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Conditions We Treat
MigrainesPounding, throbbing, nausea, numbness…for about 28 million Americans with migraines, these feelings arrive like unwelcome party guests.
A Place to Come for Headache Care“It’s important to learn how to treat headaches before they become a serious problem,” says neurologist Peter Barbour, M.D. That’s the philosophy behind the new Lehigh Valley Headache Center, the first of its kind in the region. Located at Lehigh Valley Hospital—Cedar Crest and I-78, it focuses mainly on migraine patients. A team of specialty physicians, physical therapists and others will review your symptoms and develop a customized treatment plan. Insurance typically covers these services. Ask your doctor about a referral.Imagine it: your head tightens and begins to pound. The pressure is so intense your ears, jaw and teeth go numb. Touch, light and sound multiply the pain. Sometimes there are auras, in which you see blurred images, shimmering lights and zigzag lines. Symptoms like these—which can last for hours or days—are impossible to ignore. But not all migraine sufferers realize what the problem is. “Migraines, unfortunately, are undertreated and underdiagnosed,” says neurologist Peter Barbour, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. Migraines can affect men, women and children, though about 75 percent of patients are women. The condition runs in families. If one of your parents has migraines, there’s a 50 percent chance you will, too. If both your parents have them, your risk rises to 75 percent. According to the latest research, migraines are a process of inflammation that results from a specific nerve reacting with the blood vessels in the covering of the brain. Levels of serotonin, the brain’s natural “feel good” chemical, drop, and pain sets in. Many different things can trigger this reaction, including hormones, stress and certain foods such as cheese, nuts and red wine. Although there is no cure, treatment for migraines is improving. Doctors have an array of methods today, from new medications to physical therapy, massage, acupressure and acupuncture. “The biggest boon in the treatment of migraine is triptans,” Barbour says. “These drugs, of which there are now many choices (a common example is Imitrex), quickly interact with serotonin to curb the pain. They are the only drugs that work effectively when migraines are full-blown.” Some migraine sufferers rely on over-the-counter medications like Excedrin to silence the ticking bomb in their head. But the caffeine in these products, Barbour warns, can become a crutch. In a kind of spiral effect, both the headaches and the pill popping become more frequent. “The medication isn’t effectively treating the problem,” he says, “and caffeine abuse converts frequent migraines into chronic daily headaches.” Such patients have to stop taking the medications cold turkey or slowly wean themselves off of caffeine. Your best strategy, of course, is prevention. To target your migraine triggers, log your daily activities and migraines in a journal. “Coping with this condition may mean staying away from foods that cause headaches,” says Robert Wilson, D.O., pain management specialist at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. He also recommends getting regular exercise and enough sleep.
Want to Know More about non-migraine (cluster, sinus and tension) headaches or about acupressure for headache treatment? Call 610-402-CARE. This page last updated 3/31/08 02:23 PM
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