Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation Device for Headaches

In my never ending search for headache therapy, I ran across this youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqDx9bzAt88&feature=related

Note his credentials, he is an MD in pain management.

Martin

Could you give me more info (page link?) on this. I can't get Utube on my laptop. Thanks Gail

martin, i'm on a never-ending search also. i just read a few "testimonials" about the alpha-stim thing, but they were 6 years old. at that time, the cost was from $500-$900. the doc on the video you posted might be an MD, all right, but he didn't sound overly credible, at least to me.

something to be very wary of, unless one has money to throw away, i'd say. if one could borrow or rent a unit from a clinic which uses it, that seems a much better idea.

i guess it's nothing like a TENS unit. i tried one of those (borrowed) many years ago, and it did absolutely nothing. not a big surprise......dianne

diane, I agree, you would need one treatment to make sure that it works on you and to learn how to operate it. And then rent it, before buying it. Unfortunately, by the time you did all of the above, you will have spend quite a bit of money. Maybe, more than the cost of buying the unit. It only makes sense (financially) if the unit works on you.

How are th torn ligments mending?

Martin

oh, thank you for asking! it's been two and a half months, and the healing is verrrrrry slooooooow.

supposedly, the MCL is healed, but the ACL is forever gone. the broken tibia is also healed, but knee still aches a lot, and hurts in one spot if i turn it slightly wrong.

what hurts still is likely the squished/bruised cartilage. my injury could have been much worse, with torn meniscus and etc, but it's certainly bad enough. by the time i'm cleared to go back to work, it will have been 3 months without income.

so i'm gonna go back whether it hurts or not. i will start with 25 hours/week, and hope that's not too much! dianne

Gail, here is the information, plus a little more, you requested:

Alpha Stim Unit: http://www.alpha-stim.com/

Fisher-Wallace Unit: http://www.fisherwallace.com/?gclid=CKLPh_qFt6oCFQQmbAodj3-x5A

Within the web site there is information as to practitioners (in the US) who use the unit:
http://www.fisherwallace.com/findadoctor/

Rent to Own: http://alleviahealth.com/rental.htm?gclid=CJHu8p2Ft6oCFfMZQgodrXLYqA

Martin

An update on the device:

Today, I went to my neuromuscular therapist (trigger point & myfascial release) and mentioned that I was thinking of asking my neuro. about cranial electrotherapy (CES) stimulation devices for my insomnia and headaches.

She said that she has been using, for her depression, the Alpha-Stim device, for years. She said it has worked great for her. She also mentioned that, after the first few months, she has not had to use it as often. She got hers through a psychologist. I guess it works for her, since I have always seen her as a fairly upbeat person.

She got the device, because she did not want to take antidepressants and suffer possible after effects from these medications. She did not mentioned any after effects from using the machine. No, she does not sell the devices.

She offerred to let me try her device. I will have to think about it. I wonder, in reading postings in these forums, why more neuros have not tried these CES devices for patients who suffer depression, anxiety, pain, and etc? I know they may not work for everybody, but at least they should have tried it on a few of us.

Martin

Hi Martin,

Did you have any experience with the device yet? Also what device was it exactly?

-Fahad

I bought this device, without a prescription (from Canada): http://www.guardiantrader.com/Bio_Tuner.html

I tried it for about a week and at the lowest setting; it intensified my chronic (24/7) daily headache by at least a level of pain. Not bad, but enough so I decided not to continue, for the present time, using the device.

Right now, I am trying Bowen Therapy and that is helping somewhat. I will report on this therapy in a month or so. Maybe after the Bowen, I will try the CES device again.

I bought it, hoping that it would help with my insomnia and if it helped with the headache that would be an added bonus. With me, as with others in this forum, if we have a good night's sleep, we are going to have less pain.

My brother is going to try it, hoping it will help with his insomnia and help his son's anxiety. HIs son is working full time and getting his Masters, at the same time, and that schedule is causing him some anxiety.

As I mentioned previously, the device is generally used for anxiety and depression.

Martin

Thanks for your reply. I am actually researching because of insomnia issues as well. I do not suffer from headaches or anxiety, maybe stress time to time given i am preparing for masters as well. I only recently became aware of these CAT devices after following a blogger "bulletproof executive" who made mention of some device called neurotrek and fisher wallace. I looked at this BT7 but this device does not seem to let you choose those output levels .5-1.5hz that some of the others do which are apparently the best for inducing sleep. But please do let me know how it works out for your brother's son. What i am trying to understand is its exact effect if i put it on while in bed, does it literally put you to sleep within 30 or so minutes or do you still feel like you need to pop a pill to get any sort of sleep?

Here is website, that may give you more information. just input Sota Bio Tuner BT7:
http://curezone.com/forums/
I believe one or two reviewers discussed the different Hz used by "Alpha Stim, "Fisher-Wallace," and the Sota unit.

Amazon has four reviews, but as always, check to see how many reviews the author has given to make sure they are not shills:
http://www.amazon.com/Sota-Professional-Edition-Model-BT7/product-reviews/B000NB88C8/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

If I remember correctly, you are suppose to use the device three or four hours before going to sleep. Also, it works best after thirty days. No, they do not mention using any pills with the unit. It

Have you tried "NutraSpray Melatonin," a sublingual (sp?) OTC sleep aid? It does work for me, just make sure you do not have to drive or get around for at least 6 to 8 hours. You may wake up a little groggy, but that goes away an hour or less. I have woke up during the night very groggy.

Right now, I use Baclofen, a muscle relaxant for stiff neck and shoulder muscles. and that also helps with sleep. And if the headache is not too bad it helps with sleep, and waking up, in the middle of the night, with a pillow headache.

My mother, a 97 year old woman, used Valarian tea for sleep and anxiety. It worked for her, despite the bad smell. It also acts as catnip for cats, the family cat went crazy whenever, she smelt it, Look the reviews on this tea in iherb.com.

Martin

Hi Martin,

I have used quite a variety of sleeping aid. I have not used the sleeping pills you mentioned, but the last one that worked really amazingly for me was Sleep MD (Non prescription), but ofcourse after about 1-1.5 months it stopped working, so in a sense it was habit forming even though they claim it isn't. Right now my doctor has prescribed me Mylan-Quetiapine 25mg. I take 1 tablet and it puts me to sleep very easily within 30 minutes or so, and i get a full proper sleep. He mentioned id be groggy the first 3-4 times i take it, and now being on the 6th day, i wake up feeling refreshed. I have also added about 600mg of magnesium citrate supplement per day, so i take 1 serving in the afternoon and 1 before sleep. But again i wish to monitor my sleep patterns. Apparently there is a device called Zeo Sleep Manager, that monitors your brainwaves. Also i must mention last night i used this software to create a 60 minute mp3 to put you to sleep, its called Pzizz. It did an amazing job of putting me in the right zone, but it wouldn't put me to sleep without the pill. I tried it for 40 minutes without feeling sleepy, so not to waste time i just popped the pill and put on the mp3 again, and then drifted into amazing sleep. My goal is to sleep without pills which is why i am really interested in the Neurotrek device as it lets you choose your own frequencies. I have been researching extensively and trying to get user feedback because it costs a hefty amount (The neurotrek according to the bulletproof executive is better than fisher wallace). And i just found out they released a new one thats cheaper (priced at $500). But i need to know if it will put me to sleep without the pill, otherwise it would seriously be a big waste of money. My expectancy is that i put it on, and i will drift to sleep within 30-40 minutes easily. But if you email the company owners, they wouldn't reply in direct terms in regards to that which is why i have been hesitant with purchasing the device. I did verify the credibility of the psychiatrist that fisher wallace has been advertising (Dr Brown from Columbia), but i couldnt find their research papers published on columbia's website. I guess they dont have research papers at all, they just have trial results and i am sure they cant be faking those given the credibility of school at stake.

Things that help me to sleep without sleep aid, is usually when i am travelling. But that only works for about a week or so because its such a shock to my body. I think the reason for that is because i fully exhaust my body during the day along with a rigid schedule and no stress probably culminates in sleep without any aids whatsoever. But i can't live my life just travelling hence my dilemma now. I have been suffering from insomnia since 2004 and on.

I started using a CES for post-traumatic migraines about 10 months ago. It took about 3 weeks of using the device for 30-45 minutes 2X/day to get the maximum results. The results were totally amazing! Using the device reduced my HAs and improved my lifestyle by 80% at least. I started having daily migraines 7 yrs ago after being rear-ended by a drunk drive going 60 mph while I was stopped at a light. Some HAs would last for several days. Between the head injury and the headaches, I had to quit working & got disability.

After 3 years of going to every pain management & headache center within driving distance, my insurance case manager recommended the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute in Ann Arbor. I was hospitalized for 2 weeks, and then returned for follow ups every 3 months. Their treatment stabalized me and helped tremendously. A few years after that that I started using the CES unit, and wow, that helped even more! Under the direction of my MD, I reduced my meds by about 50%.

Then a few weeks ago I had a bad relapse, and my headaches returned along w/ insomnia. I started having to cancel appointments, doing the dark-room routine for several hrs/day, bad insomnia. My husband figured out that a wire to the earlobe contacts had broken and I was not receiving the electrical stimulation. So the company talked me through a temporary fix and sent me new parts. It took another 3 weeks til I got back to baseline. Whew! I still manage my activity carefully, take a few meds, and work at various therapies to control HAs and remediate my brain injury symptoms. There is no silver bullet.

I cannot say enough good things about CES. I think that every MD who treats pain should try one before prescribing any meds, and if that isn't effective enough then add meds in conjunction w/ the unit.

Which unit (Brand Name) are you using?

Martin

I bought the CES Ultra from NeuroFitness for about $350.00 w/ a Rx from my MD. I borrowed a unit, and then rented it for a couple of months before deciding to buy one. It does not have some of the features of the more expensive ones, but it was in my budget and has worked well for me. I was able to d/c a medication that had an $80/month co-pay, so it paid for itself in 5 months.