The proverb "desperate times call for desperate measures" can certainly be applied to the need to find ways to control the pain of a migraine. Although the idea of an electronic device used to stop the pain of a migraine is nothing new, the advancement of such technologies is worth noting. Considering these are ways that may help stop the pain after it starts, what most people want is a way to prevent the migraine from ever starting, which is the real value of Tuliv Migraine Defense.
In June of 2011, at the 15th International Headache Congress in Berlin, Germany, one such electronic device maker announced study results on the safety and efficacy of peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) of the occipital nerve for the management of pain and disability associated with chronic migraine.
These devices are basically an advancement of the externally worn TENS units that are used to provide relief from a variety of pain sources, such as back pain, sports injury pain, general muscle pain etc. The new PNS systems deliver mild electrical pulses from an implanted device to leads placed under the skin at the back of the head, stimulating the occipital nerves.
"Many migraine patients have exhausted all current medical treatment options and often are disabled by the pain and frequency of migraine attacks," said Stephen D. Silberstein, M.D., past president of the American Headache Society, director of the Jefferson Headache Center, and the principal investigator in the study for the Genesis neurostimulation product from St. Jude's Medical Company. "Achieving a reduction in the number of days they suffer from headache and a significant improvement in their quality of life may be even more important than pain reduction alone."
The study showed that patients who received stimulation reported a 28% decrease in their number of headache days (seven less days a month). In contrast, study of the all natural migraine prevention formula Migraine Defense from Tuliv, shows a greater than 50% average reduction in headache frequency, which is to say that Migraine Defense may be more than twice as effective as an implanted electronic device. See Tuliv Research.
What is also in the works is new ways to manage the induction of existing migraine medications into the body. One of these that is working its way through FDA approval is is from NuPathe. The Zelrix patch is a single-use patch that relies on a mild electrical current to "actively transport" the anti-migraine drug sumatriptan through the skin using a process called iontophoresis.
There are other devices made for the relief of headache pain, one of which is an apparatus which is designed to be worn on a patient's forehead to deliver controlled electrical impulses for 20-minute sessions. The developer of this device claims it gives pain relief to people suffering from migraines and cluster/tension headaches.
Another device is a hand-held machine called a noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulator which claims to create an intense magnetic field that, when held next to the head, creates an electric current in the neurons of the brain that disrupts the migraine aura.
There are other devices including special glasses, skull caps, and stimulators that make claims to help migraineurs and may also be of help to some of the people some of the time.
I try to stay abreast of the latest research on migraines and do see some things that could hold promise for better relief of migraine pain such as the Zelrix patch mentioned above. What I don't see is new research by pharmaceutical companies exploring new ways to prevent migraines.
Unfortunately for the public in general, it is the trend of pharmaceutical companies to spend their money on market research to find new ways to sell old drugs rather than producing new drugs to alleviate existing conditions.
Please let me know what methods or devices you have tried and how effective they have been for you. My email address is Lyle@Tuliv.com.
You can also start a Live Chat Session to visit with us. Or call us directly for a free consultation 866-367-5953.
Lyle
Every day we speak to people who have an earnest desire to rid themselves of the plague of migraines. They tell us of their history of migraines and how they continue to suffer from migraines. Many of these are people we are speaking to for the first time. At times we get a phone call or email from a customer who is taking Migraine Defense and yet is still, on occasion, getting a migraine.
"What is causing me to get migraine headaches?" is the question most frequently asked directly or indirectly. In other words, people want to know what is causing their migraines.
First and foremost we must point to the DNA makeup and the inherited migraine gene as the reason you are prone to get migraines. Second to that, is the relationship between hormone changes in the body and the occurrences of migraines for both women and men.
The third factor involved in migraines is much more complex than that of the first two as it involves what we commonly refer to as triggers. Triggers are things that can start a migraine. Triggers are also the things that need to be identified and then avoided.
What we need to address is not so much a list of triggers, rather the attitude toward triggers. Many people know what some of their triggers are and yet pay little or no attention to them. A man once told me that he got a migraine headache every time he ate onions and asked me what he could do about it. When I told him the obvious - "Don't eat onions" - he refused to accept my suggestion because he liked to eat onions.
Believe it or not, in our migraine treatment practice, we talk to people every day who tell us virtually the same thing - not about onions - but about something else they don't want to change even though we explain to them that it may be a contributing factor in their migraines.
When consulting with a migraineur we try to find out more about his or her diet, what supplements are used including hormone replacement therapy, and other information about life style. We often hear about the use of products with claims to make a person feel better, look better, have more energy, live longer, increase vitality, and sexual enhancement. Alarmingly, many of these products, cleansers, foods, lotions, and supplements can be the trigger for a migraine.
We are not saying these various products are bad for the general population, what we are saying is that your body as a migraineur reacts differently. What may be fine for your best friend, spouse, neighbor, or relative may be bad for you. Advice from a naturalist, supplement suppliers, and those who sell those special juices, may be causing you to suffer.
As I mentioned, our days are filled with helping people understand the complexities of migraines and how life style can influence the occurrences of migraines. And yet even after we explain that a product may be triggering a person's migraines, we hear all kinds of reasons as to why he or she feels the compelling need to continue to take the product, including, "I read this was good for women my age, my friend takes it all the time, my naturalist recommended it, I sell it, I think it is doing something for me, I need to cleanse my colon, I'm on this special diet, and I found it in a health food store so it must be okay."
This is the point where I ask the question, "What is your priority?"
If not having migraines is your first priority, then stop doing the things that make the situation worse. Don't do something that may make your head hurt - no matter what the reason. Your head must be your first your priority.
It is not always easy to discover that what you may be doing is contributing to the occurrence of your migraines. That is why we offer you, without cost, our migraine consulting and guidance service to help you get control of your migraines. Generally, at the end of a 10 or 15 minute phone conversation, you will have a fairly good idea of what you could do to improve your situation. You don't have to be a current customer to call us.
There are very few people who have the knowledge, experience, compassion and migraine research background to provide you with the expertise guidance that we do at Tuliv.
You can also start a Live Chat Session to visit with us. Or call us directly for a free consultation 866-367-5953.
Let me hear from you today. Our toll-free phone number is 1-866-367-5953 or send an me an email at Lyle@Tuliv.com
