HEADLINES
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4, APRIL 1998
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.)
April 14th Meeting:
EEG-Driven Stimulation, or Neurofeedback
The East Bay Headache Support Group is meeting Tuesday, April 14th, in the Ball Auditorium at John Muir Medical Center from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Our guest speaker is Len Ochs, Ph.D., a social psychologist who has worked extensively with the physically injured, teaching them to rapidly and purposefully direct their blood flow for pain control, and with the chemically dependent to alter their brain rhythms to combat addiction. He has many years experience in behavioral medicine and has been involved in the development of computerized biofeedback instrumentation.
Dr. Ochs is currently working on the exploration of EEG and photic stimulation (EEG-driven stimulation, or neurofeedback), as well as the phenomena of hypersensitivity to internal and external stimulation, and the clinical consequences of its desensitization. His goal is to investigate new treatments of the results of psychological and mechanical nervous system trauma.
VENDOR NIGHT
Our first Vendor Night is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12th, in the Ball Auditorium at John Muir Medical Center. There will be booths set up where vendors can display their products or services for headache relief, and distribute literature to the support group attendees. We will have an interesting mix of products and services represented that evening.
Now we are looking for a few dedicated volunteers to help set up, take down, and generally keep things going smoothly that night. If you would like to help, call (925) 938-5252. The Planning Committee for this organization meets the third Tuesday evening each month and welcomes new volunteers.
Future Meetings:
May 12th: Vendor Night.
June 9th: Jeffrey Klingman, M.D.— Head Injury Headaches.
July 14th: Talk It Over Night.
August 11th: John Toth, M.D.— Environmental Medicine.
HEADACHE SUFFERER’S
"BILL OF RIGHTS"
1.) The headache sufferer has the right to know his/her headache diagnosis as precisely as possible, and to know the nature of the headache disorder, its prognosis and the possible types of treatment.
2.) The headache sufferer has the right to be taken seriously by the healthcare providers, whose duty it is to take down a relevant history, conduct a relevant physical examination, provide advice and reassurance, and prescribe the treatment most advantageous and acceptable to the patient according to current knowledge.
3.) The headache sufferer has the right of access to an authorized healthcare provider and to relevant treatment, regardless of age, sex, race, state of health and economic standing, and regardless of the geographical, cultural and economic circumstances of his/her community.
4.) The headache sufferer has the right to expect society and the medical profession to conduct research in the field of headache to improve the understanding and treatment of headache in the future.
Excerpted from the International Headache Society Members’ Handbook 1997/98
CLUSTER HEADACHE
With a knife-like stabbing, my
eyeball tears,
Pain so intense, so long,
so many years,
Jumping out of bed, I panic
with strife,
Feeling the pain as it cuts
like-a-knife.
Too angry to think, to speak
with reason,
True to its name, "the cluster"
comes with season,
For thinking my headache
will never leave,
I graciously yearn for its reprieve,
But I know that it too, shall return,
Only to replenish my pain
and concern.
Anonymous Cluster Sufferer
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.
Ask The Doctor:
Q. During a migraine headache I sometimes experience numbness on one side of my body. How is this different from a stroke?
A. Migraine is a very complex chain of events which can lead to alterations in the brain’s chemistry, electrical activity and blood flow. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel to the brain is damaged or blocked, which results in no delivery of oxygen, glucose or other nutrients to the brain. Migraine and stroke can both cause neurological deficit (for example, numbness, weakness, slurred speech, poor balance, dizziness and visual changes). The neurological deficits associated with migraine are usually brief and resolve without residual effect. The neurologic deficits associated with stroke last more than twenty-four hours and may show improvement only after weeks or months. No matter what the cause of a neurological deficit, you should seek medical attention immediately.
Answered by Dr. Biondi , a board-certified neurologist at the Michigan Head Pain & Neurological Institute in Ann Arbor, MI. Excerpted from the June 1997 issue of Making Headway, newsletter of Help for Headaches, Windsor, ON, Canada.
OTHER HEADACHE SUPPORT
GROUPS IN THE BAY AREA
Name: Migraine Support, Type: Call first to register, Cost: Free, Date: 4th Thursday each month, Time: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Where: Pinole Campus Library Doctors Medical Center of San Pablo, 2151 Appian Way, Pinole, CA 94564, Phone: (510) 235-7006, ext. 2827
Name: Headache Support Group, Type: Drop in, Cost: Free, Date: 1st Wednesday each month, Time: 7:00 pm to 8:30pm, Where: Rooms D and E, El Camino Hospital, 2500 Grant Road, Mountain View, CA 94039, Phone: (800) 216-5556
Name: Brain Injury Support Group, Type: Drop in, caregivers welcome, Cost: Free, Date: 4th Thursday each month, Time: 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm, Where: Golden State Rehabilitation Hospital, 7777 Norris Canyon Road, San Ramon, CA, 94583, Phone: (925) 443-4366, Contact: Jo Ann Swift
Name: Newlift II Traumatic Brain Injury, Survivor Support Group, Type: Call first to register, only for survivors of brain injury, Cost: Free, Date: 1st and 3rd Tuesday each month, Time: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Where: John Muir Outpatient Therapy Center, 981 No. Broadway, Walnut Creek, CA 94596, Phone: (510) 204-5388 (in Berkeley), Contact: Sheri Scarborough, Ph.D.
Where: Community Health Resource Center, California Pacific Medical Center, 2111 Webster Street, Suite 100, San Francisco, CA 94115, Phone: (415) 923-3155, Contact: Virginia McGowan
Contact us if you know of other groups we should mention.
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 World Wide Web 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, 19 Mantua Road, Mt. Royal, NJ 08061. Phone: 1-800-255-ACHE
Notes...
Dr. John Arpels talked about hormones and menopause at the March 10th meeting. Notes taken of his presentation will be available at the April meeting, as well as notes from other past meetings covering the following topics: Biofeedback therapy, genetics, caregiving, dietary triggers, chiropractic treatment, pharmaceutical remedies, hormonal triggers, reducing stress in the workplace, dealing with holiday stress (and all stressors), acupuncture, children’s headaches, temporomandibular joint disease (TMJ), somatic headache relief, compounding medications, allergies, experimental drugs, stress relief, non-traditional
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 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, postage, and web site expenses 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, write, or e-mail 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; Dana Giese, Webmaster; Donna Johnson,Treasurer; Dick Tomchalk, Postmaster; Tracy Titus, Reg Fong.
East Bay Headache Support Group, 1844 San Miguel Drive, Suite 316, Walnut Creek, CA 94596, Phone: (925) 938-5252, Fax: (925) 938-1343