Before migraine sufferers pop the champagne, you should know that by “medical device”, they mean a plastic headband worn across the forehead and over the ears. It connects to a self-adhesive electrode that, when positioned correctly in the center of your forehead just above your eyebrows, delivers a low-voltage electromagnetic current to the trigeminal nerve, a cranial nerve associated with migraine pain. Once you’ve applied your electrode and snapped in your headband, you can choose from one of three programs: a 20-minute prevention session that you should do every day to prevent the onset of migraine pain, a crisis session, and an anti-stress session. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation or TENS has been used to treat chronic and post-surgical pain for years. It’s believed to work by sending signals along nerve paths and disrupting or unscrambling pain signals between its entry point and the brain. According to the manufacturers, Cefaly gives off less current than what you’re exposed to by just watching TV, and the four clinical studies done on Cefaly boast a 75% reduction in use of migraine medications among diligent users, a 37% reduction for the less faithful participants, and up to 77% less migraines for those who follow the directions to a tee. Cefaly hit the shelves as a medication-free option to ease and prevent migraines, as many people can’t tolerate the traditional meds. But the catch is pretty obvious: The major reason people stopped using Cefaly in the clinical trials was that they didn’t want to wear a plastic headband across their forehead. After all, it is a rather, uh, distinctive look. More from Prevention: 7 Weird Reasons You Have A Headache
