Electrical stimulation of the brain does great things for the treatment of migraines. Unfortunately, doing it right has not been as simple as sticking a stun gun to your head, usually requiring medical equipment and professional attention. That could change soon with the Cefaly, a consumer headband that lets you zap those migraines directly from the comfort of your home.
While it’s not an all-encompassing migraine solution, the device, which delivers transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation to the trigeminal nerve, is touted to work for over half of migraine sufferers over 18 years of age. If you’re lucky enough to be one of those folks, this could be all you need to alleviate your regular migraine woes, eliminating the need for over-the-counter medication and minimizing visits to the medical facility.
Cefaly consists of two parts: an adhesive electrode that plants on the forehead and a headband that helps keep it in place. It can be used to both treat migraines as they happen and prevent future migraines, putting out high-frequency micro-impulses to banish your throbbing headache and low-frequency stimulation to alter the migraine’s trigger threshold, eventually reducing (and, potentially, banishing) the number of attacks. Two AA batteries power the thing, which can be activated at the push of a button.
To use, clean the skin and attach the electrode to the designated area right around where the eyebrows meet. Once in place, throw in the headband, connecting it with the pin on the electrode until everything is set. Recommended use is 20 minutes per treatment, with each replaceable electrode lasting for up to 20 sessions.
Pricing for Cefaly is set at $295, with a set of three electrodes retailing for an additional $25.