Can Stem Cells Save You From Migraines?

Head in a vice. Throbbing head pain. Waves of nausea. Sensitivity to light and sound. Flashes of light. Blurred vision or even vision loss. These are just a few of the ways you may describe your migraine experience. Other symptoms can include vomiting, difficulty speaking, and numbness in the face or extremities, but this list just scratches the surface of this painful condition. Pain and migraine symptoms can last from four to seventy-two hours during a migraine episode, and seriously impact many sufferers’ ability to function at work, in social situations, in their day to day lives. Migraines and their symptoms have even been cited as a reason for divorce in some cases. Dr. Johnson understands that migraines are more than “just a headache.” He recognizes the serious impact of migraines on a patient’s quality of life and offers SVF therapy for patients who suffer from the most debilitating migraine cases.

Serious Impact of Migraines

According to the American Migraine Foundation, thirty-six million or more Americans currently suffer from migraines. There is a long list of triggers of a migraine, but the most common triggers are thought to include stress, certain foods and food additives, and shifts in the weather like barometric pressure changes. Some patients report migraines starting as a result of some stimuli like bright lights, certain smells or perfumes, or loud noises. All of these triggers excite the trigeminal nerve, one of the main nerves of the face. The trigeminal nerve controls chewing and other functions of the face. It is responsible for transmitting sensations from the face to the brain. When the brain cells become stimulated by a migraine trigger factor, it causes the trigeminal nerve to become inflamed. This causes swelling of the blood vessels and causes severe pain in the face, jaw, head, or neck.

Treatment Options for Migraines

Some patients with occasional, moderate migraines use self-care treatments like over the counter medications like NSAIDs, ice, and rest during an attack. However, patients who suffer from chronic, more serious migraines must often use prescription migraine medications. Unfortunately, these medications may actually increase the frequency of migraines if a patient uses them too frequently over long periods. Patients also run the risk of addiction to these medications and pain relievers when used for long periods. Other treatments, like serotonin inhibitors, can leave patients with a risk of behavioral changes and even muscle spasms.

SVF, or stromal vascular fraction, therapy uses stem cells from adipose fat stem cells to treat trigeminal nerve inflammation and thus, reduce migraine pain. During SVF therapy, fat stem cells are collected from the patient via liposuction and reintroduced to the body intravenously. Once deployed, the stem cells go to work to combat inflammation of the trigeminal nerve. Dr. Johnson has successfully used SVF therapy to treat migraine patients here at Innovations Stem Cell Center, giving patients a new lease on life.

Do you suffer from chronic migraines and debilitating pain? Do you want to know more about SVF therapy for migraines? Read our blogs on stem cell therapy What are Stem Cells?  and Understanding Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Calls Innovations Stem Cell Center today at 214-643-8665 a consultation.