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Q. You have written about treating migraines without drugs. Although this might sound like pseudoscience, I've found oxygen to be a godsend.
A headache specialist who has heard about oxygen therapy can prescribe a tank of oxygen. It's a bit cumbersome because you have to keep a tank and hoses handy, but at the very first sign of a migraine or cluster headache, take in about four liters per minute of oxygen.
The sooner you begin treating at the onset of a headache (during the "halo" stage preferably, before the pain starts), the better this method works.
It does not work for everybody; it seems to work better for cluster headaches than for classic migraines. If it works for you the first time, it will never fail to work thereafter. For me, it's like a miracle.
A. Oxygen treatment for cluster headaches is not pseudoscience. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Dec. 9, 2009) found that inhaled high-flow oxygen frequently resulted in pain relief within 15 minutes. This treatment was significantly more effective than inhaling plain air with the same equipment.
The value of oxygen therapy for migraine headaches, on the other hand, remains controversial. There is not enough research on this approach to be certain of its effectiveness.
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Keep me posted on this one. My family is a headache family.
I had a terrible migraine when I arrived at the hospital for my colonoscopy, thanks to being pretty dehydrated due to the "prep". Shortly after they inserted the nasal cannula to deliver oxygen, the pain abruptly went away. Amazing! This was before they had given me any fluids, pain meds or sedation. I've never had such sudden and complete relief from a headache, so I'm a definitely a believer in the usefulness of oxygen as a cure.
My husband has been prescribed oxygen for the cluster headaches he has had for 48 years. If he is able to use the oxygen right at the start of the cluster headache, it stops the headache before it gets started.
I recall my husband who was a naval aviator in WW2 saying that when the guys had too much to drink the night before they'd suck up oxygen before they flew off the next morning! I had not thought of that in years, but maybe they'd figured it out back then. We have to remember these were young, wild, guys heading to battles, so I am not judgmental.
After 40 years of no headaches of any kind, I had a sudden onset of severe cluster headaches with a rapid increase in BP 6 mos ago. Doctors say BP caused headaches. I say pain -from other untreated medical problems, stress, and lack of good sleep caused BP. They only offer BP pills, no relief for any other symptoms. I don't take their pills. I just suffer.
I am 30 years old and have suffered for nine years with cluster headaches. Every single year I would get them everyday for a month straight. I tried pills here and there and they never worked, I would just deal with the pain unfortunately. About a week ag o my doctor told me to try oxygen and it has worked miracles for me. The pain is gone with in minutes instead of the usual hour or hour and a half.
So if you do suffer from cluster headaches I really hope you try oxygen because nobody should have deal with that kind of pain and trust me I know what it feels like.
I am 30 years old and have suffered for nine years with cluster headaches. Every single year I would get them everyday for a month straight. I tried pills here and there and they never worked, I would just deal with the pain unfortunately. About a week ago my doctor told me to try oxygen and it has worked miracles for me. The pain is gone with in minutes instead of the usual hour or hour and a half. So if you do suffer from cluster headaches I really hope you try oxygen because nobody should have deal with that kind of pain and trust me I know what it feels like.
Do you need a Dr.'s prescription for the oxygen? and how do you know how much or how to use it ? I am not sure (I don't know anything about it) if there are different uses ... for different situations ? For example I know that oxygen is used for some treatments of cancer since cancer does not like oxygen, emphysema
etc...
Also, some years ago I use to go to acupuncture and it did help me a lot for my (stress) headaches. Maybe acupuncture can help some people. It also helped me with relaxing and sleeping.