Alec Mian , PhD , CEO Stephen Donoghue , PhD , VP Clinical Development Curelator Inc . Cambridge , MA
Curelator Headache is a transformational digital tool that allows individuals to track and discover the myriad factors that are associated with : a ) increasing ; b ) decreasing ; or , c ) have no effect on their risk of migraine headaches . The Company collaborated with some of the world ’ s leading migraine neurologists to develop a comprehensive list of migraine triggers and symptoms , which were translated visually into a series of pictorial icons titled , Visual Migraine Language ( VML ) ( Figure 1 ). VML factors and symptoms must be tracked daily for 45 to 90 days before an individual ’ s maps can be generated , based on the analysis of their data .
An example of an anonymous individual user ’ s results – delivered in the format of three sets of maps : Trigger , Protector , and No Association Maps – are presented in Figure 2 . Users also receive a Personal Summary Report to share with their physician . All of this information is designed to help users experiment with behavior modifications , with the goal of reducing the number and severity of their migraine attacks .
Curelator Headache / National Headache Foundation Study : What do migraine triggers & protectors of 150 individuals look like ?
In a recent collaboration with the National Headache Foundation ( NHF ), Curelator Headache recruited migraineurs to test the clinical utility of its digital platform . The NHF with their commitment to furthering clinical understanding of migraine was a perfect partner to recruit migraineurs who were likely to be interested in using such a tool .
The goal was to scientifically determine some of the conditions and factors that may trigger or protect an individual from a migraine headache attack . After 90 days of data were entered , personalized results were generated for 150 individuals , including NHF members across the U . S ., as well as some individuals in the United Kingdom . Surprisingly , these results illustrate that virtually every migraineur is different – as shown visually in the interactive Curelator Headache Population Trigger Map .
This discovery has immediate therapeutic implications .
22 HeadWise ® | Volume 5 , Issue 1 • 2015