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Dr. Steve Clark, N.D. proudly announces the arrival of NEUROINTEGRATION!
What is NeuroIntegration? NeuroIntegration is a unique ground-breaking system for rapid improvement of brain and body function. NeuroIntegration is a combination of EEG Neurofeedback, lighted (photic) stimulation and auditory/visual positive encouragement. Neurofeedback, an advanced type of biofeedback, is a window to your brain regulation and a treatment for many disorders that originate from inappropriate brain activity. Your brain regulates itself and your body with complex timing coordination. NeuroIntegration is a cutting-edge system designed to analyze your brain’s regulation, then teach you healthy regulation to heal from within.
Biofeedback has been around for many years. Biofeedback is used to measure heart rate, respiration and sweating. These measurements are used to infer brain activity; for instance, a person who is stressed will breathe faster, sweat, and have a faster heart rate. As technology developed, machines began to monitor electrical activity in the brain directly with electroencephalographs (EEGs).
The Clear Mind Center of California developed a state-of-the-art blend of EEG biofeedback (Neurofeedback) and computer software designed to optimize brain function. This system treats many disorders including:
How does NeuroIntegration work? You think and integrate information at a certain speed, although the brain can function at many different speeds referred to as “brain wave frequencies” and measured in cycles per second or hertz (hz). Your brain has the option to operate at a variety of frequencies. If dysfunctional brain speed is causing symptoms, NeuroIntegration helps your body correct that problem; it teaches you the correct functioning speed by rewarding you when your brain operates correctly. It is a drugless, non-invasive treatment that may be the solution to your problems! Your brain quickly learns the proper speed for a long lasting and potentially curative treatment.
Many of us beat ourselves up for making mistakes, not being perfect, etc. Hopefully we learned through experience that this negative encouragement does nothing to correct the problem, but only makes us feel badly.
Imagine how quickly you can resolve problems when you positively encourage your brain, at light speed, to do the right thing!
It’s easier to catch flies with honey than with…well…yelling at them.
During an EEG session, the sensitive electrical monitor displays the electrical activity in the area of your brain being monitored. This activity is measured in frequencies as follows:
Frequency (Hz) Wave Type Symptom of Excess Comments
For instanceIf there is a predominance of 4-7 hz waves, you are said to have high amounts of theta.
Wave frequencies occur in all parts of your brain. The EEG that gathers these brain wave data is connected to you via electrodes placed in a specific area on your scalp. Then the brain wave frequencies are analyzed according to the function of that area.
The brain is a complex processing organ divided into regions. Each region, called a “module,” is associated with particular bodily functions. An example of a module would be a point about 1 inch above your left pupil. Put your finger on this spot. About 1/4” deep to your finger begins the module that pays attention to verbal stimuli. If someone reads this article aloud to you, you’ll use this module to pay attention to the words you hear. Now move your finger to the very top of your head. This location is for thought processing. After you read this information, you have to process it by thinking about it in this location.
There is a purpose for each wavelength in the brain. In some locations, sometimes, the brain SHOULD be processing slowly or quickly. However, it is harmful to process at the wrong speed at the wrong time. While you are reading this, you don’t want to use slow waves (delta or theta) in your verbal processing module because you won’t think “fast” enough to understand (you’ll read things over and over). If you process too quickly, you can’t pay attention (you’ll have symptoms of attention deficit or hyperactivity). Now look at some of the modules in your brain:
Brains are confusing to say the least As a Naturopathic Doctor, I believe the body has the ability to heal itself. We just have to find the obstacle that is preventing you from healing. Then we work to remove that obstacle and encourage you to heal yourself. Using your innate healing powers leads to dramatic solutions to many health disorders. The reason NeuroIntegration is a great treatment is that through a learning process, you can teach your brain the optimal way to function. When the conductor of your brain is set to the right beat, the symphony of your healing can begin.
ResearchThere is a multitude of research on biofeedback and Neurofeedback. There are many articles showing it can be as effective as drugs and other treatments. One of the most studied disorders is ADD/ADHD, but there is also plenty of research on other illnesses.
Anxiety and Panic Disorders: Panic attacks are a predominant problem in our society, as are other anxiety and attention disorders. About 1.7% of the adult U.S. population ages 18 to 54--approximately 2.4 million Americans--experience panic in a given year. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the sensations of panic attacks often mimic symptoms of a heart attack or other life-threatening medical conditions. As a result, the diagnosis of panic disorder is frequently not made until extensive and costly medical procedures fail to provide a correct diagnosis or relief. Neurofeedback has helped many sufferers of panic disorder. For some, Neurofeedback is all that is needed. Others may need to combine it with standard psychological treatments such as cognitive therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and relaxation techniques.
Each person needs to be properly screened for head injury or other underlying problems. If none exist, then a person will typically start to feel a difference in 1-10 treatments but they must be at prescribed intervals of time. If there are underlying problems, those will need to be addressed in conjunction with the anxiety. The total length of treatment ranges from 20-35 sessions, 2 or 3 times per week.
Depression: Seventeen percent of Americans will experience at least one depressive episode during their lifetimes, and another 6% will suffer from a chronic, mild depressive state. Common symptoms include:
Neurofeedback has been shown to help patients who suffer from depression. Those with genetic unipolar depression typically will have the most dramatic improvements. This disorder is characterized by:
Taking antidepressant medications such as Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Welbutrin, Effexor, Desyrel, Serzone, Remeron, or Celexa will not interfere with NeuroIntegration. However, as you improve, you may need to work with your prescribing physician to adjust the dose.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: An estimated 1 to 2% of the US population has this disorder. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by thoughts that repeat themselves (obsession) or repetition of behaviors (compulsion). People know they are excessive or unreasonable, but find themselves unable to stop the patterns. As with most disorders, there is a wide range of severity from very mild to disabling. Most people can keep their rituals secret and function normally in society, others become dysfunctional and can’t even leave their homes. These behaviors often interfere with a person’s usual routine or social, work or personal ability to function.
OCD usually begins in adolescence or early adulthood, with gradual onset. When people try to suppress their OCD, it often leads to anxiety disorders overlying the problem. The disorder is chronic in most cases, and even with medication, relief is not complete. The severity of the disorder cycles, but it seldom disappears completely.
The treatment involves reducing theta in the cingulate gyrus area of the brain and balancing the central nervous system. Treatment time is variable. Noticeable changes should occur in 1-10 treatments.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD): Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is the most prevalent disorder currently diagnosed among elementary school children. People with ADD/ADHD often have:
The condition is thought to be partly genetic, but with a huge environmental component including diet, chemical toxicity, allergies (food and otherwise), and the media. The good news is that you can change these symptoms to the point where the patient may no longer meet diagnostic criteria for ADD/ADHD. When we train brain rhythms, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and vigilance improves. Usually children can normalize their behavior with this training so they can function in school and life more normally.
Generally, 20-40 training sessions are required. I feel that if you also work on the other confounding factors, treatment may be quicker. Other symptoms that accompany ADD/ADHD may improve including:
Other pediatric illnesses that improve with Neurofeedback, but have not appeared as prominently in the literature, include:
It is now customary to address ADD/ADHD and other mental/emotional symptoms with a variety of medications, including stimulants, anti-depressants, and anti-consultants. Each symptom will be addressed with a variety of NeuroIntegration treatments. Most children will be able to reduce or even eliminate the need for medication when this training is accomplished. Medication dosage changes should always be made with the guidance of the prescribing physician.
Treatments for ADD/ADHD are often successful. However the factors that led to the person’s symptoms must also be addressed. Somehow their nervous systems are more vulnerable to stimuli for genetic, nutritional, developmental or family reasons. Refresher sessions may be necessary.
Alcoholism and Addictions: People with alcohol dependency tend to have very little alpha-theta production in their brains. Alcoholics also tend to have too much 20-25 Hz (high beta), which is commonly associated with excessive irritability. By inhibiting the high frequency and increasing the lower, one can reduce anxiety and reduce the need to self-treat with alcohol. Often people crave alcohol to slow the brain down and create more low frequency waves. The problem with this is, alcohol is a terrible medicinal drug. The beneficial effects wear off, while lasting damage occurs.
Alcohol and drugs are psychoactive substances. It is possible to learn to control one’s brain state from within, without drugs and alcohol. In this way, addictions can be overcome, ceasing the lifetime of struggle and craving. NeuroIntegration trains the brain to modulate its level of activity, to become more or less activated according to the needs of the individual. As mentioned, some addictions like alcoholism often involve brain over-activation. In these cases it can be helpful to teach the brain to quiet down and become less activated. In other cases, e.g. people with ADHD who abuse amphetamines, the brain is under-activated and needs to learn to speed up. Neurofeedback can improve addiction treatment outcomes and lead to better results than the best mainstream approaches now available. Research has shown that success in alcohol treatment is lower for those alcoholics who have the least alpha and theta activity, and the most beta. Addicts that like stimulants are cortically under-aroused and need to activate their brains. Cocaine and methamphetamine users, for example, have high amounts of theta to start, and need to increase brain speed.
I insist that people using NeuroIntegration for addictions also be involved in other support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or similar programs. Recent research shows the combination of support programs and Neurofeedback significantly increases your chances for success.
Migraine and Cluster Headaches: When people are using NeuroIntegration for headache treatment, it is an excellent idea to have a symptom journal of headaches for one month. Rate the severity of the headache on a scale of 1-10. It is even more helpful when the headache information is correlated to diet and bowel activity.
Both migraines and cluster headaches can either improve or be resolved with NeuroIntegration and lifestyle changes. I suggest 5-25 treatments for both types of headaches.
Fibromyalgia: Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and multiple tender points. It is a condition that affects 3-6 million Americans. The symptoms generally first develop between the ages of 20 and 30 and may come and go in cycles. The symptoms include:
You may also experience:
The symptoms of fibromyalgia may be secondary to some other condition such as:
Although the exact cause of fibromyalgia is uncertain, many sufferers report having one or more head traumas or infections. NeuroIntegration has helped reduce symptoms permanently by helping retrain nervous function. This may work by changing pain tolerance, stress response or body communication.
Head Injury:
Mild brain traumaThere are approximately 325,000 new cases of mild brain injuries per year in the United States. These injuries often create:
Contrary to popular belief, individuals do not need to strike their heads, have loss of consciousness, have a skull fracture, skin tear, or bleeding, in order to sustain a mild to moderate brain injury!
An indication of injury includes any loss of memory of events immediately before or after an accident, loss of consciousness for less than thirty minutes, or any alteration in mental state at the time of the accident, such as disorientation, confusion, speech problems, or being dazed. Unfortunately, MRI, CT and x-ray tests will usually not reveal mild brain injury. The post-concussed patient frequently seems neurologically intact during a traditional medical examination. It’s always good news that severe brain injury isn’t present on these tests, but changes in EEGs are common after even minor injuries and can cause symptoms of any of the illnesses discussed in the this article.
Symptoms of head trauma can resurface later in life. Often it’s difficult to attribute them to the head injury. A history of previous head injury, even a minor one, can cause symptoms later in life such as:
Traumatic Head Injury and StrokeInjuries involving the head are among the most common in our society. Each year in America, one million people are seen by medical doctors after suffering a blow to the head. Of that number, 50,000 to 100,000 have prolonged and disabling problems that will affect their ability to work and/or affect their daily lives.
Stroke is a common problem and can cause brain injury by either pouring blood into brain tissue or suffocating the nerves with a lack of circulation. Physical effects of head injuries:
Cognitive changes involve:
The behavioral effects include:
Brain cells that are destroyed stay dead, regardless of the treatment. The brain cells that surround the injured cells lose their pre-established connections and become “stunned” after the injury. The brain will also develop high delta and theta waves from the injury. NeuroIntegration can speed the signal process back to normal and encourage the “stunned” cells to use alternative neural pathways to restore their function. You can relearn activities using different portions of your brain.
NeuroIntegration offers a supportive treatment for brain damage rather than a curative one. You may see improvement in 1-10 treatments, but will probably require long term and refresher treatments to maintain optimum function.
Sleep Disorders: At least 40 million Americans each year suffer from chronic sleep disorders, and another 20 million have occasional sleep problems. Neurofeedback is a powerful tool for regulating sleep, showing significant improvement in a large percentage of clients. The most common sleep disorders improved with NeuroIntegration are:
Neurofeedback training often helps sleep problems as it improves brain regulation. NeuroIntegration impacts sleep regulatory mechanisms, and clients sleep better. Parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often say it’s easier to get their kids to sleep. Depressed clients remark they have a much easier time waking. NeuroIntegration training helps your brain learn to alter its brain activity as needed, which normalizes sleep. As with all disorders, other factors impacting sleep need to be considered and resolved including:
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