Posted by Patrick on July 20, 1998 at 11:27:10:
Because breathing 100% oxygen relieves pain relatively quickly, it is usually
regarded as the treatment of choice for cluster headaches. Recently, McLeod
described the results of a study showing that cold room air inhalation is
effective for aborting cluster headaches. Four patients with episodic cluster
headache and four with chronic cluster headache were instructed to inhale
room air cooled to 42 deg-F via an inhalation device that delivered the cold air
to a nonrebreathing face mask at a rate of approximately 6 liters per minute.
Patients inhaled the cold air until the headache was relieved or 15 minutes had
elapsed, whichever was first. This procedure was continued through 10
headache attacks. For comparison purposes, a second study was done
involving six patients who used 100% oxygen at each of five additional
headaches.
Inhaling cold room air effectively aborted cluster headaches in 6 to 15 minutes
in 85% of episodes. By comparison, 100% oxygen was effective in 83%, with
response occurring in 7-15 minutes. Cold air and 100% oxygen provided
equivalent pain relief (mean level-of-relief score was 2.69 for cold room air
and 2.72 for 100% oxygen). "Room air cooled to 42 deg-F is as effective as
100% oxygen in relieving cluster headache pain," concluded the investigators.
"This offers cluster headache patients an alternative treatment that is safe,
effective, convenient and inexpensive." (McLeod MS. Headache. 1996;290.
Abstract.)