Migraine is a recurrent, episodic, genetic, neurological disease.
Over 26 million people in the U.S. are affected by migraines each year. Long ago, migraines were believed to be a concentration of evil spirits within the brain, and common cures ranged from drilling holes through the skull to inserting garlic cloves into incisions in the temples of the migraine sufferer. Thanks to years of scientific advancement, today's scientists and doctors have determined migraines to be a neurological disorder with no known cause or cure, although there are hundreds of treatments prescribed daily. One type of treatment involves alpha waves.
History of Brainwaves
An EEG machine amplifies, records and graphs the brain's electrial activity.
Austrian psychiatrist Dr. Hans Berger discovered the existence of electrical waves in the brain in 1908. Because they were the first electrical waves discovered in the brain, Dr. Berger called them "alpha" waves. After his discovery, Dr. Berger invented the electroencephalograph (EEG) machine, which amplifies, records and graphs the electrical activity of the brain. Parapsychologist Jose Silva of Laredo, Texas, discovered the ability of people to learn to control the level of their own brainwaves in the 1940s.
Alpha Wave Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation
An imbalance in serotonin levels may influence mood in a way that leads to depression.
Ongoing studies have found that alpha-wave stimulation activates particular groups of nerve cells in the brain stem, causing them to produce the chemicals serotonin and acetylcholine. This chemical production causes a sort of chain reaction by inducing further chemical activity in the nearby nerve cells, traveling to nerve cells farther away in the body via nerve pathways. Changing the electrical and chemical activities of certain brain-stem nerves appears to amplify activity in some neurological systems, while diminishing activity in others. This modulation occurs as a result of an electrical activity pattern in the brain known as an alpha state.
Alpha State
Artists are plentiful alpha producers.
An alpha state is defined by the rate of electrical vibrations in the brain. The beta state, or normal waking rate, is 13 to 30 cycles per second, while the alpha state slows brainwaves down to between 8 to 12 cycles per second. An alpha state is an intensely pleasurable, relaxed state of consciousness essential to stress reduction. When in the alpha state, the conscious mind is relaxed and healing takes place. In 1958, Joe Kamiya, a teaching psychologist at the University of Chicago, began experiments on brain-wave frequencies. "'[The alpha state's] pleasure may come from the fact [it] represents something like letting go of anxieties," says Kamiya.
Alpha Biofeedback
Increased alpha activity is associated with a state of relaxation.
According to Mosby's Medical Dictionary, alpha biofeedback is a procedure in which a person is presented with continuous information, usually auditory, on the state of his brain-wave pattern, with the intent of increasing the percentage of alpha activity. This is done with the expectation that it will be associated with a state of relaxation and peaceful wakefulness.
Alpha Rhythms
Depression often accompanies migraine and can be treated with alpha stimulation and biofeedback.
An alpha rhythm is a pattern of smooth, regular electrical oscillations in the human brain that normally occur when a person is awake and relaxed. Alpha rhythms created by stimulation and biofeedback are accompanied by calmness, relaxation and increased mental focus. Alpha rhythms have a frequency of 8 to 13 hertz. The neurological mechanisms occurring during the alpha state appear to decrease stress, reduce agitation, stabilize mood and regulate both the sensations and perceptions of pain, all of which are associated with migraines.
A single alpha-rhythm treatment can produce positive results, and repeated treatments have shown increases in the relative strength and duration of these effects. Some cases have even shown permanent and stable positive results.
During treatment, current is applied via electrodes clipped to the ear lobes. This treatment is administered on an as-needed basis. Partnered with biofeedback, the patient learns to control her own alpha rhythm as a result of controlling computer-generated bells or music. Alpha stimulation and biofeedback continue to be researched regarding benefits to patients experiencing pain, anxiety, depression and sleep disorders, all of which can accompany migraines.
