Biofeedback; Facts to Know.

* Biofeedback isn't a treatment or a cure. It's a set of techniques or methods for helping you become aware of your body processes in order to control them. These changes, not the biofeedback equipment itself, are what improve your health.

* Biofeedback should never be used for treating symptoms that haven't been checked out by your primary health care professional.

* Biofeedback uses audio, visual and digital cues to reflect changes in your physiology.

* Biofeedback is frequently used to help people with stress-related disorders, insomnia and chronic pain. At present, over 100 applications of this type of treatment have been described and evaluated.

* The term "biofeedback" comes from "biological feedback" and came into use around 1969.

* Biofeedback is emerging as a therapy for vulvovaginal pain. The rationale is the same as for incontinence-biofeedback can help you train and strengthen your pelvic muscles, which in turn can help you control the muscle spasms that often accompany this condition. It is also useful in helping eliminate vaginismus, painful vaginal spasms often associated with intercourse.

* Although biofeedback therapy is not licensed by the state, you can find accredited practitioners through the Biofeedback Certification Institute of America (http://www.bcia.org/).

* Biofeedback crosses many health care categories. It's used in several disciplines, including psychology, dentistry, physical therapy, pain management and internal medicine. (In fact, some nurses, physicians and dentists are also biofeedback therapists.)

* Researchers aren't exactly sure why biofeedback works, but most think that learning how to relax can help the patient learn from biofeedback. (Relaxation and stress-reduction exercises are an important part of biofeedback therapy.) Cognitive restructuring and behavior modification are often included in biofeedback therapy when appropriate to help patients become aware of their responsibility and/or role in their health and well being. When treating children, parental counseling is typically provided as well.

* Biofeedback is painless.

"Biofeedback." Biofeedback Certification Institute of America. http://www.bcia.org. Accessed May 2000.

"Integration of Behavioral and Relaxation Approaches Into The Treatment of Chronic Pain and Insomnia." National Institutes of Health Technology Assessment Conference Statement (1995). http://text.nlm.nih.gov. Accessed May 2000.

"Biofeedback." The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. http://www.aapb.org and http://www.aapb.org. Accessed September 2001.

Capps, S. "Biofeedback." Lecture. Psychology Department at Southwest Missouri State University. http://aloha.smsu.edu. Accessed May 2000.

"What is Biofeedback?" The BioResearch Institute. http://www.7hz.com. Accessed May 2000.

Biofeedback Foundation of Europe: http://www.bfe.org

Editorial Staff of the National Women's Health Resource Center 2002/10/11 2005/03/16 Biofeedback is a form of therapy used to train your mind to understand and (to a degree) control your own physiological responses. It's frequently used to help people cope with a myriad of conditions, including chronic pain, stress and anxiety to name a few. Biofeedback,Electrocardiograph,Electrodermal biofeedback,Electroencephalograph,Electromyography,Neurotherapy,respiration,therapy