Zap Your Migraine Away With Magnets.
Migraine suffers might soon have a new means of getting relief.
A new study has been examining the effectiveness of magnetic impulses on the brain to short circuit pain signals. These magnetic impulses are being sent to the brain by a transcranial magnetic stimulation device, a small hair dryer size machine that is held to the back the migraine sufferer’s head.
In this study, researchers worked with 201 people who suffer from “migraine with aura” migraines. Half of them were given a genuine magnetic stimulation device and the other half a ‘pseudo’ magnetic stimulation device that was unable to provide a magnet current. Both groups were told to place the device to the back of their heads as soon as the aura feeling began. The test results showed that 39% of those using the genuine magnetic device remained pain-free two hours after using the device, whereas only 22% of those with the ‘pseudo’ device remained pain-free. The results, researchers say, are promising.
As migraine sufferers know, there is no definitive treatment for migraines. Currently there are three main treatment options…
Migraine avoidance by discovering and avoiding individual headache triggers which often range from chocolate to bright lights, lack of sleep and too much exercise.
Acute migraine treatment when a migraine occurs. Standard treatment in this stage is usually an non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and/or analgesia.
Chronic treatment, often known as preventative treatment, where a person is on regular prescribed medications to prevent migraines from occuring.
None of these treatments - alone or combined - are completely reliable.
So news that another treatment option might be available in the future will be welcomed with open arms.
Migraine sufferers, after all, need all the help they can get.
(source)
Tags: magnetic fields, magnetic impulses, magnets, migraine treatment, migraine triggers, migraines, transcranial magnetic stimulation deviceRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Health, Medicine, Misc., Pain, Prevention, Treatment
4 opinions for Zap Your Migraine Away With Magnets.
Crabby McSlacker
Jun 27, 2008 at 6:26 am
Hope this develops into something a bit more effective (39 vs 22% sounds like a good start). I know some migraine sufferers are really miserable, though I thought some of the new migraine-specific drugs were supposed to be better than regular NSAIDS? Or maybe that’s all they are, but just with fancier names?
I’ve only had a few migraines in my life, but one was the kind with aphasia–scared me to death! I worried I was having a stroke when I couldn’t remember the words for things for about a half hour. (But I found out my mom gets the exact same weird kind).
Anyway, hope the magnets work!
Adrian
Jun 27, 2008 at 7:55 am
There have been a lot of studies on magnets which turn out to be dead-ends when people fail to replicate them, significant errors turn up in the methodology or there is outright fraud. Of course, no one remembers the outcome they just remember that Magnets Cure Migraines. So they dutifully go out and give tens or hundreds of dollars to some quack who sells them household magnets whose weak field can’t even penetrate the skin.
For some reason, magnets are the go-to pseudoscience for millions of people even though there is no effect and no physically plausible mechanism by which they could work.
That’s why, without knowing more details about the study, I’m highly dubious. There is a very high level of prior probability to overcome and it doesn’t look like they’ve done it. A huge warning label needs to be plastered over all reporting on this issue and I can’t find anyone that’s bothered.
The concluding quote in the ABC report said it all: “A therapy using magnets is inexpensive and virtually free of side effects.” The magnets used in this study aren’t inexpensive but the ones you’ll get sold sure will be, and the only therapies which are free of side-effects are those with no benefit. Healing is all about controlled side-effects. Imagine a drug company saying “we don’t know what this drug does or how but it’s cheap and probably won’t hurt you.” Where can I sign up?
jacnert
Jun 28, 2008 at 8:55 am
magnets for zapping migrane? thats cool at least we could get away with the side effects of traditional NSAIDs
Liz
Jun 29, 2008 at 6:04 am
Cranky, I’ve been lucky not to suffer migraines, but know many people who do so am keeping my fingers crossed that the magnet machine might be effective…
Adrian, it’s good to be dubious… and it’s very early days with this magic machine. No doubt more research and study will be done….
jacnert, magnets would definitely be better than NSAIDs….
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