Biofeedback...is it in our control?

Biofeedback is a psychological way to manage pain, and although I do not personally know how successful it is, by learning to manage the signals bodies produce changes can be obtained (Runck, 2006). For example, Runck explains that biofeedback is used to change, or train, how patients change habitual behavior or reactions to stress with the assumption that the stress is associated with causing the pain. For suffers of chronic pain, biofeedback can assist the patient if it is used in conjunction with other physical and mental interventions (Sherman, 2004). I would hope that the combinations biofeedback and natural treatments can become more helpful for migraine suffers as some interactions from migraine medicines can be dangerous (Hitti, 2006).

Hitti, M. (2006). FDA: Triptan migraine drugs may be dangerous if taken with ssri or snri antidepressants. Retrieved March 30, 2007 from WebMD Medical News.

Runck, B. (2006). What is biofeedback. Division of Communication and Mental Health. Retrieved March 30, 2007 from the National Institute of Mental Health’s databases.

Sherman, R. A. (2004). Clinical efficacy of psychophysiological assessments and biofeedback interventions for chronic pain disorders. Applied Psychophysiology & Feedback. Retrieved March 30, 2007 from AAPB’s databases.