Shock Treatment for Migraines vs. Chiropractic Care

If you suffer from migraines, you already know all about their debilitating pain. These headaches can easily sideline you for an entire day while you wait for them to finally go away. While chiropractors have been successfully treating migraines without drugs or invasive techniques, traditional medicine is still searching for cures. Some of these new technological approaches might seem a bit...shocking.  For example, a new device is showing promise as a method for easing migraine pain. How does it work? Believe it or not, the device reduces pain by delivering mild electric shocks to your arm.  The Future of Migraine Relief? The experimental device, which you control through your smartphone, is called the Nerivo Migra. It consists of electrodes that attach to your arm, a patch with a battery, and a computer chip that wirelessly connects to your mobile device. When activated, the device stimulates nerves under the skin of your arm, which, in turn, blocks pain signals from traveling to the brain. In the past, similar attempts at blocking pain signals applied mild shocks to the person’s head. By focusing on the arm instead, researchers are hoping the device will be discrete and convenient enough to use in public without anyone noticing. A Recent Study Put Nerivo Migra to the Test Researchers examined the effects of Nerivo Migra on 71 participants who suffer from episodic migraines that occur two to eight times a month. They had not taken any medication to prevent their attacks for at least two months. Most were women in their mid-to-late 40s who also experienced “aura,” which is a visual disturbance that sometimes affects other senses. Participants had a total of 299 migraine occurrences during the course of the study. They were instructed to apply the device to their upper arms immediately after the start of an attack and use it for 20 minutes. The device was programmed to emit one of five pulse widths: 50, 100, 150, 200, or a placebo. When the 50-width pulse rate is excluded, the results show that 64% of participants reported at least a 50% pain reduction two hours after using the device. For the control group, that number was just 26%. At the 200-width pulse rate, 58% of participants said they had little or no pain after a migraine that was moderate to severe. Chiropractic Migraine Treatment You Can Experience Right Now While the Nerivo Migra seems promising, it will likely be years before the public is ever able to use it. And you might be understandably a bit wary of using electric shock as a way to treat a headache. However, if you’re suffering from migraines right now, your local chiropractor can help.  A study conducted by Duke University showed that chiropractic spinal adjustments can produce almost immediate improvements in those suffering from migraines. The relief also lasted longer with fewer side effects than prescription headache medication.  So don’t live with the pain migraines cause. Your local chiropractor will have you feeling better with just a single visit.