Another Potential Tool to Assist Migraine Sufferers

Here at Vallejo Chiropractic, we help a good number of people find relief from their chronic migraines and even post-concussive headaches.  Recently I came across an article though that can potentially help migraine sufferers between their visits and help them find more relief increasing their ability to enjoy their activities of daily life.  Best of all it is a relatively low-cost option with some significant early results, and it is as easy as getting the right light wavelength to soothe the brain.

The recent small-scale studies have been comparing chronic migraine sufferers with an average of 7.9 migraine headache days per month to different light exposures, specifically white LED and green LED light, the green LED had a specific wavelength of 525 nanometers.  The white light showed no significant change in headache frequency, but the green LED groups saw a reduction in the number of headache days from 7.9 to 2.4.  Participants would use the light for 1-2 hours per day in a dark room and were encouraged to participate in whatever activities the lighting allowed; reading, playing music, exercising, etc...

The light therapy was used in conjunction with the patients’ other typical treatments and not as a replacement for them.  Perhaps with further research some of these less invasive and gentler treatments will be shown to be more effective than some of the medications but only time will tell, and this is at least a great additional tool some people will be able to use to curb some of their suffering from migraines.  From a practice perspective I did recommend this to some people who had been suffering from post-concussion headaches and they noted a decrease in frequency and severity of their headaches.   If you are interested in reading more from one of the studies it is called “Evaluation of Green Light Exposure on Headache Frequency and Quality of Life in Migraine Patients”, quite the catchy title I know.

One light we found that has initially gotten good results is a green light therapy bulb from Hooga that has the 525-nanometer wavelength for only $40 on Amazon.  If you want to give this a try for your headaches you will want to shine the light on the ceiling or wall and not look directly at it as this can be too intense.  And again, the benefit they we finding was between 1 and 2 hours per day.
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