NORTH ADAMS -- Dr. Peter May, who offers an alternative to drug therapy for several disorders, will present information on the Low Energy Neurofeedback System (LENS) this Thursday at North Adams Public Library.
May, who holds a doctorate from the National College of Chiropractic and has had a local chiropractic practice since 1988, began treating patients with the Low Energy Neurofeedback System (LENS) in 2010.
"Right from the very first patient, I got results that quite literally sounded too good to be true," he said.
The system, developed in 1992 by Len Ochs, uses electromagnetic signals to "nudge the brain out of maladaptive patters." It has helped May treat people with such disorders as anxiety, fibromyalgia, depression, insomnia, autism and attention deficit disorder/attention defect hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) with a success rate of 75 percent and no side effects, he said.
The system has been attractive to parents of children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD, he said.
"Parents are looking for answers and alternatives," he said. "Many parents are apprehensive about drugs, such as Ritalin and Adderall. There's been little research on the long-term effects of these drugs on developing brains."
May was introduced to the system in 2010 by childhood friend Dr. David Rubbins, who had used the system for two years and spoke highly of the results. May said he was skeptical at first, but the glowing testimony
"I thought, if maybe 10 percent of the people that use this would work, it's still making a big difference in people's lives."
May became trained in the system himself, making him one of 400 practitioners in the world.
The system uses one laptop computer and an electrode for 21 locations on the scalp. Software records the brain's electrical activity and captures and analyzes brainwaves. The system creates an electromagnetic signal based on the brain-wave patterns, which is transmitted back to the scalp. The signal interrupts dysfunctional brainwave patters, and allows the brain to "re-boot" back to normal brainwave patters and brain chemistry.
"Things like anxiety, depression, OCD [obsessive-compulsive disorder], ADD and ADHD are all symptoms of a dysfunctional brain," May said. "This isn't treating a diagnosis, but treating a brain that's misfiring."
May has collected testimonials, many written in the patient's own hand, after each session: A 16-year-old with suicidal thoughts, depression and ADHD; a 29-year-old with anger issues, anxiety and depression who was already prescribed methadone and Xanax; and a 60-year-old with fibromyalgia all reported the treatment giving them a better quality of life.
Krista Cowell and her husband, Curtis, decided LENS could be right for their 10-year-old son, who was diagnosed as having motor tics in his neck and head. Her son would occasionally get headaches from the tics, she said, which could make it hard to concentrate in school. Following working with LENS, the tics have almost completely disappeared.
"We're amazed at what this has done for him," she said. "Even after three or four treatments we noticed the difference."
May said in the long-term, he's seen the LENS effects be permanent.
"Some people do come in for ‘tune ups,' " he said. "But many times, they don't come back after six treatments. At the end of those sessions, they report feeling much better."
To reach Edward Damon, email
edamon@thetranscript.com.
The Essentials
ADD/ADHD and LENS: Low Energy Neurofeedback System' presentation
What: Introduction to LENS
Where: North Adams Public Library, 74 Church St.
When: Thursday, Feb. 7, at 6 p.m.
More information: Contact Peter May at 413-664.9050 or visit www.BrainNeuroFeedback.com.
Font Resize
