Free Republic

Barbara Cullen, 52, suffered from 'cluster headaches' for three years. The pain was so unbearable she considered taking her own life. But a remarkable new treatment has left her virtually pain-free. Here, Barbara, a lecturer who lives in Grimsby with husband Fred, 57, a financial adviser, talks to Natasha Coutenay-Smith about her experiences, and her surgeon, Mr Lawrence Watkins, describes the operation: THE PATIENT The first time that I experienced a cluster headache I felt as though I was being attacked with a pneumatic drill. Despite the fact it was Boxing Day, I knew my headache wasn't anything to do...

Implanted Devices May Alter Treatment of Many Disorders A handful of scientists around the world have begun cautiously experimenting with devices implanted in patients' bodies to deliver precisely targeted electrical stimulation to the brain in hopes of treating otherwise hopeless behavioral, neurological and psychiatric disorders. While stressing that the ethically sensitive research with "brain pacemakers" has just begun, the scientists say the results so far have been so promising that it could mark the beginning of a new era in treating often intractable cases. The approach builds on rapid recent advances in understanding how the brain works, on high-tech imaging...