Julien Devereux

SolutionS outpatient ServiceS

too often, medication becomes the quickest solution to anxiety, depression, or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (aDD/aDHD). However, medication is costly, has unpleasant side effects and requires a daily regimen.

i have been treating these problems using a cutting edge method of biofeedback called neurofeedback or eeG Biofeedback. it is a non-chemical, non-invasive, cost-effective treatment that resolves the underlying cause of these disorders. it retrains the “software” of the brain without requiring any conscious effort by the patient. using operant conditioning to reward the brain and normalize the brainwave patterns, it increases the brain’s ability to focus, flex and adapt to different input and situations.

During training, sensors, connected to sensitive electronics and computer software, are placed on the scalp to detect, amplify, and record specific brain activity. resulting information is fed back to the trainee instantaneously. Based on this feedback, various principles of learning, and practitioner guidance, changes in brain patterns are learned to create positive changes in physical, emotional, and cognitive states. people routinely acquire a “felt sense” of these positive changes and often are able to access these states outside the feedback session.

once the training is complete, no further treatment is necessary.

Tom Landry Fitness Center, doesn’t like the word “diet.”

“I recommend my clients follow a natural eating plan,” Brumley says. “If it’s in a box, wrapped in plastic, processed – you want to stay away from it. If it’s vegetables, fruit, protein – those are green light foods.”

Brumley classifies whole grains as yellow-light foods. “Whole grains are a little bit controversial. I tend to stay away from wheat in general. Whenever I say carbohydrates, I’m talking about sweet potatoes, or rice - foods in less processed forms.”

Brumley says many people reduce their food intake below healthy levels without realizing it. “We see people that have been taking in 900 calories a day and working out for an hour – that’s just not enough to sustain your body. What happens is your body goes into conservation mode. It slows down metabolism, because we use energy whenever we move about in our daily activity.”

Nutrition accounts for seventy percent of success in losing weight. The other thirty percent is related to exercise. In contrast to most people’s expectation, new research shows that aerobic exercise is not the most effective when it comes to reducing body fat.

“Recently, fitness professionals are getting away from traditional cardio, long duration, aerobic activity, to shorter duration, highintensity anaerobic activities,” Brumley says.

“Aerobic” refers to exercise that efficiently burns calories by means of increased heart rate and the presence of oxygen in the system. “Anaerobic” refers to exercising at a higher rate than your body is ready for. Weight training is one example. High intensity anaerobic exercise should be impossible to continue beyond a short duration.

Beware liquid calories.

Juices and alcoholic beverages average 100 calories per 8 oz. serving, and are associated with small but gradual increases in weight.

Sugar-sweetened beverages (sodas, energy drinks) average 100 calories per 8 oz. serving, and are a major contributor to weight gain. –

It can be confusing when modern science contradicts an entrenched belief, but remember, aerobics still contribute to fitness by increasing strength and endurance. Balance is the key.

“Our field is young compared to most other fields,” Brumley says. “The original research in fitness looked at the effectiveness of aerobic exercise and really never looked at anaerobic activity. As our field has grown there’s more research showing that when it comes to losing weight and body fat, interval training is much more effective.”

In High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), her clients may perform an activity at high intensity for twenty seconds, and then rest for 30 seconds, then high at 20 seconds again, and then off for another 30 seconds. “So it’s back and forth,” Brumley says. “And the great thing about intervals is that you can tailor it to the person’s needs, so they might go longer interval types—one minute on, two minutes of rest.”

Studies show that long-term results in weight management are best achieved by developing and keeping new habits. The most important new habit is vigilance, through keeping a food diary, or a once-per-week date with a scale. Lifestyle changes bring about long-term results.

Bringing warmth

Elizabeth Esterchild , left, and Judy Mank volunteer at Midway Hills Christian Church making blankets as part of Project Linus, a national nonprofit that provides blankets for needy children. The group meets 10 a.m.-2 p.m. the first Saturday of each month at the church, 1001 Midway. Watch a video at prestonhollow.advocatemag.com/video.

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