New Cure for Chronic Headaches?

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Dr. Pamela Blake, of Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital in Houston, has pioneered a new minimally invasive surgery for patients with chronic daily headaches. She said that usually, the headaches aren’t migraines or tension headaches, but, rather, an irritation of one or more of the nerves that emanate from the back of the skull.  Blake said the results are good for the more than 100 operations she has supervised. “About 64 percent of patients had a greater than 50 percent reduction of their headaches after surgery,” she said.  While I personally think these numbers are good I don’t think chronic headache sufferers should run to see her.  It’s important to try out other treatments before considering surgery. You may want to try out medication or in the case of rebound headache, ease off of your medications. There are many other options … Read more

Doctors Don’t Have All the Answers

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In order to be a doctor, one must go through rigorous academics for a long time. Doctors attend four years of college, four years of medical school; complete a one year internship, and a two year residency.   Being a doctor carries a high level of prestige in society. People look up to doctors and respect them greatly and they should. However, that does not mean that doctors are not people too. They are motivated by their own desires and needs. Most honestly do care about healing all of their patients, but there are certainly some who have selfish desires. There is also a lot of controversy in different areas of medicine, where different doctors have different beliefs. So who is right, and who is wrong? We simply just don’t always know. Just because one doctor, or one dentist, or … Read more

Being Prepared For Doctor Visits

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When we have something wrong with us, such as a lasting headache, back pain, the flu, etc., we want to see a doctor so they can fix it. What we don’t always think about is that there is a lot more to doctor appointments than just calling and scheduling. It is essential to arrive at your doctor’s office knowing exactly what you are going to discuss and being prepared to write down your discussion. Too often have I gone to see a doctor, and upon arriving back home I either forgot to totally mention something I wanted to discuss or forgot what my doctor told me. I am sure this happens to other people as well. What I suggest doing, and has worked well recently, is before visiting your doctor to think of everything you want to discuss. Then take … Read more