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Its Where I Am focuses on the various mental health struggles that people all around the world face every day. Each episode covers a different facet of mental health with a new special guest. It's Where I Am airs on 91.5 Jazz & More every second Saturday of the month.
Unknown Speaker 0:00
You're listening to locally produced programming created in KU NBC Studios on public radio K, u and v. 91.5. You're listening to special programming brought to you by it's where I am.com The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 jobs and more University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents, the Nevada System of Higher Education.
Unknown Speaker 0:50
Good morning Las Vegas. This is Dr. David JENICE, clinical and public relations director for great minds, counseling and Wellness Center. It's K u nv 91.5 FM and it's it's where I am. Today, listeners, I think I have a really interesting subject matter for us to learn about today. And it's on Alpha stem. So I have with us Dr. Josh Briley, who is a licensed psychologist in the state of Texas. He's Board Certified Medical Affairs specialists and He is a fellow of the American Institute of Stress. Good morning, Dr. Riley, thank you so much for participating in our show this morning.
Unknown Speaker 1:37
Good morning. Thank you for having me. I'm looking forward to this. Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 1:40
thank you. So, you know, I practice in in Las Vegas, Nevada. And one of the treatment modalities that we have been utilizing at great mines counseling and Wellness Center is alpha stem. And we really do our best to individualize treatment and build out a comprehensive treatment plan around the needs of the individuals and the families that that we have the pleasure and the privilege of providing clinical services to I think, though, one of the unique clinical services that we provide, though, is alpha stem. And and I'm not really sure a lot of our community members here and or listeners know a lot about this intervention. So I'm really, really excited to be welcoming you on our show. And so Dr. Briley, can you can you share with me, what is your current role? What do you what do you do right now, as far as overseeing this this model.
Unknown Speaker 2:43
So I am the clinical education director for electromedical products international Incorporated, we are the manufacturers and distributors of the Alpha stem devices. I've been with EPI for about four years little over. And my job is to kind of do virtual presentations, media interviews, such as this one and travel out to do like in service and Doctor dinners, to help providers and to a certain extent patients kind of understand what else it still is how it can help manage anxiety, insomnia and pain. And just show them that there are options out there that they are maybe not aware of. So,
Unknown Speaker 3:29
so Okay, so I alpha stem, this sounds very technical to me. Would you mind breaking it down maybe in lay terms for our listeners and describing what what is what is alpha stem? And and really, in lay terms, what what what what is the process.
Unknown Speaker 3:55
So alpha STEM is a medical device that puts a very low level of electricity into the nervous system to just restore balance to the way the nervous system works. And you do this in two different ways. You can treat anxiety and insomnia by clipping ear clip electrodes to your ear lobes. And then you can treat pain anywhere in the body with our other probe electrodes, or with self adhesive electrodes that we call as toads. But whichever modality you're using the air clips is called cranial electrotherapy stimulation and the pain treatment is microcurrent electrical therapy. Whichever modality you're using, the process is the same as just putting the our patented waveform and like micro current levels of electricity. So anywhere from 100 to about five or 600 micro amps which is substance free. For most people, they're not going to feel anything. It's not like a canned unit where you get the twitching, feeling or anything like that. It's very gentle, but also very effective.
Unknown Speaker 5:13
Okay, so I'm processing all that information. And and what I heard though, what stood out for me was low level electricity. And so I appreciate though, Dr. Briley, that you differentiated how this machine may feel for its user, versus using, like a tense temps machine, that that has that electro pulse for massage type work. So one of the thoughts that I had, was I have titanium in my lower back, I have I have metal in my body. So would that exclude me, though, from having this type of intervention to help me in managing my anxiety? Or if I had some depression? If I'm struggling with sleep? Am I excluded from being able to use this type of intervention?
Unknown Speaker 6:18
Absolutely not. Most surgical metals, such as titanium, are not very highly conductive medical or metals. That's why they're used in modern surgical procedures. And so there's no interference with the current levels that we use the only contraindication so the only patients that probably should not use an office film are patients with an implanted electrical device that can't be turned off something like a pacemaker, or defibrillator, something like that.
Unknown Speaker 6:52
Okay. Okay, so So then this, this clinical intervention can really be used by the majority outside from those individuals that might have an implant or a pacemaker. Correct. Okay, so I know that the machine that we utilize at great minds, it connects to the individual's ear lobes. Can you talk a little bit more about that machine and just kind of the science behind how this actually helps individuals decrease some of their anxiety as well as their depression. And I know that it's also used for pain management, too.
Unknown Speaker 7:39
Right. And you mentioned depression a couple of times. Depression is actually off label. We don't have FDA clearance for depression, but we are cleared for anxiety and insomnia with
Unknown Speaker 7:52
the earplugs. Okay. Okay. So for that we
Unknown Speaker 7:55
do have clearance, say in the, in the European Union and other countries for depression, just not in the US using
Unknown Speaker 8:02
using the, the your Eclipse, okay, using the air Eclipse, okay. And so, now it's a it's a low level electric magnetic pulse that is then do I am I using the word like, hitting or it's, it's the machine is connected to the air lobes?
Unknown Speaker 8:23
So so let me explain. First, let me explain. What research has shown in the last, I don't know, probably 15 years is that conditions such as pain, insomnia, anxiety, and others, are associated with pathological electrical patterns in the neural pathways within the nervous system. So they can actually like do FM fMRI imaging, and see a, like a pattern of hyperactivity and under activity in someone's brain and point to the very specific symptoms that that patient is experiencing. So for example, if you have anxiety, but it's more of a ruminative high for your internal focus, and your mind is just constantly racing, while they're seeing and all of that, then that area of the brain will be lit up will be very active. But the parts of your brain that are involved in social engagement and seeking out other people for social interactions is very underactive, it looks very dark on the FMRI imaging. And so what alpha stone does is, but this microcurrent into the nervous system, which carries our patented waveform, and it just restores that electrical activity back to normal so that you're in nervous system is functioning the way it's supposed to. So you get very rapid relief of your anxiety, get very rapid relief from your pain. And most people sleep much better starting the first night.
Unknown Speaker 10:12
So there's results that occurred that quickly.
Unknown Speaker 10:18
That quickly. I actually started using Office down when I was a psychologist at the Central Texas VA. I've worked in a small clinic and a rural town out in the middle of nowhere. And once I started using Office down with my veterans, it was just night and day difference. They would, you can actually watch the anxiety melt away while they're in their chair in front of you. That's pretty amazing. Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 10:42
that's incredible to hear. And and so my brain is is thinking about post traumatic stress disorder. And I know that you have outlined for us and in terms of what the FDA has approved the the earlobe connection for specific treating specific symptomology. But I can see just just how efficacious though this can be in terms of treating PTSD.
Unknown Speaker 11:13
So obviously, when I was at the VA, a treated a lot of veterans with PTSD. And, you know, again, as you kind of alluded, that is considered off label. We don't have specific clearance for PTSD. But we don't really our clearances aren't for any specific diagnoses, therefore the symptoms of anxiety, insomnia and pain, and it does not matter what is the cause of those symptoms. We're treating those symptoms. And so I saw, say, Vietnam veterans, Desert Storm veterans, you know, they'd been keyed up hypervigilant, anxious, for decades, just suddenly be very calm. Their families were calling me saying, you know, what have you done, he's nice. He's never been nice before. Oh, wow, they were sleeping through the night. A lot of them were able to come off of their sleep medications, they're, you know, SSRIs, they're even some of their pain meds after a few weeks of using alpha stones, so I saw some amazing results using us. That's
Unknown Speaker 12:25
incredible. And I hear hope for so many of our community members that go to war, and they come back having severe acute symptoms, just hearing how that this intervention has been helpful and decreasing almost immediately, that acute anxiety, and helping individuals heal and move forward to their place of baseline. This is this is really encouraging to hear that this has been a lot of what you've observed in your own utilization of this model for treatment or no treatment, as well as what some of the research is indicating. Yes, so. Okay. So it's a treatment of symptoms. And now, would you pair Alpha stem? Typically, with regular talk therapy? Is this like, an intervention that you use all by itself? Or is it usually in combination with what we think of therapy.
Unknown Speaker 13:34
So it can be used either way. I had veterans that were using alpha stillness, their sole treatment, they didn't want to take medications, they didn't want to come in and do individual or group therapy. But, you know, a buddy of theirs had told them about the device and how, how much they liked it. So they came in, and I was able to get them one, and then I would check on them, you know, every few months. And, you know, so long as they were using it and using it correctly, they were getting good results. But it can also be used in conjunction with medications. It can be used in conjunction with any type of psychotherapy out there that you can think of, we have obviously can be used with cognitive behavioral therapy. We have EMDR therapists who use it. Neurofeedback therapists who use Office them in conjunction. So it really just helps. And one of the reasons that helps I like to think especially with therapy is they can use it during the session and their, their, you know, risks and being flooded by their emotions. They're able to, you know, what my veterans would say get down in the sock and stay there. Felt what they needed to feel we could process through it, and then they're able to go home. You know, if feeling kind of calm and a little bit relieved from having got some of that emotional weight off. But then they could also use it every day between sessions. And when you do this, the results are cumulative. So the more you use it, the better the results get. And the longer they last.
Unknown Speaker 15:16
Yes, yes. Now in your state of Texas is this clinical intervention that is paid for and reimbursed by insurance.
Unknown Speaker 15:31
So, depends on which ones you're talking about. Most civilian insurances like Blue Cross, Blue Shield, united, Aetna, the big ones like that. Routinely, it's not covered yet we are working on coverage. It's not yet covered by like Medicare and Medicaid. Again, we're working on those. But the VA generally covers it for veterans. Every VA has its own like set of requirements for obtaining one. But as long as the veteran, you know, kind of jumps through those hoops, they're able to get one free of charge, the VA covers the cost. And then active duty and retired service members can get one through TRICARE. And TRICARE West, I believe it's being approved for pain.
Unknown Speaker 16:21
So yeah, I always attempt anyways, when I'm trying to link community members to different clinical interventions or therapy modalities, I always like to see if if the intervention is reimbursed by the health insurance just to, you know, assist families and not having to pay so much out of pocket to be able to access something that potentially can help their loved one.
Unknown Speaker 16:48
So and we Yeah, and we haven't, we haven't reached out until just recently, because we have been focused almost exclusively on the VA and the DOD, to get our servicemembers, and our veterans, you know, this help that they need, without necessarily having to rely on medications. But now we're pushing out more into the private sector. So we are starting to look at, you know, insurance coverage and reimbursement, and all of that. So, hopefully, next few years, the latest we will have all that new line. Excellent.
Unknown Speaker 17:21
And so, you know, part of it's where I am, is really highlighting mental health opportunities for listeners to be exposed to different type of theoretical clinical interventions that may help individuals increase the quality of the daily living, and hopefully move individuals to a space where they're living life safely. And hopefully, overall, they're feeling happier. And so, you know, this is certainly an intervention that we use at great minds counseling and Wellness Center every day. And that, you know, we do really look at the individual needs of each person and really try to then determine what it is that can best move that person into a space of where they're just feeling good, and they're thriving, and they're safe. So great minds, a lot of the individuals that we provide care to have a, what we would refer to as a severe mental illness. So these are individuals that historically have been very acute from a mental health perspective, where there was a lot of recidivism for these patients going in and out of an inpatient hospital setting. And so by utilizing Alpha stem, talk therapy, group therapy, socialization groups, medication management services, neurofeedback, we've been able to significantly reduce the inpatient admissions of our patients. And we're working on getting the stats to really be able to quantify for our referral partners and stakeholders and our insurance partners, so that we can speak to the wraparound model, if you will, that we have been providing here at great minds to really support those that have severe mental illness. And so the results really have been quite astonishing as far as just the response to Alpha stem and how it's positively impacted our patients that we provide here. Great, great minds in Las Vegas. So can you speak to so so if listeners to our discussion, Dr. Bradley, we're interested in maybe accessing a provider in their local area that is trained in alpha stem? How would an individual go about, you know, seeking a provider that that does this
Unknown Speaker 20:08
is a good question. Definitely, they can reach out to, you know, your practice. Sounds like you guys use it quite extensively, they can ask their provider about it. Some of the providers that have come on board and use the office don't. That's exactly how they were introduced to it. But it's a patient who heard about it on a program like this, or from a family member or friend or social media out or something, and took it to their doctor and their doctor went, Yeah, you know, we'll try it. And I know, one doctor in San Diego area that that was his introduction, the patient came in and tried everything for generalized anxiety disorder, and just, you know, anxiety through the roof, nothing worked. She brought the office, you know, information about the office to man, and he was like, hey, nothing else is worthless. Try this, did a follow up with her three weeks after she attained a device. And he said she was a completely different person. And so then, later that, that week, he had another patient, very similar, very high anxiety levels, ordered one for her follow up in three weeks. And again, he's a completely different person. So from that point, he was sold, and sought out treatment or training with us. So, you know, that's, that's one way to do
Unknown Speaker 21:37
it. And so if providers were interested then and receiving training specifically from you, or your organization, where would they go to initiate that general inquiry.
Unknown Speaker 21:51
So they can visit our website, www dot alpha, ALP Ha, I then stem S T, I m.com. Au, or they can email me directly. My email is Josh jl sh@epi.com. Awesome.
Unknown Speaker 22:11
And, you know, this this in the state of Nevada, and as a provider, and I know that you subscribe to this idea as well that we want to link individuals to the least restrictive level of care or level of service. And I feel like alpha STEM is a good entry point, if you will, into some of these other more new newer interventions, if you will, that we have access to today, via either through insurance or through cash pay. And so you know, I am a big advocate on Alpha stem. And, you know, we respect all the work that you're doing at your organization, and it was one of your consultant trainers that train my team on Alpha stem here in Las Vegas, Nevada. And so, you know, I'm just so grateful to have you, Dr. Briley. And just being a resource to us out here in Nevada, but also just to others throughout the nation as well, because I feel like you really have a good authority just in regards to the process. And, you know, there's, there's more and more research that's being done that's showing the efficacy of the clinical value of alpha stem.
Unknown Speaker 23:40
Yes, we have studies underway, all the time. We are just starting a new study, I believe on generalized anxiety disorder. And, you know, we've got clinical trials going on all the time, partly so we can submit the data that you know, the payers need insurance companies and all those needs to be able to get it on their formulary. So, we are making advancements, we are, you know, trying to spread the word and get people, the most important thing is to get people help and to, you know, give them access to a treatment option that is very easy to use, very cost effective. The devices have a five year warranty, they cost you know, after you make the initial purchase, less than about I think it's only $5 a year to continue operating by the time you you know, put batteries in it and buy the accessories and all that. We offer free clinical support, customer support and tech support for the life of the device. We have customers that have been using the same device is for 1520 years. And, you know, it's still going strong. So this is this is, this isn't something that, you know, you're going to purchase, and you know, just the on your own. There's training videos on our website, there's that support we, you know, offered. Just yesterday, I hopped on a video, like a zoom call with a patient in the UK, to walk him through how to use this device. So we will definitely do whatever needs to be done to make sure the patient has the support they need. Same for the providers. Yeah, we're gonna make sure that they know what they're doing. I love
Unknown Speaker 25:39
that. I love that and and just your organization's commitment and making sure that individuals have access to care and access to the care that they need in order to live fulfilling and safe lives. I love that. And so what's a unique distinction that you made for me, Dr. Briley, was that, you know, I'm a licensed provider, myself, I'm a psychologist. And so I'm around a mental health clinicians every day. And it's professional providers that are implementing, if you will, the clinical services that the patients in my community are receiving that access care through us. And I appreciate the distinction, though, that you made about that this device is user friendly. If you choose as as a person who would like to receive Alpha stem that device, oneself through your website to your organization, that they're going to receive the support and the training necessary in order to appropriately utilize that device.
Unknown Speaker 26:49
Yes. Now it is only available by order of a licensed provider in the US. The provider does not have to be a medical provider. They can be ordered in most states by you know psychologist LCSW LPCs, any licensed provider who can independently diagnose and treat anxiety, insomnia or pain are able to order this device for their patients. And we try to simplify that process as much as possible. The provider sends in the order with the statement of medical necessity to us, and then we will contact the patient to complete the purchase and handle it from there. Fantastic.
Unknown Speaker 27:34
Okay. So, you know, I hope my listeners really enjoyed this rich conversation regarding Alpha stem, I think it's a wonderful clinical intervention. And I really look forward to reading and familiarizing myself with more research. And thank you Dr. Bradley, so much for coming on. It's where I am. Thank you Las Vegas. It's 91.5k u n v.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai