The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point

Archive for the 'Biofeedback' Category

Is there a role for biofeedback to treat sleep bruxism?

Sunday, June 23rd, 2013

toddler-girl-grinding-teethSleep bruxism (nocturnal tooth grinding) causes hypersensitive teeth, aching jaw muscles, and headaches. There may even be tooth damage and loss.

Researchers at Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China, reviewed the evidence. (more…)

Review: Benefits of CAM to help treat hypertension

Thursday, April 25th, 2013

HeartBeatingThe American Heart Association has summarized the blood pressure-lowering effects of several alternative approaches and provided recommendations for their use.

Here’s what we know in people with blood pressure (BP) levels higher than 120/80 mmHg. (more…)

CAM options to treat chronic constipation

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

Chronic constipation is common among the elderly and women. Doctors prescribe various treatments, and patients often use over-the-counter remedies.

Researchers at Queen’s University, in Kingston, Ontario, reviewed the evidence and provide perspective. (more…)

Is there a role for CAM to treat ADHD?

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

Researchers at Trinity College, in Ireland, reviewed the latest scientific evidence of the effectiveness and safety of CAM treatments in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). (more…)

Are psychological treatments effective for fibromyalgia pain?

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

fibromyalgiaSome are effective, some are promising, according to researchers from the University of North Carolina, in Chapel Hill. (more…)

Heart rate variability biofeedback as treatment for PTSD

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

Researchers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, DC, investigated its potential value in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). (more…)

CAM in the US: Patterns of use

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

I’ve largely ignored these studies in the past, but perhaps it’s worth a second look.

To start, this 1993 study by Dr. David Eisenberg, who is now the director of Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies at Harvard University, is considered a landmark in the field of “unconventional medicine.” (more…)

Review: Biofeedback for headache

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

Dr. Frank Andrasik (photo) at the University of West Florida, in Pensacola has reviewed the evidence for each category of biofeedback.

Here’s what we know about preventive or acute therapy for migraine. (more…)

Treating giggle incontinence

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

incontinenceIt’s a rare condition in which urination occurs during laughing. Researchers from North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, in New York studied the value of biofeedback in a small group of children. (more…)

Response to neurofeedback and biofeedback in migraine patients

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

EEG biofeedback and hemoencephalography biofeedback were combined with thermal hand warming biofeedback to treat migraineurs. (more…)

Review: Qigong to treat pain

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

Qigong is an internal martial art in which one learns to sense the Qi (the circulating life energy) moving in their body.

Prof. Ernst reviewed the research on qigong to treat pain. (more…)

Self-hypnosis and biofeedback for spinal-cord injury pain

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

Dr. Mark Jensen (photo), who is Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington, in Seattle has published a series of studies on this topic.

Here’s a summary of his most recent research, and an overview of the past 3 years. (more…)

Task-oriented biofeedback improves gait in stroke patients

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Researchers from the Don Gnocchi Foundation I.R.C.C.S., in Milan, Italy tell us electromyographic biofeedback (EMG-BFB) shows equivocal benefits on gait retraining after stroke.

In this study they evaluated EMG-BFB applied in a task-oriented approach to increase peak ankle power of the affected leg and gait velocity in patients with hemiparesis. (more…)

Any benefits of strength training in cerebral palsy?

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

Not in children and adolescents according to this review by researchers at The University of Sydney, in Australia. (more…)

Psychological treatment for cystic fibrosis

Saturday, December 12th, 2009

Cochrane reviewers report, “no clear evidence exists on the best psychological interventions to help people with cystic fibrosis.” (more…)

EEG biofeedback in treating epilepsy

Sunday, October 4th, 2009

epilepsyResearchers at Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston, Texas reviewed the evidence on neurofeedback and epilepsy. (more…)

Biofeedback to improve swallowing after stroke

Sunday, July 12th, 2009

 The effect of using surface electromyographic feedback to treat dysphagia in stroke patients was studied by researchers at the University of Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. (more…)

Biofeedback: Constipation and fecal incontinence

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

 Researchers from the University Hospital, in Tübingen, Germany, reviewed the evidence. (more…)

CAM for Raynaud’s phenomenon?

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

The value of conventional treatment is limited, and so is CAM.

Let’s review. (more…)

Biofeedback behavioral treatment for tinnitus

Monday, May 11th, 2009

 Many tinnitus sufferers believe their condition will not respond to psychological treatments.

In December 2008, researchers from Philipps University of Marburg, in Germany reported a positive study. (more…)