Displaying items by tag: qeeg brain mapping

Concussions can cause major brain damage. And if not treated correctly, that damage can lead to lasting changes in the way your brain functions. According to the CDC, the amount of concussions in athletes has doubled in the last 10 years. And the American Academy of Pediatrics found that concussions in 14-19-year-olds increased by a staggering 200%. Clearly, concussions are becoming more and more commonplace, which makes effective treatments more important than ever before. If you’re interested in a drug-free treatment of concussion, neurofeedback can help.

But before we dive into the nitty-gritty of this cutting-edge treatment option, let’s learn more about what happens to your brain when an injury such as a concussion occurs.

What is a concussion?

A concussion is an injury to the brain caused by impact to the head. When a concussion occurs, nerves and blood vessels are stretched and bruised, which can result in chemical changes inside of your brain. Although a single concussion won’t necessarily result in permanent brain damage, concussions are considered mild traumatic brain injuries. Symptoms of a concussion can vary greatly depending on the severity of the impact.

Most concussions are caused by sports-related injuries, falls, or motor vehicle accidents.

What happens to your brain when a concussion occurs?

The brain itself is composed of soft and squishy tissue. That tissue is surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid, which is meant to act as a cushion between the brain and the skull. However, a concussion occurs when your brain matter collides with the skull. As this happens, brain cells are damaged and chemical changes occur within the tissues.

These changes can cause your brain to stop functioning the way it normally would, which ultimately results in the symptoms associated with concussions. When a concussion occurs, an individual’s brain waves change. Often, they get stuck in a repetitive pattern, which impacts their ability to think and process. The good news is, brains—even after injury—are capable of learning how to self-regulate and improve their function.

Symptoms of a concussion:

The symptoms of a concussion are very similar to those of a traumatic brain injury. These symptoms include:

• Headache (this is the most common symptom)
• Confusion
• Nausea or vomiting
• Sensitivity to light and/or sound
• Dizziness
• Difficulty balancing
• Blurred vision
• Changes in sleep patterns
• Feeling “off” or in a “fog”
• Difficulty concentrating
• Temporary loss of consciousness
• Feeling depressed
• Irritability, nervousness, and anxiety
• Memory loss

Drug-free treatment of concussions: neurofeedback

As a starting point, healthcare professionals will typically recommend rest if you’ve had a concussion. However, that’s not always enough to alleviate symptoms and change brainwave patterns. Enter neurofeedback, a type of brain training that’s used to teach self-regulation after dysfunction has occurred.

To effectively treat a brain injury such as a concussion, it’s incredibly important to understand just how the injury has impacted overall brain function. At Braincode Centers, we measure brainwaves with an EEG brain map, so that we can accurately identify the areas of the brain that have been damaged by the injury.

From there, a personalized neurofeedback treatment plan is developed that targets the source of the problem. Neurofeedback is a drug-free, non-invasive, and completely natural treatment option that works to better your brain in two ways. Firstly, neurofeedback is used to help alleviate symptoms. And then when symptoms have been reduced, neurofeedback is used to aid in the restoration of stamina, focus, and processing so that you can get back to your same—or even improved—level of performance after a concussion.

Learn more about neurofeedback for concussions

If you or someone you know has recently suffered from a concussion, contact us today at Braincode Centers. We will help create a natural, drug-free brain training program that helps you feel like yourself again.

Schedule your free consultation to get started on your path to recovery.

Everything you think, feel, and do is a result of your brain. And if injury, imbalance, or trauma occurs, you may find yourself experiencing a number of undesirable symptoms or conditions. However, you don’t have to live with those symptoms forever. qEEG brain mapping is a powerful tool in treating brain-based conditions, disorders, and injuries. If you’re looking to rebalance your brain and control your symptoms, qEEG brain mapping in Denver could be the right solution for you.

Understanding the brain has been a long-sought after process by neurological experts. While we’ve come a long way, we’ve just barely begun to scratch the surface of all there is to uncover about the brain and its processes. Brain mapping is a tool that can be used to glean insights about an individual’s brain function and how the structure of the brain relates to that. There are countless benefits of brain mapping and the information that can be uncovered through this process, from identifying points of weakness to understanding why some have certain abilities that others don’t. So, is there a reason to consider brain mapping from a professional in Denver? There’s plenty. Let’s review some of the key benefits of brain mapping and what you can gain from this non-invasive experience.

Do you ever wonder what exactly is going on in your brain? It’s responsible for quite a bit and we’re only conscious of a mere fraction of the total actions the nervous system executes every minute. From triggering your heart to beat and your lungs to breath to reacting to stimuli in your environment and coping with various experiences, your brain controls it all. Often, when you are struggling with symptoms of mental health disorders like anxiety or depression, your brain is not operating as efficiently as it should be. Sometimes specific neurological pathways are over- or under-performing, leading to undesirable symptoms. Brain mapping in Denver can help you identify these weaknesses and even direct a treatment plan that helps you address the imbalances. Let’s discuss more in depth what you can learn from the brain mapping process.

The idea of brain mapping is very foreign to most people. When it gets brought up in casual conversation, many people immediately think of the last scifi movie they saw and wonder what kind of information doctors can get from a brain map. However, much like the idea of mental health, the stigma surrounding qEEG brain mapping does more harm than good. The only way to break through those stigmas is by educating, so today we’re going to talk about a question we hear every day: “What is qEEG?”

Neurofeedback uses EEG (Electroencephalogram) to monitor electrical activity in the brain in real time. While monitoring brain activity in patients, a variety of games and activities are used in order to help create new pathways in the brain and correct pathways that might not be functioning optimally. By retraining the brain in such a way, this corrects brain functions and neuron pathways, ideally reducing or eliminating the problematic behavior.

How Does It Work?

Neurofeedback utilizes EEG biofeedback technology to monitor the brain’s activity. The brainwaves detected produce certain electrical activity that is picked up by the EEG and the data is then analyzed. In the data analysis, the neurofeedback professional looks for irregularities in the brain wave data and uses that to guide the treatment moving forward. Treatment methods vary significantly depending on the individual’s affliction. In general terms, the treatment aims to improve brain health by creating new pathways in the brain and strengthening existing pathways. Braincode Centers has experts who use neurofeedback and other similar methods to treat patients. Braincode Centers has numerous locations across northern Colorado, schedule an appointment with us today!

Who Is Neurofeedback For?

• People of all ages who suffer from Epilepsy
• Children or adults who have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
• People who have a behavioral disorder like OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) or Bipolar disorder
• Those afflicted by Insomnia or irregular sleep patterns
• Those who experience age-related cognitive loss
• People who are experiencing depression
• Children or adults who have suffered trauma
• Those who suffer from migraines
• People with high amounts of stress in their life
• People of all ages who have had a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)

Neurofeedback could possibly have many other uses, however, further research is needed in order to shed more light on neurofeedback and its potential advantages. If you have questions or are interested in neurofeedback in northern Colorado, call us at (720)-378-5057.

Different Neurofeedback Techniques

There are a variety of different neurofeedback techniques that can be implemented by neurofeedback centers for retraining the brain.

QEEG Assessments

qEEG is brain monitoring using an EEG biofeedback tool that measures brain electrical activity. This test is used to pinpoint brain waves and activity that are associated with your symptoms in order to better treat the condition. qEEG requires no electrical stimulation and is completely safe. It consists of placing conductive gel and 19 sensor pads across the head area. Worst case scenario, your hair might get a little bit messed up!

Near Infrared Light Therapy

Without getting into too much detail, there are certain faculties in your brain that require light stimulation to function correctly. When properly stimulated, nitric oxide is released which helps increase the blood flow to the brain. With the appropriate amount of blood flow restored to the brain, the brain has the resources it needs to correct itself.

Alpha-StimⓇ Aid

Alpha-StimⓇ Aid is a device that provides a very low and safe amount of electric current. As a result of the electrical current, victims of insomnia, anxiety, depression, and pain all show significant and lasting improvement in their brain health.

These are some more commonly used neurofeedback techniques used to help retrain the brain and improve overall mental health. If you or a loved one live in northern Colorado and are interested in trying neurofeedback techniques for yourself, schedule an appointment at NeurOptimze today!