Principles behind it

 
What does Cefaly work on? On nerve cells

Cefaly uses electric impulses to act on the nerve cells.

From a physiological perspective, only two types of cell respond to electrical stimulus: muscle cells and nerve cells.

Cefaly acts specifically on nerve cells – in other words on nerves themselves, and it is the nerves that are affected by pain.

What nerve does Cefaly work on? On the trigeminal nerve.

The main nerve in the head that is involved in headaches is known as the trigeminal nerve.

The main branch divides into two at the level of the orbit.

The Cefaly electrode covers this bifurcation and therefore acts on this main part of the trigeminal nerve.

Through this electrode, Cefaly transmits impulses that are extremely specific and perfectly adapted to the trigeminal nerve.

What actions does this have on the trigeminal nerve? An endorphin-producing and TENS action

Cefaly acts on the trigeminal nerve and the nervous system via two principal mechanisms:
 

Endorphin-producing mechanism:

A Cefaly programme stimulates the endorphin-producing nerve fibres (Aδ) of the trigeminal nerve, which increases their production and thus the number of endorphins.

Endorphins are the neuro-hormones that give a feeling of wellbeing. With a higher level of endorphins, the trigger threshold for a headache or migraine is altered, and there are therefore fewer such attacks.

TENS mechanism or “gateway control”:

One of the Cefaly programmes stimulates the touch sensitivity fibres (Aβ) of the trigeminal nerve at high frequency, partially blocking the entry of pain into the nervous system.

This mechanism is called the gateway control system, in other words the influxes of touch sensitivity are increased to the point that they do not leave any space for the influx of pain stimulus.