TREATMENT DATABASE

Biofeedback is a technique in which physiological processes are monitored by a computer to enable a person to exercise control over previously unconscious body functions. In biofeedback, the patient actually sees or hears a representation of brain waves using a computer. Different brain wave patterns can be represented by fish swimming, abstract designs, or music. The object is to change the pattern—make it grow or shrink, make the fish swim faster, make the music play louder— through the power of concentration.

Biofeedback has been a topic of great interest in the medical community since the 1950s. Biofeedback devices have been used to help patients regulate heartbeat, eliminate migraine headaches, and control elevated blood pressure. Ultimately, any medical problem that is affected by stress hormones can be influenced by biofeedback techniques.

USES IN ME/CFS: There is no doubt that the nervous system plays an important role in generating, or exacerbating, the fatigue and cognitive impairment experienced by ME/CFS patients. A number of studies have reported abnormalities in EEG (brain wave) patterns in ME/CFS patients.

Myra Preston, Ph.D., a biofeedback therapist practicing in Charlotte, North Carolina, uses the basic biofeedback apparatus together with an EEC to correct the excess delta wave (slow wave) anomaly found in people with cognitive difficulties. Dr. Preston argues that when the brain wave pattern reverts to normal, many central nervous system (CNS) symptoms will recede, including difficulty in concentrating, headaches, and insomnia.

Preston's theories were supported by a study published in 2001, in which a young woman with sudden onset ME/CFS was treated with neurofeedback and self-hypnosis. Her EEG showed excessive theta wave activity (characteristic of light sleep) in the left frontal lobe. After being treated with neurofeedback and self-hypnosis, the patient experienced considerable improvement in fatigue, vigor, and confusion. Most important, the majority of the changes were maintained at five-, seven-, and nine-month follow-up testing.

Treatment rating for Biofeedback