Drug and alcohol addiction and abuse. Recognition. Prevention. Treatment
20/20 Parenting. Recognizing and mitigating early vulnerabilities and risk factors.
Kerry’s Journal
Reflections, Experiences, Shared Vision
August 15, 2007
I’m typing this as I sit on the bus on the freeway into Vancouver. Recently I purchased a MacBook Pro laptop and this is my first attempt at working in transit. I’m finding it quite delightful despite the bumps and occasional sways. Isn’t it amazing how far we’ve come with technology?
I remember as a child, typing on my grandmother’s old Underwood manual typewriter. In fact many years later I bought a small portable Underwood at a yard sale and still keep it for its nostalgic and potential collectible value. The lovely lady sitting beside me today, J. Brown, also an artist, tells me that many of her senior friends still prefer the old manuals. How charming. Reminds me of my sweet departed Nana.
As for this trip to Vancouver, I’ve been on a course of biofeedback treatment since mid June and hesitating to talk about it as it might reflect badly on my mental and creative abilities…mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) being largely misunderstood much the same as addiction and mental illness. However, I am also an “information provider” via 20/20 Parenting and wish to share this in case it can help someone. My doctor has informed me that a large percentage of his addicted patients have pre-existing MTBI, as I have good reason to suspect my son Ryan had.
As for my abilities, I was a straight A mature student in the mid ‘90s despite this old injury stemming back to my twenties. TBI typically involves cognitive efficiency versus intelligence, thankfully. And I’ve had many years to adapt.
However, I’ve also been a “common” migraine sufferer since my twenties and recently learned that migraine can be a symptom of MTBI (before diagnosis many years ago at VGH I thought they were just stress headaches).
Given what I’ve learned through researching Ryan’s early childhood head traumas, as well as three cases I know of personally who have had near, if not, miraculous recoveries using biofeedback, and the scientific evidence for it, I decided to give it a try.
Neurotherapy is a very interesting process where they first examine the brain using a QEEG brain map, or scan. It measures the brain waves to determine what areas of the brain are functioning poorly. The biofeedback treatments then are custom designed to correct the brainwave imbalances.
I’m already experiencing some improvements in general well-being and sleep quality. Though it’s too early to be sure if the migraines will be reduced, or better yet, cured, this gives me much hope.
For more information on biofeedback and neurotherapy see Dr. Paul Swingle’s (my doctor) article and website link: Neurotherapy: Drug Free Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury Also, to hear Dr. Swingle interviewed on many brain-related topics visit his media page or tune in to CFUN 1410 AM (Pacific Northwest) 1:00 pm on September 30th (The Treatments for Attention Deficit and Learning Disorders) and 1:00 pm on October 14th, 2007 (Neurotherapeutic Treatments for Depression) so you can ask him your own questions! Also, if you can make it to his annual free public lecture held in Burnaby, BC, on October 17th 7:00 pm call his office for further info: 604-684-7659.
Health and Happiness,
Kerry Jackson
PS: I do not receive any commissions, kick backs, favours or discounts of any kind from Dr. Swingle. I simply admire his work and want others to know about it.
