You take your temperature to see if you have a fever, or get on the scale to see how much you weigh. These measurements help you take care of your body. What if you could see your heart rate or your breath in real time? a local experts says you can, and it can change your life. Biofeedback therapist Dr. Eugenie Pabst of Balance Health and Wellness says a therapy called biofeedback helps with all kinds of conditions. She says, “I have seen a variety of improvements. Overall improved functioning with chronic pain, I have seen functioning improve pain levels managed better, I have seen people gain better control over anxiety. I have seen a reduction in migraine headaches, improved performance, improved focus at work, reduced muscle tension.” So what doesn’t biofeedback help with? Not much.
How does biofeedback work? Dr. Pabst uses state of the art technology to mirror body functions such as heart rate, muscle tension, and breath. Patients can see these readings in real time, and learn how to control them. For example, if sensors are hooked up to one’s shoulders, they’ll see a hightened bar on a screen when they tense them up. When they relax those muscles, the bar goes down. Dr. Pabst says this kind of viusal “etch a sketch” of muscle tension with help people remember to become aware of when they are tense, and to relax those muscles. Breath is another big one…slowing down one’s breath helps in a variety of ways, especially with anxiety at work. To sum it up, she says, ”Biofeedback is a process that enables one to change their physiological responses in order to improve their health or functioning. What biofeedback entails is sensors that are attached to a person`s body, they are all noninvasive and it allows me to see how they are responding on a computer screen. Biofeedback is done in an office setting but there is repetition that is done outside of the office. So the long term goal is that people would be able to produce the effects and control their physiology outside of the office.”
For more information on biofeedback, click here.
To conatct Dr. Eugenie Pabst, email her at dr@drepabst.com or call 312-401-6549.
