Breakthrough Treatment For Migraine Pain Studied
Published: January 10, 2005
A headache is one thing, but migraines are something else with pain so severe at times, it can be debilitating.
Medications change certain chemicals in the brain that may cause migraines, but recent evidence suggests a wave of electrical activity spreading across the brain is also to blame.
If you can stop the electrical wave, you might stop the headache. That is what the trans-cranial magnetic stimulator seems to do.
“I think I’ve been stimulated with it 31 times and it’s worked every time,” migraine sufferer Kate McComas said.
“A very high magnetic pulse can be produced which induces electrical current,” said Dr. Adrian Upton of Canada’s McMaster University Medical Center.
Experts are not sure how the device stops migraines, but one theory is it is like rebooting a computer. The pulse of energy resets the brain’s electrical system.
In early studies, up to 75 percent of patients said the magnetic stimulator stops their migraine in its tracks.
Neil Hughes said that unlike medication, he experiences no side effects from the magnetic stimulator.
“I never had one. Don’t know anyone wh has had one. It’s so simple,” he said.
A portable version of the magnetic stimulator is being developed, but the initial device needs more testing, first. Clinical studies in Canada and the U.S. should be done by next summer.
The trans-cranial magnetic stimulator is also being studied as a tool for improving mental functions and as a treatment for epilepsy.
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