Invented by Medtronic, the device was tested in a trial of 61 patients who experienced on average 15 or more headache days in a month and whose condition did not respond to conventional medicine for three months. The device is put up against the back of the head, and users push a button to administer the magnetic pulse.
About 39 percent of patients who used the device were able to control the pulses and experienced a 50 percent or more reduction in the number of month headaches. Among those who got the device, but were not able to adjust it, only 6 percent experienced a positive effect.
None achieved a 50 percent reduction in a control group of patients who did not get the device, but took the standard migraine drugs. Researchers say the device should be used by the patients before they begin to experience the attack, a period of visual disturbance that can occur before the headache begins.
The prior symptoms include seeing flashing lights, zigzag lines, or other visual hallucinations, or experiencing temporary blind spots, sensitivity to bright light, blurred vision, or eye pain. However, researchers say that more study is needed for people who do not suffer prior symptoms.
Nearly 28 million Americans suffer from migraines, a condition associated with hormone fluctuation more often occurring in women than men. Upto 3 to 14 percent of suffers are not responsive to medicine. Migraines can be caused on by certain foods, stress, or another trigger. In addition to being painful, the headaches can involve nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms.
