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Please read this article even if you only get headaches twice a year:
CASE STUDY #1
Band-Aid for Headaches
Summarized by Bert Roest
August 24, 2001 (Reviewed: August 5, 2003)
Headaches can be a real pain. Most of us are lucky: we have them only once in
a while. And when we do, easily accessible pain relievers come to the rescue.
Some people, however, frequently have severe headaches that don't respond well.
These can range from episodic but throbbing tension pains, to full-blown migraines
that leave their victims bed-ridden for days at a time. The current medicines
for these more brutal torments are far from innocent. What is worse, they don't
always work. Out of necessity, many long-term headache sufferers reach out to
other treatments for pain relief. Like the ancient Egyptians before them, they
treat their headaches with hot water, or apply cold and hot head bandages. Modern
patients doing this are following a long tradition of self-medication.
Headache sufferers, as well as their doctors, have learned that such treatments
can be very beneficial 1. The question is, of course, which mixture of pressure,
heat or cold works best for each person. A recent study with a group of 15 headache
patients has thrown some light on this issue. Out of this group, 10 suffered
from moderate to severe migraines. The other 5 had severe episodic tension headaches.
All of them were given a special device: a new headband that makes it possible
to apply pressure, heat and cold at the same time. The people in the study were
asked to maintain their normal medication and to use the headband the way they
wanted over a period of three headache attacks.
Without exception, all 15 patients found the headband very helpful. It
dramatically reduced the length of their headache attacks (an average reduction
of 65% when compared to their headaches without the headband) and greatly boosted
their overall sense of well-being. All members of the test group said
they benefited from the headband's pressure. Interestingly, those with tension
headaches preferred pressure combined with cold, whereas migraine patients found
heat and cold in combination with pressure equally effective.
This headband, which can be tailored to the needs of each
patient, seems a nifty new tool to manage migraines and tension headaches. It
offers a pain relief option without the risks of side effects from usual medication.
For many people with headaches, it could be the band-aid they need for a better
life.
Source:
Pressure, Heat, and Cold Help Relieve Headache Pain SH. Landy, B. Griffin,
Arch Fam Med, 2000, vol. 9, pp. 792--793
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0ISW/2001_April/72297169/p1/article.jhtml
References:
Pressure, Heat, and Cold for Headache Relief, Stephen H. Landy, M.D., Headache Quarterly, Current Treatment and Research, Vol. XI, 2000, Number 4, pp 287-288.
Adding Heat, Cold, or Pressure Can Shorten Headache Pain, Duration, Denise Mann, WebMD Medical News, Reviewed by Dr. Dominique S. Walton, Nov. 29, 2000.
CASE STUDY #2
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/29/1728_65258.htm
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CASE STUDY #3
An ancient and potentially effective remedy for tension headaches uses pressure applied to the head (such as a headband or a towel wrapped around the head) plus either heat or cold. In one 2000 study, 87% of headache sufferers experienced significant relief and the rest reported moderate relief while they were wearing special headbands that could be tightened. They applied packs that were frozen or microwaved. (Either heat or cold packs were useful, although people with tension headaches generally preferred cold packs.)
Source:
DOCTORS RECOMMEND BANDS:
http://www.wholehealthmd.com/hc/migraine/recommends_headbands/1,1642,492,00.html