Power Tools for Health by William Pawluk MD MSc & Caitlin Layne

Author:William Pawluk, MD, MSc & Caitlin Layne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Health & Fitness, Alternative Therapies, Health & Fitness, Diseases, Health & Fitness, Pain Management
Publisher: FriesenPress
Published: 2017-11-22T08:05:37.279935+00:00

Migraine

Migraine is a disorder with recurrent headaches that are moderate to severe. Globally, approximately 15% of people are affected. Typically, the headaches involve half of the head, are pulsating, and last from two to seventy-two hours. They may also include nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, sound, or smell.

Migraines are believed to be due to environmental and genetic factors. Two to three times more women than men have them. They involve the nerves and blood vessels of the brain. Initial treatment is usually with simple pain medication such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen (paracetamol) for the headache, medication for the nausea, and the avoidance of triggers. Specific medications such as triptans or ergotamines may be used in those for whom simple pain medications are not effective. Even medications are only partially successful and can have significant side effects. At this point, there is no cure for migraines. Alternative approaches to management are clearly needed. PEMF self-treatment could easily fill this gap.

A double blind, placebo-controlled PEMF study was done in forty-two people. High frequency PEMF was applied to the inner thighs one hour per day, five days per week, for two weeks. During the first month of follow-up, 73% of those receiving actual exposure reported decreased headaches (45% good decrease, 14% excellent decrease) compared to half of those receiving the placebo (15% worse, 20% good, 0% excellent). Ten of twenty-two with actual exposure had the option to get two additional weeks of exposure after the initial one-month follow-up. All showed decreased headache activity (50% good, 38% excellent), a further improvement over baseline. Eight in the placebo group were also crossed over to receive an additional two weeks of exposure. In addition, 76% showed decreased headache activity (38% good, 38% excellent). This type of PEMF approach for at least three weeks is an effective, short-term intervention for migraine, but not tension headaches 415.

Another group reported results of a trial for chronic headaches with fifteen treatments at 12 Hz and 5 mT (50 G) PEMF. Migraine patients typically had two or more attacks per month, each lasting three days. PEMF stimulation was only applied on days they were headache free. All participants had decreases in the number of attacks after PEMF therapy. One was symptom free for one year after treatment. Most reported the headaches lasted for a shorter period, but severity was not changed. In two, PEMF during an attack didn’t help. The study authors thought PEMFs are an effective preventive treatment for migraine, indicating the need for owning a home-based system for daily use 140.

Another group looked at the thresholds for eliciting phosphenes by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in migraineurs and the ability to trigger headaches visually with and without aura. A phosphene is the experience of seeing light without light actually entering the eye. The visual aura of migraine is thought to be phosphene-related. Phosphenes can be directly induced by mechanical, electrical, or magnetic stimulation of the retina or visual cortex as well as by random firing of cells in the visual system.

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