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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> Latitude or light therapy success/failure?
        
(Message started by: Katherinecm on May 15th, 2006, 9:19am)
Title: Latitude or light therapy success/failure?
Post by Katherinecm on May 15th, 2006, 9:19am
On the theory that you're more likely to suffer from CH the further you are from the equator, has anyone had any success/failure with either moving closer to the equator or with with light therapy? I used to be a tanning addict and moved north & quit tanning about 15 months before my first episode. Now I'm chronic, and wondering if maybe visiting a tanning bed could help. Or maybe by getting one of those lights meant for people who suffer from SAD. Has anyone experimented with this, and what were your results?
Title: Re: Latitude or light therapy success/failure?
Post by floridian on May 15th, 2006, 12:23pm
When I look at my life, moving closer to the equator didn't prevent CH (Iceland > Carolina > Florida), they started in Carolina.   But since I traded jobs and work 9-5, things have been better - maybe because I have enforced a circadian rhythm?

And every other year I go back to Iceland for a month or so in the spring - having 22 hours of daylight doesn't seem to affect me, or maybe it helps. Dunno.

Have heard a few reports about light boxes helping people, worth a shot.  I also try to take walks on my lunch hour to tell my brain it really is daytime. (gotta go take one now).
Title: Re: Latitude or light therapy success/failure?
Post by LeeS on May 15th, 2006, 1:52pm
I often wonder if wearing an eye-patch on the CH side during the day would help by stimulating the pineal gland to produce more melatonin and other related chemical transmitters.  Haven't given it a go yet though.

On that note, does anyone know how many pineal nerves and rhetinohypothalamic (sp?) tracts we have?  If we have two, and one of these is malfunctioning in any way, it may help explain the one-sidedness of CH.  Flo?

-Lee

Edited to say: I have noticed a decline in CH activity when moving closer to the equator for short periods of time (holidays etc.) but other factors other than daylight may be important, such as stress etc.  The actual plane trip invariably gets me though :'( but not recently :)
Title: Re: Latitude or light therapy success/failure?
Post by LeLimey on May 15th, 2006, 4:27pm

on 05/15/06 at 13:52:05, LeeS wrote:
I often wonder if wearing an eye-patch on the CH side during the day would help by stimulating the pineal gland to produce more melatonin and other related chemical transmitters.  Haven't given it a go yet though.

-Lee


Give it a go Lee! What've you got to lose? ..it would be refreshing to have something to laugh at you about instead of just the quiz!  :P

On a serious note, the only time I have ever had any PF time other than through using RC seeds was when I went to Dallas last year and completely changed both time zone's and latitude etc.. I had four days completely PF before shadows started coming back and didn't get an actual hit until the 6th day
Title: Re: Latitude or light therapy success/failure?
Post by BobG on May 15th, 2006, 8:04pm
I can remember a few years ago we had a long string(s) of messages about this subject. We had people from South America to Northern Canada, South Africa to the Artic of Europe. We had hot climates and long cold winters. We had nationalities and races from all over the world. We had people that clustered only in the winter and others only in the spring.

The final conclusion............there wasn't one. No group of people anywhere seemed to be more prone to cluster than any other group.

But, if you want to try the light do it. Can't hurt.

And you might have a nice tan for the OUCH convention.
Title: Re: Latitude or light therapy success/failure?
Post by MJ on May 16th, 2006, 1:15pm

Tried the light therapy back in the 80's. Didnt help my CH. then.
Title: Re: Latitude or light therapy success/failure?
Post by floridian on May 16th, 2006, 1:39pm

on 05/15/06 at 20:04:45, BobG wrote:
I can remember a few years ago we had a long string(s) of messages about this subject. We had people from South America to Northern Canada, South Africa to the Artic of Europe. We had hot climates and long cold winters. We had nationalities and races from all over the world. We had people that clustered only in the winter and others only in the spring.

The final conclusion............there wasn't one. No group of people anywhere seemed to be more prone to cluster than any other group.


Just goes to show you the limits of unscientific polls conducted on the internet. You could also find people with osteoporosis at all latitudes and all races.  But geography and genes do play something of role, they do modify the risk and expression of those 2 diseases.
Title: Re: Latitude or light therapy success/failure?
Post by BobG on May 16th, 2006, 8:05pm

on 05/16/06 at 13:39:37, floridian wrote:
Just goes to show you the limits of unscientific polls conducted on the internet. You could also find people with osteoporosis at all latitudes and all races.  But geography and genes do play something of role, they do modify the risk and expression of those 2 diseases.

Very true.
And one thing I have noticed over the years is that every person here that has said they are cluster sufferers also have access to computers and the internet. Not one time do I remember did anyone write a letter or call about their clusters.
Conclusion........computers cause clusters, maybe some kind of virus  [smiley=huh.gif]


;)
Title: Re: Latitude or light therapy success/failure?
Post by floridian on May 16th, 2006, 8:41pm

on 05/16/06 at 20:05:24, BobG wrote:
Very true.
And one thing I have noticed over the years is that every person here that has said they are cluster sufferers also have access to computers and the internet. Not one time do I remember did anyone write a letter or call about their clusters.
Conclusion........computers cause clusters, maybe some kind of virus  [smiley=huh.gif]


;)



Hope my wife doesn't read your conclusion - it confirms everything she has been telling me for the past decade.  :)
Title: Re: Latitude or light therapy success/failure?
Post by Jonny on May 16th, 2006, 9:02pm
I can stare down a Kip 5-6 just staring to the side of a light bulb, I have always been able to do that....dont know why and dont care.
Title: Re: Latitude or light therapy success/failure?
Post by Sean_C on May 17th, 2006, 12:58am

on 05/16/06 at 21:02:36, Jonny wrote:
I can stare down a Kip 5-6 just staring to the side of a light bulb, I have always been able to do that....dont know why and dont care.


My guess, and its only a guess dude, is maybe the light closes your pupil or equalizes it and makes the cluster pain subside a little quicker. Its just a guess  [smiley=bulb2.gif]

Sean................................  ;;D
Title: Re: Latitude or light therapy success/failure?
Post by floridian on May 17th, 2006, 6:40am

on 05/16/06 at 21:02:36, Jonny wrote:
I can stare down a Kip 5-6 just staring to the side of a light bulb, I have always been able to do that....dont know why and dont care.


One of the other regulars has said they can abort with a tiny bit of capsaicin (hot pepper cream) applied to the corner of the affected eye (not something I am sure is altogether safe). Could be some kind of local reflex with the eye that could be of use.  


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