When the aura appears, it’s like running for cover from the rain when you see that big black cloud and feel those first spits.  It could be a few minutes before that whopper of a headache starts pulsating through your skull, or it could be a few hours.  This is frustrating as you don’t want to leave for home midst work, your social event, shopping ‘just in case’, yet you don’t want to be stranded in these places with the worst headache in the world.  It really is awful when it suddenly comes on in a public place with bright lights all around, you feel like Gismo about to turn into a gremlin, "Ah! Nooo…bright lights, bright lights!" and want to curl into a ball on the supermarket floor.

As you can imagine, life without the migraines is also an anxious time as well as with them.  You really have no idea when the next attack will be so you’re often living cautiously.  Do I go on holiday and…fly??!! Do I drive for 2 hours to visit my friend…what if it comes on whilst on the motorway?  Do I risk spending all that money and go with my friend to the theatre?  These can be just a few of the real predicaments faced by a migraine sufferer.  And there we have it, a vicious circle…apart from allergic reactions to chocolate, red wine and caffeine (said to often be causes of migraines) a common cause is stress, tension and anxiety.

Many migraine sufferers experience visual disturbances, nausea, dizziness and/or sensitivity to light before a throbbing ache begins above the eye or at the back of the head and spreads to one side.  Scientists are still researching a likely disposition, at present favouring low serotonin levels as a possible culprit.  The pain during the migraine however, is believed to be associated with intense enlargement of the blood vessels, especially those of the temporal artery, and the release of chemicals from nerve fibres that coil around these blood vessels.  The chemicals cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery. The increasing enlargement of the artery magnifies the pain.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to ease your pain with the touch of a button wherever you may be?  It’s easy to be able to pop a few pills, however, studies have clearly shown that as well as your body becoming resistant to headache drugs they can also cause liver damage, ulcers and become addictive and steroid injections used as a nerve block, carry life-threatening side effects and can’t be used for prolonged periods of time.

Modern science believes that the immediate and long-term effects of acupuncture on migraines are very good.  However, many people are turned off the idea of acupuncture because of the pins!  However there is the perfect answer; electro-acupuncture.  This amazing device applies the same principle as the age old Chinese therapy of acupuncture, without piercing the skin.  This is how effective it can be.  Acupuncture naturally rearranges the levels of your body’s chemicals.  It brings about many biochemical changes in the blood serum to stabilize serotonin, considered low in migraine sufferers and releases endorphins, the brain’s natural painkillers.  It promotes cerebral circulation, allowing the afflicted region to obtain sufficient blood supply, oxygen and nutrition and it activates the parasympathetic nervous system to decrease stress, muscle tension, anxiety and irritability preventing recurrence.

The Stimplus electro-acupuncture device acts in a similar way.  The handheld unit, touching the skin, detects acupoints via sound and light.  6 LED indicators on the top of the unit light up one by one emitting a low pitch sound which rises the closer you are to an acupoint.  Once you have reached the acupoint, it stimulates the pain away electronically.  It is small and battery operated so it can easily fit in your bag or pocket and be used wherever you go.  It also has an earphone so you can use the Stimplus discreetly without being overheard.  Unlike medication it’s a one-time affordable buy which can be used anywhere on the body not just for your migraines.