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        New Message Board Archives >> 2003 Posts >> Crippling Headaches
        
(Message started by: cbolony on Feb 18^th, 2003, 1:51pm)

Title: Crippling Headaches
Post by cbolony on Feb 18^th, 2003, 1:51pm

This a experimental implant under scalp that zaps away
crippling headaches
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/Z/ZAPPING_HEADACHES?SITE=NYWHI&SECTION=HOME

Title: Re: Crippling Headaches
Post by echo on Feb 18^th, 2003, 1:56pm

"Some are true migraines, which stem from inside the brain, but others - mistakenly called migraines - result from damaged nerves along the face or scalp."

Wonder if it works for clusters. I personally don't like the thought of an electrode implanted behind my eye.

Title: Re: Crippling Headaches
Post by Ueli on Feb 18^th, 2003, 5:07pm

The patient mentioned in this article seems to suffer from trigeminal neuralgia, a short but intense face pain that can be triggered by touch and other stimulation of the nerve endings. Clusters are not related to TN (but often misdiagnosed as such).

For cluster headaches there have been some (so far successful) experiments by stimulations with electrodes:

Massimo Leone from Italy has implanted electrodes directly at the hypothalamus, a procedure that involves sort of a brain surgery. See an article in the OUCH research library:
http://www.clusterheadaches.org/library/hypothalamus/wire_in_brain.htm

David Dodick from Scottsdale stimulates the hypothalamus indirectly, by planting electrodes to the occipital nerve, which is easily accessible at the back of the head. Dodick's method has been discussed here a few times, use the search button above. One link is:
http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=meds;action=display;num=1033871134

Ueli

Title: Re: Crippling Headaches
Post by Jarvis on Feb 19^th, 2003, 12:05am

About 15 or so years ago I tried this shock treatment in AZ. with a Tenz unit ( I think thats what it was called) And Dodick sounds like a familiar name. I would press a button and get a light zap to the nerve in my neck. Drove me absolutely crazy and did nothing for my clusters. I wish I still had records of this but I dont. This was not an implant but taped on the skin and was supposed to stimulate other nerves and block the pain of cluster. Perhaps he has improved the procedure over the years. This was one of those methods that I dropped in the trash can and completely forgot about till now.