Cranial Electrotherapy
Stimulation (CES)
Effective treatment for:
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Improved mood
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Insomnia
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Depression
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Stress
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Anxiety
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Memory and Cognition
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Better sleep
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Increase brain performance
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Sports performance
What is Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES) Therapy?
Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES) is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved treatment for insomnia, depression, and anxiety consisting of pulsed, low-intensity current applied to the earlobes or scalp. CES balances your brain's chemistry. Many patients report feeling relief the very first time they use the CES. And unlike drugs, CES has no negative side effects. It is non-addictive and you can use it safely as often as you like. Biolife Health Center uses CES in conjunction with counseling, biofeedback, neurofeedback, and other modalities.
The FDA allows the medical claims of "insomnia, anxiety, and depression" for CES use. Anxiety and depression are two common triggers of insomnia or sleep problems in general. Depression and anxiety will begin to cause sleep problems in people who haven't previously experienced difficulties with sleep. A vicious cycle will often begin to take place in individuals whereby: the more anxious a person becomes the more they suffer from sleep disorders; the more one suffers from sleep disorder the more anxious one becomes, and on and on. The same is true for those who suffer from depression.
What does CES do and how does it work?
An fMRI study shows it decreases cortical activity, and cerebral spinal fluid studies show it increases serotonin and beta-endorphins in the central nervous system. Quantitative EEG reports show it decreases (deep sleep) delta waves and increases alpha waves, associated with meditation and first-stage sleep thus, acutely, the application of the microcurrent can lead to a sense of alert but calm energy, clearheadedness, and wellbeing.
CES for Depression
Depression has been linked to problems or imbalances in the brain, specifically with regard to the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. The evidence is somewhat indirect on these points because it is very difficult to actually measure the level of neurotransmitters in a person's brain. What we do know is that antidepressant medications (used to treat the symptoms of depression) are known to act upon these particular neurotransmitters and their receptors.
Your neurotransmitter activity is a function of the electrical activity in your brain. By helping your brain's electrical activity to function normally, CES indirectly affects the neurotransmitters, thus helping your brain to return to that pre-depression state of balance. Once your brain's receptors start engaging with the rebalanced levels your depression should recede.
CES results for depression:
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A proven way to treat feelings of depression-without using drugs.
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Studies show that approximately 70% of people with depression who use the CES find 70% relief of their symptoms.
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No withdrawal symptoms, unlike most drugs.
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Not negative side-effects.
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Use CES while still on your medication.
CES for Anxiety
Anxiety is defined as "mental uneasiness" or "distress arising from fear of what may happen." It has several different manifestations. Individuals suffering from panic disorder experience recurrent, unexpected panic attacks. Those with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) chronically worry too much about a variety of things, and experience symptoms such as restlessness, agitation, or feeling keyed up, muscle tension, fatigue, irritability, and trouble with concentration and sleep. Persons suffering from social anxiety disorder experience extreme fear and avoidance of social and/or performance situations.
Those caught in the cycle know all too well how anxiety impacts on every aspect of their life. Unchecked, it renders you ineffective and can easily segue into depression, and insomnia. Many experience this immediately in the course of treatment; others, hours, or several days after. CES leaves you feeling both relaxed and alert. The effect differs from pharmaceutical treatments in that people report their body as feeling lighter and more relaxed and their mind, more alert and clearer. Results are cumulative and lasting.
CES results for anxiety:
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Effective drug-free way to end the vicious cycle of anxiety.
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Relief with none of the unpleasant side effects of prescription drugs.
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A way of addressing stress in a safe and effective manner.
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Results of feeling both relaxed and alert.
CES for Insomnia
Today’s medicine's reliance on pharmaceuticals to help restore balance means the introduction of medication. However, when a drug is introduced into the body it only masks the real problem. This is the reason drugs often work well for a time, only to have sleep problems later reappear, often worse than they were initially.
Medications act as a crutch for the brain, which no longer can operate to its fullest capacity. Subsequently, dosages have to be increased when sleep again becomes problematic. However, dosages have limits where they become unsafe when you reach this point you are back at square one, sometimes far worse off than you were to begin with.
People who have exhausted other methods to help them sleep are finding that CES is a better way to relieve insomnia. The challenge is to restore the natural rhythm of neurological patterns is established by restoring a chemical balance. When this balance is working as it should, sleep comes naturally.
CES results for insomnia:
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Treats the causes of poor sleep rather than the symptoms.
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Uses the natural processes of the brain to reset your sleep clock, thus reestablishing your natural sleeping rhythms.
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No known side effects.
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It helps the brain to function naturally without introducing pharmaceuticals.
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Relieves the symptoms caused by insomnia, anxiety, and depression.
CES Side Effects
Side effects can include vertigo or dizziness (if the stimulation is set too high or you can’t tolerate the machine), headache (approx 1 in 1000), or skin irritation (approx 1 in 1500). No cases of mania or serotonin syndrome have been reported.
Note: CES has no withdrawal symptoms, unlike most drugs. It also has minimal or no negative side-effects. You can also use the CES while still on your medication. In fact, it is important that you don't go off your medication until your doctor tells you to do so.
CES Scientific Evidence
During the mid-2000s, the combination of pharmaceutical brands becoming generic and Internet advertising caused CES devices to gain popularity. In 2011, the devices received media attention from the Wall Street Journal and scientific journals. Research and studies study suggest that CES results in a reduction of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
More than 1,000 articles on CES therapy have been written many of which are listed in four reviews put out by the United States Library of Congress. This is in addition to the wealth of physiological and bio-engineering data on electro-sleep and electro-anesthesia. Human research studies on CES currently number more than 100 scientific and research studies, including the Harvard School of Public Health.
Its efficacy has been clinically confirmed through 28 established psychometric tests, computerized EEGs and topographical brain-mapping. Meta-analyses yielding positive results from the use of CES have been conducted at the University of Tulsa and at the Harvard University School of Public Health.
TESTIMONIALS
"Several months ago I suffered from severe insomnia. I couldn't get more than 3 or 4 hours of sleep a night, and sometimes I couldn't sleep at all. I tried all kinds of sleep medications and supplements without success. With CES, I was able to get 7 hours of sleep a night within 2 weeks. I used it every day for two months and during that time I had no insomnia."
Walter R.
"Now when I wake up I feel much better, more relaxed, and refreshed and I also feel that I am coping with the stress much better at work. It's like having my own personal little relaxation device. I love My CES and have recommend it to all my friends and family."
Milly E.
"I am so glad that a friend of mine directed me to CES. I have been astonished by the results. Within a few weeks, I noticed a big improvement in my memory and I was more focused and alert while studying. What a great product!"
James T.
“I use it when doing office work and filling out patient's charts and always feel more calm and focused and sleep better when I use it regularly. I recommend CES to anyone that has depression, or feels anxious or frazzle and wants a non-medication treatment for calming one's nerves and improving their sleep."
Marry J.
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What is Biofeedback?Biofeedback is a process that enables an individual to learn how to change physiological activity for the purposes of improving health and performance. Precise instruments measure physiological activity such as brainwaves, heart function, breathing, muscle activity, and skin temperature. These instruments rapidly and accurately “feedback” information to the user. The presentation of this information — often in conjunction with changes in thinking, emotions, and behavior — supports desired physiological changes. Over time, these changes can endure without continued use of an instrument.
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What conditions are helped by Biofeedback training?Successful outcomes, not limited to those listed below, have been reported by Neurofeedback Practitioners for: ADD/ADHD, addictions. anger, anxiety, autism, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, closed head injuries, concentration, depression, headaches and migraines, learning disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), pain management, reading skills, seizure disorders, sleep disorders and stroke recovery. Biofeedback has also proven effective when used for Peak Performance Training, such as developing memory skills, focusing abilities, and increasing concentration.
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What childhood conditions is Biofeedback successful in treating?Biofeedback has been used to treat seizures and subclinical seizure activity, problems of attention and learning, bipolar disorder, autistic spectrum, and other conditions.
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Why does Biofeedback work?The brain is amazingly adaptable. It is capable of making adjustments to improve its own performance if given cues about what to change. When the brain is regulating itself well and is alert and attentive, brainwaves (EEG) show particular patterns. We challenge the brain to maintain this “high-performance” alert and active state. Gradually, after 20 or more training sessions, the brain learns to stay at this high-performance state for longer periods of time and to retain these new skills.
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Do the effects of Biofeedback training really last?If the problem being addressed is one of brain dysregulation, then the answer is yes, and that covers a lot of ground. Biofeedback involves learning by the brain and if that brings order out of disorder, the brain will continue to use its new capabilities, and thus reinforce them.
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How is Biofeedback training done?At a training session, sensors are placed on your body. The sensors pick up information on your brain’s and body activity at very specific locations. (No electricity enters your brain. The sensors merely read information from the brain and body and relay it to the Practitioner’s computer.) You then sit back in a comfortable chair as you watch a computer monitor that displays a computer game, a movie, a bar graph, music, sounds or simply colors that change as your brainwaves change. The Practitioner monitors your brainwaves and sets training parameters which are based upon information obtained during your comprehensive intake process. This process gives your brain instantaneous feedback about its performance during the training session. On a subconscious level it begins to “work out” and It begins to produce more of the helpful type of brainwave patterns and less of those that are correlated with the symptoms you wish to address. With practice, your brain learns new patterns. Desirable neuronal pathways are strengthened and new pathways are created.
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How long do sessions last?Each session takes between 45 and 60 minutes. The actual training period lasts a maximum of 30 minutes. Additional time is needed beforehand for sensor placement and adjustment. We also speak with our clients briefly before and after each training session to monitor how things are progressing. We reserve 60 minutes for each client to ensure that no one is rushed and that there will be time to discuss the results you are experiencing.
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How many sessions will I need?Results from Biofeedback training are seen gradually, over time. Initial progress can be seen within 10 sessions for most conditions. A typical treatment program consists of between 15 and 30 sessions, depending upon the conditions being addressed, with the average being 15 sessions. Current understanding among Biofeedback providers is that it takes a minimum of 20 sessions for learning to be consolidated so the client can maintain the gains that have been made. Sometimes a client will complete 20 sessions, take a year off, and then return to complete training.
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How frequent should the training session be?When starting neurofeedback training, sessions should be regular and frequent at two or three (or more) sessions per week. As learning begins to consolidate, the pace can be reduced.
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What happens if Biofeedback clients are taking medication?With successful Neurofeedback / EEG Biofeedback training, the medications targeting brain function may very well no longer be needed, or they may be needed at lower dosages, as the brain takes over more of the role of regulating itself.
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What is the research on Biofeedback?Research continues to show that biofeedback therapy training, results in patients learning to control their own brain activity, while effectively “retraining” their own brain waves toward healthier patterns. Since its inception in the 1960s biofeedback has been rigorously studied. A recent review of the term biofeedback on the National Institute of Health’s database ‘PubMed’ reported that Biofeedback has gained attention in recent years showing only 948 articles and peered-reviewed research published between 1990 and 1995, and 2,267 published since 2010 to present. For current researh articles and publication visit our research page here.
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What is Neuroplasticity and how Biofeedback plays a role?Historically the brain was seen as hard wired with each area having its own function; when that area was injured the function was lost. Today the concept of neuroplasticity has replaced the hard wired model. Neuroplasticity refers to changes in neural pathways and synapses which are due to changes in behavior, environment and neural processes, as well as changes resulting from bodily injury. Neuroplasticity occurs on a variety of levels ranging from cellular changes due to learning to large-scale changes involved in cortical remapping in response to injury. The role of neuroplasticity is widely recognized in healthy development, learning, memory and recovery from brain damage, all from which Biofeedback can help.