Any experience with Dr. Jonathan Walker (Dallas)?

[Bernard]

:agree:

 

[Dignan]

Or, does it even matter which drug you're on if you're planning on trying to use NFB to get off meds anyway.

Better to switch to a drug you feel better on day to day or avoid the change over process in switching drugs, just do the NFB, and then hope you can taper off the current drug without having to use another drug?

 

[epileric]

Remember that for some people NFB only works in conjunction with meds. Also remember that it can take a minimum of 6 months for NFB to start taking effect so it is important to have your seizures somewhat controlled first.

 

[pennyfinch]

Any more info on Dr. Jonathan Walker?

My daughter is thinking of seeing Dr. Walker for neurofeedback. She has partial complex seizures, and has tried at least 10 medicines in the last 6 years. Nothing has helped. We live in New York state, but are considering going to Dallas, due to the results we have heard Dr. Walker has with the QEEG and epilepsy patients. We also found information on a Dr. Koberda who is also a neurologist who uses QEEG. He is located in Tallahassee. I know this is an old thread, but if anyone has information regarding either of these doctors or someone else practicing neurofeedback, I would be interested in your experiences. Thanks.

 

[eegbiofeedbk]

I know both doctors. Both are good clinicians. I know them because we all do the same work, QEEG driven treatment with seizures. I am located in South Florida, Coral Springs---near Fort Lauderdale. Dr. Koberda and I both use LORETA NFB. Not sure if Dr. Walker does or not. LORETA is excellent in helping to find sources of abnormal EEG signatures.

Dr. Gluck
BrainHealingCenter

 

[Bernard]

If your daughter does try NFB (with whichever doctor you choose), please do share your experience with us.

 

[Nakamova]

I remember that there was a Boston-area CWE member who moved to to New York to have closer access to a NFB practitioner. Unfortunately I don't know the practitioner's name, but perhaps there is someone in NYC or elsewhere in the state that might help, or would be willing to work in consultation with Dr. Walker.

 

[mom1]

I can answer some of your questions..

He went to Med School at Baylor College of Medicine and is a board certified Neurologist. He said that as he did more study and had more experience (he has 42 years of medical experience) that he became less enamored with the pharmaceutical route that traditional medicine seems tied to in terms of treating seizures and other issues like ADHD and autism. He then began doing more research into the NFB field and took his career in a different direction. I did tell him I was skeptical of all that kinesiology stuff, but I think it part of the initial screening. He mentioned several times that the QEEG tells him what areas to really focus on for the NFB and if there is anything else that needs to be addressed.

Previously, in this thread and others.. I had been given advice on questions to ask, so I include what I found out below.

In regard to the other 5% of patients? (since he claimed that 95% saw seizure reduction) He said that all saw seizure reduction, but that 5% were severe cases that were especially problematic and therefore their seizures could not be completely eliminated.

How many seizure patients has he dealt with? He said a few hundred.

How long has he been treating seizures with NFB? 20 years, but that in the last 6-8 years he has refined his technique to get to the point where he says he can eliminate the seizures completely.

I also asked him about the records Sanction from the State of Texas and he said that a client was evaluated and determined NOT to be a good candidate for NFB. They got angry and tried to report him to the state who came in and looked everything over upon which they said he hadn't documented things properly in a few cases. He said he has since made the correction to his patient record keeping and all is fine.

I am curious about the QEEG and the NFB, and the idea of getting rid of seizures (while honestly sounding too good to be true) makes me want to try it out. BUT, the kinesiology feedback thing he did as part of the initial screening did give me pause, and I told him this. He was cool about it, and said that all my questions were rational. He said he also knew my regular neurologist and had treated a few of his patients before. My regular neuro did know of Dr. Walker (although he didnt mention that any of his other patients had seen him), but as one might expect, he was skeptical of the whole NFB thing in general.

I don't really know of any other NFB practitioners in my area, so not sure what else I can do at this point.. The QEEG is scheduled for July.. if I go through with it.

Hello, I was wondering if you did follow through with your QEEG and if the therapy sessions actually worked for you. I have not seen a post about what happened and was curious. Thank you.

 

[Dignan]

Hi,

Long story, short, I did not go back to Dr. Walker or do the NFB therapy. But it was more about my "doc exhaustion" than anything else.

Regarding my experiences there, I had the QEEG done and got the report, but I never went through with the therapy sessions. Though I did go back and meet with one of the NFB therapists (Dr. W oversees the therapy after the QEEG, but has other BCIA therapists doing the actual individual work with the patients). As I noted, I was skeptical about some of the kinesiology based techniques he used, which seemed ridiculous to me, but the QEEG seemed legitimate.

My reasoning for not going had nothing to do with my concerns about it or Dr. Walker being legitimate or not, as the QEEG seemed legit, the report I received afterwards looked legit, and the therapist who would be doing the NFB seemed legit as well. My issue was I was just worn out on seeing docs at that time, and the idea of traveling to the office three times a week for six months or more for sessions, and the uncertainty over whether insurance would cover it led me to wait. At that time, I really felt like I had been put through the ringer based on all the doc visits I had that year, and I just didnt want to do it anymore, especially for 6 to 9 months.

Also, I was fortunate enough not to be having seizures (knock on wood), but was seeking help for some of the side effects of the meds I had to take (my plan was to use NFB to maybe allow me to reduce some meds and hopefully positively affect the side effect issues). The meds controlled my seizures but made day to day living more difficult. That said, I know I am very lucky compared to many others.

If I were concerned about the seizures and looking for alternatives, I would recommend at least making the appointment for the initial evaluation and QEEG and see what you think. I know some other on this site have seen good results with NFB. The one thing I do doubt is Dr. Walkers statement that he can end seizures completely using NFB alone and ending the need for medication. But, I do believe it could be a useful adjunct therapy.

I know I was worried about some charlatan taking advantage of my condition to make money off of me with false promises, but I didnt get that vibe off the place. Like I said, I doubted whether he could end seizures completely, and it was definitely not a traditional neuro experience, but it didnt seem like it would do any harm.

In my original post, I noted my traditional neuro being skeptical about NFB, but over the years he has come around on it and says it would certainly not cause any harm. He even has a practitioner in his office offering it now, but he only uses it for ADHD cases, not seizures. Still, the fact that he has someone in his office now doing it at all tells me that he is coming around on it whereas years ago when I first brought this up, he brushed it off altogether.

Hopefully, some of the others on this site with direct NFB experience can tell you more or give you some key questions to ask or things to look for in your visit.

Wish you the best of luck!

 

[mom1]

Thank you for sharing this information. I really appreciate it.