to move them in positive ways. Biofeedback machines can detect internal bodily functions with sensitivity and precision, and allow involuntary physical functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and brain waves to be translated in ways that can be understood. The information, or "feedback," that the "cue" provides is used to monitor these functions and facilitate treatment for a variety of disorders, while moving the patient toward a more balanced internal state.

During a biofeedback session, a therapist attaches electrical sensors to parts of the body that yield information about the nervous system and convert the information into sound or a flashing light - something that can be perceived directly. For example, a temperature sensor on the finger can translate skin temperature into a beep tone that can be heard - the higher the skin temperature, the faster the rate of beeping. With that kind of "feedback" from the body, people can learn to warm their hands by raising the skin temperature. In doing this, they learn to consciously relax the pathways of the sympathetic nervous system that constrict blood vessels. The same pathways can also be used to control the changes in the body that accompany the fight-or-flight response; the result can be a general relaxation response.

Disorders commonly treated by biofeedback include:

• Migraines and other types of headaches
• High and low blood pressure
• Cardiac arrhythmias
• Urinary incontinence and interstitial cystitis (IC), also called irritable bladder syndrome
• Chronic gastrointestinal problems such as ulcers, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and Crohn's disease
• Unconscious grinding of the teeth
• TMJ (temporomandibular joint)
• Epilepsy
• Paralysis and other movement disorders
• Hot flashes
• Nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy
• Stress
• Raynaud's disease, scleroderma, and other autoimmune diseases

Approved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for complementary treatment of chronic pain and insomnia, biofeedback should be administered by therapists who identify themselves as certified by the BCIA (Biofeedback Certification Institute of America). To find a certified practitioner, visit the Biofeedback Certification Institute of America's Web site at bcia.affiniscape.com. For information on the effectiveness of biofeedback for specific health problems, visit the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback at www.aapb.org.

In addition, computer-compatible versions of biofeedback training are available for home use. A new biofeedback product, Healing Rhythms - Biofeedback Training for a Happy Mind and Healthy Body, features Dr. Weil and his breathing exercises along with Drs. Deepak Chopra and Dean Ornish.