Scientists find a new method to prevent migraines
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Relief could be on the way for migraine sufferers, as a new study finds that cooling and warming the ear canal can reduce the frequency and intensity of these painful headaches.
Migraines affect around 12% of the world’s population, and have been linked to a large financial burden due to healthcare costs and losses in productivity. There’s no cure for migraines, but treatments to try and prevent them do exist – the problem is that these measures are underused by sufferers, on account of unpleasant side effects and their potential low efficacy. Effective, safe preventatives are therefore widely sought after.
A study, published in the journal Headache, claims that such a preventative could soon be at hand. Researchers from the University of Kent used a technique known as Caloric Vestibular Stimulation (CVS), and found it was particularly effective in the treatment of migraines.
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CVS is a technique normally used to diagnose balance disorders and brainstem function. It involves warming and cooling the ear canal, causing convection currents which activate the balance organs and influence the brainstem – this part of the brain has also been linked with the onset of migraines.
Led by Dr. David Wilkinson of the University’s School of Psychology, the study involved 81 participants, between the ages of 18 and 65, with a history of migraines (4-14 per month). The participants self-administered daily CVS treatment for 20 minutes, over the course of 3 months. To do this, they used a specially designed headset and handheld device called the TMN.
At the end of the study, researchers found that the participants who’d used the CVS device experienced fewer migraine days per month with a reduction of 3.9 days, as compared to the placebo group (with unpowered devices) who experienced 0.9 less migraine days.
They also discovered that CVS treatment resulted in reduced headache pain scores, and reduced the participants’ need for migraine abortive prescription medicine.
According to Dr. Wilkinson, the results support CVS’ potential role as a new, preventative therapy against episodic migraines. The paper specifies that the devices utilised in the study could be used at home, with no technical expertise needed and only minimal training.
A second study is underway to test in more detail how CVS could be used to prevent migraine attacks.
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