DAILY MAIL - 11th June 2011 - Flicking a switch can ease the agony of headaches (ONSI)

By ROGER DOBSON
Last updated at 10:01 PM on 11th June 2011

A new way of dealing with the intense pain of cluster headaches - also known as 'suicide headaches' because of the excruciating discomfort they cause - is being pioneered at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, with fantastic results.

Sufferers can now ease their pain using a hand-held remote control that sends a charge to an electrode implanted in the head. Cluster headaches are concentrated attacks of pain on one side of the head.

Each attack develops suddenly, usually without any warning. The pain can strike several times a day and attacks usually last between 15 minutes and three hours.

It is not known what causes cluster headaches, although one theory is that they result from abnormal activity in the hippocampus, the region of the brain responsible for emotions and memory.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2002487/Flicking-switch-ease-agony-headaches.html#ixzz1PB8j8GRZ

PLEASE NOTE.

This is a treatment meant for Chronic Cluster Headaches that fail to respond to any other forms of available treatment. It can only be used by those who experience CCH on one side only. Funding is difficult to secure and there are no guarentees this will work.

The pain of CH makes the pain of migraine look a nice cuddly option.

That is correct Katie - but the ONSI has been used for chronic migraine sufferers, where all else has failed. We even have one person on here who has it fitted.

Obtaining funding can be very hard indeed. And if you have a problem with it you have go back for more funding to get it tweaked.