New anti-migraine surgical implants send out tiny electric shocks to ease the brain... but is there a natural method?

Sunday, May 29, 2016 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer
Tags: migraine treatment, StimRelieve Halo, natural alternatives

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(NaturalNews) Human trials have been launched on a small, wireless device that is implanted in the forehead and sends electric pulses to block the nerve signals believed to produce migraine pain.

Migraines are headaches characterized by intense throbbing or pulsing pain, typically accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or extreme light and sound sensitivity. The pain from migraines can be so severe as to debilitate people for hours or even days.

The new device is being promoted as a way to offer migraine relief without drugs. But there are already drug-free, natural alternatives – which do not involve implanting devices into your head and beaming your brain directly with carcinogenic wireless radiation.

Device irradiates brain to block nerve impulses

The neurophysiological mechanisms that trigger migraine attacks are poorly understood. One popular theory suggests that abnormal brain activity – perhaps a combination of faulty electrical impulses and imbalances in certain neurotransmitters, including serotonin – cause changes to brain blood flow and the transmission of pain signals.

The StimRelieve Halo is a pea-sized device implanted into the forehead using a gauge needle. It is wirelessly connected to a battery pack which is clipped either to the ear or to the chest (media reports differ). The battery pack contains a button, which can be pressed to send electrical pulses to the implant. Theoretically, these pulses block the transmission of pain signals by nerves in the head.

The trial now underway includes 140 participants, all of whom have been implanted with the device. Half of the participants, however, have inactivated batteries in the devices, so there will be no effect when they push the button.

There is already one similar device available on the market for treating migraine pain. In 2014, the FDA approved Cefaly, a crown-like device that is attached externally to the forehead and uses electric pulses to block nerve signals. In clinical trials, Cefaly caused a 50 percent decrease in migraine pain for 38 percent of participants, compared with 12 percent for a placebo. Unlike the StimRelieve Halo, Cefaly does not use wireless signals and is controlled by a button on the device itself.

Safe, effective and natural migraine relief

Beyond the unsettling and invasive nature of implanting a medical device directly into patients' heads, the new device would also beam wireless radiofrequency signals directly at the brain. These are the same frequency of signals increasingly being implicated in the development of brain cancer and other tumors.

But what alternative do people have, if they suffer from crippling migraine pain and also want to avoid potentially dangerous pharmaceutical drugs?

In fact, a number of natural remedies have shown great effectiveness in soothing migraine pain. One of the best ways to treat migraines is to prevent them, by learning and avoiding your own personal triggers. While some triggers may be beyond your control, many people find that their migraines are triggered or worsened by certain foods, including caffeine, alcohol, MSG, chocolate, dairy, peanut butter, onions, nitrate-containing meats, fermented or pickled foods, certain fruits (such as avocado, banana or citrus), and foods containing the amino-acid tyramine.

While some of these foods, like nitrate-containing meat, are bad for you, others, such as fermented foods, are generally very healthy. That's why it's best to make a food diary and only avoid the foods that actually trigger your attacks.

Some foods and herbs may actively help. Buckwheat, a traditional migraine remedy, may help due to its high levels of the flavonoid rutin. Studies have shown that the herbal remedy feverfew, taken daily, prevents and reduces migraine pain.

Another easy, evidence-based treatment is a do-it-yourself scalp massage, particularly at the base of the skull by the greater occipital nerve. Reflexology massage may also help.

The essential oils lavender and peppermint have also been shown to ease migraines and other headaches. Be sure to follow directions from a reputable source to ensure safe and effective use of essential oils.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

EverydayHealth.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

MayoClinic.org

MedicalDaily.com

Cefaly.com

Science.NaturalNews.com