HEADLINES
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 12, DECEMBER 1997
A Publication of the East Bay Headache Support Group
(The text of this newsletter has been simplified with all graphics removed to suit all users' browsers and computer speeds.)
December 9th Meeting:
THE FOCUS IS ON THE EYES...
We are pleased to have Dr. Peter S. Visendi, O.D., F.A.A.O., as our featured speaker in December. Dr. Visendi received his Doctor of Optometry degree with highest honors from the University of California, Berkeley in 1972 and is in private practice in Walnut Creek and Antioch. He is also an Assistant Clinical Professor of Optometry at U.C. Berkeley where he has been teaching and lecturing since 1982 on general optometry, diseases of the eye, contact lenses, and visually related learning disabilities. He lectures throughout the country and is director of PIVOT™, a program of intensive visual therapy dedicated to the diagnosis and therapy of visually related learning disabilities.
Headache sufferers often wonder if eye strain could be the cause of their headaches. We have asked Dr. Visendi to address such topics as:
• Proper lighting at home and work to help reduce headache triggers.
• Flickering lights or monitors.
• How incorrect refraction in your glasses or improper fitting of your contact lenses can cause headaches.
• Reducing workplace eyestrain.
• Setting up a visually correct computer workstation
• Glasses vs contact lenses for headache sufferers.
• Driving: the day and nighttime glare—what to do.
The group will meet in the Sterns Conference Room, downstairs at John Muir Medical Center.
Past Meetings:
January 13th: Talk It Over Night.
February 10th: Michael Stein, M.D.— Tension headaches.
March 10th: John Arpels, M.D.— Hormonal headaches.
April 14th: Leonard Ochs, Ph.D.— EEG Biofeedback.
Note: Notes from each of the above-listed meetings are available on line by going to the site directory and clicking on the date of the meeting.
Thank You To Our Supporters!
An amazing number of you responded to our request last month for corrected mailing addresses—and donations. The organizing committee of the East Bay Headache Support Group wants to thank you for making the decision to support us in our endeavor to offer public educational meetings for headache sufferers and their families. The December 1997 meeting will mark the 24th consecutive monthly meeting of this group. Our mailing list has grown steadily since that first meeting, and now that we have realized some financial support, from Glaxo Wellcome, Inc. and many individuals, the committee has decided to expand our horizons.
East Bay Headache Support Group Goals:
• To create a brochure for distribution to physicians’ offices, pharmacies, schools, etc.
• To contact the other headache support groups in California for the exchange of newsletters and information.
• We are going on the Internet! Dana Giese has volunteered to use her computer expertise to create a Web Page where we hope to have our newsletter and meeting notes available to you—and the world.
VENDOR NIGHT
Mark your calendars for May 12th for Vendor Night; Instead of having one speaker with one topic for this meeting, ten vendors will set up tables with various products and services that might benefit headache sufferers. If you represent such a product or service and would like to participate, please call the East Bay Headache Support Group at (510) 938-5252 and leave your name, number, and information about your product/service.
Be Aware...
Many headache sufferers are highly sensitive to perfume, aftershave, scented lotions, etc. Be sensitive to them and remember to forego your favorite scent on support group meeting nights.
TYPE POSSIBLE CAUSE TYPE OF PAIN
Tension-type Muscle contraction or imbalance of Painful bandlike pressure all around the head; natually occurring chemicals in the brain. may be accompanied by tightness in the head and neck muscles.
Sinus Inflammation of the lining of the sinus cavities. Deep, dull ache around the nose and sometimes in the forehead and ears; pain worsens when you bend over.
Migraine Distension and inflammation of cranial blood Throbbing or pulsating pain; often worse on vessels thought to be caused by an imbalance one side of the head of naturally occurring chemicals in the brain.
Cluster Unknown. Suspected interaction of blood Excruciating, stabbing pain on one side of the vessels and nervous system. head, usually behind or around one eye; can recur multiple times daily.
Rebound Overuse of OTC analgesics, caffeine, or Mild to moderately dull pain around the front prescription pain medications and sedatives, and back of the head; may be continuously resulting in tolerance/dependence cycle. present.
Migraine Information Center: 1-800-439-0389 A service of Glaxo Wellcome, Inc.
Migraines: Everything You Need To Know About Their Causes and Cure, by Arthur Elkind, M.D.
I found this book at the grocery store and decided to read it because I had not yet read a book on migraines since discovering I suffer from them. It was a good choice. Besides the wealth of information offered, I found the author to be encouraging and supportive. Throughout the book, Dr. Elkind maintains that the frequency and intensity of migraines (including cluster headaches) can be reduced with treatment.
The book outlines the many and varied symptoms of an attack and gives a number of case histories. A lot of time is spent on the causes of migraines and their triggers, with advice on how to figure out what provokes your own attacks. There is also a list and discussion of the different types of drugs used for treatment, and a chapter on alternative treatments, such as herbs and biofeedback.
Dr. Elkin writes, "Don’t ever give up. The vast majority of sufferers get relief once they begin exploring ways to manage their migraine attacks. If you haven’t found the right combination of pharmaceuticals, lifestyle changes, and alternative therapies yet, keep trying." I found the book to be very validating in both my own experience with headaches and in my quest to stop them.
ICE CREAM HEADACHE
According to a short article in a recent Washington Post edition (July 8, 1997), the "ice cream headache" is the most common reason for head pain, affecting one third of the entire population. "Brain freeze" claims its victims only in the warm weather, when ice cream consumption is at its peak.
Joseph Hulihan, M.D., a neurologist from Temple University, reports his research on this summer epidemic in the British Medical Journal’s May 10, 1997 issue. He notes that ice cream headache pain occurs almost as quickly as it emerges.
Researchers like Dr. Hulihan believe ice cream headaches may be linked to migraines. In both cases, rapid blood vessel constriction occurs and pain is the result. The only cure, according to Dr. Hulihan, is to refrain from "inhaling" frozen treats and taking care to steer clear of the back of the roof of the mouth—the "brain freeze" danger zone.
East Bay Headache Support Group and ACHE
The East Bay Headache Support Group is one of forty-seven active support groups across the country which are under the auspices of the American Council for Headache Education (ACHE). ACHE is a nonprofit patient-physician partnership with two primary goals: helping head pain sufferers find effective treatment, and educating non-sufferers about this misunderstood and misdiagnosed illness.
ACHE provides electronic live chat sessions and conferences, bulletin boards, and support groups on Prodigy, CompuServe, America On Line, and GEnie. ACHE’s Home Page address is www.achenet.org.
We encourage you to join ACHE—membership is $20 per year and includes a newsletter subscription. Other benefits of membership: discounts on prescription medications, vitamins and other supplements, and travel. To join, send your check to ACHE, 875 Kings Highway, Suite 200, Woodbury, NJ 08096. Phone: 1-800-255-ACHE.
The East Bay Headache Support Group is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a forum for headache sufferers. The support group meets the second Tuesday of each month in the Ball Auditorium (lower level) at John Muir Medical Center from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. It is open to all headache sufferers and their families; the meetings are free (however, donations to cover printing and postage costs are appreciated!). The support group meetings include lectures by guest speakers, question and answer sessions, and informational materials.
Directions to John Muir Medical Center: Take Highway 680 to the Ygnacio Valley Road exit in Walnut Creek; go East approximately 1-1/2 miles, and turn right onto La Casa Via. Turn left into the Medical Center parking lot, and enter at the Main Lobby. Take stairs or elevator to the lower level and follow signs to the Ball Auditorium.
We value your input! Call, fax, or write us if you have any comments or suggestions, or would like to help. The planning committee meets the third Tuesday evening each month and welcomes new members. Michael Stein, MD, Advisor; Leslie Davis, Editor.
East Bay Headache Support Group
1844 San Miguel Drive, Suite 316
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Phone: (510) 938-5252
Fax: (510) 938-1343