Case Study: Migraine Headaches
This case involved a forty-eight year old female Migraneur who suffered from frequent and debilitating attacks that started with visual disturbances followed by throbbing, pounding headaches, extreme sensitivity to light and noise, and nausea with vomiting. Often she would sleep for a day or two until the pain subsided. Even when not experiencing a migraine the woman reported general sleeplessness, muscle spasms in her neck, temporomandibular joint pain (from nocturnal teeth grinding) and extreme irritability. She had suffered a traumatic childhood and difficult adolescence, and had been suffering with migraines since she was 10 years old. It had been medically determined that there was no seizure activity. The woman used a prescribed nocturnal mouth piece, had consulted with a psychologist (who was treating her depression), a nutritionist (she had consequently eliminated all potential food agitators), a physical therapist who specialized in ergonomics and posture, and she had tried peripheral biofeedback. She was non-compliant with physician prescribed migraine medication as she reported it had caused weight gain and increased her anxiety and depression. She was also non-compliant with prescribed antidepressant medications due to their “undesirable side-effects”.
After receiving several Neurofeedback training sessions the woman reported that she had slept more deeply and was able to get up and start her day more easily. Early in training she noted less frequency of headaches. As training progressed she reported feeling “peaceful and content” for perhaps the first time in her life. She continued to sleep well and awaken more easily, and was experiencing fewer and less intense headaches, and reported being less photophobic then in the past. She still had some residual neck and jaw tension, but felt these were both improving. Midway into Neurofeedback training the woman reported “a few days of feeling depressed for the first time in a long time” after receiving bad news. Despite a low-grade headache she was able to bounce back the following day. At the end of her training she reported that “sleep continues to be excellent and I am having fewer irritable moments, almost no headaches, and my anxiety is at a manageable level”.
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Case B
This case involved a thirty-six year old male Migraneur who suffered daily tension headaches in addition to several intense migraines a month. The man complained of a constellation of symptoms occurring immediately before and during migraine attacks, including auras, slurred speech, diarrhea, searing headaches accompanied with dehydration, photo and phono phobias (sensitivity to light and sound) as well as osmophobia (smell aversions). He described feeling clammy and cold, and suffering bouts of tingling numbness on one and then the other side of his head, with alternating stabbing and throbbing pain. He suffered from an inability to think clearly or perform normal activities and reported lingering lethargy. He had difficulty maintaining his professional career and was forced to seek menial work to "pay the bills". Prescribed medications (barbiturates and caffeine) had worsened the headache pattern and he was concerned that he was “overly-dependent” on these.
The man arrived for his initial Neurofeedback session with his daily headache and was surprised when, after fifteen minutes, his headache was diminished. At the end of his first session he reported, to his astonishment, that the headache was “practically gone”. Early into training the man reported having only three or four headaches a week and that these were of shorter duration then in the past. He also reported feeling “clear-headed” and able to “think better”. Midway into training the man worked with his physician to titrate off both medications as he declared himself “migraine-free”. As training progressed the man reported feeling energetic and motivated, and was jogging daily, in addition to seeking a professional position. At discharge the man reported he had lost track of when he last had suffered “even a small headache”.
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