Headache Sufferers - There Is New Hope

If you have chronic headaches, I don't have to tell you how debilitating they can be.  There are times when you feel your head is going to explode.  I know when I get a migraine I just want to crawl into a dark hole and be left alone.  If that sounds all too familiar, hold on there's something new that might help you. 

Here's what we know.  Scientists suspect migraines are caused by electrical and chemical problems in the brain.  The neurotransmitter serotonin may also be involved by constricting arteries and interrupting blood flow.  Whatever the precise cause, there are a number of things that can trigger a migraine. Some of those triggers are hormonal swings, changes in sleeping patterns, stress and even the food that you're eating. 

Of course, there are medications on the market that do help a lot of people.  There are also supplements such as riboflavin, coenzymeQ10 and magnesium that might help.  But, if you are the person that can't find any relief, and the quality of your life is severely compromised by the pain, there is a brand new alternative treatment you might want to consider.

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.

"It's kind of like a pinched nerve you might have in your neck or back. The nerve gets pinched in the musculature of your neck, and the pain radiates along the distribution of nerves up into the head or down into your neck."  The new surgery is called nerve decompression and is minimally invasive. Like, all surgery, there is always a risk of complication, but here it is minimal.

Blake said the results are good for the more than 100 operations she has supervised.

Dr. Timothy Johnson of ABC had this to say.  "Many people are helped with medication.  Some are helped by nerve blocks.  But, for those who do not respond to these or other treatments, like acupuncture, and if you have headache pain more than 15 days a month, this new procedure is something to consider." I think the words he actually used were "cautiously optimistic". 

For more information on nerve decompression click here.