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22 June, (foodconsumer.org) - A revolutionary new device, simply called the TMS, has the ability to stop a migraine from progressing to the headache stage, according to a new research.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, as the device is called prevents or reduces the severity of the migraine by producing an electric current through a metal coil thus creating a sharp magnetic field that lasts for only a millisecond. The researchers say that it is this magnetic field that "zaps" the migraine away.

Migraine sufferers are familiar with the warning phase that signals that an intense headache is bound to occur shortly. They see flashing lights, experience vertigo and a visual shower of "shooting stars" just before a full-fledged migraine kicks in. This stage is called as an "aura."

TMS interrupts this stage and stops the migraine from progressing further, the researchers told Thursday at the American Headache Society's annual meeting, in Los Angeles.

"This process spreads throughout the brain and the end result is the throbbing headache," said lead researcher Dr. Yousef Mohammad, an assistant professor of neurology at Ohio State University Medical Center. "If we can interrupt this with two pulses of magnetic stimulation, we can abort the headache."

The small study involved 43 people who had migraines with aura. They were randomly assigned to receive either TMS or treatment with a placebo device. The researchers instructed the TMS group to give themselves two pulses to the back of the head at the first sign of an aura.

The researchers said seventy-four percent of people in the TMS group reported no or only a mild headache two hours after using the device, compared with 45 percent in the control group. Participants also reported a reduction in noise and light sensitivity:

Additionally 74 percent of people in the TMS group experienced a reduction in light sensitivity while 75 percent experienced less noise sensitivity.

These results were significant given the 20 percent reduction seen in the placebo group. Also nausea was also reduced in 88% of TMS-patients compared with 56% of patients treated with a dummy device.

"The device's pulse is painless," Mohammed said. "The patients have felt a little pressure, but that's all. Perhaps the most significant effect of using the TMS device was on the two-hour symptom assessment, with 84% of the episodes in patients using the TMS occurring without noise sensitivity."

He added that work functioning also improved in patients using TMS and no side effects were reported to them. The researchers are beginning a larger study of TMS involving nine medical centers and 200 patients next month.

In another study presented at the meeting, researchers said that children who suffered migraines were 36 percent more likely to be overweight. Researchers evaluated 440 children between the ages of 3 to 18 who visited one of seven pediatric headache centers in the study.

They found that more than 21 percent of headache-prone children in the study were overweight. "The numbers tell us that being overweight may contribute to kids having more headaches, most often migraines," said lead investigator Dr. Andrew D. Hershey, a pediatric neurologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

"There are likely a number of causes, including poorer general health, body stress, lack of exercise and nutrition. It may not be that being overweight directly causes migraine, but that the reasons for being overweight cause these children to have worsening headaches," he added.

Migraines: What Are They?
* Migraine is one of the more common types of headache that occurs due to changes in the brain and surrounding blood vessels, leads to pain and associated symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, light/sound sensitivity.

* About 28 million Americans suffer migraine headaches and about 20 percent experience migraine with aura. Scientists theorize that migraine attacks start because of nerve cell hyper-excitability, which is followed by fatigue and malfunction of the nerve cells, or neurons.

* The pain associated with a migraine attack usually lasts 4 to 72 hours. Typically a migraine affects only one side of the head resulting in a throbbing type of pain.

* The American Headache Society recommends that migraine sufferers gain control over their condition by affecting minor lifestyle modifications like,
* Diet - avoid foods if they trigger migraine (red wine, food additives [MSG, nitrates], chocolate, caffeine, peanuts, and aged cheeses). Remember that the best way to identify a food trigger is to keep a diary.

* Exercise - exercise regularly and with moderation; too much or too little exercise may trigger migraine.

* Meals - eat regularly; fasting and hypoglycemia may trigger migraine.

* Sleep - engage in a normal sleeping routine; sleep deprivation and changes in sleeping patterns may cause migraine. This is often seen with long-distance travelers that suffer from "jet-lag." Both oversleeping and undersleeping can trigger migraine.


* Stress - reduce personal and work stress. High stress may cause anxiety, depression, panic, and other emotional fluctuations that may trigger migraine.

* Hormones (women) - be aware of monthly biological changes. Fluctuations in hormones as seen with menses, ovulation, and use of birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy may trigger migraine.

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