By slightly altering the body's own molecules with the help of a small inhaler, certain migraineurs can shorten medication or do without it completely. This is demonstrated by a pilot study. Patients who suffer from migraines with aura, in which they experience either sensory or visual disturbances before the painful headache begins, were examined in the study. Eleven patients participated in the pilot study, which will now be followed by a large-scale clinical trial.
The researcher explains that migraines occur as part of a chain reaction in which the veins in the brain constrict and the blood cannot supply the brain with enough oxygen.
“We use CO2 and oxygen, the body's natural molecules to mobilize its own defenses against migraine attacks. The inhaler expands the blood vessels that supply the brain with up to 70 percent oxygen, thereby stopping the destructive chain reaction,” says the researcher, adding that the effect of the treatment begins after a few seconds.
The pilot study was conducted from 2016-2017 with eleven patients with migraine with aura. One of the results was that the effect of the pain relief increased significantly with each use of the inhaler. Forty percent experienced an effect the first time and that number rose to 78 percent the second time.
