Heart Rate Variability as Biomarker of Prevention and Resilience: A Year Long Study of Migraine Patients

Heart Rate Variability as Biomarker of Prevention and Resilience: A Year Long Study of Migraine Patients in the Acupuncture Clinic

This is the full manuscript with references for my submission last July to the Journal of Medical Acupuncture.  They turned it down, but I’m stashing it here for the record and also because even though the data is anecdotal, I feel that it is still worthwhile.  Also the Intro and Discussion have my current thinking on the problem.  The data for the study can be found here.
What is the problem?  Where the project currently stands is that stress reduction during acupuncture and over time has been shown.  Not in all people and not every time.  So I’m trying to hone the HRV monitoring method so it is more robust and more trustworthy.  Why?  My goal is to drill down on variables so that the HRV monitoring system can detect differences in various treatments.  The goal is to be able to pick up the differences between different point perscriptions, addition of studied protocols, electroacupuncture, and addition of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagal Nerve Stimulation.  The is all complicated by the massive “noise” in the system for example time of day, whether the person is particularly stressed out, whether they slept well etc… But for this monitor to be useful, there has to be a way to increase the signal to noise ratio.  I’m considering looking at initial conditions (overall HRV by time series), when their last treatment was (frequent treatment seems to be “best”), gender, condition (there is reason to think that migraine, allergy and anxiety patients my all react quite differently).  And those are just to name a few.  Noise noise noise….