foodconsumer.org: Migraine Sufferers Benefit from Plastic Surgery

Migraine Sufferers Benefit from Plastic Surgery
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admin on 08/01/2009 14:54:00
 
By Rachel Stockton (rachels@foodconsumer.org)
Mark Howell, a pastor in a large non-denominational church in Houston, TX, has a
history of debilitating migraines.  Before the pain sets in, he typically can
see only one half of everything in front of him; a shroud of blackness covers
the other half.  Once the pain sets in completely, he remains virtually immobile
from blinding pain and periods of intense nausea and vomiting.
The New York Times Health Guide claims that migraines are the result of abnormal
brain activity that can be triggered by stress, environment, certain foods, or
some other unknown x-factor.  The pain interferes with relationships and quality
of life, in general.   Most migraine sufferers know that if they feel the
approach of a headache coming on, radical changes in their personal schedules
will likely have to be made.
However, migraine headaches may soon have to confront a formidable, if highly
unlikely, foe:  plastic surgery.  Dr.  Bahman Guyron, MD of Case Western Reserve
University has successfully treated some migraine patients with a modified
version of a forehead lift.
The procedure is fairly straight forward; nerves in the migraine trigger sites
are snipped, thereby eliminating migraine pain.  An astounding 57% of Guyron's
patients during a clinical trial completely recovered from migraine pain.  The
details of study appear in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Interestingly, this is not the first time that the "vanity" industry and the
nation's disdain for growing old have provided relief for migraine sufferers. 
For the last several years, some headache centers, such as the New York Headache
Institute, have been giving Botox injections to some of their patients at
$750-$1000 a pop, every three months.  Botox, a nerve poison, blunts or
completely blocks certain chemical nerve signals that can cause migraine pain.
Although it may be too soon to tell if the forehead lift will become a prevalent
form of migraine treatment, Dr. Guyron's success is nothing to sneeze at.