This office provides a clinical practice which

• Provides an approachable way of treating patients who suffer from acute or chronic headache
• Offers patients the most up-to-date diagnosis and treatment
• Will never lose sight of the human side of headache pain
• Provide a friendly, approachable staff that understands the needs of the headache patient
• Offers long-term follow-up to provide continuity of care.

The Causes
     The overwhelming proportion of headaches are attributable to benign causes. Tension rules as the biggest cause of headache, which can also stem from something simple as eye strain. Migraine and its variant, cluster headache, have several causes, or triggers. Allergies are another frequent cause of headache. A very small percentage of headache is the result of extreme medical problems like tumor or blood clot. Read More

Diagnosis
    The first step in diagnosing headache is taking a thorough history. This is followed by testing reflexes, sensation, equilibrium, strength, agility as well as assessing speech, and a brief psychological exam. Lab work can be ordered as needed to screen for thyroid disease, anemia, or infections. A clinical exam will follow. This will consist of blood tests and urinalysis, which will indicate whether or not a metabolic screening is in order.

    Imaging as needed will be performed (CT, MRI). X-rays may be taken to rule out the possibility of a brain tumor or blood clot. An eye exam checks for weakness in the eye muscle or unequal pupil size. Both of these findings may be evidence of masses in the headaches aneurysm or tumor or something such as diabetes. Thermography is a promising experimental technique in which an infrared camera converts skin temperature into a color picture or thermogram. Thermograms of headache patients show strikingly different heat patterns from those of people who never or rarely get headaches. EEG, or brain wave testing can indicate can indicate a malfunction in the brain. Read More

Symptoms of Headache
    In order to help assess your headaches, the following questions need to be answered:

• How long do your headaches last?
• Do your headaches interfere with your appetite or cause nausea?
• Are you experiencing any numbness or weakness in your extremities?
• Are you experiencing any problems with your eyesight?

Different types of headache present with different symptoms, ranging from ‘tight bands’ around the head to nausea. Read More

Prevention
    Preventing headache is always preferable to treating it. Daily exercise is a highly recommended preventative. A daily walk of 30 – 40 minutes is ideal. Make an honest effort to reduce stress. Find a small portion of the day to de-stress. Meditate. Avoid migraine triggers. If you’re not sure what your triggers are, we can help you assess that. Get enough sleep. Relieve eye strain. Beta-blockers and antidepressants may be useful in preventing migraine Improper lighting can lead to eyestrain, which can cause headache. Place your light source behind you when watching television. Massage your eyes. Keep your neck straight while you work as much as possible. Try to improve your posture in general. Read More