Q Collar

[ddove]

Has anyone around here heard of the Q Collar? I wonder if it might help with cluster headaches. I wouldn't be opposed to wearing one while I sleep, which is when most of my headaches are triggered. 

http://www.espn.com/blog/carolina-panthers/post/_/id/27367/how-a-200-device-is-providing-hope-in-reducing-brain-injury

[xxx]

Hey Ddove,

Good question on the Q Collar.  Before venturing an answer if it would help reduce or prevent CH while sleeping, I'll offer the following.  The pathogenesis of cluster headache is a complex, multivariate sequence of physiological events that have yet to be fully understood and described by the experts.  That the standards of care recommended preventative treatments used by neurologists and headache specialists experienced in treating patients with CH haven't changed in over 20 years gives proof that CH pathogenesis remains a mystery to modern medical science.

Busting and vitamin D3 therapy are the two most promising methods of controlling CH available to us today.  Big Pharma is betting hundreds of millions of dollars on the use of monoclonal antibodies with an apatite for calcitonin gene-related peptides (CGRP) as a possible preventative, but they are still years away from an FDA approved biological preventative for CH.  Even if they do make it to market, their expense may be prohibitive for many CHers.

It's sites like CB and CH.com that have provided a forum for thousands of CHers to share experiences on what works and what doesn't when it comes to controlling CH that have given us the most useful information.  As an example, as cluster headaches are most frequent while sleeping, many of us have found sleeping in a recliner with head elevated at least 6 inches above the heart helps reduce the frequency of CH while sleeping.  The physiology behind this is simple.  When we sleep, and in particular deep sleep, our respiration rate and heart beat are at their lowest.  Blood oxygen levels drop and CO2 levels rise.  This creates a perfect storm for CHers so we get hit more frequently.

Elevating the head above the heart means the heart must work harder to pump blood to the brain.  This requires more work, burns more fuel and consumes more oxygen... so we breath a little faster sleeping this way.  That extra breathing means we ventilate the lungs more, maintain a higher level of blood oxygenation and a lower level of blood CO2.

Back to your question on the Q Collar.   It was patterned after the woodpecker's capacity to avoid brain damage wile pecking for food.  The principle used here with the Q Collar is to partially block the venous blood flow leaving the brain increasing the volume of blood in the brain to act as "bubble wrap" as the inventor claims, to prevent the brain from sloshing around inside the skull reducing concussion damage while playing football or hockey.

So how would this work while sleeping...  My guess is it's going to be a wash or double edged sword.  On one hand the Q Collar slows the flow of blood through the brain, as that increases the blood CO2 content and lowers the oxygen content, the brain stem life support functions would signal an increase in respiration.  That's the good part.  However as the Q Collar physically restricts the flow of blood through the brain, all the house cleaning functions that need to be done while in deep sleep are slowed down.  That's the bad part.

That makes the short answer... Wait until the Q Collar hits the market, buy one and see if it's effective in preventing CH or reducing the frequency of CH while sleeping.

Take care and please let us know if the Q Collar helps prevent CH while sleeping.

V/R, Batch

[ddove]

On 9/27/2017 at 2:44 PM, Batch said:

 

Take care and please let us know if the Q Collar helps prevent CH while sleeping.

V/R, Batch

Thank you so much for sending this. I've experienced CH for about for about one month a year since 2002, but have never really done more than using sumatriptan to alleviate the pain. I'm really interested in learning more from everyone's experiences and seeing what works. 

[CHfather]

ddove,
OXYGEN is a much safer, highly effective way to abort CH attacks.  Although this file is kind of old, it will give you the basics if you don't know them: https://clusterbusters.org/forums/topic/1433-10-oxygen-information/

The D3 regimen is good for you, and an excellent preventive.  If it's sumatriptan injections you're using to abort attacks, at least consider splitting your doses: https://clusterbusters.org/forums/topic/2446-extending-imitrex/