Can Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Cure Migraines?

An article published in the UK’s Daily Mail in May 2006 outlines the devastating effects that migraine headaches have had on UK society and how, according to scientists, a small Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation device can help. The Daily Mail writes:

“The new treatment is known as Trans-cranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and is provided by a hand-held gadget about the size of a hairdryer, which is held against the back of head. The device emits a painless magnetic pulse that ‘interrupts’ brain cell activity which would otherwise lead to migraine.”

The Daily Mail was reporting on the results of a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) study conducted by Ohio State University in the US. In the Ohio State study, 69% of 23 migraine sufferers reported little or no pain from migraine two hours after treatment with TMS, compared to 48% of the group which received placebo treatment. One of the patients who actually received treatment from the TMS device at the lab told researchers that it “transformed” her life. That reaction and the results of the study led the Ohio State neurologists to call the study’s results “very encouraging.”

The Daily Mail details how a possible home TMS treatment for migraine could cost about £1,000 ($2,000), which is expensive, but not as expensive as migraine headaches’ cost to the overall UK economy, or to themselves for missed work. The one in eight Brits who suffer from migraine headaches result in 90,000 workers missing work each day in the UK, which adds up to £1.5 billion lost to the UK economy each year.

The Elata Foundation’s mission is to encourage and fund more of this type of research into TMS as a cure for many major illnesses in addition to migraine, including major depression uncured by any other treatment.

For more information on the Elata Foundation, please visit our website at http://www.elata.org.