Neurotherapy at Alternatives Helps Children with ADD and Other Behavioral Disorders

Neurotherapy at Alternatives Helps Children with ADD and Other Behavioral Disorders

From Alternatives Newsletter Summer 2009

When Mackenzie had problems staying on track in kindergarten, her mother hoped that these issues were a passing phase.  By third grade, however, Mackenzie – an asthmatic – couldn’t stay focused or follow directions, her mom said.  As a result, school was becoming much more difficult.

“She had a lot of homework after school and, socially, I was seeing a decline; it was starting to affect her self-esteem.  I didn’t want to medicate her for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), which is what a doctor had suggested,” she added.  Dr. Patricia Ryan, founder of Alternatives: A Center for Conscious Health, set Mackenzie and her family on a new path.  “Mackenzie tested positive for yeast and food allergies,” her mother said.  “Dr. Ryan told us about neurotherapy and said we could try that as well as a diet designed to avoid sugar, processed grains and other substances that feed the yeast.  My husband and I discussed it and not only did we start Mackenzie on the gluten-free diet, we decided to jump right into the neurotherapy.”

Three times a week, Mackenzie visits the Alternatives clinic and has sessions on the NeuroIntegration System administered by Jamie Moore, a Registered Nurse and Neurofeedback Clinician at Alternatives.

The system incorporates photic stimulation and music to help normalize brain activity.   Here’s how it works:  First, sensors are placed on the head of the patient and connected to a computer system, which recreates that individual’s brain patterns for a technician to monitor and read.  The patient then wears glasses that display different colors of lights in various patterns.  These “photic” cues, which are transmitted through the glasses, can guide the brain to the frequency it needs to learn.  “Patients watch a video or listen to music and the brain will learn what it needs to do to keep the video going,” Dr. Ryan explained.

At least 60 different programs address various conditions from overeating to insomnia to ADD.  “Jamie is great – he interacts with kids really well,” Mackenzie’s mother said.  “After 20 sessions, we have seen quite a bit of change,” she said.  “Mackenzie smiles more, her vocabulary is much clearer and she acts more age appropriate.  I took the neurotherapy schedule to Mackenzie’s teacher and she was very interested.  Her teacher even sat in on one of the sessions and she was amazed.  She has seen Mackenzie become more responsible for her homework and interact better with her class.”

Mackenzie often does her homework during the sessions.  “What blew me away was that my 5-year-old and I sat and talked with Jamie during a session and Mackenzie still got her homework done.  Before, if someone in the room had made a sound, it would have distracted her.  She absolutely feels better on the diet and the biofeedback has helped her concentration,” she said.

The NeuroIntegration System has helped patients with a variety of problems, but children with ADD like Mackenzie have shown remarkable results, Dr. Ryan said. “This neurofeedback system produces long-lasting results that are chemical free,” Dr. Ryan said.  “It is so rewarding to watch children improve and see the relief on their parent's faces.”

For more information about the NeuroIntegration System, contact Alternatives at 827-9450.

NeuroIntegration System Showing Great Promise in Treating ADD, Insomnia and Tremors

NeuroIntegration System Showing Great Promise in Treating ADD, Insomnia and Tremors

From Alternatives Newsletter Winter 2008-2009

When part of the brain is operating at an abnormal frequency – too fast or too slowly – problems are bound to result, according to Dr. Patricia Ryan, founder of Alternatives: A Center for Conscious Health.  Abnormal brain frequency can contribute to issues associated with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), insomnia and depression, and a variety of other conditions, she noted.  Remarkably, researchers have discovered that the brain can learn to normalize activity through a process called Neurofeedback, leading to better health and alleviation of symptoms for many who’ve suffered for years with no relief, according to Dr. Ryan.

One of Alternatives’ latest tools – the NeuroIntegration System – works to teach the brain how to do just that – normalize activity.  “If you tell the brain what it needs to do to be normal and reward the brain for doing that task correctly, the brain gradually learns to do more of the normal activity and less of the abnormal.”  As the brain gets better at the activity through regular sessions on the system, the threshold is raised.  “Eventually the brain learns so well that the sessions are no longer needed,” Dr. Ryan said.

The system incorporates photic stimulation and music to achieve the desired results.  Here’s how it works:  First, sensors are placed on the head of the patient and connected to a computer system, which recreates that individual’s brain patterns for a technician to monitor and read.  The patient then wears glasses that display different colors of lights in various patterns.  These “photic” cues, which are transmitted through the glasses, can guide the brain to the frequency it needs to learn.  “Patients watch a video or listen to music and the brain will learn what it needs to do to keep the video going,” Dr. Ryan explained.

At least 60 different programs address various conditions from overeating to insomnia to ADD.  Jamie Moore, RN, Neurofeedback Clinician at Alternatives, said the machine has produced impressive results in the few months the clinic has been using the innovative technology.

“One patient has been suffering from genetic ‘Parkinson’s-like’ tremors for most of his life,” said Moore, who has recently joined the Alternatives staff after a career in Hyperbarics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.  “The patient’s goal, when he began the therapy, was to carry his own dinner plate to the table and pour his own milk.  We are now nearing that goal,” Moore noted.  Handwriting analysis since the beginning of treatment shows a dramatic improvement in legibility as well.   

A child being treated for ADD has seen his need for medication decrease since beginning the therapy program.  “What’s more, his behavior is much better both at home and at school,” Moore said.  Another patient with insomnia and depression has had her medication cut in half and is now sleeping through the night.  “The results have been phenomenal,” Moore said.  “And these patients have not even finished the protocol yet,” Dr. Ryan added.  “We expect even more improvement.”

 

“This is just one more tool to help people who have fallen through the cracks and may have been unable to have their problems properly diagnosed and treated through traditional medicine,” Dr. Ryan said.