Ever since American Academy of Neurology announced that Botox is no better than placebo injections for migraines or tension headaches, there have been subtle underground movement to bring it back into Migraine-fighting arena.
While most of this understated punditry is an interesting to observe exercise of balancing science and salesmanship (see Botox Rebellion Spreads Cautiously), some tries are pretty innovative.
The latest one proposes to use "Botox, which temporarily weakens muscles, to identify which nerves or trigger points are causing pain. He [Dr. Jeffrey Janis] then performs surgery to decompress the involved nerves, which in turn lead to migraine headache relief in more than 90 percent of patients."
If Dr. Janis' method gains popularity then Botox, as a way to pinpoint locations for nerve decompression, might once again inch into the legitimacy as a tool for treating migraine and other types of headaches.
related article: Nerve Decompression Procedure For Treating Persistent Occipital Neuralgia Headaches
link: Mitigating Migraine Misery with Botox
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Botox Tries to Make a ComeBack as Migraine Diagnosis Tool
Friday, May 16, 2008
Nerve Decompression Procedure For Treating Persistent Occipital Neuralgia Headaches
Migraine really is a brand-name that covers a whole lot of different severe and recurring headaches. This is why it is so important to get the right diagnosis and the right treatment.
Case in point - occipital neuralgia is not exactly a migraine even though it might feel like one. "It's usually straightforward to determine who may be a candidate for nerve decompression – all one has to do is touch the area and watch the patient's response."
Dr. Pamela Blake, (former) Director of Georgetown's Headache Clinic and Dr. Ducic, Chief of Peripheral Nerve Surgery, have developed a "nerve decompression" technique for such patients. Pretty simple from a surgical standpoint procedure opens up the space or widen the muscle that surrounds occipital nerve without actually operating on the nerve itself.
Dr. Blake, referenced on MyMigraineConnection.com, has since then moved to Texas, from the looks of it. She founded Headache Treatment Center of Northwest as part of Memorial Hermann Medical Group. The latest news reports suggest that she has introduced the "nerve decompression" procedure at the new clinic and is currently treating many a sufferer.
Here's a short video from the local TV station in Houston that tells us a story from one of her recent patients' point of view.
link: New Procedure Claims To Rid Headaches Forever
link: Revolutionary Migraine Treatment Only at Georgetown
