How TMS Rewires Your Brain

Depression and other mental health disorders can be difficult to treat since their origins are complex and hard to identify. There are often several factors at play, and these can produce an inward spiral that feeds itself and resists many therapeutic approaches. 

Bowman Medical Group recommends transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). This non-invasive treatment stimulates your brain with magnetic fields to gently lift the veil of depression symptoms, particularly when other treatments prove ineffective. 

The NeuroStar® TMS system provides the gentle magnetic stimulation needed to create the changes that help you sidestep the frustration of mental disorders that don’t respond to other treatments. 

Understanding major depressive disorder

Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in the United States. While it’s true that feeling down or sad is a common part of being human, major depression is a serious condition that’s much more than simply feeling sad.

Major depressive disorder can cause a chronic spread of negative emotions, including anger, extreme sadness, anxiety, and feelings of hopelessness. It can interfere with your daily routine by making it difficult to complete basic tasks or finding the motivation to start them. 

Treatment for major depression often requires a combination of therapies, and even then, some patients don’t respond to these, including antidepressant medication or talk therapy.

TMS therapy fills this gap, where other methods produce limited results. For many, it’s become a welcome addition to therapy for anxiety, treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, or other mood disorders that can negatively impact normal lifestyles. 

The role of TMS therapy

In action, TMS systems use fast, short-duration pulses of magnetic energy to stimulate areas of the brain that affect mood. These waves boost the release of neurotransmitters, naturally occurring chemicals including dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, that can improve and stabilize your mood. 

Medications alter your brain chemistry to accomplish the same thing, but these may carry unwanted side effects. TMS works without introducing foreign chemicals into your body. The magnetic energy of TMS rewires your brain to create conditions more able to support an improved mood.

TMS therapy also provides effective treatment for:

• Chronic pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Migraine headaches

TMS can also be effective for addiction treatment since it naturally supplies some of the effects that addictive substances provide. 

What to expect from your treatment

TMS requires no electrodes, implants, or injections. The magnetic energy used by TMS is similar to that used with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), except that it’s targeted to specific locations in the brain. While some patients may notice discomfort around the treatment site, it’s usually mild and temporary. There are no systemic side effects, and TMS can’t cause memory loss or problems with concentration. 

Contact Bowman Medical Group to learn more about TMS with NeuroStar and its suitability for your condition. You can call the Beverly Hills office at 310-982-7003 to schedule your consultation.