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Post by weskie on Jun 16, 2004 11:24:04 GMT -5
Does anyone have any experience with biofeedback for ADD? I was trying to locate an Amen-trained doctor in New England for my DS, and contacted the one person Dr. Amen's site recommended in this area, Dr. Henry Mann. Well, not only does he not do brain spect imaging--HE recommended biofeedback! He said he has ADD himself, and took medicine for 15 years, but 5 years ago he tried biofeedback for himself and since then he has taken almost NO medicine. This sounded pretty good to me!!! And there is a biofeedback doctor two towns over from me (whom Dr. Mann knows)!! So I made an appointment for DS on Friday. They do a detailed intake interview, then an EEG which helps to identify problem areas, then start the biofeedback training. It's pretty expensive and our insurance doesn't cover it.
DS tried to do without Adderall for a while (he hates the "crashing"), but things did not go well so he's back on it. He'd love to be able to stop taking it, though this may not be possible.
He is struggling, and we've tried so many things that haven't really worked (he's 21 now and we started in first grade--I'm sure you all can identify with this!)--so I figure, maybe this is worth a try. Any advice is welcome!!
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Post by jdmom on Jun 16, 2004 11:50:10 GMT -5
Weskie-
Have you seen the thread in the Natural Alternatives section titled "Play Attention"? It gives a link to the website and it sounds pretty cool, but expensive. One of our members has recently bought it, and is going to give us a run-down when she has had it long enough to form an opinion. Check it out!
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Post by weskie on Jun 19, 2004 10:51:05 GMT -5
Hi jdmom, Thanks for telling me about the Play Attention thread. I don't know anything about home-based biofeedback. DS and I went for his biofeedback intake yesterday. I was impressed with the doctor and the thoroughness of the interview. The next step is his first EEG, and he has to be off all medications for that. Celexa takes 10 days to get out of the system; Adderall takes 4 days. So his EEG will be in 10 days. Then the EEG is analyzed for problem areas and the biofeedback treatments are tailored to these problem areas. I think there will be 30 treatments this summer. It's a lot of money, but IF it works, it will be worth it...and I'll keep you all informed as to how it's going!  |
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Post by jdmom on Jun 21, 2004 11:24:27 GMT -5
Good luck! And keep us updated! |
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Post by weskie on Jun 28, 2004 20:14:42 GMT -5
Hi Everyone,
DS had his first EEG today. He went off all meds for 10 days and seemed to handle this fairly well. He's been very motivated by the idea of "retraining" his brain. DS is completely sick of Ritalin and Adderall, and we're really hoping the biofeedback will help. His next appointment is on July 9, when the doctor will share with us her interpretation of his EEG. This should be really interesting! I'll let you know what she says.
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Post by ohmama on Jun 28, 2004 23:10:06 GMT -5
Weskie,
I'm glad to hear of your progress with this. I'm sure you have good reason to be optimistic. I have read very good things about biofeedback and know it is recommended by Dr. Amen. This is probably why that doctor was listed on the Amen website.
Keep us up to date on your treatment progress!!
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Post by weskie on Jul 9, 2004 20:38:50 GMT -5
DS and I met with the doctor today to discuss the results of his EEG. She had many charts and graphs which she explained to us. The tests clearly revealed that parts of DS's brain are not communicating with other parts. He has visual processing problems, which probably explain why he hates to read. He has frontal lobe problems--which probably account for his misreading of social cues. He has few theta waves, which means that he can't calm himself down--even to sleep. His results were compared to normal brain results and they were markedly different. He even had evidence of brain injury! Dr. Ross explained that a history of severe brain injury is not necessary--this can be a cumulation of small injuries, and a child with ADHD (and a lot of "H") can be at risk for this. Apparently the biofeedback helps parts of the brain link up with other parts. After the EEG interpretation, an assistant hooked him up, and he had his first training session! It consisted of three 20 minute segments, in which they worked on three different areas of the brain. He sat in front of a computer and when he produced theta waves, the computer produced part of a random picture. Another theta wave, another part of the picture. DS did not have to "try" to produce the waves. Apparently the brain likes the reward of the picture and will produce more of the desired waves on its own as the training progresses. Dr. Ross said DS should see differences after about 7--10 treatments. She said the differences would be subtle at first--and seem to come out of nowhere--like picking up a book and starting to read it, which he usually wouldn't choose to do. DS left the session cautiously hopeful and quite excited about the process. So did I!! I will get back in touch after a week or so to let everyone know what's happening.
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Post by jdmom on Jul 12, 2004 10:52:25 GMT -5
How interesting! Please continue to keep us updated!
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Post by weskie on Jul 13, 2004 8:07:01 GMT -5
DS has had three biofeedback sessions so far. Yesterday he had two--today he scheduled two more. He says he already feels better--"More together. More focused." This could be a placebo effect, but he says he doesn't think so. Wow, if this could work, it would be so amazing! I'll keep in touch as he goes for more treatments. |
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Post by songwriter on Jul 13, 2004 15:29:41 GMT -5
Thank you, Weskie for keeping us updated. I know many of us are watching to see if this would be beneficial. My Doc has mentioned biofeedback so I'm anxious to see how it goes for your son.
Paul
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Post by weskie on Jul 18, 2004 21:26:45 GMT -5
Hi, just a little more on DS and the biofeedback. DS seems more agreeable and mellow. He's more helpful. He seems less depressed. These are subtle things, but DS thinks the biofeedback is helping, and so do we. I'll be back in touch when he's gone a few more times. Thanks for the support! |
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SKay
Member Emeritus
Posts: 1,126
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Post by SKay on Jul 20, 2004 21:46:53 GMT -5
I'm watching this thread because our doc has also mentioned using biofeedback and I'm really interested in it. Problem is getting DS diagnosed first, though.
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Post by weskie on Sept 2, 2004 15:48:48 GMT -5
Hi everybody, here's a little feedback from the biofeedback scene! DS has gone back to college after completing about 20 biofeedback sessions. He had an EEG initially and is supposed to have another one after 30 sessions--so that'll have to happen at Christmas vacation, I guess. DS went off all medications for the EEG, including Adderall and Celexa. He remained off the medications for some time, hoping the biofeedback would kick in and make the meds unnecessary. This didn't happen--he lost a job due to inattention, and he did get depressed, so he went back on Celexa and Adderall. However--I really think the biofeedback has helped his mood and his general openness. DS was bullied in grade school and has been pretty closed and angry ever since. The biofeedback doctor said she was going to work on his anger and guardedness and we've all noticed results. I got a call from DS today (third day of school, classes starting) saying he's really glad to be back at college (he had taken a year off) and is looking forward to classes! This may sound minor, but believe me, it's not! So it remains to be seen how things are going to go, but if he can just lighten up and make some friends, I'd be really happy. I'll be in touch when I know more. |
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