Therapy for Fibromyalgia

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Fibromyalgia is a frustrating condition both for doctors and patients. The disease is not only difficult to diagnose and but also to treat. A new therapy is trying to stop the frustration by helping patients regain some function by targeting their brains.

It was the simple tasks, such as balancing a checkbook that confused Melissa Noll the most. "I thought I might have early stages of Alzheimer's," Noll says. But her memory problems were a symptom of something else, fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that causes pain and fatigue. "I've lived in this area 15 years, and I couldn't find my way to the bank."

Neurocognitive biofeedback is the new therapy that helped Noll find her way. Dr. Myra Preston a Neurophysiologist at Siber Imaging in Charlotte, N.C., uses the therapy on patients with fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

"What we found was rather fascinating. In fact, we discovered that it's as if their brains are functioning in reverse," Dr. Preston says.

Neurocognitive biofeedback corrects the brain's electrical functions by altering brainwaves. Patients are hooked up to electrodes that actually monitor the brainwaves. When they concentrate and focus, the waves function normally, and video game-like displays deliver "rewards" in the form of sight and sound.

"We truly are rewarding the brain," Dr. Preston says. It's a promising treatment. In one study, patients had more than a 60-percent improvement in memory.

"When we begin correcting the function of the brain, we begin to have an effect over all of the body systems." She also developed a technique called brain mapping to determine which patients are candidates for neurocognitive biofeedback.

With a little help from her brain, neurocognitive biofeedback helped diagnose and treat Noll's condition.

Dr. Preston says neurocognitive biofeedback is also being used for patients with other conditions like ADHD, autism, stroke and Alzheimer's disease. Treatment is sometimes covered by insurance. Without it, the therapy is about $140 for an hour session. Most patients have between 30 and 40 sessions.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Kim Phillips
Marketing Dept.
Siber Imaging
7820 Ballantyne Commons Parkway Ste. 106
Charlotte, NC 28277
(704) 543-0427
myra@siberimaging.com
http://www.siberimaging.com