At Ormond Neuroscience, we run an amazing brain optimisation treatment programme called Neuroharmonics. Initially, the focus of Neuroharmonics was on patients with mild cognitive impairment or people in the early stages of dementia. Very quickly though, Neuroharmonics mushroomed to become an all-rounded, comprehensive programme of brain health. Now anyone, even people without known brain pathology, can use Neuroharmonics. Neuroharmonics teaches you how to look after your brain and how to get it functioning optimally.
Scientifically Proven Efficacy
In line with the ethos at Ormond Neuroscience, the Neuroharmonics programme implements scientifically proven treatment methods. This kind of treatment reduces amyloid burden in the brains of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Beta-amyloid is a protein that accumulates in Alzheimer’s disease and causes major problems. New blood tests allow us to measure amyloid load and we can see improvements in those measures in patients undergoing treatment of the kind used in the Neuroharmonics programme.
We can now measure the benefits of treatment like Neuroharmonics using objective biomarkers. Treatment brings about a physical change in the brain and reduces the levels of pathological, harmful proteins. It is incredible that interventions of this kind can bring about such profound changes.
Holistic Treatment
Treatment of brain dysfunction needs to be holistic, but it often is not. Focusing on a single isolated aspect of brain function as a target of treatment is seldom successful. When it comes to the brain, we need to take the entire person into account. Our brains are what make us who we are, after all. Your very personality, how you feel, and how you think, are all functions of your brain.
Take Parkinson’s disease, for example. Loss of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain, leads to Parkinson’s. A neurologist should prescribe medication to boost levels of dopamine, and that’s fundamentally important. But when the focus is solely on dopamine, then we lose sight of the person. At Ormond Neuroscience, we don’t treat symptoms, we treat people.
Science-Based Treatment
There has been a massive explosion of knowledge in the neurosciences over the past two decades. At Ormond Neuroscience we use our knowledge of the latest scientific developments to fine-tune diagnosis and treatment. Consequently, everything we do, every recommendation we make, is based on solid, good science. Guesswork has no place and we leave nothing to chance. Solid scientific research backs up every element of the Neuroharmonics treatment programme.
Rehab Roots
The Neuroharmonics programme was borne from an awareness of the inadequacies of many standard neurological rehabilitation protocols. A recurrent difficulty with run-of-the-mill neurological rehabilitation programmes is that they focus too strongly on specific impairments and fail to take the big picture of brain function into account.
Take, for instance, the example of a patient who has suffered a stroke and is now weak on one side of their body. The “multidisciplinary team” often develops a single-minded treatment focus on the hemiparesis, to the exclusion of pretty much all else. Of course, dealing with the hemiparesis is critically important. However, we need to simultaneously pay attention to other aspects of the patient’s functioning, such as sleep and their nutritional status. If we do not, then treatment is not as effective.
How the patient is feeling and their emotional well-being are critical determinants of eventual outcome. Patients who do not feel loved and supported, do not make optimal recovery. It is as simple as that.
At Ormond Neuroscience, we don’t treat symptoms, we treat people.
Fundamentals of Neuroharmonics
The Neuroharmonics programme addresses the following core areas of functioning:
Sleep
Neuroharmonics emphasises the importance of sleep. Good quality sleep is vitally important to ensuring that the glymphatic system operates optimally in the brain. The glymphatic system is a waste drainage system in the brain. If it does not work properly, toxins accumulate in the brain, causing damage. Sleep is also important for the consolidation of information in memory. So, for anyone with a memory problem, sleep is vitally important. Furthermore, good sleep is important for metabolism and energy levels. Our body also produces the proteins that we need for the next day while we are sleeping.
Nutritional Status
It is obvious that the fuel we put into the engine is important. The connection between nutritional status and brain function runs deep. The Neuroharmonics programme places substantial emphasis on the gut-brain axis. This is the connection between the microbiome in your intestines and the functioning of the brain.
Healthy brain function depends heavily on a healthy gut. Microbacteria live in your gut and are necessary for the absorption of nutrients from the food that you eat. The greater the number and variety of microbacteria in your gut, the better your brain function. Amazingly, we know that there are specific lactobacilli, for example, that are beneficial for cognitive functioning.
The Neuroharmonics programme strongly emphasises adequate nutrition. We advocate using a variety of different supplements whose combined effect is to significantly boost brain function. We will also provide input regarding diet. Specific types of diet are important, depending on the underlying pathology.
Exercise
Physical exercise is vitally important for brain function. This goes beyond general health and links particular exercises and physical activities with brain function. For instance, we know that there are specific exercises that are more beneficial than conventional exercises in patients recovering from brain injury, such as stroke. The Neuroharmonics programme levers scientific research regarding brain function and exercise and provides patients with optimal programs for brain function.
In Neuroharmonics, this is not just aerobic exercise. For instance, we emphasize the importance of stretching (like yoga), which has specific benefits for blood pressure control. We also place much emphasis on breathing, which is important not only for oxygenation, but also for modulating emotions and reducing anxiety.
Emotional Well-Being
Being in a positive frame of mind is essential for healthy brain function. Consequently, the Neuroharmonics programme focuses strongly on emotional well-being. The type of treatment required depends on the individual patient. It might be as easy as a chat. For other patients, cognitive behavioural therapy may be appropriate.
As far as is sensible, we try to avoid psychotropic medication because of the many adverse side effects. However, there certainly are circumstances in which antidepressant medication, anxiolytics, and even antipsychotics, are appropriate. In that case, we would refer to a psychiatrist, so that the appropriate expert makes the decision regarding best medication for the patient.
Ormond Neuroscience promotes nonpharmacological treatment of mood disorders. This includes our use of vagal nerve stimulation (VNS), a physiological treatment that directly targets brain function using bioelectric neuromodulation. The great thing about VNS is that it has no adverse side effects, particularly with the gentle way in which we implement treatment nowadays.
Cognitive Stimulation
The Neuroharmonics programme provides an individualised form of cognitive rehabilitation, styled as “mentored cognitive rehabilitation.” Unlike conventional cognitive rehabilitation exercises such as memory games, puzzles, and sudoku, we create tailor-made cognitive stimulation programs that dovetail with the patient’s interests. This injects real-life meaning into treatment, facilitating patient engagement, and piggybacking on the patient’s own semantic neural network.
We realised long ago that meaning is a vitally important component to rehabilitation and recovery. After all, your brain is essentially a meaning-machine that manipulates, stores, and otherwise processes information. Feeding your brain information that is personally meaningful to you is advantageous in terms of cognitive rehabilitation. We learn about you and then, with your assistance, devise and implement personally meaningful cognitive rehabilitation programs for you.
Socialisation
Neuroharmonics includes a strong emphasis on the neuronal benefits of socialisation. Amazingly, we know that there is a direct correlation between the size of a person’s social circle and the size of the amygdalae in their brain.
Socialising is one of the more complex things that we do with our human brains. We are social creatures and our brains evolved to support socialisation and communication. Embedded deeply in the architecture of the human brain is language. It is there to enable us to communicate with others. Socialising demands sophisticated brain function. Socialising is therefore an important component of the Neuroharmonics treatment program. And what is great about that, is that socialising is fun!
Practical Implementation
The Neuroharmonics program is a combination of office treatment and home-based treatment. Sometimes, we also use virtual consultations to facilitate treatment, although these are not usually ideal. Face-to-face communication is important since brain function is about your humanity.
We involve family members in the Neuroharmonics treatment programme because a major component of Neuroharmonics unfolds in the patient’s home. Having a family member on board means that there is better continuity. A brain injury affects everyone in the family, not just the patient.
Face-to-face treatment is usually once a week. The duration of treatment depends on the complexity of the patient’s condition, lasting weeks to months to years.
