Treatments

27 September 2012

Could this Hi-tech Therapy replace Your Visit to the Specialist? (video)

The IceOtherm is a product for treating pain from Saringer Life Science Technologies Inc in Canada. It is a non-drug, non-evasive treatment for various types of pain including joint pain and headache.

This is basically a very high tech hot/cold treatment – in other words, it’s much more than a glorified ice pack.

One thing that makes IceOtherm unique is that it actually uses heat and cold at the same time. The result is that pain messages to the brain are effectively scrambled.

Although the product hasn’t been heavily marketed toward headache sufferers, I think that this type of product holds a lot of promise. Not only does it have the potential to block certain types of headache pain, it could also block headache triggers.

For example, many people have related face/jaw pain. You can go to a doctor or dentist and get similar treatments. There are non-invasive treatments like this, but there’s also surgery and even Botox treatments that attempt to cut down pain in the face and neck.

This treatment may do some similar things, but you can use the treatment right away, whenever you need it.

Though it’s not a cheap device, if it can replace some of the treatments you’re already getting at the doctor, and maybe even do a better job, it would be worth the investment.

Watch the video for more. The product can be purchased online at the IceOtherm website.

11 September 2012

Peppermint Oil for Headache?

James Discoveries & Stats, Treatments 23

One of the oldest remedies for headache is peppermint oil. In fact, peppermint has been used for medicinally for many things, and studies continue to ascertain how it can be best used.

Peppermint oil has been taken for irritable bowel syndrome, a common complaint of migraineurs. But what about applying the essential oil to the temples – externally?

A small study was one in Germany to see what oils may be best for headache patients. Four different oil combinations were used, and two had results that may be helpful for our purposes:

Peppermint oil and eucalyptus oil: Though this combination didn’t seem to be the best for headache pain, it did had a muscle-relaxing and mental-relaxing effect.
Peppermint oil: Peppermint oil alone did seem to fight the pain of headache.

Both preparations were given in a mix with ethanol.

You’ll be looking for a 100% essential oil if you want to give this a try, such as Aura Cacia Peppermint Pure Essential Oil from Vitacost. Aura Cacia also has Eucalyptus Pure Essential Oil.

Eucalyptus and peppermint are also common ingredients in skin rubs for sore muscles or congestion. I imagine some of these would work well on the temples as well.

Read the study abstract here: Effect of peppermint and eucalyptus oil preparations on neurophysiological and experimental algesimetric headache parameters.
via: Headache News Blog

21 August 2012

Is Boswellia the new Butterbur for Migraine and Cluster?

James Information, Treatments 4

Butterbur rose quickly to be one of the most recommended herbal treatments for migraine, though recent concerns have lowered it on some people’s lists. However, a new herb may be edging its way into the conversation – something called Boswellia (bosellia serrata).

Boswellia, also known as Indian Frankincense, has actually been around for a long time. It’s actually a tree – but it’s the resin of the tree that we’re interested in for our purposes.

The resin’s anti-inflammatory benefits have been helpful to those with pain conditions such as headache, asthma, menstrual cramps, and arthritis.

At his blog at the New York Headache Center, Dr. Alexander Mauskop recently wrote about evidence in favour of the herbal treatment.

Actually, there are not a lot of studies related to headache conditions, but there have been some interesting reports, that Boswellia may relieve not only migraine but also cluster and indomethacin-responsive headache.

One recent study reported improvements in cluster patients who took 350 to 700 mg three times a day. Another doctor tried 250 mg three times a day and up for patients with indomethacin-responsive headache syndrome.

The advantage over indomethacin and many other anti-inflammatory drugs is that boswellia doesn’t have the strong gastro-intestinal side effects. Regarding the mechanism of boswellia, Dr. Mauskop writes:

Unlike butterbur, Boswellia has no toxic ingredients and is safe to consume in any form. The mechanism of action of Boswellia is not entirely clear, but it seems to have anti-inflammatory properties similar to aspirin. Obviously, it does more than that since aspirin is usually ineffective for cluster or indomethacin-responsive headaches.

Reading about those who have tried boswellia, it does seem that there is a wide difference in the quality of supplements available. Be sure to find a brand name you trust and check for detailed information on the label.

One of the studies mentioned used Gliacin. Vitacost also has some good standardized brands of boswellia.

2 August 2012

Serious Concerns about Butterbur

James News, Treatments 6

Safety concerns are changing opinions about using Butterbur as a migraine treatment.

Butterbur recently rose to become one of the best preventative treatments for migraine.

But the recommendation was always given with a caution. Be careful – very careful – about what butterbur product you buy. Butterbur contains toxic compounds known as alkaloids, which may damage your liver or even cause cancer.

Now the toxic elements can be removed – and they were. The product was manufactured in Germany and it underwent very strict testing to ensure that the dangerous compounds had been totally removed.

However, according to a recent report from the New York Headache Center, the manufacturer changed the process of manufacture and did not repeat all the safety procedures. So they believe that the risk is now too high. From the center’s blog:

We no longer recommend butterbur to our patients. … Germany is no longer allowing butterbur to be sold there because the manufacturer changed its purification process and did not repeat all of the required safety studies. Butterbur made in Germany and in the US is still sold in the US, but our FDA does not regulate herbal products and does not require the extensive safety tests that are required in Germany. This is why we no longer recommend butterbur for our patients.

For the time being, you’re probably better off to try other treatments until this mess gets sorted out. Other excellent and well-researched supplements include things like magnesium, feverfew, coenzyme Q10.

1 August 2012

Buckwheat Pillows (video)

James Resources, Treatments 0

I love my buckwheat pillow. The most recent one I bought was from Buckwheat Pillow Canada. I even went out on a limb and bought their small travel neck pillow, and it’s fantastic!

Buckwheat Pillow Canada is having a special shipping sale in Canada until the end of this month, so I wanted to share this video from the Ottawa Citizen. I’ve used buckwheat pillows for years, but even I learned something!

Buckwheat Pillow Canada does ship to the USA as well. If you’re in the UK, you can find some excellent buckwheat pillows here.