READY TO FOCUS
800 Ellis Road, Suite 245
Norton Shores, MI 49441
Toll-free: 1-800-850-0535
Appointments: info@readytofocus.com
Billing: billing@readytofocus.com
Schedule an appointment today! 1-800-850-0535
800 Ellis Road, Suite 245
Norton Shores, MI 49441
Toll-free: 1-800-850-0535
Appointments: info@readytofocus.com
Billing: billing@readytofocus.com
Schedule an appointment today! 1-800-850-0535
Posted on January 5 2010
Written by Brad Oostindie, MA, LLP
Gary (not his real name) is a 12 year old who had been taking Concerta (a common stimulant medication) for a number of years to address his problems with focus and distraction. Over time his dosage was increased to 54mg per day, which is considered a high dose of this type of medication. Prior to taking this medication he experienced problems with sustaining focus, distraction, and difficulties related to completing homework and other academic difficulties. Even with taking the medication he had difficulties with completing homework, sustaining attention and focus on tasks, and impulsivity.
When assessed at Ready To Focus, it was found that he did indeed have a slow wave dysregulation. Individuals with slow wave issues tend to have problems sustaining focus and with distraction and also tend to respond well to stimulant medication as the medication tends to help the brain activate (i.e. Get out of its slow wave pattern). Unfortunately, the assessment also showed that even though he was taking the medication, his performance on neuropsychological tests measuring sustained focus and distraction was still in a range considered impaired. He started a home-based biofeedback/neurofeedback program following a researched training regimen used all over the world in neurofeedback treatment centers for this slow wave dysregulation.
After approximately 20 hours of training (while on his 54 mg of medication) we observed his neuropsychological testing improve from impaired to the average range. At that point his parents decreased his medication to 36 mg and he completed another 10-15 hours of treatment. When retested at the 35 hour mark of total training (at 36mg) his scores remained in the average range. The medication was again reduced to 18 mg for another 5-10 hours of training and he was retested. Again – the results showed scores in the average range. At that point the big step was taken to eliminate all medication and train for another 5-10 hours before retesting. The last retesting showed attention scores in the above normal range, and distraction scores in the low average range. So, after approximately 45 hours of training Gary was off from the stimulant medication entirely, and scoring better on the neuropsychological tests than he was while on it.
Subjectively, during that time Gary (who had completed the first 3-4 months of school while doing all this) was doing his homework unassisted every night. Typically both he and his mother would have to do homework every night together – a 1-2 hour process each night. Also, he obtained higher academic scores/grades than in years past.
Because of the fact his distraction scores remained lower than what we would like them to be, we will have Gary continuing on an office-based once a week training schedule for the next month or two (also called “maintenance therapy”). The goal is to help him maintain his gains, improve the distraction piece even more, and make sure the gains stick. Research shows that approximately 80% of those who benefit from biofeedback/neurofeedback (minimum 20 hours training) maintain the gains in the one, two, three, and five year follow up studies. Because of how far he has come, and the areas yet to improve, we will do the maintenance therapy to make sure there is no regression.
Update (February 3, 2010): After one month of maintenance therapy (one neurofeedback session per week) and no medication Gary did indeed show some regression. We responded to this by restarting 18 mg of Concerta and doing one more month of the home based program. He has quickly responded to this and is back on track. We plan on continuing neurofeedback training on the 18mg for a few weeks, then training off the medication entirely for a few weeks to see if we can have complete success with getting him off the medication entirely!
Posted on January 5 2010
Written by Brad Oostindie, MA, LLP
According to the National Institutes of Health, one in three adults has occasional insomnia and one in ten adults has chronic insomnia. About 8% of the insured population took sleeping pills in 2006, versus 5% in 1998. The increased use of sleeping pills has been particularly sharp for young adults. The issue with using many of these sleeping medications is the addictive quality of them and the impairment they give even into the next morning in terms of focus and attention because of the sedative type quality of the medication. Also, they tend to impede the natural sleep process (sleep stages we go through during the night) making the medicated sleep less efficient than natural sleep. So, even though they promote sleeping, the quality of the sleep is lessened because the natural sleep cycles are impeded.
Sam (not his real name), a young adult in charge of running a business and supervising several employees, was one of the 10% of adults with chronic insomnia. About a year or so ago he was prescribed a sleep aid to address this issue, and was a nightly user of it at the time he contacted Ready To Focus. His insomnia resulted from a bigger issue with anxiety and stress. With a combination of biofeedback and neurofeedback training he was able to stop taking the medication very quickly. He also substituted over the counter melatonin (a natural sleep producer) to help restore his sleep cycle. Lastly, we are addressing his sleep (and anxiety) issues with use of a full spectrum light that he will use for 15-20 minutes each morning in conjunction with his biofeedback/neurofeedback schedule. This type of specialized lamp has been scientifically shown to improve the sleep-wake cycle and improve mood.
Posted on January 5 2010
Written by Brad Oostindie, MA, LLP
Joe (not his real name) is a self-employed adult who owns an international business. It is a fast pace, high stress type job with many degrees of responsibilities. A few years ago he noticed problems with maintaining focus throughout the day, increased disorganization, and inability to stay focused on a project in order to deliver it to completion. Some of these qualities had been lifelong patterns, but they were accentuated during times of stress. Other issues included problems with sleep, anxious mood, and obsessiveness. Overall he described himself as feeling tense and uncomfortable most of the time.
A visit to his family doctor resulted in a prescription for a common stimulant medication. Although the medications did help improve his focus somewhat initially, he noticed they did not alleviate all symptoms and in fact made some of the issues worse. A colleague of his referred him to the Ready To Focus program, and after reading the book ADD: The 20 Hour Solution he decided to start the program.
An initial assessment was completed that showed brain wave patterns associated with fast wave dysregulation as opposed to brain waves associated slow wave dysregulation. Both fast wave and slow wave dysregulation can lead to symptoms commonly associated with ADD or ADHD; however, individuals with fast wave dysregulation tend to respond poorly to stimulant medication as opposed to slow wave individuals who tend to respond positively to it. This was confirmed for Joe when we tested him on a continuous performance test (a neuropsychological testing instrument) with and without the medication. When he realized his scores were no better with the medication as opposed to without it, he stopped taking the medication.
Joe then began a biofeedback/neurofeedback regimen with the Ready To Focus home based program and completed about 4 months of training (approximately 35 hours total time training). Both he and his colleagues notice a great improvement! The research shows that he stands at least an 80% chance of not only holding these gains after he completes the programs, but that he will actually show even more improvement over the next 1-3 years even though he won’t be using the equipment. Subjectively, he reports feeling better and more productive even with all the stress of his job.
Posted on December 7 2009
Written by Natalie’s mother:
Natalie had always had a problem putting herself to sleep since infancy. As an 11-year-old, it was really affecting her daily behavior. We were also trying to identify and isolate the root of her issues with angry outbursts, lying, disorganization, and irresponsibility. We knew she was a very intelligent, creative, outgoing, engaging person, but the other side of her was really making everyday life difficult. As parents, we were really struggling to do what we knew we needed to do (be consistent, follow-thru with consequences, set expectations) but were just not seeing any long-lasting results; she didn’t seem to be learning from consequences and our relationship was suffering.
Several years ago, when we had first heard of neurofeedback, we found a local psychologist that was offering it. We drove 40 minutes, round-trip, twice a week for 30-minute treatments and paid about $180 per visit, out of pocket. When we met with the psychologist, we paid $360 an hour, out of pocket. It was very difficult to afford, but for the first time ever, Natalie (then 9-years-old) was going to sleep on her own and staying asleep. Her daily behavior was much more consistent and we just knew this was the result of the neurofeedback. Unfortunately, we were not able to continue as long as needed because of the extreme cost.
Knowing that we had had success with the earlier experience with neurofeedback and Natalie’s sleep issues, we thought that it was worth a try with these current issues. When we heard about the Ready to Focus program and spoke with Brad Oostindie, it was such a relief and, actually exciting, to tell him about Natalie and have him really understand our dilemma and to help us to put some shape and scope to what we were dealing with and how neurofeedback would help. Getting started with the program was easy and so much more convenient to be able to have the whole system in our home. We were able to get in more sessions and not waste any time or expense driving to appointments. We were also able to complete many hours of training for Natalie at a fraction of the cost we paid several years ago in the office based program. The weekly meetings with Brad Oostindie really gave us an opportunity to learn so much about what was happening in Natalie’s brain which actually helped us, too, to know that a lot of Natalie’s behavior was a “brain mis-fire” issue and not necessarily a conscious choice that she was making.
We have seen great results. So many little things along the way have added up to a much more manageable child. Her progress reports from school used to have a list of missing tasks and grades that did not reflect her potential, but now we have not seen a missing task in months and she is consistently taking responsibility for getting homework completed and turned in. Having a 3.6 GPA in sixth grade is a big accomplishment! She still needs reminders for chores or picking up her room, but the difference now is that she responds to reminders instead of ignores or rebels against them. Overall she seems to hear and respond in a much calmer and cooperative way. When I asked her what was the difference, she said, “When I knew that I didn’t have my homework done, it would race around in my head and I would just get really stressed out. Now, I just do it and I feel sooooo much better.” We all feel much better.