Ping: EF

terpkristin · 10-21-2005, 09:20 PM

EF,

I just came across this webpage devoted to a guy's desire to "increase his consciousness" by drilling a hole in his head, a procedure called "trepanation." (Warning for those who might be squeamish, this guy does have pictures of the procedure). hxxp://www.bmezine.com/news/people/A10101/trepan/

The first thoughts that popped into my mind after reading his story were:
1. Wow, is this guy stupid!
2. I wonder where he got the lido/epi cocktail.

The third thought, though, was that I'd seen some show on TV--it was probably Ripley's Believe It Or Not, or something on Discovery Health. I didn't catch the entire show, but I did see a part where they interviewed a woman who had had a dime-sized hole drilled in her skull, for the relief of some medical condition (not brain swelling).

In reading this guy's article at BMEzine, he said that some people seek it out as a "cure" or "treatment" for depression. I was just wondering if there is actually any science to it or if this was sometimes considered a potential treatment for any kind of medical disorder that you might know of. This is purely a curiousity question--to me, it sounds wooly, and a quick web search seems to indicate that there isn't much "proof" that it helps, but was wondering if there was something to it.

All that said, I can't believe the guy did it in his home and had a friend "experienced in percing and cutting" do it. I used to be a member of BME and used to have a fair number of non-ear piercings (all removed, though truthfully there were mitigating circumstances to their removal and they didn't involve needing to remove them for a job), but this is CRAZY, even by my (probably more relaxed than your average person's) standards...

Is there anything to trepanation? Is it actually performed by competent doctors in a real OR or medical setting for some medical purpose? Does it work for said medical purpose?

Totally random, I know.

/tk

Eaglesfan27 · 10-21-2005, 10:21 PM

I've heard of this (I also think from either Discovery Health or a similar show), but don't believe it is a useful treatment for depression or "increasing one's consciousness." I wonder where he got the lido/epi cocktail as well. The only reason I can think of off the top of my head to medically drill a hole into the head would be to reduce intracranial pressure. There are a variety of things that can cause elevated intracranial pressure such as a rapidly expanding subdural hematoma. Other than reducing very high intracranial pressure, there are no legitimate medical reasons to drill into the skull that I can think of.

On a tangent, there are some very interesting treatments out there that are legitimate (or at least worth exploring further) for depression and other psychiatric conditions. Vagal nerve stimulators still may have some potential, transcranial magetic stimulation is fascinating to me (and before Katrina I was going to have a chance to peripherally help on a research project using this.)

Anyway, this guy sounds like a crazy guy to me

DaddyTorgo · 10-21-2005, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Vaginal nerve stimulators

like vibrators?

Eaglesfan27 · 10-21-2005, 10:25 PM

Try a bit higher

The vagal nerve stimulators are usually implanted under the skin near the neck.

Here is a link to a page at Cornell that has plenty of good info on them. Besides being used for epilepsy, research has been done on using them for Bipolar disorder and depression.

Oh yeah, here is the link: http://www.med.cornell.edu/neuro/pat...e-vagalns.html

Eaglesfan27 · 10-21-2005, 10:40 PM

I just did a literature search on "trepanation." I couldn't find one peer reviewed medical journal advocating it. I would imagine the risk of infection among other problems would make this "procedure" quite dangerous.

DaddyTorgo · 10-21-2005, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Try a bit higher

The vagal nerve stimulators are usually implanted under the skin near the neck.

Here is a link to a page at Cornell that has plenty of good info on them. Besides being used for epilepsy, research has been done on using them for Bipolar disorder and depression.

Oh yeah, here is the link: http://www.med.cornell.edu/neuro/pat...e-vagalns.html

bah. way to respond seriously to my joke and kill it before the weekend crowd saw it. haha

Eaglesfan27 · 10-21-2005, 11:00 PM

My bad

Masked · 10-21-2005, 11:40 PM

I don't like transcranial magetic stimulation. Something about shutting off part of my brain, even for a short time, scares me

Pyser · 10-22-2005, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

bah. way to respond seriously to my joke and kill it before the weekend crowd saw it. haha

we have a weekend crowd?

DaddyTorgo · 10-22-2005, 12:12 PM

yep. you psy

10-21-2005, 10:21 PM	#2
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	I've heard of this (I also think from either Discovery Health or a similar show), but don't believe it is a useful treatment for depression or "increasing one's consciousness." I wonder where he got the lido/epi cocktail as well. The only reason I can think of off the top of my head to medically drill a hole into the head would be to reduce intracranial pressure. There are a variety of things that can cause elevated intracranial pressure such as a rapidly expanding subdural hematoma. Other than reducing very high intracranial pressure, there are no legitimate medical reasons to drill into the skull that I can think of. On a tangent, there are some very interesting treatments out there that are legitimate (or at least worth exploring further) for depression and other psychiatric conditions. Vagal nerve stimulators still may have some potential, transcranial magetic stimulation is fascinating to me (and before Katrina I was going to have a chance to peripherally help on a research project using this.) Anyway, this guy sounds like a crazy guy to me __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

10-21-2005, 10:25 PM	#4
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	Try a bit higher The vagal nerve stimulators are usually implanted under the skin near the neck. Here is a link to a page at Cornell that has plenty of good info on them. Besides being used for epilepsy, research has been done on using them for Bipolar disorder and depression. Oh yeah, here is the link: http://www.med.cornell.edu/neuro/pat...e-vagalns.html __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

10-21-2005, 10:40 PM	#5
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	I just did a literature search on "trepanation." I couldn't find one peer reviewed medical journal advocating it. I would imagine the risk of infection among other problems would make this "procedure" quite dangerous. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

10-21-2005, 11:00 PM	#7
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	My bad __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

10-21-2005, 11:40 PM	#8
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	I don't like transcranial magetic stimulation. Something about shutting off part of my brain, even for a short time, scares me

10-22-2005, 12:12 PM	#10
DaddyTorgo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Massachusetts	yep. you psy

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