(Extraído de Yahoo News)
By Kerry Grens | Reuters – 18 hrs ago
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Migraine sufferers treated with a homeopathic preparation of ginger and the herb feverfew may find some pain relief, according to a preliminary study. Feverfew, which is derived from a flowering plant, has long been thought to be a remedy for headaches. It might offer an alternative to standard migraine medications, which are costly, have side effects and don't always work, according the new report. About 12 percent of Americans get migraines, and the problem has been estimated to cost the U.S. some $20 billion annually in lost productivity and medical care.
In the new study, researchers funded by PuraMed Bioscience, which makes the feverfew/ginger treatment, randomly assigned patients to take a preparation containing miniscule amounts of the two plants or a dummy treatment. The patients were asked to treat themselves -- by putting a little sachet with the preparations under their tongue -- as soon as they recognized the signs of an approaching migraine. Forty five people took the homeopathic treatment and 15 took the placebo. About a third of those who took feverfew and ginger were pain-free after two hours, compared to only half as many in the placebo group.
Overall, 63 percent of those taking the homeopathic preparation saw some pain relief, while 39 percent did so among those taking the fake treatment. Because the study was small, it's possible that those randomly assigned to take the placebo simply experienced more severe migraines to begin with. But study researcher Dr. Roger Cady said that was unlikely. "I don't think that accounts for the differences in efficacy here," Cady, who directs the Headache Care Center in Springfield, Missouri, told Reuters Health. While he thinks the findings are real, it's still unclear how exactly the treatment would work, he added.
The homeopathic preparation, called LipiGesic, sells for $29.95 for several doses. Cady says people who experience migraines slowly, and therefore have the ability to treat them early and before they become severe, would be the best candidates to try the feverfew therapy. "The results are really intriguing, but definitely preliminary," said Dr. Rebecca Erwin Wells, an instructor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Wells said the study had some flaws and noted that one of the authors is also the CEO and chairman of PuraMed Bioscience. Still, she said, it's important to have studies on complementary or alternative therapies, particularly for people who suffer migraines. A recent study by Wells and her colleagues, published along with the new results in the journal Headache, found that people who deal with migraines or severe headaches are more likely than others to seek out complementary or alternative remedies, such as meditation, yoga and herbal treatments. "We found that 50 percent of adults with migraine or severe headaches, which is 13.5 million Americans, used complementary and alternative medicine in the previous year," Wells told Reuters Health. Among people who don't have migraines or severe headaches, 35 percent used complementary or alternative approaches to wellness or diseases. "We need more research to understand the mechanisms, benefits, side effects and risks of complementary and alternative therapies," concluded Wells.
SOURCE:, Headache, online June 1, 2011.
***************************** en español ****************************
(Extraído de El Público)
Una terapia con jengibre y una hierba alivia las migrañas
Por Kerry Grens
Las personas con migraña tratadas con una preparación homeopática con hierba santa y jengibre obtendrían algo de alivio, de acuerdo a los hallazgos de un estudio preliminar.
La hierba santa, que pertenece a una planta con flores, se utiliza desde hace mucho tiempo como un remedio para el dolor de cabeza. Sería una alternativa a los fármacos contra la migraña, que son costosos, tienen efectos adversos y no siempre dan resultado, afirma el nuevo estudio.
Un 12 por ciento de los estadounidenses padece migrañas y esto le costaría al país unos 20.000 millones de dólares anuales por la pérdida de productividad y atención médica.
En el nuevo estudio, un equipo financiado por PuraMed Bioscience, que elabora el preparado de hierba santa/jengibre, le indicó al azar a un grupo de pacientes tomar una preparación con cantidades minúsculas de ambas plantas o un placebo.
Los pacientes se tenían que colocar un sobrecito con la preparación debajo de la lengua en cuanto reconocían los signos de una migraña. En el grupo, 45 personas tomaron la preparación homeopática y 15, el placebo.
Un tercio de los usuarios de la preparación no sintió dolor a las 2 horas, a diferencia de la mitad del grupo control. El 63 por ciento de los usuarios de la preparación homeopática sintió algo de alivio del dolor, comparado con el 39 por ciento del grupo control.
Dado que el estudio es pequeño, es posible que el grupo tratado al azar con placebo tuviera migrañas más graves. Pero el autor del estudio, el doctor Roger Cady, que dirige el Headache Care Center en Springfield, dijo que eso era poco probable.
El preparado homeopático LipiGesic cuesta 29,95 dólares e incluye varias dosis.
Para Cady, los mejores candidatos son los pacientes en los que la migraña aparece lentamente y, por lo tanto, pueden tratarla antes de que se vuelva más grave.
"Los resultados son realmente curiosos, pero preliminares", dijo la doctora Rebecca Erwin Wells, instructora de Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Wells opinó que el estudio tuvo algunas fallas y que uno de los autores es el CEO y presidente de PuraMed Bioscience. Pese a esto, consideró importante contar con pruebas sobre terapias complementarias o alternativas.
Una investigación del equipo de Wells, publicado en Headache junto con el nuevo estudio, revela que las personas con migrañas o cefaleas graves son más propensas que el resto de los pacientes a probar remedios complementarios o alternativos, como la meditación, el yoga o las hierbas.
"Un 50 por ciento de los 13,5 millones de adultos con migrañas o cefaleas graves en Estados Unidos utilizaron medicinas complementarias y alternativas el año pasado", indicó Wells, comparado con el 35 por ciento de la población sin esos dolores de cabeza.
"Necesitamos más estudios para comprender los mecanismos, los beneficios, los efectos adversos y los riesgos de las terapias complementarias y alternativas", concluyó Wells.
FUENTE: Headache, online 1 de junio del 2011.
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