Researchers are looking at the next new way to care for migraine headaches in the form of a wireless arm patch used to block pain signals from reaching the brain. Lead researcher, Dr. David Yarnitsky, chair of neurology at Rambam Medical Center in Israel, states that one can control the severity of the electrical impulses using a smartphone app. The impulse is not painful, rather it feels like a tingling sensation in the upper arm.
The way that it works is by stimulating the arm and, in turn, the brain’s mechanism for regulating pain, helping to turn off the migraine episode. Patients who participated in the study saw a decrease in migraines while using the wireless patch. The downside? The device has no approval yet by the US Food and Drug Administration and probably won’t have until next year. Also, activation within the first 20 minutes of a migraine is necessary for it to be effective. If the underlying cause of a migraine is not being addressed, it will likely return at some point in the future.
One area seeing much success in caring for the root cause of migraines is upper cervical chiropractic. A misalignment in the upper neck vertebrae, particularly the C1 and C2, is often the cause of migraine pain. This is due to pressure being exerted on the brainstem leading to problems with the nervous system. Improper signals sent to the brain can cause a migraine to occur.
Upper cervical chiropractors use a gentle method that does not require us to force or pop the bones to move them back into place. Rather, we encourage the bones to realign naturally. Once this is accomplished, communication within the body is restored, and patients report their migraines decrease greatly. Some see them go away and not return.
The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.