Researching a Health Innovation

Literature Review

Headaches and migraines are common ailments that many people have experienced. Some of these instances can inhibit the daily lives of those suffering from them. To help improve this phenomenon, researchers developed a new way to relieve headache and migraine pain without using medication. Through a noninvasive surgical procedure, doctors place a small sensor just beneath the skin in the gums. To further understand this procedure and how it prevents pain from migraines and headaches, four reliable sources will be analyzed.

The first source analyzed is “Electronic aspirin: a non-pharmacologic treatment for headache”. This source is a reliable medical website that gives accurate and reliable information on the topic. This source outlines a study done to support the need for electronic aspirin,“Global Burden of Disease Study (2013), worldwide headache disorders are the third-highest cause of years lost due to disability. Often people do not realize how headache disorders pose an unacknowledged burden, which includes battling through symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, and throbbing pain, as well as causing difficulties in family, social, and work life” (GlobalData, 2017). The article is heavily based on the physiological aspects of human functioning. It explicitly talks about the neurotransmitters and nerve clusters that are involved in the process of developing a headache or a migraine. The target nerve cluster is the sphenopalatine nerve cluster that is connected to the brainstem and meninges (GlobalData). By providing scientific evidence, the article helps boost its credibility and overall knowledge. The next source is a study entitled, “Study of electronic aspirin”. The study focuses on the mechanics of the electronic aspirin devices, “The electronic headache machine is little embedded that conveys low-level vitality to the range of the SPG. These gadget permits Halting bunch cerebral pains at its first signs. The framework includes the little changeless insert in addition to a remote that discharges signs to the insert keeping in mind the end goal to all alleviation the torment. The little plan of this item permits it to be effective. This gadget needs to give solace to the patients, since it is a perpetual component” (T, 2017). This source is heavily focused on the actual device and not the reasons behind them. It is driven by the mechanics of electronic aspirin. By using factual information and testimonies from researchers who have developed the device, the source provides reliability and accuracy.

The third source, “Electronic Aspirin? A Modern Pain Reliever”, is another reliable source that outlines some of the benefits of the devices. The article portrays the benefits of using this technology, “Some patients experience an immediate reduction in pain. Typically, though it takes anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours to feel relief. According to one study, 88 percent of patients indicated that they required less or no migraine medication for ongoing relief. In spite of these promising results, according to an April 2015 post on NeurologyTimes.com, “noninvasive device–mediated SPG blockade currently lacks robust evidence of efficacy forroutine use as a migraine preventative and further study is warranted” (ClinCapture, 2018). This source utilizes cause and effect for their argument. The basic structure of the whole paper is presenting something that inhibits people from living their normal lives (headaches and migraines) and recants with a solution (electronic aspirin). This structure is effective in conveying their information to readers in a reliable and scholarly way.

The last source, “Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block for Migraine?” is the most scientifically backed study. The study outlines the some of the science that makes the devices run, “SPG activation in these disorders produces unilateral eye redness, rhinorrhea, eyelid edema, facial flushing/sweating, ear fullness, and ptosis. It also has been proposed that because the SPG provides parasympathetic input to cranial blood vessels, its stimulation, through the superior salivatory nucleus, causes plasma protein extravasation in the dura and may activate meningeal nociceptors and trigger a migraine through neurogenic inflammation. This provides a rationale for targeting the SPG as a potential migraine treatment” (Good, 2015). The article is centered around how the discoveries became known and how they are being implemented into the devices. Using scientific facts and reasoning aids in the credibility of the article.

Overall, all the sources present accurate information that is backed by either science or statistics. With all four study’s and articles, there is a similar theme to each individual artifact. Having a universal theme that makes the writing flow gives readers even more reason to trust the credibility of the articles. All the sources are credible and usable in an academic setting.

IMRaD

Madalyne Beavers

English 325

Kara Kenan

November 15, 2018

Electronic Aspirin

Headaches and migraines are common ailments that many people have experienced. Some of these instances can inhibit the daily lives of those suffering from them. To help improve this phenomenon, researchers developed a new way to relieve a headache and migraine pain without using medication. Through a noninvasive surgical procedure, doctors place a small sensor just beneath the skin in the gums. This information will be examined to determine if electronic aspirin is a safe, reliable, and safer alternative to prevent the pain of migraines and chronic headaches? To further understand this procedure and how it prevents the pain of migraines and chronic headaches, researchers have gathered extensive information on the risks, benefits, mechanics, and insertion.

Methods

A California company has created electronic aspirin that is controlled by a remote that the patient monitors. The device sends low-level electrical stimulation to the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) nerve cluster. Preventing pain signals from being sent to the brain to effectively prevent the patient from noticing the pain in the first place. Headache disorders are the third-highest cause of years lost due to disability (GlobalData, 2018). Many do not take into account the inconvenience that these disorders cause.Symptoms include nausea, dizziness, and throbbing pain, as well as possible family and relationship problems (GlobalData, 2018). To help answer the research question of whether this new technology is a safe alternative to traditional pain medications, many sources will be analyzed and further researched to come to a concise conclusion. Data from case studies and different scientific research will be heavily highlighted over news articles. Utilizing many sources will aid in fact-checking the information and assuring that the most recent data is used. Comparing and contrasting all the data and results is the most beneficial method of coming to an accurate conclusion. The limitations that accompany this style of research is that it is time-consuming and cannot be completed on a tight schedule. Researchers must leave ample time to collect all data and analyze it while simultaneously comparing it to all other research gathered. This method can also be costly as the researchers are conducting research longer and must be compensated for their time. The last limitation of this approach is many of the research conducted is relatively new. This means that the information has not been tested for long periods of time and has little data on the long-term effects.

Results

An overwhelming majority of sources believe that electronic aspirin is the future. The results from the studies were nearly all positive, “According to an electronic aspirin clinical study by ATI, 68% of patients treated with the device experienced significant improvement. Of these, 65% had their headache disorder resolved within three months. These results are said to be applicable to a wide range of people” (GlobalData, 2018). Another Study found that a near 88% of patients required less or no migraine medication after the procedure (T, 2017). The results of other studies have followed the same pattern of acceptance and promotion of the advancement. Considering the device has no proven health restrictions it has the ability to be implanted into most anyone. It has been tested with allergies, high blood pressure, or heart diseases while medications to prevent pain need to be consumed carefully (Good, 2015). This is due to the many side effects that include increased blood pressure, allergies, and weight gain (ClinCapture, 2018).The electronic aspirin has near zero side effects.

Discussion

Overall the benefits outweigh the negatives of electronic aspirin. “Electronic aspirin requires a minimally-invasive surgery to implant the ATI neurostimulator permanently in the upper gum, above the second molar.There, the lead tip is attached to the SPG bundle, which targets the root cause directly. The implant is placed on the side where the pain most frequently occurs. This device has an acceptable safety profile compared to other surgical procedures. In addition, patients can fully control the strength of electrical stimulations with a remote control, unlike oxygen therapy equipment where an oxygen tank and a regulator are needed. The electronic aspirin hand-held portable remote provides on-demand therapy making it easier to use” (ClinCapture, 2018). The findings that this research has uncovered is essential to the future of medicine in aiding in pain management from chronic headaches. Using alternative medicine lessens the need for narcotics and opioids to ease the pain. Giving patients the ability to choose the best pain method for them gives the patients more autonomy in their medical decisions. All the information supports the research question, is electronic aspirin is a safe, reliable, and safer alternative to prevent the pain of migraines and chronic headaches? The answer is yes. With little side effects and proven lasting results, the devices are the future of chronic headache relief. This conclusion aligns with most other scholars and researchers who have also researched the topic.

Abstract

Headaches and migraines are common ailments that many people have experienced. Some of these instances can inhibit the daily lives of those suffering from them.To help improve this phenomenon, researchers developed a new way to relieve headache and migraine pain without using medication. Through a noninvasive surgical procedure, doctors place a small sensor just beneath the skin in the gums. This information will be examined to determine if electronic aspirin is a safe, reliable, and safer alternative to prevent the pain of migraines and chronic headaches? To further understand this procedure and how it prevents the pain of migraines and chronic headaches, researchers have gathered extensive information on the risks, benefits, mechanics, and insertion. To help support this claim researchers examined multiple studies and cross-referenced them to find similarities. This helped to prove the question of if the technology is safe and a reliable alternative to pain medications. The research concluded that electronic aspirin is a good alternative to using drugs to aid in pain management for chronic headaches and migraines.