Q - My grandson who is 18 months old, was born with Hirschsprung's Disease. I was wondering if you can assist me?
A - We don't have much evidence about the potential effectiveness of neurotherapy for the genetic disorders such as Hirschsprung's. The extent that improving brain functioning will improve the symptoms is uncertain. We see many clients with these conditions that do not respond to other treatments and parents generally try a few sessions to see if there are any beneficial results. |
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Q - My wife suffers from Nonepileptic Seizures. Do you offer treatments for this condition? The seizures are of psychogenic causes due to childhood sexual abuse.
A - This condition, referred to as "pseudoseizure disorder", responds well to a combination of neurotherapy and adjunctive supportive therapies. I wrote a paper on this condition that was published in the medical journal "Biological Psychiatry" that may be available on the web. This condition seems to always be associated with emotional trauma and the seizures may be a neurological mechanism to defend the person from experiencing the emotional pain. Neurologically, we generally see the trauma in the brain assessment plus a deficiency in the brain's stress coping mechanism. Both of these conditions are correctable with neurotherapy. |
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Q - I am suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome and am interested in your therapy. I was wondering if after the initial consultation and brain mapping procedure you can tell whether or not your treatment is likely to work, or is it a case where you need to do 10 to 20 treatments before you will know if they are effective? Also, I have a friend who suffers almost daily from extreme migraine headaches and I am wondering if you treat migraines with neurotherapy and if you have had success with it.
A - The initial brain assessment helps us to identify the neurological causes of the chronic fatigue. Chronic fatigue can result from a number of different brain inefficiencies and once we isolate the exact nature of the problem neurotherapy can be very precisely directed at the cause. No, you do not need to have many sessions to determine if neurotherapy is going to be effective. Clients usually have a positive effect within 3 or 4 sessions so they know they are on the right treatment path. We see many people with severe chronic migraine that doesn't respond well to other types treatment. As with chronic fatigue there can be several neurological profiles associated with this chronic condition. We have been very successful in the treatment of both these conditions. |
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Q - What tape should I used in conjuction with Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)? I'm trying to find out which of your products is recommended for use in a brain injury patient wanting to use EFT for the control of seizures. I've read elsewhere that Dr. Swingle recommends listening to a certain tape beforehand but I can't seem to find which one.
A - The CD that I recommend is Attention™ or our more recent product Omni™ (Omni is available in September from Sound Health Products Inc. Online Store). Both of these harmonics suppress Theta brainwave amplitude. EFT has a positive effect on seizures because it increases the amplitude of the Sensory Motor Rhythm Brainwave. However, EFT also increases slow frequency (Theta) amplitude in many clients as well. Increases in Theta amplitude can LOWER seizure threshold thus making the seizure risk higher. The Theta suppressing harmonic is therefore used simultaneously with the EFT to control the Theta increase while the SMR is increased having a beneficial effect on seizure threshold. |
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Q - I have suffered with Fibromyalgia for 6 years now. I am also Bipolar. I am so tired all the time and I am as weak as a kitten. My only means of support is my disability cheque. What are the charges for your services or are you covered by BC Health. Please send me some info.
A - Neurotherapy is very effective for both fibromyalgia and depression. Fibromyalgia is often associated with traumatic brain injury and/or emotional trauma. The procedure would be to do a brain assessment to determine the exact locations of the brain inefficiencies and then some neurotherapy sessions to correct those problems. Psychological and neurotherapeutic treatments are NOT covered by the BC Health plan although extended medical plans usually offer some coverage. The agency monitoring your disability status may be approached for funding for these treatments. Some government agencies have supported such treatments in the past. The cost of treatment averages about $105 per session after the initial intake assessment which is $180. |
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Q - My son is on Zoloft now for 10 years. Often he relapses into clinical depression and anxiety that usually lasts about one to two months. He drinks beer when out with the boys about once our twice a month and probably on those occasions he drinks to much, he is aware that he can not mix medicine with alcohol and has stopped, but does not get better. Recently he mentioned that he has had several concussions in childhood due to falls and hockey situation on ice. Could it be possible that it has affected his brain function? Would brain mapping help? He is 35 years old.
A - We see many clients in similar circumstances. It is possible that your son has brain injury from his falls and sports. Often in addition to the TBI there is a genetic predisposition to depression and/or anxiety. Brain mapping will isolate the neurological conditions associated with the symptoms. TBI and genetic predispositions can be markedly improved with neurotherapy. However, the first step is to do a brain assessment to determine the exact location and extent of the neurological condition. |
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Q - I have clinical depression and have been on anti-depressants for approximately 10 years. I am currently on Zoloft at a very high dosage. I find that every year or two the medication does not work as well as it did initially. Would you recommend that I come in for an initial assessment, or would you recommend that I try some of the tapes and products for depression that are available on your web site?
A - When we are dealing with a chronic condition such as the one you describe it is necessary to proceed with neurotherapy. We see many clients with long term depression and with difficulties associated with habituation to medication. Our goal is to correct the brain deficiencies that are associated with the depression and restore them to normative functioning. Coming off the medication would also be a longer term goal of the neurotherapeutic treatment but the titration off medication in conditions such as yours requires a long time and VERY slow reductions. The harmonic products on the CDs are not designed to deal with clinical depression. We do use them in treatment to sustain gains made in therapy and to facilitate further improvements. The first step is to come in for an initial brain assessment and determine the exact nature of the problem from a neurological perspective. |
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Q - Can you recommend a Neurotherapy practitioner in New Zealand?
A - The best source for finding CERTIFIED practitioners is to go to BCIA.ORG and look for practitioners certified in EEG who are in your region. |
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Q - I was diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder at age sixteen. Only recently did I find a combination of medications that works for me. Will this technique help me with my disorder and could I undergo treatment while on medication or should I be off medication while doing it? Also, I have a friend who suffers from anxiety, depression and PTSD. Apparently he is part of 10% of the population who cannot properly metabolize antidepressants. Would he be eligible for treatment as well? He is currently considering taking cortisol blockers that are only in the early stages of being tested on patients.
A - Although neurotherapeutic treatment generally takes longer for clients on medication, treatment can proceed while medicated. Usually our clients are able to eliminate medication or at least markedly reduce the amounts required for stabilization. We treat many forms of depression including the various forms of bi-polar. Regarding your friend, we routinely see clients who have been unsuccessfully treated by many practitioners or with many combinations of drugs. As you might know, medicating trauma is not a viable long term solution to the problem for it simply masks the traumatic emotional content. neurotherapy releases the brain activity associated with the trauma after the brain's stress tolerance functions have been normalized. After having treated many clients with PTSD including combat veterans, it has become apparent that these people have a condition that compromises their stress coping capability. There is some controversy regarding whether this inefficiency predates the PTSD or whether the inefficiency is caused by the emotional trauma. In any event, this condition is always found in clients with PTSD. It is likely that your friend also has a neurological predisposition to depressed mood states. After experiencing the trauma the depressed mood state manifested and the poor stress tolerance resulted in severe anxiety. The treatment of this condition usually involves normalizing the brain's stress coping area as well as the areas associated with the trauma and predisposition to depression. The first step, of course, is to do a brain assessment to determine the exact nature and location of the brain inefficiencies. |
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Q - Do you have any experience working with children that have Tourette syndrome and OCD?
A - We see many clients with Tourette Syndrome and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). The brainwave activity of clients with Tourette Syndrome is often quite similar to that found with OCD although with Tourette's we also usually find a deficiency also found in clients with seizure disorders. Many of the clients we see are children. We also help parents of these children strengthen their behavioral techniques for modifying the behavior of their children. We have been quite successful in these cases in reducing the troubling behaviors without the use of the dangerous medications. |
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Q - Do you treat teenagers with ADD? Are the treatments covered by Pacific Blue Cross?
A - Many of our ADD/ADHD clients are teenagers. As a rule of thumb, the older the child at time neurotherapy is commenced the more treatment sessions required. There are several reasons for this: First, because the child is struggling there are usually some skill deficiencies that must be improved and of course the longer the child has struggled the further behind they find themselves. Second, and most particularly the case with males, the child develops many bad habits associated with the ADD such as being disruptive in class to avoid embarrassing situations such as reading out load, or finding other means for avoiding difficult school work situations. The child may also be embarrassed because of their poor school performance and feel stigmatized which may lead them to want to avoid coming for neurotherapy because they think others may see them as deficient. Our services are covered under medical plans that provide coverage for psychologists. |
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Q - Is there a comparable service in Alberta? A psychiatrist thinks that my grandson has a thought disorder.
A - In Edmonton, Dr. Horst Mueller and in Calgary, Dr. Stuart Donaldson. |
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Q - My child age 11 1/2. Is having processing/developmental problems. The school (private) - as he could not seem to cope in the larger class sizes of public - would like him to see a psychologist for assessment. He is very emotional and far behind his peers, as he seems to take everything to heart. There is no behavioral problems, other than the fact he doesn't seem to know how to react to certain situations. His long term memory is outstanding, but his short term on organizing day to day, brushing teeth, getting changed is lacking. He is a messy eater and half the times, although reminded at every meal, forgets to use his utensils. He was quite sick at the age of 18 mo. and placed in an oxygen tent. Do you think this could have something to do with the way he processes information? When he was younger, after his illness, when throwing a temper tantrum, he used to bang his head on things. I was reading your article about TBI - maybe he has this in some small degree? I would be curious about making an appointment, but not sure if you do this sort of processing delay in children. The public school he was at did mention ADD; but I don't think this is correct. I live in Kelowna and if you would like to assess him; I will phone for an appointment, but would like to do it before the snow flys!!
A - From your description it would appear that your child has inefficiencies in the functioning of the frontal regions of the brain. The behaviours reported when this is the case include problems with focus, planning, organizing and sequencing as well as problems with emotional regulation. There may be some other areas of brain inefficiencies as well. TBI is a possibility and it is far more prevalent in children than we suspect. Many of these conditions can be corrected or at least markedly improved with neurotherapy, including developmental delays and lags of various sorts. The first step is to schedule an intake brain assessment so that we may determine the exact nature and location of the brain inefficiencies to develop a precise treatment procedure. Problems that result from TBI, genetics, or environmental stressors can all be treated with neurotherapy. I can't say if the exposure to oxygen was implicated in the difficulties your child is experiencing. However, the effects of these stressors can be improved with neurotherapy and in particular with a form of neurotherapy called hemoencephalography (HEG) which is a method for modifying cerebral blood flow directly with biofeedback. We have several HEG systems in my clinic that can be used for your child's treatment if appropriate. |
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Q - I have always been a "sensitive" person and have had many allergies all of my life. I have had many emotional and physical traumas in my childhood. In 1990 I began a new job in a newly built group home. After 2 months I suffered a back injury and then had a severe flu like illness that lasted for several weeks. Every time I returned to my job, my illness came back and got worse. I developed all over body pain and fatigue and many more allergies as well as increased depression and ongoing flu like symptoms. Eventually I was not able to work. In 1995 I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (Environmental Illness). Over the years I have learned to manage my symptoms somewhat so that I can still hold down a part-time job. A few months ago I notice an increase in my cognitive difficulties and an increase of tremors, shaking, twitching, and jumping. (the time frame coincides with the installation of a hog fuel burner at a mill near my home) I can no longer work. I understand that your treatments can help with Fibromyalgia, CFS, and Depression. Can these treatments also help with allergies, chemical sensitivities, and tremors? Do I need a doctors referral for an appointment?
A - Your situation is one that we encounter frequently. As in your case, the difficulties begin with a combination of several stressors such as emotional trauma, physical trauma (automobile accidents are common causes), and viral infections. The person starts to develop symptoms of body pain, poor sleep, cognitive "fogginess', emotional volatility, chronic fatigue, hypersensitivities, and depression. Medications usually make these conditions worse because of the side effects and habituation. Neurotherapy has been found to be very effective in treatment of these conditions. Our focus is usually to first restore sleep quality, and then deal with specific brain inefficiencies associated with the fibromyalgia, cognitive and emotional problems and the sensitivities. The first step is to have a brain assessment to determine the precise nature of the brain functioning inefficiencies and then to normalise these areas of activity. The motor difficulties you are experiencing are likely the result of poor brain calming function which is also related to poor sleep quality. Hence, we would expect that the tremors, twitching, etc will diminish when we treat the brain areas associated with sleep. The motor problems can also be associated with some difficulties in another region of the brain as well (the area associated with seizure disorders) but this will be determined from the brain map data. To initiate treatment with us you do not require a referral from your primary care physician. However, some extended medical programs require a physician's referral before you can have your treatments covered by your insurance. Check with the benefits clerk at your extended medical insurance company to determine the limits of your coverage and if you require a referral. |
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