An estimated 30 million Americans suffering from migraine could get relief from a painless magnetic pulse into the head. Called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation - or TMS, the small handheld device is put on the back of the head, and a simple push of a button sends a magnetic pulse into the skull.

"It actually generates a very small amount of current that flows through the brain and the assumption is that current is what turns off the migraine attack," said Dr. Richard Lipton of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

In most cases migraines are known to come without any warning, but in 25% of the cases the patient could have visual disturbances or numbness as a warning. The TMS is to be used at that first warning sign. "People can treat a headache when they feel it coming on," Lipton said.

 Researchers found 39 percent of the patients using TMS were pain-free, versus 22 percent of patients using the sham device. Dr. Yousef Mohammad, of The Ohio State University in Columbus, said, "This is very significant. This is a much better response than is achieved with any other method or medication that we have."

The findings were released on Friday at the annual meeting of the American Headache Society, underway in Boston.

"There are a lot of patients who can't take the prescription drugs that are available for migraine, and this gives me a whole new avenue of therapy,” Lipton said.

The medications currently available though effective in treating migraines have side effects. With FDA approval the TMS would be a good alternative.