(09/08)

A recent Cochrane review examined nine studies that evaluated normobaric oxygen therapy (inhaling pure oxygen at normal room pressure) and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (breathing oxygen at higher pressure in a specially designed chamber) for evidence that oxygen administration was a safe and effective treatment for migraine or cluster headaches.

Three studies reported that a significant number of patients had relief from their migraines within 40 to 45 minutes of hyperbaric therapy compared to sham therapy; two studies found a significantly greater
proportion of patients had relief of their headaches after 15 minutes of normobaric compared to sham therapy.

The reviewers concluded that hyperbaric treatment might give some relief for migraine headache and that normobaric therapy might provide similar relief for cluster headache, but there is no evidence
that these therapies will prevent future attacks. However the fact that oxygen chambers are few and far between means that this is not a practical therapy for the majority of migraineurs.

Bennett MH, et al. Normobaric and hyperbaric oxygen therapy for migraine and cluster headache. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 3.
http://www.cochrane.org

A very useful guide to the most commonly used complementary therapies

More research on oxygen therapy

.

Top of page