PEMF and Migraines

Migraines are a serious condition that can make our lives worse in so many ways.

People who suffer from migraine attacks usually try to cope with them because they see them as a necessary evil with which their lifestyle comes.

A migraine attack can be caused by too much stress, too little sleep, too much work, or other, serious biological causes.

When it happens, we can either push through, or take a painkiller and hope it will ease.

This article will explore another option.

PEMF therapy has proven to be an efficient way of treating migraines quickly, with few to no side effects.

Stay with us and read on to find out more about how it works.

 

What are Migraines?

Migraines are recurring, strong, and painful headaches that may be preceded with sensory warning signs.

Sometimes, prior to a migraine attack, people will experience flashes of light, tingling sensations, blind spots, and so on.

Migraine attacks can last for hours and even days, and are usually accompanied by vomiting, nausea, and sensitivity to sound and light.

 

Migraines Symptoms

People who have been struggling with migraine attacks for a long time know how to read their body’s language and predict when a migraine will occur.

Certain symptoms of migraines can be noticed days before it sets in.

One or two days before a migraine, a person might experience constipation, mood swings, food cravings, increased urination and thirst, neck stiffness, and yawning.

After this phase, auras appear.

Auras are sensory symptoms including flashes of light, vision disturbances, touching sensations, and more.

They usually last for up to 60 minutes, but most patients do not experience them at all.

A migraine attack occurs after this period, and lasts anywhere between 4 to 72 hours.

The symptoms are a throbbing pain on one side of the head, sensitivity to light and sound, blurred vision, and lightheadedness, to name a few.

During the post-drome phase, when the attack stops, some people feel extremely tired, and others feel blithe.

Other symptoms you might also experience are moodiness, confusion, weakness, and more.

 

Migraines Causes

The real cause of migraines is still not fully known. However, there are certain factors that can trigger a migraine.

These factors are different for different people, and sometimes it is difficult to determine which one it is in a particular case.

These are the most common triggers we know of:

• Hormonal changes. Usually occurs during menstruation.
• Physical causes. Tiredness, shoulder and neck stiffness, poor posture…
• Emotional causes. Depression, anxiety, stress, shock…
• Caffeine and alcohol, as well as an additive called tyramine, can trigger a migraine.
• Hormone replacement therapy, sleeping pills, contraceptive pill.
• External factors. Strong smells, flashing images, smoking, loud noises, temperature changes…

When it comes to treating migraines, unfortunately, there isn’t one single cure.

In order to prevent an attack or make it less severe, we can change our lifestyle, take painkillers, change our diet, and even undergo surgery.

However, we can also use PEMF therapy, as more and more studies are showing that it has a positive effect on migraines.

Science-backed evidence proves that it can reduce both the frequency and the intensity of migraine attacks.

So, let’s learn more about it.

 

PEMF Therapy and Migraines?

Because there isn’t a pill that we can take and magically cure our migraines, we can only hope to find a way to make them less frequent and more tolerable.

Scientists believe that one reason why migraines happen is due to bad circulation in the brain.

Blood flow becomes constricted in one place or lobe of the brain, and the excess blood goes to another part.

PEMF therapy is known to cause vasodilatation and improve the blood flow to any part of the body.

Therefore, that is one way in which PEMF helps with migraines, scientists believe.

Moreover, by increasing the amount of cellular energy, the body is once again able to correct the disturbed neural pathways in the brain that might also be causing migraines.

Some evidence shows that the best PEMF frequency to be used for migraines is 10 Hz.

However, other frequencies within the 5-15 Hz range have beneficial effects, as well.

Numerous studies have been conducted on the topic, but one caught our eye in particular due to its reputability and reliability.

 

A Study on PEMF and Migraines

Sherman RA, Robson L., and Acosta NM conducted a study in 1999 on whether treatment of migraines was possible with a pulsing electromagnetic field.

This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, which ensures that the results are reliable and unbiased. (1)

Forty-two subjects participated in the study, 34 of whom were women and 8 of whom were men.

All of them met the International Headache Society’s criteria for having migraines.

All of the subjects were required to keep a one-month log of migraine activity before the treatment, for comparison.

They were then randomized into two groups, where one group received real PEMF stimulation applied to their inner thighs and the other group received placebo treatment for 1 hour a day, 5 days a week, for 14 days.

After completion of the study, all subjects were required to keep a one-month log of their migraine activity, and report for a one-month follow-up.

During the first follow-up, 73% of those from the PEMF group reported decreased migraines (45% good, 14% excellent), compared to 50% of those in the placebo group (20% good, 15% worse, 0% excellent).

Twenty-two subjects from the placebo group received an additional 2 weeks of PEMF stimulation.

After another follow-up, all of them reported improvement (50% good, 38% excellent).

Thirteen subjects from the PEMF group were chosen not to receive additional PEMF treatment.

During their second follow-up, 12 of them showed decreased migraine activity (29% good, 43% excellent).

Therefore, it can be concluded that PEMF stimulation to the inner thighs for at least 3 weeks is an effective way of reducing the frequency and intensity of migraines.

This is a completely non-invasive and safe method of alleviating migraines that can be used every day, or at least for 5 days a week for maximum benefits.

 

Other Benefits of PEMF Therapy

Other than providing significant help with migraines, PEMF therapy can help with many other health conditions, as well.

It can be used by people with specific illnesses, but it can also be used by healthy people as a preventative measure, or as a way of increasing their overall quality of life.

PEMF therapy is a 100% safe treatment, without any known serious side effects, and can therefore be used on a daily basis as a part of everyone’s health regimen.

Here is a summary of several other PEMF therapy benefits in which you should be interested.

 

PEMF Improves Range of Motion

Cervical osteoarthritis is a disease that has many symptoms and health consequences.

Maybe one of the most serious ones is decreased range of motion.

It can sometimes be very mild but, in other cases, can become quite severe.

Luckily, a study published in Clinical Rheumatology in 2006 proves that PEMF can help patients with this condition.

During the study, patients received 30 minutes of stimulation per day, twice a day, for three weeks.

After the treatment, all of the subjects reported a significant decrease in pain and stiffness in the treated areas. (2)

 

Promotes Nerve Repair

A study was completed in 1993 that examined how pretreatment of rats with PEMF therapy would affect their injured sciatic nerve.

The rats received a crush lesion, and their sciatic nerve regeneration was assessed with a pinch test.

The results showed that all of the rats treated with PEMF showed more regeneration and sciatic nerve responsiveness compared to those who did not receive PEMF stimulation.

This is encouraging news for those dealing with nerve degeneration or damage. (3)

 

Relieves Diabetic Polyneuropathy

People who suffer from diabetes often develop diabetic polyneuropathy, which is characterized by feelings of weakness and numbness on one or both sides of the body.

It is one of the many complications of diabetes.

In 2003, a study was published in Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology that explored how PEMF might help patients that are battling this condition.

The results showed that there are clear signs PEMF treatment can minimize the symptoms that patients suffering from DPN feel. (4)

 

Relieves Depression Symptoms

It is hard for people with depression to find an effective way of treating their symptoms.

Around 30% of those with depression do not respond well to antidepressants, and their symptoms sometimes even worsen because of it.

Thus, scientists started exploring how PEMF could affect depression.

A study completed in Denmark showed that if PEMF was used in combination with antidepressants, their positive effects were much greater and the instances of side effects were much lower than before.

PEMF can then be a strong ally to antidepressants, or serve as a secondary treatment of depression. (5)

 

Relieves Pain

A study completed in 1993 at the International Pain Research Institute showed that PEMF can decrease the amount of pain patients feel after receiving PEMF stimulation.

Subjects in the study were suffering from pelvic pain, and all of them reported lower pain levels after the treatment. (6)

Therefore, PEMF can serve as a safe and side effect free method of dealing with pain, and take the place of harmful and addictive painkillers in the future.

 

Improves Blood Flow

Scientists at Wake Forest University conducted a study that proved PEMF treatment causes vasodilatation in the targeted area.

By doing this, PEMF stimulation can improve the blood flow to an affected area, or promote blood flow in the whole body when a full body mat is used. (7)

This also means that PEMF can help with lowering blood pressure, recovery from injury, prevention of stroke and heart attack, and much more.

 

Reduces Symptoms of Arthritis

People suffering from rheumatoid arthritis experience a generally decreased quality of life as the disease progresses.

There isn’t one cure for this disease, so patients can only hope to find a way to relieve their symptoms.

PEMF can help them do this by decreasing the amount of pain, swelling, and inflammation that RA causes.

A study in 1998 conducted in India proved this by testing PEMF stimulation on human subjects suffering from RA.

Therefore, PEMF can be an essential new therapy for arthritis patients. (8)

 

Treats Nonunion Fractures

PEMF can also help heal nonunion fractures. These are fractures that have not healed in an expected timeframe.

They usually require surgery to reconnect the bone once again.

However, PEMF offers a new form of treatment that is completely non-invasive and safe.

A study completed in Bangladesh in 1999 showed that of 13 patients with nonunion fractures who were treated with PEMF stimulation, 11 experienced successful healing of their fractures after 14 weeks of therapy. (9)

 

Conclusion

Migraines are a horrible and debilitating health condition that can really wreak havoc on a person’s life.

Nobody should endure them and accept them as a given.

Preventing a migraine attack or treating it when it sets in is a long and uncertain endeavor.

However, PEMF can make it easier and more certain, so PEMF therapy should become more accepted as a viable form of treatment.

By using PEMF stimulation in the stage before the attack happens, we raise our chances of preventing it, or at least making it less intense if we do not manage to stop it completely.

We can use PEMF treatment on a daily basis because it is better to be safe than sorry, or we can use it once we notice the first signs of a migraine.

The evidence that we have is encouraging and indubitable and it is science-backed.

Compared to some other traditional ways of dealing with migraines, like taking painkillers, for example, it is completely safe, free of side effects, and non-invasive.

Therefore, everyone should know about it and give it a try because PEMF is a real game-changer for anyone who suffers from frequent and intense migraine attacks.