Non pharmaceutical approaches to headache and migraine treatment
Our aim is to establish the cause - with a multi-faceted approach
Treatment approaches
Based on the criteria set by the international headache society, the main headaches we are consulted for are
- Migraine and it’s subtypes
- Tension type headaches and its subtypes
- Headache or facial pain attributed to the neck and its muscles or other cranial components such as eyes ears and nose etc
- Occasionally, other primary headaches, e.g. cough, exercise, cold stimulus induced, sexual activity induced
What to expect in your consultation/s and treatment
1.
We begin by asking you to complete our questionnaire to identify your individual triggers, such as food, stress etc.
2.
We can then determine the best treatment for you, using one or a number of the following:
- Identifying migraine triggers via a minimalist diet and sequential re-introductions of foods.
- Correction of upper cervical spine disfunction, muscle imbalances and trigger points using manual therapies.
- Laser (which includes near infra red light therapy aka photobiomodulation).
- US federal drug administration (FDA) approved vagus nerve stimulation.
- Laser (needleless) acupuncture.
- Exercises as deemed appropriate
Some migraine improvement statistics
%
60-70%
Photobio-modulation
PBM provided an overall improvement rate of about 60-70% in terms of either reduced frequency of migraines or less severe episodes with extended long-term benefits. (Chow et al 2015, Liu et al 2018).
%
30% Less
Vagus Nerve Stimulation:
A 30% decrease in monthly H/A days and pain free status in more than 50% of patients. Cluster H/A also benefitted (Straube 2015, Lai 2020, Zang 2023).
%
70-80%
Laser Acupuncture:
Needleless acupuncture on traditional acupuncture points and migraine trigger areas has been shown to yield a response rate of 70-80%, along with a decrease in inflammation. (Quah-Smith 2013).
%
87%
Food Triggers:
Food allergy/food reactions or intolerances are involved in up to 93% of migraines in children (Edgar et al. 1989) and an 87% complete resolution with dietary exclusions (Muir et al. 2017).
**Due to space considerations, only the first authors are named in the reference.
Photobiomodulation and migraine
Migraine is one of the more common conditions we treat with photobiomodulation (PBM). Also known as low level laser therapy and cold laser therapy, the treatment reduces the nerve activity in the upper neck region which can stimulate the migraine centre. Many patients choose PBM because they report that either their medication does not alleviate the pain, or that there are too many side-effects – including weight gain.
Further, long term medication can potentiate other medical problems including rebound headaches.
Migraine treatment with PBM will generally include treating both the neck and scalp areas and can be performed on patients of all ages. At Bioelectronic Medicine we take a broad view of the condition, endeavouring to identify a cause and treat accordingly.
Are you are sick of losing days due to migraines?
Contact Dr Paul Brunton at Bioelectronic Medicine today to book your appointment