Shine OnNew headband promises to treat headaches
Looking for a drug-free way to treat your headaches and migraines?
It could be as simple as putting on a headband.
A small Belgium tech company called Cefaly Technology has created a battery-powered headband that promises to provide headache relief by using an electrical current to stimulate the trigeminal nerve, believed to play a critical role in the onset of a migraine.
"This device is a promising step forward in treating migraine headaches, as it addresses an important part of what we believe triggers and maintains a migraine attack," Dr. Myrna Cardiel, a neurology professor at NYU Langone Medical Center and NYU School of Medicine, tells Health Day.
The device has been approved for use in Canada, but Americans hoping to harness its powers need a medical prescription to purchase it. It sells for $350 in Canada.
To use the device, you apply the electrodes to your forehead and then place the headband over top. It is worn for 20 minutes a day, and users can adjust the intensity of the electrical current according to their needs.
A clinical trial involving 67 headband users shows that 71 per cent reported a reduction in headaches after wearing the headband. While the headband can't necessarily stop a headache that's already started, it can prevent them from starting through daily use.
Electrical stimulation has traditionally been used to relax muscles in sports medicine and to treat chronic pain in the spinal cord.
Some experts suggest that headache treatments which target the patient's brain, rather than their whole body as with medication, is going to be a huge area of development in coming years.
As for other drug-free ways to prevent headaches, some people use acupuncture, massage and even magnesium.
