Wauwatosa NewsTimes, March 2, 2000
Brain Power - Tosa doctor reports progress in treating ADD without drugs
Playing computer games takes the place of Ritalin
by Jan nice Kayser Stall Writer
Katy VanHousen, 36, was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder at a young age. She has been on and off Ritalin for years and said she remembers all too well the unpleasant side effects of the drug during her youth. “I 1ost my spark, my creativity, my appetite. It was awful. I just cried every time I had to take it,” she said.
But all that has changed for VanHousen, who is now completely off Ritalin. She has gained the ability to focus and concentrate through a process called EEG biofeedback.
“It has been like glasses for my brain” VanHousen said. “I have new mental sharpness. It really has been life-changing'
VanHousen was promoting the results of her nearly 20 sessions of brainwave training with Dr. Ray Lueck, a Wauwatosa psychologist and director of Family Care Psychological Services, located in the professional building at Mayfair Mall, 2500 N. Mayfair Road.
Once or twice a week, VanHousen visits Lueck's office for a half-hour session, during which she sits in front of an EEG biofeedback system with sensors placed on her scalp and earlobes to monitor her brain waves.
VanHousen watches a kind of video game of her brain waves displayed on the monitor and when she produces waves associated with concentration, the game and accompanying music continue. When she shows brain waves associated with daydreaming, the music stops and so does the game.
Lueck said it takes until about the 10th session for the patient to recognize their own brain patterns and with more sessions, the patient learns to apply this recognition to everyday life, helping to stay focused.
Unlike using medication, such as Ritalin, the gains made using biofeedback are permanent.
“Of the kids and adults who take drugs for ADD and ADHD, only about one-third to one-half of the kids will get off Ritalin by adulthood' Lueck said. “But with EEG biofeedback, about 80 percent will”
“We don't label this a cure for ADHD, but it is something which can make a significant difference in how children function emotionally and academically. About 70 percent of people respond significantly to this approach. The nice thing about this alternative is that, unlike with medication, here the brain actually makes changes. And once the brain grasps this new way of attending it is usually permanent. Medication may stop the symptoms for ADHD but it does nothing to change the way the brain works once the medication is stopped. Many parents also worry about the side effects of medication for their children and are very excited to learn that there is an alternative for many children.
Benefits for children
The changes Lueck said he sees in his younger patients include better self-control. They're less argumentative, he said, they react more calmly to situations, there is less hyperactivity and significant improvements are made in sports performance because of the enhanced concentration skills. Children with a bed-wetting problem also . make great improvements, he said.
“You are really tuning up the brain. It's basically mental gymnastics' Lueck said.
Brainwave training operates on the premise that healthy brainwave patterns are related to healthy mental states, which lead to healthy behaviors. Since the brain can he trained to regulate itself, negative brainwave patterns that cause negative behaviors and emotions can be replaced by healthy brainwave patterns, thereby improving behaviors and emotions.
Just as muscles can be trained, the brain can be “trained” also, Lueck said.
The traditional approach to treating certain neurological disorders is linked with psychostimulant drugs, such as Ritalin. But Lueck said those drugs can have serious side effects and that it is his and the patient's goal to diminish the dosages of medication and to one day eliminate the drugs from the treatment program.
The sessions are surprisingly simple, with patients playing computer games in which every move is made by the mind. The technology used in neurofeedback, however is quite sophisticated and each unit can cost from $6,000 to $15,000. Brain waves must be mapped and analyzed for deviations from the norm. If there is too much theta — which often occurs in brain trauma, as well as in depression — and not enough beta, Lueck will set parameters for a slightly healthier brainwave map.
In the computer game, a little cartoon character gobbles up an enemy blob, or a tidal wave tries to roll over. The characters in the games will not do what they are supposed to unless the patient concentrates and focuses.
For instance, when VanHousen talked to a reporter during her session, the music on the computer game would halt and the screen would freeze, and she would then need to refocus her thoughts to make it continue.
Researchers believe neurofeedback may be an answer to alleviating an astonishing range of disorders, including ADD and ADHD, epilepsy, closed head injuries and addiction. Those applications are being explored, but have yet to be subjected to bigger controlled studies.
While most of Lueck's patients who come to him are adults and children with ADD and ADHD, he does have some who use EEG biofeedback for peak performance training. “These are corporate executives, professionals, it just helps clarify things for them by doing what we call mental gymnastics” he said.
Painless, non-invasive
During brainwave training, no signals enter the brain, no thoughts can be read and no beliefs can be changed.
After VanHousen's session, Dr. Lueck removed the sensors from her scalp and her ear-lobes, and wiped off the gel that was used to place them onto her skin:
She said she felt renewed.
“It's amazing, I feel like everything is so much clearer now,” she said. The sessions have helped her to stay focused and concentrate on things, where before she never would have been able to.
“Last night, I read a book for an hour while my family was watching a Disney movie and there was all this activity going on around me and I never would have been able to do that before, never,” she said.
VanHousen also brings her daughter to Dr. Lueck's office for EEG biofeedback. The results for her daughter have been outstanding, she said.
“She used to never sit still for us at dinnertime, she was unable to concentrate and focus in school with things going on around her, daydreaming and this has turned all of that around” she said.
Lueck agreed, “She is a very gifted little girl, very bright, and this has and will continue to help her stay on top of things,” he said.
Bringing EEG biofeedback into the school system, where so many children are struggling and on medication such as Ritalin, would be a boost for any district, Lueck said. In fact, he has approached some area schools to find out if there is any interest. To date, the response has been lukewarm.
“This costs money, and schools are always struggling with their budgets, but we will keep trying,” he said. “It would be a wonderful thing to have right in the schools to help those students succeed – without medication,” he said. It would also save schools money in the long run because of the high costs involved in special education for kids with cognitive, emotional or learning disabilities. All of these could be helped with EEG biofeedback.
The medical community itself has not wrapped its arms around EEG biofeedback as Lueck would have hoped for. Many physicians are not aware of EEG biofeedback. Traditional biofeedback is often confused with this newer approach. Traditional biofeedback is helpful for stress management but not for ADHD or depression or the other emotional disorders that respond to EEG biofeedback .Lueck believes EEG biofeedback is a good alternative for people who don't respond to medication. He has treated people for depression, migraine headaches, anxiety, sleep disorders, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, aggression or anger, and even pain management.
The cost for the sessions range from $70 to $140. Some insurance companies will pick up the cost for the sessions. Lueck's office said they contact the insurance company directly to explain their program, rather than have the patient try to get approval on something they may have difficulty explaining.
Lueck is certified by the Biofeedback institute of America in Colorado. Dr. Peter Hansen, who also works at Family Care Psychological Services, is certified, too. Both must keep up with continuing education requirements to keep certified.
Dr. Lueck has also trained other staff members to use this form of treatment.
“All I know is that this has been like someone washing off the windshield of my brain,” VanHousen said. “I am grateful I have found this alternative, for myself and my daughter.”
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