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A review links mindfulness and biofeedback to lower migraine pain but not fewer attacks

A review of studies in adults with migraine found lower reported pain intensity among participants using mindfulness or biofeedback, but no significant difference in headache frequency compared with control groups, Bioengineer.org reports. The review also found lower headache-related disability and better quality of life in the intervention groups.

The findings come from a systematic review and meta-analysis, a method that combines results from multiple studies. According to Bioengineer.org, the review appeared in Frontiers in Neuroscience and examined non-drug approaches to migraine management.

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Pain and disability scores differed#

The analysis of headache frequency drew on six studies, Bioengineer.org reports. Across those studies, the combined results did not show a statistically significant difference between people in the intervention groups and those in the control groups.

For pain intensity, the combined results from three studies favored the intervention groups. Bioengineer.org reports a standardized mean difference of -0.39, a measure used to compare results across studies, with a 95% confidence interval of -0.64 to -0.14.

Six trials also measured headache-related disability using the Headache Impact Test, or HIT-6. The intervention groups scored an average of 2.28 points lower than the control groups, with a 95% confidence interval from -4.47 to -0.08, according to Bioengineer.org.

The practices and a planned trial#

The review examined mindfulness programs and biofeedback, Bioengineer.org reports. Wikipedia describes mindfulness as paying attention to present sensations, feelings, thoughts and surroundings without judgment. Biofeedback uses instruments to make people more aware of bodily functions, with the aim of gaining control over them.

Migraine is a neurological disorder that can involve moderate-to-severe headaches, nausea and sensitivity to light and sound, according to Wikipedia. The review assessed adults with migraine, Bioengineer.org reports, and registered its protocol in advance with PROSPERO, an international register of systematic reviews.

A separate review of five studies involving 23,702 women found an association between hormone replacement therapy and more frequent migraine attacks among postmenopausal women, Neurology Advisor reports. Stephanie Faubion of The Menopause Society said the findings could be explained by how hormone therapy users differ from nonusers, and that further research is needed.

Clinical Advisor reports that migraine care includes both acute therapies and preventive strategies. In Salamanca, Spain, researchers have planned a trial of mindfulness training at home using brainwave feedback from an EEG headband, Bioengineer.org reports. The program is intended to supplement standard care for adults with migraine on five to fourteen days each month; no efficacy results are available.

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