Q. I suffered for years and years from migraine and chronic daily headache and had two concussions previously in my life. I tried every medication and treatment regimen under the sun without relief, until I underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy for my brain injury. I’ve gone more than three months now without a full-blown migraine. What is your opinion of hyperbaric oxygen treatment for headache? – Mary M.
A. Hyperbaric oxygen is a treatment in which an individual is placed in a chamber where they are exposed to pure oxygen at three times the normal pressure of oxygen experienced at sea level. It has been used for the treatment of both migraine and cluster headache, but there has not been any convincing evidence that it is useful. Furthermore, the high cost and lack of availability of such chambers would severely limit its usefulness for most migraineurs, even if it were an effective treatment for attacks.
Mark Green, MD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City
