<ul><li>Adults hospitalised with the <keyword id="1609796" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="omicron" source="Orion">Omicron</keyword> variant have a higher death rate than those hospitalised with seasonal influenza.</li><li>The study by Dr Alaa Atamna and colleagues from the <keyword id="1692349" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rabin-medical-center" source="Orion">Rabin Medical Center</keyword> at <keyword id="17069086" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="belinison-hospital" source="Orion">Belinison Hospital</keyword> in Israel found that adults (18 years or older) hospitalised with influenza were 55 per cent less likely to die within 30 days than those hospitalised with Omicron during the 2021-2022 influenza season.</li><li>Respiratory complications and need for oxygen support and mechanical ventilation were also more common in Omicron cases than in seasonal influenza.</li></ul>New Delhi, Adults hospitalised with the Omicron variant have a higher death rate than those hospitalised with seasonal influenza, even though Omicron is considered less virulent with lower case fatality rates than the Delta and Alpha strains, new research has revealed.<br /><br />The study by Dr Alaa Atamna and colleagues from the Rabin Medical Center at Belinison Hospital in Israel found that adults (18 years or older) hospitalised with influenza were 55 per cent less likely to die within 30 days than those hospitalised with Omicron during the 2021-2022 influenza season.<br /><br />Influenza and Covid-19 are both respiratory diseases with similar modes of transmission.<br /><br />To find out more, researchers compared the clinical outcomes of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 (Omicron variant) and those hospitalised with influenza at a large academic hospital in Israel.<br /><br />Overall, 63 patients died within 30 days -- 19 admitted with influenza and 44 hospitalised with Omicron.<br /><br />Patients with Omicron tended to have higher overall comorbidity scores, needed more assistance performing activities of daily living (washing and dressing), and were more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes, whereas asthma was more common in those hospitalised with influenza.<br /><br />Respiratory complications and need for oxygen support and mechanical ventilation were also more common in Omicron cases than in seasonal influenza.<br /><br />"A possible reason for the higher Omicron death rate is that patients admitted with Omicron were older with additional major underlying illnesses such as diabetes and chronic kidney disease," said <keyword id="17069085" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="dr-atamna" source="Orion">Dr Atamna</keyword>.<br /><br />The difference might also be due to an exaggerated immune response in Covid-19, and that vaccination against Covid-19 was far lower among patients with Omicron," he added.<br /><br />The double whammy of overlapping influenza and Covid-19 epidemics will increase the complexity of disease and the burden on health systems, said the study to be presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology &amp; Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Copenhagen this month.<br /><br />SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/cert-in-warns-of-high-severity-vulnerabilities-in-apple-products-urges-immediate-action/articleshow/99231900.cms">CERT-In warns of high-severity vulnerabilities in Apple products, urges immediate action</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/googles-new-features-to-simplify-travel-planning-including-a-mobile-friendly-hotel-browsing-feature-a-price-guarantee-badge-for-flights-and-more/articleshow/99235884.cms">Google’s new features to simplify travel planning, including a mobile-friendly hotel browsing feature, a price guarantee badge for flights, and more</a><br />

Omicron more deadly than seasonal influenza, reveals research

Betsy DeVos backs a technique claiming to cure ADHD without medication - but the science is questionable

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Trichomoniasis is a curable, common <keyword id="28690" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="STD">STD</keyword> caused that's often treated with antibiotics.</li><li>Trichomoniasis symptoms in those with vaginas include pain during sex or urination.</li><li>Trichomoniasis symptoms in people with penises include irritation and pain while urinating.</li></ul><p>Trichomoniasis, also known as trich, is a common and curable <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-tell-if-you-have-an-std-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sexually transmitted disease</a> (STD) caused by the parasitic infection Trichomonas vaginalis (TV). </p><p>According to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/std/trichomonas/stdfact-trichomoniasis.htm#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%20CDC,have%20been%20infected%20with%20trichomoniasis." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Center for Disease Control and Prevention</a> (CDC), more than two million people in the US were diagnosed with a trich infection in 2018. </p><p>Trichomoniasis is more common in women than men. In particular, older women, <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/7/6/01-0603_article" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black women</a>, and those with multiple sexual partners are at the highest risk of infection. </p><p>Here's everything you need to know about trichomoniasis, including its symptoms and treatment options. </p><h2>Symptoms of trichomoniasis</h2><p>Many individuals with trichomoniasis are <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/trichomoniasis/symptoms-causes/syc-20378609?p=1https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/trichomoniasis/symptoms-causes/syc-20378609?p=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asymptomatic</a>, meaning that they experience no symptoms at all. </p><p>"About one-third of the time, for both men and women, there are no symptoms," says <a href="https://drmarinov.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dimitar Marinov</a>, MD, assistant professor at the Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology with the <a href="https://www.mu-varna.bg/EN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria</a>.</p><p>If symptoms do occur, they typically appear within <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/trichomoniasis.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five to 28 days</a> following infection and will vary depending on gender. </p><p>People with vaginas may develop the following <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/trichomoniasis/symptoms-causes/syc-20378609?p=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">symptoms</a>: </p><ul><li>An unusual and unpleasant smelling vaginal discharge, which may appear white, gray, yellow, or green in color  </li><li>Genital itching, burning, redness, or pain </li><li>Discomfort or pain while urinating</li><li>Painful intercourse </li></ul><p>People with penises may experience the following symptoms: </p><ul><li>Discharge from the penis </li><li>Irritation inside the penis </li><li>Discomfort, pain, or burning with urination or after ejaculation </li></ul><h2>What causes trichomoniasis? </h2><p>Trichomoniasis is caused by a single-celled, microscopic parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis. It travels from person to person through unprotected sexual contact including vaginal intercourse, vulva-to-vulva contact, and <a href="http://plannedparenthood.org/learn/stds-hiv-safer-sex/trichomoniasis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sharing sex toys</a>. </p><p>"Trich can't be spread via oral or anal sex," says Marinov. "Therefore, unprotected vaginal sex is the main risk factor." </p><p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4553853/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Non-sexual transmission of trichomoniasis</a> is rare but possible. There are cases of people contracting it from contaminated <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0016310" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bathwater</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3490073/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">public pools</a>, or by <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4553853/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sharing clothing or damp towels</a> with someone who has the infection, says Steven A. Rabin, MD, FACOG, and board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist at <a href="https://www.gyn1.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Advanced Gynecology Solutions, Inc</a>.     </p><h2>How is trichomoniasis treated? </h2><p>Trichomoniasis is often treated with antibiotics, the <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/trichomoniasis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20378613#:~:text=Trichomoniasis%20can%20be%20diagnosed%20by,acid%20amplification%20may%20be%20used." target="_blank" rel="noopener">most common</a> of which are as follows: </p><ul><li><strong>Metronidazole (Flagyl). </strong>Metronidazole is a prescription medication available as an oral tablet or capsule, ingestible liquid, vaginal gel, topical cream, or anal suppository. Typically, if you're being treated for trichomoniasis your doctor will prescribe you <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(18)30423-7/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a seven-day 500 mg dose of metronidazole</a> - an oral tablet or capsule that you'll either take once or twice daily depending on your doctor's recommendation. Drinking alcohol within 24 to 72 hours of taking metronidazole can cause severe nausea and vomiting. </li><li><strong>Tinidazole (Tindamax). </strong><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a604036.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tinidazole</a> is a prescription-only medication available as an ingestible liquid or tablet and is usually taken with food as a single or double daily dose for two to five days. Drinking alcohol within 24 to 72 hours of taking tinidazole can cause severe nausea and vomiting. </li></ul><p>Approximately <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/std/trichomonas/stdfact-trichomoniasis.htm#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%20CDC,have%20been%20infected%20with%20trichomoniasis." target="_blank" rel="noopener">one in five people</a> who are treated for trichomoniasis get reinfected within three months after receiving treatment. To prevent this from happening, the person with the infection and their partner should receive treatment at the same time and avoid unprotected sexual contact for at least one week.  </p><p>"It's important to also check for other STDs and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) when you find this," says Rabin. "Safe sex using condoms can lower the risk of infection dramatically."</p><p>"If untreated, trichomoniasis might lead to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11478453/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complications such as infertility in women</a> due to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5193130/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fallopian tube blockage</a>," says Marinov. "Furthermore, trichomonas makes it easier for other sexually transmitted diseases to spread."</p><h2>Insider's takeaway</h2><p>Trichomoniasis is a common STD that's easy to treat. It's usually transmitted via unprotected sexual contact, but in very rare cases can be contracted from a public pool or by sharing clothing or damp towels with someone who has the infection. </p><p>Although antibiotic treatment will get rid of the parasite, it's possible to become reinfected. That's why it's important that you and your partner get treated and practice safe sex with a condom for at least a week after treatment to reduce your risk of reinfection.</p><a data-type="602ed8acb0cb006f9a37ea08">It's possible to get herpes from kissing - here's what you need to know to protect yourself and others</a><a data-type="5fe36c25628b9a3b29295e97">How to choose the right fitting condom and material to protect against STIs and pregnancy</a><a data-type="5fd7d8e983bd0b0dc37b5c72">The difference between canker sores and cold sores and how to effectively treat both</a><a data-type="5f4024bcf34d0529c6709da3">5 natural home remedies to get rid of cold sores fast</a>

How to treat trichomoniasis: The sexually-transmitted parasite that infects 2 million people in the US

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5729bf87dd0895c3058b476c-2400/gettyimages-187265981.jpg" alt="doctor nurse hospital prince william mask blue scrubs gown" data-mce-source="Lefteris Pitarakis - WPA Pool/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, in his role as President of the Royal Marsden NHS (National Health Service) Foundation Trust, watches as lead surgeon Pardeep Kumar, performs surgery for the removal of a bladder tumour on a male patient during a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital on November 07, 2013 in Sutton, Greater London." /><p class="source"><span>Lefteris Pitarakis - WPA Pool/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, in his role as President of the Royal Marsden NHS (National Health Service) Foundation Trust, watches as lead surgeon Pardeep Kumar, performs surgery for the removal of a bladder tumour on a male patient during a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital on November 07, 2013 in Sutton, Greater London.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Zebra Medical Vision, an Israeli digital healthcare startup, claims to have developed an algorithm that has the potential to improve breast cancer detection.</p><p>Founded in 2014 and backed by the likes of Salesforce billionaire Marc Benioff with $20 million (£16 million), the Tel Aviv-based company says it has taught an algorithm to identify early signs of breast cancer with the help of thousands of previous mammograms.</p><p>That constantly improving algorithm - trained using a technique known as machine learning, which is a type of AI that equips computers with the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed - is now better than radiologists using the best Computer Aided Detection (CAD) methods for mammography, the company claims. </p><p>Eldad Elnekave, Zebra's chief medical officer, told Business Insider in Tel Aviv that the algorithm can detect half of the breast cancer cases that are currently being missed by radiologists. Radiologists working for the NHS fail to spot breast cancer in thousands of mammograms every year, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11284114/NHS-breast-cancer-screening-misses-more-than-2000-cases-a-year.html" target="_blank">according to The Telegraph</a>. The condition affects one in eight women in their lifetime, <a href="https://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/about-us/who-we-are" target="_blank">according to UK charity Breast Cancer Care</a>.</p><p>"The challenge here is there's so much background noise in breasts," said Elnekave. "Breasts can be dense, they can be not dense, they can be have implants, and so on. There are so many possibilities so to find the actual breast cancer is a challenge. This is where we could utilise the fact that we had an enormous database of mammograms. We have 344,000 breast cancer studies [from hospitals]."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57fd03b2dd0895c5338b46ef-1200/zebra-team.jpg" alt="Zebra Team" data-mce-source="Zebra" /><p class="source"><span>Zebra</span></p><p class="caption">The Zebra team.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The mammography algorithm will be added to the company's growing list of <a href="http://pr.blonde20.com/zebra-cardiovascular-general/">clinical algorithms</a>, which can automatically read and diagnose medical imaging data. Current algorithms are in the fields of bone health, cardiovascular analysis, liver and lung indications, and now mammography.</p><p>Dr Maya Cohen, director of the imaging Institute at Rabin Medical Center and director of the Breast Health Center at Herzeliya Medical Center in Israel, endorsed Zebra's technology in a press release published by the company. </p><p>"Some of the most challenging cancer diagnoses are ones where the visual cues are not distinct lesions but rather regional asymmetry or architectural distortion in the breast tissue," she said in a statement, adding that Zebra's algorithm could help mammographers detect even the "most subtle" cancers.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/undecided-voter-ken-bone-second-presidential-debate-2016-10">The internet is in love with Ken Bone - an undecided voter who unwittingly starred in the debate</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="RwczBqNjE6GBXrXY212dffy9Qfg1n4TM" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'RwczBqNjE6GBXrXY212dffy9Qfg1n4TM',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

An Israeli startup says it has taught an algorithm how to detect breast cancer

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56faac3252bcd029008b95dc-1519/tr.jpg" alt="tony robbins" data-mce-source="Courtesy of Tony Robbins." data-mce-caption="Tony Robbins."><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Tony Robbins.</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Neurofeedback is a technique that involves placing electrical brain wave sensors on the scalp and using the sensors' feedback to control a video game or a series of sounds</strong></li><li><strong>A 7-day retreat uses the technique, claiming it boosts IQ and improves creativity</strong></li><li><strong>Other neurofeedback providers say their methods can help with everything from mood-boosting to ADHD </strong></li><li><strong>While <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">science</keyword> says many of these claims are overstated, but there is one promising area of research</strong></li></ul><p>There are three cities around the world where, for $15,000, you can spend a week allegedly exercising your brain.</p><p>The cerebral workout plan was created in the 1980s by James Hardt, a physicist and psychologist who claims that a week of his program "expands your awareness more than 20 years of Zen meditation."</p><p>Hardt's company, called the <a href="http://www.biocybernaut.com/">Biocybernaut Institute</a>, is centered around neurofeedback, a form of therapy that uses information about the brain's electrical patterns to teach people about how their minds work. The idea is that people can learn to control their brain activity in specific ways - from increasing focus or creativity to decreasing the symptoms of anxiety, depression, or even ADHD.</p><p>At its most basic, the treatment involves placing <a href="http://www.eegspectrum.com/faq/">electrical sensors designed to monitor brain waves</a> at various points on the scalp - kind of like you would if you were to get an EEG at the doctor. Those sensors are then connected to a source of feedback, like a video screen, with images that shift based on the type of brain waves a person is emitting.</p><p>"We give people real-time data on their own brain waves and then they change them," Alice Miller, a Biocybernaut trainer, told Business Insider.</p><h2>Our electric brains</h2><p>Theoretically, if you can control these brain waves, you can control your levels of alertness.</p><p>But to understand how that works, you have to know two important things: First, our brains are electric. Second, certain brain wave frequencies have actually been linked with various states of alertness.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58c936876ad50ac6008b4dc8-640/hansbergerunivjena.jpeg" alt="Hans Berger EEG wikimedia commons 1924" data-mce-source="Wikimedia Commons" data-link="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/HansBerger_Univ_Jena.jpeg"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/HansBerger_Univ_Jena.jpeg">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></p><p class="caption">Austrian psychiatrist Hans Berger</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>The first person to measure the brain's electricity was Austrian psychiatrist Hans Berger, who <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1738204/">reported a technique</a> for "recording the electrical activity of the human brain from the surface of the head" in 1924. It was the world's first electroencephalogram, or EEG.</p><p>Today, we know that most of the electrical activity from the scalp <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22090396">falls in a range of roughly 1 to 20 Hertz</a> (Hz). Neuroscientists <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22090396">typically divide this activity into 4 specific ranges, or bands</a>. Each level corresponds to a specific type of alertness - at the lowest, called delta, you're literally asleep; at the highest, called beta, you're focused and attentive.</p><p>It breaks down like this:</p><ul><li>Delta: 1-4 Hz - activity your brain emits while you're asleep</li><li>Theta: 4-8 Hz<em> - </em>what your brain waves might look like when you're "zoning off" or not really paying attention</li><li>Alpha: 8-12 Hz - your relaxed but wakeful state</li><li>Beta: 12-30 Hz - the the brain waves your noggin tends to emit when you're sharply focused</li></ul><p>Neurofeedback operates on the principal that you can become aware of when your brain is in which state - or band of activity - and then consciously shift from one to another. If you can't focus and your brain is showing lots of theta activity, the idea goes, you need to shift up into an alpha state. If you're anxious and angry all the time and your brain is trapped in beta, you want to shift down into alpha.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58c851526ff801b1048b4b88-1141/undefined" alt="neurofeedback erin eeg braintrain uk" data-mce-source="Erin Brodwin / Business Insider"><p class="source"><span>Erin Brodwin / Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">Me trying out a neurofeedback demo at BrainTrainUK in London.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Miller claims that if you practice this for long enough using neurofeedback technology, your brain will start to automatically do it on its own in real life.</p><p>"Say you went and you yelled at the checkout person, maybe three times a week you have this issue. With the training, you come back and realize, 'You know what, I haven't lost my cool at the checkout for three months!' The triggers are gone. You won't even realize it. You're operating completely differently," Miller said.</p><h2>Boosting your mood and achieving 'peak performance'</h2><p>The Biocybernaut Institute claims that one week of its training does everything from boosting your IQ (<a href="http://www.biocybernaut.com/benefits">the average increase is 11.7 points</a>, according to their website) and creativity (<a href="http://www.biocybernaut.com/benefits">50% on average</a>, the site says) to reversing aging, improving relationships, and "dissolving fear."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56a941a258c3238d008b5c5b-602/14414381350_ca3f84e8f8_o.jpg" alt="brain" data-mce-source="synapse on Flickr" data-link="https://www.flickr.com/photos/125992663@N02/14414381350/in/photolist-nXKtoo-JCakm-y8ZH9n-6i1vfv-HuQG8-qDbwbV-9nwqUd-8GHvmm-dzN74C-68HeNX-5jFQMP-68xLrq-Cia48C-fyG71q-4UwSna-aZBubt-8AtdcS-Cc6SQU-95NQwj-8totWB-dmm23d-8xWZxS-b33XC2-6zc9GK-box9Jy-cV2cr-7ozE8f-A5fg1S-k7im-qLFBAT-bgpTAi-cVJN4-cUFXxq-r3XnZR-dwUQB-dKgNM-aFhdE5-C5HwSr-dYAJjD-qM3en6-gXGXqd-6F7N2v-kUNJK7-21FqDe-4PTLMq-8GHBuQ-ujYiAY-8VeL2z-8DygD1-eYKxyV"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/125992663@N02/14414381350/in/photolist-nXKtoo-JCakm-y8ZH9n-6i1vfv-HuQG8-qDbwbV-9nwqUd-8GHvmm-dzN74C-68HeNX-5jFQMP-68xLrq-Cia48C-fyG71q-4UwSna-aZBubt-8AtdcS-Cc6SQU-95NQwj-8totWB-dmm23d-8xWZxS-b33XC2-6zc9GK-box9Jy-cV2cr-7ozE8f-A5fg1S-k7im-qLFBAT-bgpTAi-cVJN4-cUFXxq-r3XnZR-dwUQB-dKgNM-aFhdE5-C5HwSr-dYAJjD-qM3en6-gXGXqd-6F7N2v-kUNJK7-21FqDe-4PTLMq-8GHBuQ-ujYiAY-8VeL2z-8DygD1-eYKxyV">synapse on Flickr</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>"After they do this training people just want more," Miller said. "They start businesses, they get promotions, they change."</p><p>Scientific research on neurofeedback doesn't support the vast majority of these claims.</p><p>In a 2005 review on the use of neurofeedback in athletes, <a href="https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/social-and-applied-sciences/psychology-politics-and-sociology/staff/Profile.aspx?staff=79bdff94814a4038">David Vernon</a>, a professor of psychology at Canterbury Christ Church in the UK, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10484-005-8421-4">concluded that</a> "the plethora of claims regarding the use of neurofeedback training to enhance performance is matched only by the paucity of research showing a clear effect." In another review that Vernon and his team <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10874200903334397">published 4 years later</a>, they looked at the studies of neurofeedback's mood-enhancing capabilities. They concluded that "the notion that alpha neurofeedback can enhance the mood of healthy individuals has yet to be firmly established."</p><p>Still, there is one application of neurofeedback that is both promising and well-researched - but only appeals to a very specific population: People with ADHD.</p><h2>Neurofeedback and ADHD</h2><p>Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) centers around difficulty focusing on one task. It may affect as many as 11% of American children ages 4-17 and about 4% of adults, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html">according to the CDC</a> and <a href="https://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/other-related-conditions/adult-adhd">ADAA</a>. And while many of these people use medications like Adderall to help reduce their symptoms, the <a href="http://www.livescience.com/41013-adderall.html">side effects</a> can be severe. For some people, the medications don't work in the first place.</p><p>That's where neurofeedback comes in.</p><p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22090396">Research suggests</a> that many people with ADHD display more theta ("zoning off") activity and less alpha and beta (wakeful or focused) activity when at rest. This finding has bolstered theoretical support for using neurofeedback, and there's also some practical support behind the method as well. Today, ADHD is one of the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22090396">strongest</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27238063">most</a> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19715181">well-researched</a> applications of neurofeedback. As to whether the technique actually helps people with ADHD, however, the scientific evidence remains somewhat inconclusive, though recent results are promising.</p><p>A <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22090396">2012 review</a>, for example, looked at more than a dozen studies of neurofeedback's effect on children with ADHD. The authors concluded that the treatment "can be considered 'probably efficacious,'" a term that <a href="http://www.aapb.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=3440">corresponds with Level 3 out of 5</a> on The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback's ranking of whether treatments work.</p><p><a href="https://psychandneuro.duke.edu/people/david-rabiner">David Rabiner</a>, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, told Business Insider that over the past decade he's seen "a number of additional studies of neurofeedback treatment for ADHD that have been published and many have yielded supportive results."</p><p>Interestingly, Biocybernaut's website does <a href="http://www.biocybernaut.com/benefits">list attention deficit disorder</a> as one of the clinical applications of its technology. Miller told me that most of Biocybernaut's clients are CEOs, professionals, and "young 20-somethings who want to expand their lives."</p><h2>'20 years of meditation in 7 days'</h2><p>Biocybernaut holds regular retreats in Sedona, Arizona; Bavaria, Germany; and Victoria, British Columbia. There, customers spend a week doing various forms of the treatment.</p><p>In darkened rooms, or "chambers," as Miller calls them, participants do rotations of auditory and visual feedback. For two minutes, they close their eyes and listen to various tones that are paired with specific brain wave frequencies. (The louder the tone, the higher the brain wave frequency. The softer the tone, the lower the brain wave frequency.) Then for 8 seconds, they see colored numbers on a screen indicating "which direction" their brain waves appear to be moving - either up into beta, or high frequency, or down into alpha, or lower frequency.</p><p>Although it's only seven days, Miller said people make intense progress.</p><p>"The people who come in on day one are not the same people who leave on day seven," she said.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58a62002549057dc008b52be-1884/undefined" alt="Tony Robbins" data-mce-source="Taylor Hill/Getty"><p class="source"><span>Taylor Hill/Getty</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>According to Tony Robbins, whose testimonial is <a href="http://www.biocybernaut.com/testimonials">featured prominently</a> on Biocybernaut's site, the training "enhanced my ability to multitask, and as a creative professional, I now have the ability to visualize two separate tasks simultaneously. Example being, I can now type an email to one person while having an conversation with another person and the email will be flawless."</p><p><a href="http://www.braintrainuk.com/about-us/neurofeedback-practitioners/">Stuart Black</a>, the founder of a British neurofeedback provider called BrainTrainUK, told Business Insider that he was inspired to start his practice after one of Hardt's retreats.</p><p>"I'd kind of been interested in this for a while and in the end I thought, I'm going to do it. I called him up and booked a session on the next available slot," Black said.</p><p>After he returned, Black says he felt focused and relaxed.</p><p>"I came out of there, I didn't hit nirvana; there were some interesting experiences, but I came out with a very, very quiet mind."</p><p>The training seemed to give him the clarity he needed to finally leave a job that was making him unhappy and start a new career as a consultant. Eventually, that new career led him to found BrainTrainUK, which provides neurofeedback to hundreds of clients, including artists, athletes, and people with clinical conditions. Black says the majority fall into the latter bracket.</p><p>"I never looked back," Black said.</p>     <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tony-robbins-simple-advice-finance-paul-tudor-jones-ray-dalio-emergency-fund-diversify-2017-3">Tony Robbins shares the simple financial advice he learned from working with the smartest financial people in the world</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="FubzI5YTE6CFjhjm1araKvZF-RKX9sR_" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'FubzI5YTE6CFjhjm1araKvZF-RKX9sR_',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

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