Migraine relief from blowing in ear

Migraine headaches are, along with actual back pain (not the fakers looking for opioids), the biggest unsolved problems in pain management for more people than anything else.

Preventing migraine attacks has long been the goal of many researchers and now it appears there may be a simple solution - alternating warm and cool air blown gently into the ear canal.

"Preventing Episodic Migraine With Caloric Vestibular Stimulation: A Randomized Controlled Trial"

"Objective

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a novel solid-state, caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS) device to provide adjuvant therapy for the prevention of episodic migraine in adult migraineurs.

Background

Migraine causes significant disability in ∼12% of the world population. No current migraine preventive treatment provides full clinical relief, and many exhibit high rates of discontinuation due to adverse events. Thus, new therapeutic options are needed. CVS may be an effective and safe adjuvant-therapy for the prevention of episodic migraine.

Methods

In a multicenter, parallel-arm, block-randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01899040), subjects completed a 3-month treatment with the TNM™ device for CVS (refer to Fig. 2 for patient enrollment and allocation). The primary endpoint was the change in monthly migraine days from baseline to the third treatment month. Secondary endpoints were 50% responder rates, change in prescription analgesic usage and difference in total subjective headache-related pain scores. Device safety assessments included evaluation of any impact on mood, cognition, or balance.

Conclusion

The TNM™ device for CVS appears to provide a clinically efficacious and highly tolerable adjuvant therapy for the prevention of episodic migraine."

Quote from Vital Updates, "Cool and warm currents pumped through headphones to the ear canal could be an effective migraine prevention tool in the near future.

Led by David Wilkinson at the University of Kent, volunteers participated in a migraine study using caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS). By stimulating balance organs, CVS is thought to change brainstem activity, which is linked to migraine onset. The study’s objective was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a novel CVS device in order to provide therapy for the prevention of episodic migraines in adults."