Means and methods for treating headaches

• US 20040122281A1
• Filed: 12/21/2002
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aruene Corporation
• Original Assignee: Neuralieve, Inc.
• Inventors: Fischell, David R., Fischell, Robert E., Upton, Adrian R.M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,294,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/13
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/02 using magnetic fields produced by coils, including single turn loops or electromagnets A61N2/12 takes precedence

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for treating headaches. The system employs a self-contained, battery operated, readily portable and easy-to-operate head-mounted magnetic depolarizer to generate a transient or time-varying high-intensity magnetic field into and around the user'"'"'s head or neck. The magnetic depolarizer system can be used to depolarize the neurons of the brain and/or the trigeminal nerve. This type of neuronal depolarization has the capability for terminating migraine or other types of headaches.

Claims

1. A magnetic depolarizer system for the treatment of a headache of a human subject, the system comprising:

a readily portable magnetic depolarizer designed for placement at a specific location onto the head or neck of a human being, the magnetic depolarizer having at least one electromagnetic coil that is capable of providing a time varying magnetic field having a peak intensity at some portion of the patient'"'"'s trigeminal nerve of at least 0.1 Tesla and a positioner configured to maintain the at least one coil in a desired position relative to the trigeminal nerve; and

electrical circuitry connected to the magnetic depolarizer for providing an electrical current through the at least one electromagnetic coil, the electrical circuitry also including a patient operated switch for turning on the magnetic depolarizer system the system being turned off by a timing means within the magnetic depolarizer system.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the electrical circuitry of the magnetic depolarizer system includes a battery.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the battery is rechargeable.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic coil of the magnetic depolarizer has a core comprising a ferromagnetic material, the ferromagnetic material being selected from the group consisting of alloys of iron, alloys of nickel, iron-nickel alloys, iron-nickel-molybdenum alloys, vanadium permendur, a powder metal magnetic material, or a ferrite material.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein ferromagnetic material core is laminated to decrease the eddy current loss when creating the time-varying magnetic field.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the electronic circuitry is adapted to deliver a plurality of time varying magnetic pulses.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein at least one pulse of the plurality of time varying magnetic pulses has a duration between approximately 0.1 and 5.0 milliseconds.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the electronic circuitry is adapted to deliver a sequence of pulses at a rate of between approximately 0.1 Hz and approximately 500 Hz.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the sequence of pulses is delivered over a time period of between approximately 0.1 second and approximately 50 seconds.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the electrical circuitry is controlled by at least one operating parameter that is preset by a physician.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the magnetic depolarizer system includes an instruction for informing the human subject on how to operate the magnetic depolarizer system.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the instruction includes a message having a message type selected from the group consisting of an audio message type and a visual message type.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the message includes at least one phrase selected from the group consisting of:

“

the system has been turned on,”

“

now place the head piece on your head,”

“

the first pulse has been delivered,”

“

the second pulse has been delivered,”

“

the last pulse has been delivered,”

“

the system is now turned off,”

“

the battery voltage is low, please recharge now,” and

“

your system is not operating properly, please consult the user'"'"'s manual or call a specified phone number.”

14. The system of claim 1 further including a ferromagnetic piece placed between the cranial bone and the patient'"'"'s scalp, wherein the ferromagnetic piece enhances the intensity of the time-varying magnetic field used to depolarize at least some of the neurons of the trigeminal nerve of the human subject.

15. A method for the treatment of a headache, the method comprising the following steps:

sensing by a human subject that he or she is having a headache; and

using a positioner to place a magnetic field generator onto the head or neck of the patient in a desired position relative to the patient'"'"'s trigeminal nerve, by the patient himself or herself, the placement being at a location where the magnetic field generator can create at least one magnetic field pulse that has sufficiently high magnetic field intensity for depolarization of at least some neurons of the trigeminal nerve.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of turning the magnetic field generator on to create a plurality of time-varying magnetic field pulses at the patient'"'"'s trigeminal nerve.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of applying a plurality of magnetic pulses at a rate between approximately 0.1 Hz and approximately 500 Hz.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of applying a sequence of magnetic pulses for a time period between approximately 0.1 second and approximately 50 seconds.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of applying at least one magnetic pulse having a duration between approximately 0.1 and 5 milliseconds.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of applying power to the magnetic field generator with a rechargeable battery.

21. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of causing the patient to turn an ON-OFF switch first to the ON position and subsequently causing the patient to turn the switch to the OFF position.

22. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of causing the patient turn an ON-OFF switch to the ON position and subsequently automatically deactivating the magnetic field generator after a time period.

23. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of causing a physician to set at least one operating parameter of the magnetic field generator.

24. A method for using a magnetic depolarizer system to treat a headache in a patient, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting an occurrence of a headache;

activating the magnetic depolarizer system; and

generating a time-varying magnetic field having a peak intensity at some portion of the patient'"'"'s trigeminal nerve of at least 0.1 Tesla.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the magnetic depolarizer system is readily portable and self-contained.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of detecting the occurrence of an onset of a headache comprises receiving an input from the patient.

27. A self-contained, battery operated system for reducing the intensity and/or duration of a headache by applying a time-varying magnetic field for stimulation of the trigeminal nerve of a human subject, the system having an electromagnetic coil designed to create a peak magnetic field intensity onto the trigeminal nerve of at least 0.01 Tesla.