During the course of a meeting I recently attended at Yeovil District hospital (part of The East Somerset NHS Trust), it came to light that medical knowledge of the use of oxygen, hereafter referred to as O2, in cases of migraines and cluster headaches was at best patchy, and at worst non existent.
As I work and write in the broad fields of self development therapy, and have first hand knowledge of the efficacy of O2 under these circumstances, I agreed to write this paper for use in the training of junior doctors and nurses; a task I willingly undertake in the name of human expansion of awareness, (and therefore evolution), as to the amazing results that O2 can bring about in areas of medicine which are still little-known, and which I personally, along with many other therapists and medics would like to see much more extensively researched.
I hope that the writing and delivering of this paper, may lead to this road, and interlink with other appropriate networks on the journey to knowledge and therefore enlightenment.
A fact that few people are aware of is that Oxygen Therapy has been in existence since the 1930’s, and due I am sure, to the situation which we all know only too well, that of “lack of funding”, has been taken only a short way down the long winding research path along which it has the potential to travel.
The purpose of this paper, is not to look at the many causes and triggers of migraines and clusters, for although they are of course all part of the migraine/cluster headache pattern, they belong to a separate research programme; here we are looking at symptom
relief through a better understanding of the physiological changes which take place in the body during an attack.
A point which I must make clear at this stage, is that a migraine is not simply a severe headache, one-sided or otherwise, but constitutes a whole body function shut-down (function, not organ shutdown), whereas cluster headache symptoms are based more within the skull, with less effect on other parts of the body; this is not to say however that the symptoms are less severe within their encapsulation, for this is certainly not the case.
Looking at the way this function shutdown comes about can help us to understand more about how O2 can play a significant part in reversing the symptoms, thereby bringing about a rebalance within the physical body, and therefore ultimately on all levels of our being.
The symptoms of a migraine in particular, and to a slightly lesser degree those of cluster headaches, appear to originate within the endocrine (or chemical message) system of the body, commencing with the fact of the pituitary gland within the brain, appearing to pass incorrect or scrambled messages via the blood, i.e. the circulatory system, through to the other endocrine glands within the body such as the liver, kidneys, adrenals, heart, thyroid, reproductive glands etc, causing the sensory nerves to become over sensitive and deliver incorrect messages throughout the body. This creates a “snooker ball” effect throughout the whole endocrine system, and therefore throughout the whole physical structure which the endocrines feed; this then causes all bodily functions to become imbalanced.
These imbalances create many symptoms, among them being nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, hot and cold sensations, “jumpiness” or “nerviness”, back and joint pains, dizziness, slurred speech and a general feeling of “woolliness” within the head, causing a feeling of difficulty in expressing oneself during conversation, along with perhaps flashing lights before the eyes, and difficulty in hearing clearly.
Most “common” migraine sufferers will not experience all of these symptoms, but all migraine sufferers will experience some of them; there exists a little-known, severe and thankfully relatively uncommon form of migraine which takes a more sinister turn, resulting in the patient losing consciousness, sometimes for several days at a time with no warning, and with little or no recall of events prior to, or during an attack; the symptoms presenting rather like those of a stroke. This type of migraine is known as haemorrhagic migraine, and as previously stated is not common, but by the same token of symptom relief through O2 for the more usual types of migraine, however severe or mild, great benefit could be derived from the same application of such to these extreme migraine attacks.
Let us now look at the physiological changes which come about when these related imbalances within the endocrine structure take place.
During a migraine attack, and as previously stated to a lesser degree during a cluster attack, the blood vessels within the brain become congested and swollen causing the vascular system to become “sluggish”, creating pressure, extreme pain, and the classic woolliness and flashing lights within the head, leading in the case of a migraine attack, to the digestive system slowing or shutting down completely to the point where it cannot process food, resulting in nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. The rest of the body functions including the liver are to a greater or lesser degree compromised, causing the aforementioned pains in various areas of the body, and a general feeling of malaise.
It is thought that the “sluggishness” within the vascular system may perhaps be contributed to, by over production of the enzyme Thrombin, which is responsible for thickening and therefore clotting of the blood.
The symptoms of cluster headaches as previously stated, are generally confined to the head area, creating a severe headache, but not usually any of the other related symptoms, suggesting that the endocrinal imbalances are not as far spread as with a migraine, although the “trademark” of the clusters themselves, as their name suggests, is the fact that they can, and frequently do, last for a considerable time, even stretching over periods of weeks rather than days, and can be just as debilitating as a migraine.
Oxygen Therapy relieves symptoms by aerating the blood, enabling it to flow more freely, and therefore reducing the congestion in the blood vessels within the brain, allowing the endocrine system to return to it’s usual pattern, and send the correct messages throughout the whole body. O2 also of course keeps the whole body tissues fresh, helping to prevent more serious problems that might otherwise ensue from a continuous glut of migraines or cluster headaches.
There are two very interesting facts about the use of O2 for these conditions; the first being the need for O2 to help abate the symptoms of migraines and clusters, seems to be largely unconnected to the usual medical checks that take place to ascertain the “correct” amount of oxygen is present, in a given patient’s blood.
This suggests that the need for O2 within the two imbalances of migraine and cluster headaches, goes far beyond what has always been considered the “normal levels” required for the human body to function “correctly”.
The other interesting fact is that O2 when used as a therapy in this way, has quicker and more effective results if used on a fast flow setting, even up to a level 15.
Oxygen Therapy can be, but is not always, a “quick fix”, although when it is, it has an amazingly speedy result!
O2 can be used on a maintenance basis, whereby “a little oxygen a day can keep the migraines (or the clusters) away”, indicating again that we may all need different levels of oxygen in our bodies to help keep us balanced.
After all we are individuals and our needs in many areas are different to the next person’s, so why should our oxygen needs be exempt from this premise?
Oxygen Therapy can be combined very well with other therapies and medications, both homeopathic and allopathic, if that fits an individual need, for as previously stated human needs are wide and varied, and just a little time spent seeing which combination, or even just O2 alone, is right for an individual patient could change the course of their lives forever.
What the NHS Trusts need, as well as more research into the causes, symptom relief, and rebalance, of migraine and cluster headaches, are more aware, open minded, informed, discerning medics, and I sincerely hope that this paper will serve to broaden outlooks and combine compassion with broader knowledge, to bring about a brighter more enlightened future for us all.