MIGRAINE and brainwave entrainment:

Of the studies done for migraine, most used a variable frequency device where the user could choose the frequency. It was noted that almost all users chose a higher frequency and that this choice gave faster relief.

Brain hemisphere synchronisation and Migraine.

In the case of Migraine headaches (and potentially cluster headaches and PMS pain), there seems to be evidence that it’s the over-synchronisation of the two sides of the brain (like what happens in a seizure) that is one of the observable effects of this type of pain.

Therefore in this case logic would say to try to de-synchronise the brain instead.

This is most easily done with photic BWE by covering one eye to stop stimulation to one hemisphere/side of the brain.

Better still would be to do this for each eye in turn. IE: Cover one eye only for about 10min then cover the opposite eye only for about 10min.

And in fact, this has been shown to be effective.

The first study linked below shows on average a 44-53% reduction in the frequency of attacks after 30 days of Gamma use.

In the second study, using variable frequency (again where Gamma was the frequency most chosen), out of 50 migraines reported while the study was active, 49 were helped and 36 were stopped completely. The duration of pain decreased in time in all cases, and also there was a reduction in the frequency of migraines over time.

The third is an example of how hyper synchronisation may be a cause of headache and migraine. This particular study actually used flashing light to induce a migraine in light-sensitive people and what they noticed was that there was an over synchronisation of areas of the brain. By comparison, the non-migraine suffering group had a de-synchronisation of those same brain areas.

[NOTE: Flashing light can be a cause of Migraine for some people so use your intuition and feedback on how to or if to use photic stimulation to then be a form of treatment for it. Covering one eye will minimise the chance of any increase of an existing migraine though and in my personal experience is worth experimenting with.]

Gamma and Migraine:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11858471

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2708044

Brain synchronisation can cause a headache:

https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/200405/migraines.cfm

PMS relief:

Not something that I as a male will ever experience but the evidence is there that BWE is a valid non-drug way to potentially relieve this type of pain. And being that for a lot of women this is, of course, something that they have to face every month then the potential here is huge.

Just read the related testimonial of one of our PandoraStar users below to see how dramatic and quick the results can be with hormonal discomfort.

This, like with migraine headaches is one example of pain that can sometimes be more effectively relieved by stimulating one eye at a time although the most commonly standard practice of both eyes at once is effective.

The study below shows the results of women with long-standing and severe symptoms of PMS.

They used a self-controlled frequency rate device with flickering LED’s for on average 17 minutes a day.

This group got on average a 76% reduction in pain, with significant reductions in associated depression, mood swings, food cravings etc. 71% no longer had symptoms at all. This result is greater than the current most popular medication or relaxation techniques and any expected placebo result which is typically 10-30%.

PMS relief with photic stimulation:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15511777

“I got my PandoraStar to explore different states of consciousness and didn’t expect that it could help me and my mom too with pain and mental clarity. When I saw the program called HEADCALM for pain relief and I was in discomfort from menopause symptoms, I was amazed that in just two sessions that my discomfort and mood swings reduced by 80%. I am so happy that I have that ability now. And my mom who has Parkinson’s disease loves PandoraStar too. She also has less pain, more mental clarity is happier since using it and has not developed dementia. She loves it so much and I am so happy to be able to give that experience to her.

The physical relief has been amazing. However, I want to share how PandoraStar has helped me the most:

A duel, the emotional pain and loss of a loved one. In January of this year, he died of a heart attack and it was the most important sentimental relationship in my life. There were very dark days for me and the PandoraStar Gamma brain waves have been my salvation.

I have been able to overcome the duel in a few months, which usually takes two years. All sessions of AURORA 1,2,3 and BLISS have helped my mother, her nurse and my family, to carry in the best way the tension and stress between us.

Thank you for opening my world to new possibilities. Angela. A (Mexico)”

“Logré que mi PandoraStar explorara diferentes estados de conciencia y no esperaba que eso pudiera ayudarnos a mí ya mi madre también con dolor y claridad mental. Cuando vi el programa llamado HEADCALM para aliviar el dolor y me sentía incómodo por los síntomas de la menopausia, me sorprendió que en solo dos sesiones mi malestar y cambios de humor se redujeran en un 80%. Estoy tan feliz de tener esa habilidad ahora. Y mi madre que tiene la enfermedad de Parkinson también ama a PandoraStar. Ella también tiene menos dolor, más claridad mental, es más feliz desde que lo usa y no ha desarrollado demencia. Ella lo ama tanto y estoy muy feliz de poder darle esa experiencia a ella. El alivio físico ha sido asombroso. Sin embargo, quiero compartir cómo PandoraStar me ha ayudado más: Un duelo, el dolor emocional y la pérdida de un ser querido. En enero de este año murió de un ataque al corazón y fue la relación sentimental más importante de mi vida. Hubo días muy oscuros para mí y las ondas cerebrales PandoraStar Gamma han sido mi salvación. He podido superar el duelo en unos pocos meses, lo que suele llevar dos años. Todas las sesiones de AURORA 1,2,3 y BLISS han ayudado a mi madre, a su enfermera y a mi familia a soportar de la mejor manera la tensión y el estrés entre nosotros. Gracias por abrir mi mundo a nuevas posibilidades.”

Angela A (Mexico)

SMR frequencies and pain relief:

SMR stands for Sensorimotor Rhythms and is characterised by the frequency range of 12-15 Hz.

SMR is, along with Alpha, one of the most studied ranges of brain frequency for mental and physical health benefits and is known as the idling frequency. Kind of like the balance point between inactive relaxation and active thought and movement.

Surprisingly, it is one range of frequencies that is underactive in many people along with the Alpha frequencies.

SMR is a type of relaxed alertness and many studies including biofeedback have shown that entraining the brain to SMR frequencies has positive effects on pain, sleeping better, anxiety, mental clarity and more.

Fibromyalgia (FMS Fibromyalgia syndrome – All over body pain with tiredness and sometimes chronic fatigue) is one area of research focus that has shown promise with SMR entrainment as well as low Delta entrainment.

In the following biofeedback study, training with SMR frequencies reduced pain more than one of the current popular drug treatments.

Fibromyalgia relief from SMR training:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20614235

Why would Brainwave Entrainment help with pain?

So it seems there is evidence to suggest BWE could be a useful alternative for pain relief.

Why?

There are a few theories but none that are absolutely proven yet.

Unfortunately, as I’ve said before, with many non-drug related health protocols, funding and interest is not what it could be for these type of alternative treatments.

Placebo has been ruled out as the only effect in most of these studies as the results are above what a placebo would produce.

Deep relaxation is certainly one possibility as most long term meditators would confirm but even the results of relaxation do not get high percentages like the above studies show.

Distraction is another. In fact, both distracting your attention from, or increasing your attention to, can have positive effects on pain sensations.

And brain synchronisation or de-synchronisation is another possibility.

Increased cerebral blood flow is a possibility also (something that BWE does produce).

ANY interruption to the current brainwave state and neuronal firing during a pain state is likely to have an effect on what signals are processed or what strength a signal has. And like I said at the beginning of this article.., ‘Pain is experienced in the brain and not the body’. How else can you explain for example phantom limb pain where the body part is gone but the person still feels pain in the missing body part. Often the successful and lasting treatment for phantom limb pain is a psychological one and not a chemical one.

Then there are the specific frequencies used and how they affect the brain, it’s signal processing and the production or inhibition of hormones like serotonin and Beta Endorphins.

For example, Alpha is well known as a kind of in-between state where the brain is almost in pause mode and brain signalling is calm. Delta has been more recently found to be the brain state where the brain relaxes and actually increases the space between the neurons. Gamma is known for its beneficial effect on the brains microglia immune system. SMR is like being ready for anything but relaxed too.

I suspect that all of the above are in part responsible for the ability of BWE to reduce or eliminate pain.

In fact, ANY change to your current state of mind in relation to pain is worth exploring and has the potential to help.

Isn’t that the definition of intelligent effort? IE: If something isn’t working then try something else.., ANYthing else!

What’s important here is that people do get positive results and even sometimes miraculous ones.

And the community of PandoraStar owners and commercial users have many stories of people gaining back a higher quality of life and both physical and mental comfort by using BWE and in this case photic/visual stimulation.

I encourage you to find someone near you to try BWE for yourself to see if you are also one of those to get benefit from using the technology.

And the benefits certainly do not stop at pain control.

Neither does the help with pain stop at physical pain. As is indicated in the testimonial above.

But that is another subject.

May you be pain-free in every way.

Lance

[NOTE: Nothing written here is a claim of medical or therapeutic benefits to using PandoraStar or other entrainment technology; rather it is based on the first-hand experience of many owners of such technology, and on research papers that suggest it can be used beneficially that way. Any use for other than entertainment and exploration purposes and we strongly recommend you do so with medical supervision and/or advice. Especially where prescribed medication may negatively affect your response to light stimulation]