Migraine Relief with Brain Music Therapy

What if you could buy a musical CD that allowed you to prevent migraine attacks? That is exactly what the assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, Galina Mindlin, M.D., is offering to her patients. She calls it Brain Music Therapy.

How does it work? First patients get a brief medical evaluation and fill out two questionnaires, Subjective Sleep Scale and Beck Depression Inventory. After that, the patient’s brain wave patterns are recorded with an EEG (electroencephalogram). This process takes a little less than 30 minutes and the recording time is 5 to 10 minutes. The patient needs to be in a relaxed state.

The recording of the brain waves is then processed through algorithms and translated into two musical files. The musical file is burned to a CD and arrives in the patient’s hands in about 3-4 weeks. This musical cure is thought to ‘reset’ brain waves and therefore, prevent migraine attacks. Patients are instructed to listen to the CD twice every night before going to bed. It’s painless, has no side effects , no chemicals and is completely non-invasive.

Does it work? The reviews are mixed. Many doctors don’t believe it’s a cure, but Dr. Mindlin believes it is quite effective and states on her website, BrainMusicTreatment.com, that it is scientifically proven for anxiety, depression, insomnia stress and a plethora of other ailments. While her website doesn’t state that it cures migraines, it does state that her patients report a decrease in severity of migraines.

How much does it cost? This may be the most expensive CD you’ve ever purchased: between $500 and $600 for the entire process. Although, if you’ve ever suffered a migraine, you might feel that is quite a steal if it really works.

Some doctors really do not believe it and are sure that listening to a CD could not reset brain waves. They just don’t believe a CD is enough to alter the brain’s electrical activity. Others are excited. They either believe it will work if the patient thinks it works or they truly believe in the altering of brain activity. There are many mixed reviews.

Migraine headaches are not understood fully and there is no cure. Different people have different ‘triggers’, or things that cause migraines. They are not simply headaches, but throbbing, pulsating headaches that usually make the person incapacitated and sometimes come with severe sensory sensitivities, nausea and vomiting.

It is estimated that migraine headaches are experienced on a regular basis by 10 percent of the U.S. population.


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