Migraines are the third most prevalent illness in the world. In the United States alone, as many as 1 in 4 households include someone who suffers from migraines. If you or a family member are struggling with migraines, know that you are not alone and that effective relief is possible. In fact, neurofeedback therapy is one of the best treatment options out there for migraines. In this treatment guide, we’ll break down the benefits of neurofeedback for migraines.
What are migraines?
Migraines are much worse than just “bad headaches.” A migraine is a neurological disease with extremely painful and incapacitating neurological symptoms. For most people, it leads to severe throbbing pain on one side of the head, although some people experience it on both sides.
Migraines are triggered by many factors including hormonal imbalances, light sensitivity, allergies, dehydration, and neuro-metabolic issues. These all leave the brain in an increased state of stress and imbalance. The accompanying symptoms can significantly impact your quality of life and make it difficult to focus, manage mood, and mental health.
Symptoms of migraines
Symptoms of migraines vary from person to person, especially depending on which area of the brain is affected. However, almost all migraines involve some type of recurring extreme headache that lasts anywhere between 4 to 72 hours. The most common symptoms include:
- Severe throbbing or pulsing pain
- Vomiting or nausea
- Sensitivity to light, sound, touch, and smell
- Blurred vision or temporary vision loss
- Prickling feeling similar to pins and needles
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Speech problems
- Exhaustion
- Lightheadedness
What causes migraine pain?
Migraines create an exceptionally high-stress state in your brain. This, in turn, leads to an increase in your sympathetic response and a decrease in your parasympathetic response. More simply put, this high-stress state leads to a brainwave imbalance that negatively impacts the brain’s ability to function normally and leads to severe pain.
If the stressful trigger of the migraine continues, the brain’s response becomes chronic. And once that response is ongoing, it becomes more and more difficult for your brain to re-regulate normal function.
Does medication help?
Standard treatments for migraines typically include medication. However, as many as 84% of those suffering from migraines report being unsatisfied with medication treatments—saying they don’t alleviate their pain. Migraine medication is designed to offer temporary pain relief by blocking pain receptor sites. Still, they don’t address or impact brainwave imbalances, which could be contributing to your pain.
Though some may find short-term relief with medication, it is not a long-term solution. It’s worth mentioning that these meds can come with undesirable side effects as well as the potential for dependence.
How neurofeedback helps treat migraines
Neurofeedback is a drug-free biofeedback treatment that creates new pathways and retrains the brain to better respond to specific triggers and stressors including migraines. These new pathways help improve brain function and result in fewer symptoms and neurological imbalances. More than 50% of neurofeedback patients report complete pain relief and as many as 99% report a decrease in pain and symptoms.
Learn more about neurofeedback for migraines
If you’re interested in neurofeedback for migraines, reach out to us at Briancode Centers. We offer neurofeedback for migraine relief in Dever, Dallas, and remotely if you aren’t located in either of those areas.
Contact us today to start leveraging a natural treatment to stop pain and provide relief from your migraines.
