CEFALY REVIEW: interview with dr Madisen Janssen
We recently returned from Retreat Migraine 2023 in Minneapolis, a 3-day conference for people living with migraine to build a support network, learn how to advocate for themselves, and learn about the latest research and treatment news. There, we met Dr. Madisen Janssen, DO: a neurology resident, aspiring headache specialist, osteopathic physician, and yoga teacher.
Dr. Janssen first learned about CEFALY from her patients at the VA, where she works with veterans. Here are the highlights of our conversation about the benefits of CEFALY for migraine patients.
CEFALY is a valuable drug-free addition to a migraine treatment plan.
Migraine is a complex neurological disorder, and so there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to treatment and prevention. Depending on an individual’s symptoms, tolerances and preferences, a migraine treatment plan could include several different elements:
- Prescribed medications
- Over-the-counter pain relievers
- Vitamins and supplements
- Diet and lifestyle changes
- Trigger avoidance
- Drug-free therapies such as CEFALY
CEFALY has been “a great addition to a regimen, an entire treatment package, to allow patients another opportunity to have something non-pharmacologic that they can use to help control the severity of headache disease in their life,” said Dr. Janssen.
One of Dr. Janssen’s VA patients often suffered migraine headaches when lying down, disrupting his sleep. As part of his treatment plan, he began using CEFALY in the evenings and found that he was able to fall asleep within 10-15 minutes. “Adding that CEFALY device really helped with that part of his lifestyle,” Dr. Janssen said.
CEFALY is an affordable and accessible migraine treatment.
Once available by prescription only, CEFALY can now be purchased without a doctor’s note. All you have to do is order the device online. Unlike other migraine treatment devices that must be replaced or refilled, CEFALY is designed for years of daily use, making it well worth the cost.
Are you a veteran living with migraine? CEFALY is “provided by the VA, so it helps all our veterans,” Dr. Janssen explained. All you have to do is make an appointment with your VA healthcare provider or neurologist and explain that you’re interested in trying CEFALY. Learn more about getting CEFALY through the VA.
CEFALY Connected helps your healthcare provider optimize your treatment plan.
“I like the new version with the application, which allows even more data for physicians to track headaches and allow the patient to see effectiveness,” Dr. Janssen said. The CEFALY Connected is Bluetooth-enabled to sync with the CeCe Migraine Management app, a migraine journal that tracks your triggers, attacks, symptoms and treatments.
If you use CeCe and your CEFALY Connected regularly, you’ll gain valuable insight into your personal migraine patterns. For instance, you might discover that changes in barometric pressure often trigger an attack, or that migraine symptoms are most severe when you’re dealing with a lot of stress. CeCe can generate PDF reports of your migraine evolutions and trends to share with your healthcare provider, so that together you can see how your preventative and acute treatments are working. When you live with migraine, knowledge is power — that’s why it’s so important to have a neurologist or headache specialist you trust.
