Saturday, July 08, 2006

Monica overcomes migraine headaches

Monica came to see me in desperation for help with her debilitating migraine headaches. Her headaches had been fluctuating in frequency from 1-3 a week for the past 4 years. Each headache could last up to 2 days at a time. There were some weeks where she would be headache free for only one day in seven.

Monica was a single mother in her 20’s, going to college while working full time. Trying to get rid of the migraines had been a main focus of her life. She had has seen many physicians and had tried Zomatripton and Vicodin. She had tried chiropractic, acupuncture, switched birth control pills, kept a food journal and a sleep journal, but could not find a pattern. Other than migraine she was in very good health.

After 11 sessions of neurofeedback training (NFB) using the Neuropathways unit, her headache pattern had already changed. She only had 3 headaches over a 3-month period, and they were of shorter duration and less intensity than usual.

After 20 sessions of NFB training, Monica was headache free. An 8 month follow-up showed her having only one headache during that time, which was associated with caffeine withdrawal. In addition, she noticed a positive change in her personality. She felt extremely happy and grateful every day. She stopped worrying excessively. Her self-esteem improved and she felt confident that she could handle what came her way. She described her NFB experience as "life-changing" and positive in all respects.