1. New clinical study tests non-invasive brain stimulation for migraine relief
Hartford Healthcare is running a clinical trial for treating migraines with a non-invasive device that delivers neurostimulation.The clinical trial is testing an investigational armband, called the Nerivio Migra, that delivers nonpainful electrical stimulation, according to Hartford Healthcare.
Nerivio Migra is controlled using a smartphone app. Electrical pulses are delivered to a user’s skin for a period of 25 minutes with no side effects. The app allows the user to adjust the strength of the pulses for migraine relief.
“Essentially, it’s blocking signals from the migraine so that you don’t actually feel your migraine pain,” said Abigail Chua in a WTNH interview. “It only turns on for about 25 minutes, so within that time you should either have complete elimination of your headache pain or a decrease in its severity.”
“I think 64% of the patients who used the device, using the treatment instead of placebo had complete elimination of their headaches 50% of the time,” said Chua.
Patricia T Perry says
Hey. I have a son in law that suffers from chronic stomach pain and has for many years. He is 44 and has been to John Hopkins, Duke, and smaller hospitals over the last 10 plus years. All they can do is give him medicine. He is disabled, in the bed most of the time, unable to be a husband or father of an autistic 6 year old. He has developed diabetes now. They say there is a disconnect between his brain and the nerve linings of his stomach. I happened to see this article and was wondering if this brain stimulation could be an answer to prayer. What do you think?
Regards,
Pat
Chris Newmarker says
Thanks for reaching out, Pat. I’m not an expert, so I don’t know enough to answer your question intelligently. I would suggest reaching out to researchers and companies doing neuromodulation work and get their opinions. EnteroMedics, for example, has a neuromodulation device to treat obesity. (http://www.enteromedics.com/) Perhaps they might have insights? Hope this helps. Hope your son-in-law’s health improves.