Treatments

12 December 2016

Laser Therapy (LLLT) for Migraine

Yes, there is current interest in using lasers to treat migraine. In this case, low level laser therapy, otherwise known as LLLT.

The idea of adding more light and heat to migraine may not sound appealing at first. But LLLT is a non-invasive and non-painful therapy that has been used for a number of pain conditions including headache disorders. There are specific laser treatment devices that are used for certain conditions.

In the case of LLLT, the lasers are set at a lower level than what is used for surgeries. This is not a cutting treatment. Instead, it stimulates your cells in certain ways that may promote healing.

The trials of this type of laser therapy for various conditions have not always had spectacular results. However, since the therapy seems to be side effect free and non-invasive, there is some interest in further researching the treatment.

So that brings us to migraine. Currently, The San Francisco Clinical Research Center is putting together a sham-controlled, single attack study to test the effectiveness of LLLT for migraine. Now, this is a very specific and small study, but it might be a place to start.

The LLLT needs to have a target. In this case, it’s the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG). The SPG, a nerve cluster behind the nose, is already the focus of migraine treatment (and cluster headache treatment). Injections to this site have shown great promise in migraine treatment – could laser therapy do the same thing?

This study won’t give us all the answers, because it will not be a series of treatments (which may be what is needed) but only a single treatment.

However, if this treatment can help with a single attack, it could be another situation where a migraine patient could have a hand-held device at home that would allow them to treat themselves.

If you’re interested, you can talk to a migraine specialist about this treatment. If they have had success with their patients, it might be something to pursue.

Meanwhile, we’ll look forward to hearing about future research.

For more information:

An example of a laser therapy device: K-Laser
Laser Therapy overview
A Skeptical Look at Low Level Laser Therapy
Study of Low-level Laser Therapy in the Acute Treatment of Migraine – the clinical trial mentioned above
Cold Laser Treatment: Uses, Benefits, and Effects specifically for headache

8 December 2016

Beta Blockers: Migraine

James Medications, Treatments 0

This information on beta blockers: migraine is a step back to some of the basics regarding migraine treatment. Just what are beta blockers, and why are they used for migraine?

Beta blockers, also called beta-adrenergic blocking agents, are medications used for both migraine and blood pressure issues. They work by blocking certain neurotransmitters (norephinephrine and epinephrine) so that they won’t bind to certain beta receptors on nerves.

In this way the drugs reduce your heart rate and reduce blood pressure by dilating blood vessels. Different beta blockers have a slightly different effect on your cardiovascular system.

Beta blockers for migraine are given as preventatives. Some of the most effective beta blockers for migraine are metoprolol, propranolol, and timolol.
beta-blockers-migraine In 1966, a patient using beta blockers for a heart condition experienced a dramatic improvement in migraine symptoms. In the 1970s, beta blockers started to be tested and used for migraine on a regular basis.

It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that the effect of beta blockers on the cardiovascular system is the direct reason why they prevent migraine. After all, we’re very familiar with that pounding, pulsing pain – why wouldn’t relaxing of the blood vessels help?

But of course it’s not that simple. Believe it or not, that pounding is not directly related to your heart beat. So today, migraine experts are not certain about just why some beta blockers help some patients.

Before taking beta blockers for migraine, your doctor will need to know your medical history. People with certain heart conditions, lung conditions, or those taking certain other medications, may not be able to take beta blockers. There are also other migraine treatments that you may want to try first.

Today, there are various beta blockers you can take for migraine, and there are various ways you can take them. If one doesn’t work, another might.

One of the most interesting recent discoveries is that beta blocker eye drops may even be effective abortive migraine-fighters! See $5 Eye Drops to Stop Migraine Attacks?

Common side effects of beta blockers include fatigue, weight gain, trouble sleeping, nausea, sexual dysfunction, and shortness of breath. Some of these will depend on the dosage and the type of beta blocker. Your doctor can help you choose what to try first.

For more information, see:

21 November 2016

Could Listening to Your Brainwaves Fight Migraine?

James Discoveries & Stats, Treatments 0

The technology is called high-resolution, relational, resonance based, electroencephalic mirroring. But you may have heard more about it from the brand name – Brainwave Optimization.

Balancing Brainwaves and Fighting Migraine The idea is this. Imagine that the functioning of your brain is like a spinning plate. The plate should spin evenly and smoothly, but sometimes it gets knocked off kilter. It continues to spin, but it’s wobbling. The two sides are no longer even.

Brainwave Optimization allows your brain waves to even-out again. The spinning plate evens out, and the imbalance lessens.

A recent study of 52 migraine patients received an average of one or two sessions a day, 90 minutes to two hours each session, over nine days. Patients reported improvements in the areas of insomnia, traumatic stress, and headache.

Researchers are also interested in potential for blood pressure and traumatic brain injury.

In each session, brain waves are translated into sound that the patient listens to. In a natural way, over time, the electrical signals in the brain become more balanced.

But as Brainwave Optimization clinics have opened around the world, doctors and researchers stress that the findings are very preliminary, the studies small, and most of the evidence anecdotal. In other words, the growth of a company and the money being exchanged is quickly overshadowing the research being done.

This isn’t unusual in many complimentary therapies. But it is a reason to be cautious about something that could quickly lighten your wallet and fill up your schedule.

Behavioural neurologist Dr. Alex Henri-Bhargava expressed concern:

It sounds intuitively sexy to people: I can rebalance my brain and that sounds like a good thing. But no real neuroscientist that I know of really thinks that their technology is actually doing that…
What is brainwave optimization?

In an investigation done in Canada, it was found that Brainwave Optimization was being sold to patients with dementia. As with migraine patients, patients with dementia and their families are often willing to fork out the money if slight hope is offered. (Dementia Patients Sold Unproven ‘Brainwave Optimization’)

We all want innovative, non-invasive treatments with limited or no side effects. But it’s important that research is done to find the best treatments, so that migraine patients can find the best help quickly, and without breaking the bank. It’s hoped that Brainwave Optimization will be studied more carefully, and that treatments like it will help many people. We look forward to learning more about the science behind these brain-balancing sessions.

For more information, visit the official Brainwave Optimization website, Brain State Technologies. For some information on recent studies, see Sound therapy may balance brain signals to reduce blood pressure, migraines. Also see the recent related KickStarter project – BRAINtellect 2, a brain optimization product you can use at home.

5 October 2016

Botox for Migraine: One size does NOT fit all!

James Medications, Tips, Treatments 1

We’ve talked a lot about the pros and cons of Botox for migraine here. One of the biggest challenges with Botox treatment is that it is, in many ways, still in its infancy.

That is, we still have a lot to learn about who will benefit most, what dosage to use, and where the injection sites should be. But we do know that treatment should vary depending on the patient.

After a frustrating experience trying to pass on the treatment of an 83 year old woman, Dr. Alexander Mauskop at the New York Headache Center takes the time to VENT – and to remind doctors that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all Botox treatment.

Doctors, it’s worth whie to read a little about Dr. Mauskop’s experiences. He has used Botox with many patients for 22 years, and takes the time to keep track of how well it works, how often it should be administered, and how.

Although more clinical trials do need to be done, it’s helpful to at least read about the experiences of other doctors.

To find out more about recommended needle size, treatment frequency, and dosage, check out Common avoidable problems with Botox injections.

5 September 2016

More Research on Vagus Nerve Stimulation (and a video)

James Discoveries & Stats, Treatments 0

If you could get rid of just one day of migraine agony, would you? Of course you would. But what’s the best way to do it?

One of the new treatments for migraine that is being developed, and even used today, is vagus nerve stimulation.

gammaCore non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation Now this type of treatment has actually been around for a while. A device is implanted that stimulates the vagus nerve, which runs on two sides of the body from your brain stem through your neck, chest, and abdomen. This type of treatment is used for hard-to-treat cases of epilepsy and depression.

But the latest thing is non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation, which means no surgery, and no implants.

A company known as gammaCore has developed such a device, which is already sold in Europe and Canada, though not yet approved in the United States.

So far, the device has certainly helped people with both migraine and cluster headache. And the bonus is that the treatment is very well tolerated, with few side effects. Plus, it takes less than 2 minutes to use.

A new study of the device showed some improvement in patients (see Chronic migraine headache prevention with noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation). After 2 months, almost 10% of the patients had a 50% treatment response. They basically had a day or two that were migraine-free, which otherwise would not have been. (These were patients chronic migraine, so originally they had at least 15 days with migraine attacks per month, some with attacks almost every day)

The interesting thing about this study was that patients continued to improve over 8 months. After 6 months, patients had 6-7 more days symptom-free. And after 8 months, 7-8. Would the improvement continue? It looks like it might.

So researchers are preparing for longer and better trials.

To see what using the device is like, take a look at this video: