Migraine Sufferers Find Relief From Handheld Magnetic Device

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The above article talks about how a recent UK double blind study has found that by scanning the brain at the onset of a migraine headache, using a handheld magnetic field generating device, symptoms of the migraine, including pain, vertigo, nausea, and sensory sensitivities, can be alleviated. Use of this device also allows those who normally suffer from the migraines to have an option beyond painkillers, which can lose their effectiveness over time and have serious side effects. The device seems relatively convenient, with the article stating its cost at $500 and it being the size of a radio. Switching patients to a device mediated cure would also significantly reduce drug costs of the headaches, since the device is reusable and in the long run probably less expensive than a lifelong regimen of medication. The success rate of the device was fairly high in the study conducted, with the device (called the non-invasive single pulse Spring Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Device, TMS for short)  having 63% of participants experience reduced symptoms and having 53% of participants experience fewer headache days.

The subject is important to me because both my mother and girlfriend frequently experience severe migraines. A treatment that doesn't involve strong painkillers would be optimal since current drugs for migraines are expensive and occasionally addicting. I also found this article of interest because non-invasive treatments for conditions are on the rise. The use of ultrasound and magnetic fields to cure diseases is innovative and something that would be interesting to work on in the future.