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Oxygen Therapy May Help Migraine Sufferers

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Jul 25, 2008 7:32 pm US/Eastern

Oxygen Therapy May Help Migraine Sufferers

Reporting
Dave Carlin
NEW YORK (CBS) ― For countless Americans, migraines and cluster headaches are painful conditions that can strike at any moment. Now oxygen therapy may be the relief they are looking for.

Migraines and cluster headaches are down right debilitating for patients like Phyllis Seidenfrau. "Mine have gotten where it has lasted three days where I couldn't get out of bed," she said.

New research, from nine small clinical trials, shows promise for sufferers. It found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy was six times more likely to halt pain during migraine attacks than a placebo treatment.

Normal pressure oxygen therapy from a portable unit provided relief from cluster headaches just as effectively as some medications.
    
"It tingles and [gets] very painful. The left side of my face kind of gets strange - my eye will droop and you will see it way before me," added Seidenfrau.
        
She has suffered from migraines for years. She tried medications, and normal pressure oxygen therapy.
   
"Oh does it ever relieve it!" she said of the oxygen therapy.
   
"It can end up giving headache relief pretty quickly within a good 15 to 20 minutes," said Dr. Brian M. Grosberg, of the Montefiore Medical Center.
   
Migraines typically cause throbbing pain, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, sound, or colors.

For Seidenfrau, "it could be body odor, perfume, after shave - I can't deal with that."

Cluster headaches tend to come on suddenly without warning. Other symptoms include sharp, piercing pain red, watery eyes and, a stuffy nose.

Exactly why oxygen therapy works is not clear, but Dr. Brian Grosberg has some theories.

"Particularly with migraine we know that there can be changes in the blood vessels where the blood vessels may dilate and with hyperbaric oxygen therapy that may constrict blood vessels so that may help ease the pain," he said.

Dr. Grosberg feels these oxygen therapies are not first line treatment options and warrant more studies.

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is expensive, few facilities offer it, and it may not be covered by insurance. That means it will only be used in the worst cases.
 

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