Cluster Headache Update

Pure oxygen may effectively treat cluster headaches.

The Los Angeles Times (12/10, Kaplan) "Booster Shots" blog reports that according to a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, cluster headaches "can be treated by inhaling pure 100% oxygen. Cluster headaches affect about 0.3% of the general population, according to the study. The National Institutes of Health says the debilitating headaches can strike daily for weeks at a time. Other sources say the bouts can last for months before patients go into remission." The piece notes that after a limited study indicated pure oxygen brought relief to some patients, "a trio of researchers from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London decided to test the therapy more rigorously."