“It was like red-hot pokers needling one side of my face,” says Catherine, recalling the cluster headaches she experienced for six years. “I just wanted it to stop.” But it wouldn’t – none of the drugs she tried had any effect.
Thinking she had nothing to lose, last year she enrolled in a pilot study to test a handheld device that applies a bolt of electricity to the neck, stimulating the vagus nerve – the superhighway that connects the brain to many of the body’s organs, including the heart.
The results of the trial were presented last month at the International Headache Congress in Boston, and while the trial is small, the findings are positive. Of the 21 volunteers, 18 reported a reduction in the severity and frequency of their headaches, rating them, on average, 50 per cent less painful after using the device daily and whenever they felt a headache coming on.
This isn’t the first time vagal nerve stimulation has been used as a treatment – but it is one of the first that hasn’t required surgery. Some people with epilepsy have had a small generator that sends regular electrical signals to the vagus nerve implanted into their chest. Implanted devices have also been approved to treat depression. What’s more, there is increasing evidence that such stimulation could treat many more disorders from headaches to stroke and possibly Alzheimer’s disease.
The latest study suggests it is possible to stimulate the nerve through the skin, rather than resorting to surgery. “What we’ve done is figured out a way to stimulate the vagus nerve with a very similar signal, but non-invasively through the neck,” says Bruce Simon, vice-president of research at New Jersey-based ElectroCore, makers of the handheld device. “It’s a simpler, less invasive way to stimulate the nerve.”
Cluster headaches are thought to be triggered by the overactivation of brain cells involved in pain processing. The neurotransmitter glutamate, which excites brain cells, is a prime suspect. ElectroCore turned to the vagus nerve as previous studies had shown that stimulating it in people with epilepsy releases neurotransmitters that dampen brain activity.
When the firm used a smaller version of ElectroCore’s device on rats, it found it reduced glutamate levels and excitability in these pain centres. Other studies have shown that vagus nerve stimulation causes the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters which counter the effects of glutamate.
The big question is whether a non-implantable device can really trigger changes in brain chemistry in humans, or whether people are simply experiencing a placebo effect. “The vagus nerve is buried deep in the neck, and something that’s delivering currents through the skin can only go so deep,” says Mike Kilgard of the University of Texas at Dallas. As you turn up the voltage, there’s a risk of it activating muscle fibres that trigger painful cramps, he adds.
Simon says that volunteers using the device haven’t reported any serious side effects. He adds that ElectroCore will soon publish data showing changes in brain activity in humans after using the device. Placebo-controlled trials are also about to start.
Catherine has been using it for a year without ill effect. “I can now function properly as a human being again,” she says.
The many uses of the wonder nerve
Coma, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma and obesity are just some of the disparate conditions that vagus nerve stimulation may benefit and for which human trials are under way.
It might also help people with tinnitus. Although people with tinnitus complain of ringing in their ears, the problem actually arises because too many neurons fire in the auditory part of the brain when certain frequencies are heard.
Mike Kilgard of the University of Texas at Dallas reasoned that if people were played tones that didn’t trigger tinnitus while the vagus nerve was stimulated, this might coax the rogue neurons into firing in response to these frequencies instead. “By activating this nerve we can enhance the brain’s ability to rewire itself,” he says.
He has so far tested the method in rats and in 10 people with tinnitus, using an implanted device to stimulate the nerve. Not everyone noticed an improvement, but even so Kilgard is planning a larger trial. The work was presented at a meeting of the International Union of Physiological Sciences in Birmingham, UK, last month. The technique is also being tested in people who have had a stroke.
“If these studies stand up it could be worth changing the name of the vagus nerve to the wonder nerve,” says Sunny Ogbonnaya at Cork University Hospital in Ireland.
This recipe is specifically for stress induced headaches.
1 part White Willow Bark
1 part Passionflower
2 part Peppermint
Remember, always consult a healthcare professional when introducing herbs and supplements into your life. Always check for interactions, and be aware of possible side effects.
A note on this: recipe is much more effective if the white willow bark is boiled for 10minutes(a decotion) to pull as much medicinal qualities out of it as possible.
This recipe is specifically for stress induced headaches.
1 part White Willow Bark
1 part Passionflower
2 part Peppermint
Remember, always consult a healthcare professional when introducing herbs and supplements into your life. Always check for interactions, and be aware of possible side effects.
#Fbf to before I had Botox! To find out more click that link in my bio. Swipe ➡️➡️➡️ for an after pic. More pictures on my blog post. . . . . . . . . . . #botox #botoxformigraines #motherhood #spoonie #spooniemom #momlife #health #headaches #boymom #motherhoodunplugged #spooniesisterhood #thespooniesisterhood #thespoonielife
please teach kids that its not normal to be in pain all of the time, we also need to start taking kids seriously when they talk about pain or difficulty physically, kids and teens can absolutely have chronic pain, medical conditions and disability that you cannot see. a kid isnt going to lie to you about being in pain 24/7 repeatedly.
49 Episodes - Available on youtube with eng subs, link in episode #
Whumpee - Shen Fang played by Zhang Yi Shan.
Shen Fang is a communist spy, he and his older brother work with the government. An explosion leaves a piece of shrapnel in his head that causes the majority of the whump in the show, usually with extreme head pain that can lead to collapsing.
Episode 17:(18:00) Starts to look dazed, someone mentions he looks pale. (23:00) Headache, has to work through the pain. Fighting it for as long as possible. Sweating, struggling to walk down stairs, collapses. (29:00) Wakes up in the hospital.
Episode 22:(20:00) Taken hostage, discovered he’s a spy. Hit over the head really hard, bleeding. Gun against head. It’s concerning because of the shrapnel in his brain. Knocked down and helped up, refuses help. Almost collapses again, helped to car, asleep in the backseat. (31:00) Leaning on his wife for comfort which is out of character for him. (35:00) Walks into surprise party with his gun ready, not knowing it’s a surprise party.
Episode 27:(16:00) Collapses with sudden extreme head pain. He falls down and passes out from the pain. (18:00) Forces himself to continue working without recovering. (26:00) Saved by someone in an explosion.
Episode 28: (6:00) Stunned after seeing his friend die. (14:00) Drinking at a club. (18:00) Drunk, almost falls down. (21:00) Fell asleep while talking to his brother. (27:00) Vomiting because he drank too much.
Episode 37:(6:00) Gets into a fight, hit with extreme head pain, punched, found on the ground writhing in pain. (10:00) Taken to hospital, brain surgery, recovering.
49 Episodes - Available on youtube with eng subs, link in episode #
Whumpee - Shen Fang played by Zhang Yi Shan.
Shen Fang is a communist spy, he and his older brother work with the government. An explosion leaves a piece of shrapnel in his head that causes the majority of the whump in the show, usually with extreme head pain that can lead to collapsing.
Recently I joined a bible study at my church as a way of growing deeper in my faith, find another community of women I could confide in and also as a new way of finding support with the many ups and downs of life.
Last week at the Bible study, one of the women at my table said something during our discussion that really stuck with me. She said “You might be a light for somebody out there without…
This weekend I made a quick weekend trip away with my little brother to Duke University! He wanted to visit the campus & my Virginia Tech Hokies we’re playing them in a football game that weekend, so it was a win-win.
We enjoyed walking around the campus (I’ll admit, it was beautiful.) The weather was great, sunny & breezy & not too too hot.
