MIND OVER
IT SEEMS LIKE A SIMPLE CONCEPT: When you’ re in pain, it’ s important to pay attention to what your body is telling you so you can help it fix the problem. But as any migraineur knows, that’ s easier said than done. When all you can focus on is the throbbing, aching and everything else that comes with a migraine attack, you’ re probably not thinking about how the rest of your body is working. You might not notice that your fingertips are cold or that your breathing has gone shallow. And even if you do notice these phenomena, you might not think they have anything to do with the awful feeling going on in your head.
But, as it turns out, it’ s all connected— and focusing on relieving some of the physiological symptoms of migraine can go a long way toward easing your pain. A system called biofeedback, which involves tracking the body’ s functions and using visualization and stress-relief techniques to manage them, is gaining fans in the migraine community.
Biofeedback may not consistently halt a migraine, but it can be useful in helping reduce headache intensity and duration, says Morris Levin, MD, professor of neurology and psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School and the co-director of Dartmouth’ s Headache Center. The idea has been percolating for decades, as physicians and specialists in emotional and behavioral health have worked together to learn about the connections between thoughts and feelings and the tangible issues they create in our bodies.
The bottom line, he says, is that the way the body handles stress— whether it’ s just the daily grind or a particularly difficult event— can spark a harmful chain reaction.
“ I think there’ s something about the way humans respond to stress,” Dr. Levin says.“ The fast heart rate, higher blood pressure, tighter muscles, cold hands and feet— the whole situation we get into in the fight-or-flight response causes all sorts of physical problems, like headaches.”
LEARNING AND LISTENING
Biofeedback is actually more of a learning process than a treatment. It’ s taught by a variety of professionals, including psychologists, physicians and physical therapists, and can be a good fit for many people, according to Dr. Levin. Experts say even children and teens can benefit from learning about the connection between their body and their pain.
“[ Good candidates are ] patients who have not done well with other treatments; patients who don’ t like taking medications or don’ t want to try more invasive surgical options; or patients who say to their physician,‘ I feel like this is all stress, and if I could just relax, I’ d feel better,’” he says.
The experience usually begins in the same way— with an appointment at a clinic where patients get an up-close look at how their body is working. Thermometers, monitors and other sensors provide relevant physiological information, such as skin temperature, heart rate and muscle tension.
Derek Schwartz, PhD, a California-based psychologist and biofeedback expert, says this is a valuable experience for patients, who are often out of touch with their body’ s responses and the internal factors that may contribute to their migraines.
“ With biofeedback, patients can see this information displayed on a computer
36 HEAD WISE | Volume 1, Issue 2 • 2011