One of my doctors thinks this may be effective in helping my headaches go away. Where is the literature supporting this?

For CHs? I am all but certain it does not exist.

"Your heartbeat is rising. Think about puppies."
"It's rising because it hurts, damn it! and the puppies are mastiffs romping through my eyeball."

Or something like that. lance

I ran a search at the National Library of Medicine (the BIG mountain of health information!) and found only one citation in the last 3-yrs. Everything else (and rather limited in #) was quite out of date.

Which is to say, nothing to support use for Cluster.

The reason, I believe, is that Cluster sets on so rapidly that there is no opportunity to use these techniques to intervene. And, our understanding of Cluster makes it clear that it's a neurological disorder which is not "touchable" by biofeedback.

There is some limited benefit for migraine, but even here, limited and qualified usefullness.
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Neurol Sci. 2003 May;24 Suppl 2:S80-5.
Behavioral treatment approaches to chronic headache.
Andrasik F.
SourceInstitute for Human and Machine Cognition, University of West Florida, 40 South Alcaniz Street, Pensacola, FL 32501, USA.

Abstract
Over 3 decades of research have shown the utility of a number of behavioral treatments, chiefly relaxation, biofeedback, and cognitive behavior therapy, for uncomplicated forms of migraine and tension-type headache. However, the literature base is much less extensive for chronic, complicated, and refractory forms of headache. This paper reviews extant work on the usefulness of behavioral treatment for headache accompanied by medication overuse; chronic, daily, high intensity headache; refractory headaches; cluster headache; chronic tension-type headache; posttraumatic headache; and headache accompanied by psychiatric comorbidity. It concludes with a discussion of the role of environmental and familial factors in influencing chronic headaches. Suggestions for future research are pointed out along the way.

PMID:12811599[PubMed]

I tried biofeedback at my drs urging.  He said he had never seen someone be able to relax so completely before.  Wonderful but it did nothing for my cluster headaches.  Complete waste of time for me.

...years ago...through sheer will power and concentration...I was sorta sure I had been able to abort an oncoming hit or two...even described the particulars here....

...the effort and concentration involved was so exhausting and difficult that I sought more effective, quicker, and reliable methods (O2, verapamil, trigger avoidance, energy drinks, Zomig NS).......

Best

Jon

Jon,

The best biofeedback is the wonderful thrill of knowing the anti-inflammatory regimen with 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 is keeping the beast away...  It's a real rush...

Take care,

V/R, Batch