New studies show Neurofeedback can reduce pain and increase quality of life for cancer patients

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A new study from the renowned University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center researching neuropathic pain found that cancer patients using neurofeedback experienced less chronic pain and an increase in the quality of life. The 71-person study was designed by the department of Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine.

The research began by isolating the location of brain activity responsible for the physical and emotional aspects of the patients’ chronic pain. Pain centers were identified through the use of electroencephalogram (EEG) tracking (attaching small metal discs with thin wires on the scalp).

Many hospitals report that Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN) is a very common side effect in cancer patients, affecting 71 to 96 percent of patients after a month of chemotherapy. Peripheral neuropathy is felt in patients as pain, burning, tingling and loss of feeling caused by damage to nerves that control the sensations and movements of arms and legs.

As EEG sensors track and records brain wave patterns, the sensors send signals to a computer to record the results. A computer screen allowed cancer patients to modify their own brain activity through the (EEG) biofeedback/neurofeedback.

MD Anderson study participants completed initial assessments that determined the brain activity related to their pain, the amount of pain perceived, and their quality of life. After neurofeedback therapy was completed the participants repeated the EEG and assessments to determine changes in pain perception, cancer related symptoms, and general quality of life. After neurofeedback therapy, 73 percent of patients reported improvement in pain, less numbness, and reduced how much pain interfered with daily activities.  

Through the use of neurofeedback, cancer patients were able to retrain their brains to form new connections and change existing (painful) nerve routes.

Since there is only one medication approved to treat CIPN, which has some negative side effects and is quite expensive, doctors at MD Anderson were very encouraged to see significant improvements in multiple patients’ quality of life after utilizing neurofeedback therapy  –especially since there were no side effects.

“Even better,” says Leanne O’Neil of INDY Neurofeedback, “neurofeedback is customized to the individual and is relatively inexpensive. It not only works for those in pain, it also works for those seeking to retrain their brains to promote better health habits. Neurofeedback is a wonderful non-invasive, non-addictive tool to address all kinds of pain, discomfort and suffering.”

Screen Time and Your Child’s Brain

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The medical community has known for the past 30 years that spending large amounts of time in front of a TV or computer screen had a negative effect on a child’s developing brain – but specifically what parts of brain development were affected and for how long, have not been well researched or understood.

Thanks to new longer-term research studies, we now have more comprehensive, useable data. The Journal of the American Medical Association recently reported in JAMA Pediatrics that an increase in screen viewing time is linked to poorer progress on key young childhood developmental measures over time, including communication and language skills, memory, attention span, problem solving, and social skills.

This pronouncement is the result of a far-reaching psychological study from the University of Calgary in Canada, where 2,441 mothers and children aged two to five were studied over the course of three years. Initial baseline data were collected at the start of the study, when the children were two years old, then again when they were three and five.

By following the children over many years, the University of Calgary study learned more about how screen time and early child brain development intersect. Mothers reported on how much time their children spent in front of a television or computer screen on a typical day. They also reported on their child’s developmental measures by answering questions about their child’s behavior, communication skills, and social interactions. The study found that on average, the young children in the study were spending about 2-3 hours per day in front of a screen. (It’s worth noting that The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that young children spend no more than one hour a day watching quality educational programming.)

Children who spent more time using TV or computers did indeed show poorer performance on developmental measures. (Interestingly, the study did not find evidence that the opposite was occurring. In other words, children with developmental issues were not more likely to spend time in front of a screen.)

These measurable links remained strong even after researchers accounted for other factors that can influence development, such as parents’ education, children’s physical activity levels, and whether parents read to their children regularly.

“The study results show that there is a lasting influence of screen time, especially when children are two to five years old, when their brains are undergoing a period of tremendous development,” according to the JAMA Pediatrics article.

“It also strongly supports expert guidelines that recommend limiting screen time for young children,” notes Leanne O’Neil of INDY Neurofeedback. “When the brain is rapidly developing new connections, it learns from every kind of experience it receives. So when watching a screen, the child is missing out on the opportunity for interacting with others and the surrounding environment.”

It is important to note, however, that not all screen time is detrimental to brain development. Families can develop healthy media habits by watching with their children, pointing out and discussing interesting ideas to contribute to language, skills and learning, making the time beneficial.

The Fascinating Brain-Gut Connection

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As you eat your dinner, some pretty fascinating things are going on in your body that go well beyond filling your stomach and keeping your body fueled.

  • As you swallow, multiple enzymes in your gastrointestinal tract release the nutrients from your food into your bloodstream and deliver them to the muscles and organs in your body to give them energy.
  • You are also feeding the billions of bacteria at home in your gut. In fact, there are at least two pounds of them.
  • Interestingly, you are also actively feeding your brain, which requires a lot of fuel – and prebiotics.

Really? Your brain and gut work together? “Absolutely,” says Leanne O’Neil of INDY Neurofeedback. “That’s because what you eat doesn’t just feed your active body, it also profoundly influences your mental as well as physical health. Even more interesting, what your body can’t digest may be the biggest boon to your physical and mental well-being.”

Here’s why:

  • Every person’s microbiome is distinct, influenced by age, genetics, diet, and sex.
  • There’s a sort of secondary market for the indigestibles in your colon. This is where an incredibly diverse family of permanently entrenched bacteria feed on the enzyme-resistant carbohydrates you eat.
  • Prebiotics, types of dietary fiber that feed the friendly bacteria in your gut, influence the production of gut bug-derived metabolites like short-chain fatty acids, compounds that play a pivotal role in gut-brain communication.
  • Your colon actually ferments these in ways unique to your inner gut biome. The composition of this unique microbiome influences such functions such as memory, sleep, appetite, vulnerability to stress, anxiety, depression, and lots more.

“In other words,” says O’Neil, “your gut may have way more to do with your brain than you ever thought possible.”

Recent studies show that it is prebiotics that curb your brain’s response to stress, dampening secretion of the hormone cortisol. Prebiotics also step up to regulate the way your brain processes emotional information, helping to keep it from depression.

What prebiotics can you eat to help your brain-gut connection?

Nondigestible carbohydrates (fiber), prebiotics act as fertilizer for specific strains of healthy gut bacteria.

The best-researched prebiotics are complex carbohydrates called FOS (fructooligosaccharides), which are found in fruits and vegetables.

GOS (galactooligosaccharides) are another helpful prebiotic strain, found in legumes.

New research has also discovered that polyphenol antioxidants in green tea, red wine, blueberries, and cocoa boost populations of beneficial bacteria in your microbiome. No wonder you get an emotional release after eating chocolate and consuming a glass of red wine!

The first few months of life and adolescence seem to be particularly important times for regulation of gut-brain health. This is because the diversity of the microbiome during that period will have lasting effects on the adult body, helping set the body’s stress threshold for life during certain sensitive periods of development, when the brain is growing especially rapidly.

Overall, says Leanne O’Neil, prebiotics are dietary components that can promote gut and brain health with links to physical health and mental well-being at any age. So eat – knowledgeably!