SAN FRANCISCO (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Thirty-five million Americans suffer
from migraines and chronic headaches. The pain can be so intense it immobilizes
them, bringing their world to a standstill. Now, doctors are replacing medicine
with a device that could shock the pain away.
"The headaches were so debilitating that it was like, you could remove my head
if you want to at this point," migraine sufferer Judy Caletti told Ivanhoe.
"Just get them to stop."
When medication doesn't help chronic headaches, some doctors turn to an
implantable nerve stimulator. The rechargeable battery powered electrode is
about the size of a match stick. It's implanted near the occipital nerve in the
back of the head.
"Occipital nerve stimulation works by activating nerves at the back of the head
that then feed into the brain and change the way the brain behaves, in terms of
responses to head pain signals," Peter Goadsby, M.D., Ph.D., a neurologist at
the UCSF Headache Center in San Francisco, Calif., told Ivanhoe.
The stimulator can be turned off and on with a remote control.
"When you turn the stimulators off, as we did deliberately for this study, the
headache comes back," Dr. Goadsby said.
After six months, five out of six patients reported less pain -- some up to 95
percent less.
"The ability to be able to take a person whose life is more or less ruined by
the headache problem and make a real difference … is one of the real excitements
that drive me to work," Dr. Goadsby said.
And for many migraine suffers, the idea of getting rid of the pain without the
side effects of medicine is a relief.
Dr. Goadsby says the procedure to implant the device carries a risk of
infection. The nerve stimulator is also being used in pain management of
osteoarthritis. The device is recharged using a special headband worn by the
patient.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Lauren Hammit
UCSF Public Affairs
(415) 476-0557
