For years, the topic of CBD for medical use was controversial. However, now that it has been approved for general use in the US, CBD (cannabidiol) is now widely researched and used for a variety of health conditions.

CBD is NOT psychoactive. While both cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) come from the Cannabis plant genus, they are quite different compounds:

• THC is known for its psychoactive effects (ie: the "high" feeling).
• CBD is not a recreational drug and doesn't offer the psychoactive effects of THC.

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Self-care is a phrase frequently talked about but rarely understood. We all seem to have plenty of time for stress, but never enough for self-care. A healthy, happy life requires we find a balance between managing care for others while prioritizing care for ourselves.

No matter what takes center stage in your life— family responsibilities, work deadlines or end-of-semester finals— you will be better equipped to everything that comes your way if you are also taking the time to care for yourself. Here are a few ways you can sneak self-care into your everyday routine.

Sleep is a huge part of health. Quality sleep is a must for optimal health. Insomnia is lack of sleep. To have insomnia is to feel that you are walking around in a daze, not fully awake at times. The CDC reported that one third of our population gets less than 7 hours of sleep per night. The US Department of Transportation found drowsiness/nodding off causes over 1500 deaths and 40,000 injuries per year.

Many people take medication in an attempt to get quality rest. Many are not aware that insomnia is often a symptom of a larger problem that involves the over-firing of the brain or imbalances in body chemistry. In our office, we use brain maps to determine if a person’s brain is over-firing and neurofeedback to rehab the brain. If the underlying cause of imbalanced brain waves is not properly dealt with these people often also end up dealing with symptoms like anxiety, chronic pain, tinnitus, poor memory and focus/attention difficulties.

Top Ten Reasons to get a Brain Map

1. There are difficulties with focus and attention. Brain mapping has a long history of helping to recognize the symptoms of attention deficit disorder or ADD. 
2. A person feels like they are in a fog or having problems with zoning out. Brain fog can happen in a child and in an adult. 
3. Head trauma. Concussions. A history of contact sports. It is important to make sure the electrical activity of the brain is intact. Head trauma is associated with a long term loss of brain activity and function. 

Neurofeedback is among the most exciting technological advances in medicine. Studies are emerging that confirm what practitioners have witnessed for years.

In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics underwent a rigorous review of all the available data on neurofeedback.  The following policy statement was developed from this review process:

The American Academy of Pediatrics approved biofeedback and neurofeedback as aLevel 1 or “best support” treatment option for children suffering from ADHD.

Research and clinical studies show many cognitive issues which are unresponsive to medication or psychotherapy often can be resolved within 20-40 Neurofeedback therapy sessions. Others require a greater number of sessions. Chronic,  longstanding emotional and physical issues, including those complicated by  substance abuse, can show marked improvement within 20 treatments.

2009 Clinical Study for Neurofeedback and ADHD

(click above title to view the original study)

In 2009 one of the best clinical trials so far on the effectiveness of Neurofeedback on ADHD was published.  In this trial researchers studied 102 children with ADHD, age 8-12 years, for 36 sessions of Neurofeedback and compared it to 36 sessions of computerized attention skills training as a the control.  Researchers carefully rated progress using pre-training, intermediate and post-training assessments completed by parents and teachers.  In their findings, researchers found that Neurofeedback was more effective than the control group doing only attention skills training and thus established clinical efficacy for Neurofeedback that was statistically significant.