Putting Our Heads Together

New Dosage Imitrex® STATdose Now Available

Mon, 06 Feb 2006 02:55:54 -0500

December 28, 1992, marked a new era for Migraine and cluster headaches sufferers when the FDA approved the first of a class of medications that many would come to call "miracle drugs." That drug was the injectable form of sumatriptan (Imitrex®, Imigran®), the first of the triptans. Now, the FDA has approved a new Imitrex® STATdose in a 4mg dosage. This is the same STATdose injection system patients have been using; only the dosage has changed. The 4mg STATdose provides a new option to patients for whom the 6mg was "too strong" or may have produced uncomfortable side effects. Feature article.

Love Your Heart - Go Red for Women!

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 17:14:46 -0500

When addressing headaches and Migraine disease, it's critical to also address other issues that can affect headaches and Migraine disease as well as those that impact our overall health. Especially given the fact that 18% of women have Migraine disease (6 - 7% of men), women's health initiatives are of great interest. Heart disease and stroke, which is also an area of focus for the American Heart Association, can both significantly impact Migraine treatment. For example, Migraine abortive medications are quite often not recommended for use by patients with a history of or high risk factors for heart disease and / or stroke. Thus, it becomes even more important to learn about our hearts and how to take the best possible care of ourselves... Feature article.

Living Well With Migraine Disease and Headaches... Remains In Top Sellers In Headache and Migraine Disease Books

Wed, 25 Jan 2006 14:15:04 -0500

Living Well with Migraine Disease and Headaches: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You... That You Need To Know rose to the top rankings of books on headaches and Migraine when it was released on November 1 and has remained there since.

Living Well with Migraine Disease and Headaches is a holistic guide to the diagnosis and treatment of headaches and Migraine disease. It offers a patient-empowering message to all headache sufferers: you don't have to live with daily pain. In this book, I provide you with all the information you need to know about getting the help you need, including: Understanding side effects, treatments for long-term relief, identification of the various types of headaches, traditional and alternative therapies, information on finding health care practitioners and support.

For more information , see:

Below is the press release from HarperCollins Announcing Living Well with Migraine Disease and Headaches...

Online Medical Frauds and Fake Cures: What's Going On?

Sat, 31 Dec 2005 21:45:13 -0500

I first began looking into a group Web sites under the umbrella of Flu-Fighter Laboratories when a reader asked me what I thought of the product being sold at migrainecure.com. As I read the site, I found more and more content there that was plagiarized and blatant misrepresentation. The first thing to catch my eye was a photo of a woman holding a bottle of their product with the caption, "Merle Goldstein, MD Chicago, IL." Now, I've met Dr. Merle Diamond, and that photo certainly was not of her. She was also liberally quoted on that page. When I contacted Dr. Diamond, she was shocked and very unhappy. She knew nothing of the site or their product... Soon, I discovered that I wasn't the only person looking into these sites and reporting them to governmental agencies. Now, prosecutors in Florida are going through the courts to try to shut them down, permanently. Feature article.

PFO and Migraine: "Hole in the Heart" and Migraine Connection?

Tue, 29 Nov 2005 02:47:00 -0500

One of the biggest topics of discussion amongst Migraineurs today is that of PFO, "the hole in the heart" that may contribute to Migraines. Migraineurs are asking their doctors to test them to see if they have this condition. Many of those who do want to have the hole repaired -- immediately. However, questions remain and the closure procedure is not yet being performed on the basis of Migraine disease because it has not yet been proven effective. Trials are underway to determine the efficacy of PFO closure for Migraine disease. Feature Article

Intradermal Botox To Treat Pain Disorders

Fri, 18 Nov 2005 22:03:59 -0500

We've all heard a lot about Botox, botulinum toxin type A (BoNTA). It seems as if it's being used for something different every day. There are both cosmetic and medical applications for it. In the right hands, Botox is very helpful; in the wrong hands, it can be disastrous. If you're considering Botox treatments, don't hesitate to ask how much experience your doctor has with Botox administration.

Research into the most effective ways to use Botox for headache and Migraine treatment continues and is promising. Here, we'll take a look at research performed by John Claude Krusz, Ph.D., M.D., and William R. Knoderer, M.D., D.D.S., in Dallas. Please note that this research is based on intradermal (into the skin) administration of Botox. What you're probably used to reading and hearing about is intramuscular (into the muscle) administration of Botox... Feature Article

Effectiveness of IV Therapy in the Headache Clinic for Refractory Migraines

Sun, 13 Nov 2005 00:32:58 -0500

Too many Migraineurs share this problem — finding treatment for intractable or refractory Migraines. Those are the Migraines that don't seem to respond to treatment no matter what they try, be it preventives, abortives, or pain management. This situation often leads to feelings of desperation on the part of the patient and extreme frustration on the part of their physicians. John Claude Krusz, PhD, MD; (Ask the Clinician) and his colleagues; Virginia Scott-Krusz; Jeanne Ballanger, RN; and Jane Cagle, LVN; have been using outpatient IV treatment for refractory Migraines in Dr. Krusz's Dallas clinic since 1994 and collecting research data... Feature Article

MedicAlert E-HealthKEY Available at Amazon

Wed, 09 Nov 2005 21:54:52 -0500

The MedicAlert E-HealthKEY is a USB flash drive that allows you to carry your medical records with you. It's an excellent supplement to emergency medical identification. You can not only record emergency information such as conditions, medications, and contact information, but you can also store medical images and your complete medical history. With your computer, the E-HealthKEY will also remind you of prescriptions and appointments and much more. You may remember my review of the E-HealthKEY from August. Until now, MedicAlert items have been available only through MedicAlert. Now, in order to reach more people with their vital services, MedicAlert has listed the E-HealthKEY on Amazon.com. Congratulations to the fine folks at MedicAlert, and thank you for the life-saving services you provide!

Listen to Teri on the Radio

Sun, 06 Nov 2005 14:31:32 -0500

I'm going to be doing several radio interviews about Migraine disease and headaches over the next couple of months. Many of them can be listened to online. I've put up the interview schedule. You may want to bookmark this page since it's being updated frequently. View schedule

Namenda for Chronic Headache and Migraine Prevention

Sun, 06 Nov 2005 14:22:29 -0500

Another medication can now be added to the growing list of medications shown to be effective for prevention of headaches and Migraine attacks. Namenda (memantine HCL, Forest Pharmaceuticals) was approved for use in the United States in October, 2003, more than a decade after its use began in Europe under the brand names Ebixa and Axura. It's classified as an orally active NMDA receptor antagonist. Namenda (memantine hydrochloride) is approved for the treatment of "moderate to severe dementia of the Alzheimer's type."

John Claude Krusz, Ph.D., M.D., and Diane Cammarata, ANRP, BC, have been studying the use of Namenda in the treatment of chronic Migraine disease and tension-type headache (TTH) in Dr. Krusz's Dallas practice. The results have been quite promising. Feature Article

Living Well with Migraine Disease and Headaches Now Available

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 15:48:39 -0500

The day is here! My book, Living Well with Migraine Disease and Headaches: What your doctor doesn't tell you... that you need to know, is available in bookstores and though online book sellers.

Here's the book description from Amazon.com:
For millions of Americans, Migraine disease, tension headaches, and other headaches are a debilitating part of every day. Teri Robert has been there -- in fact, she experienced her first Migraine at age six. Now, in this groundbreaking holistic guide to the diagnosis and treatment of headaches and Migraine disease, she brings a patient-empowering message to all headache sufferers: you don't have to live with daily pain. She provides you with all the information you need to know about getting the help you need, including:

Understanding side effects
Treatments for long-term relief
Risks and symptoms
Identification of the various types of headaches
Traditional and alternative therapies
Information on finding health care practitioners and support
Numerous case studies and expert advice

Want to read the press release from Harper Collins?...

What's WITH people these days?

Sun, 09 Oct 2005 23:22:59 -0500

Today was a bit strange. I was reviewing the statistics for my Web sites and noticed a significant amount of traffic from a large and fairly well known online community/forum that I hadn't visited for a couple of years. Traffic to my sites from that forum means that people there must be posting links to my content. Thus, I have readers there, and I always feel that I owe my readers my support. So, off I went to see if I could offer information or support to anyone there. I registered and created a forum "signature." In that signature, I included my name, profession, email address, and Web site URLs. Since I don't charge anyone for information, support, or advocacy, in every other forum, that would be acceptable. But not on that forum. At least not to a couple of very verbal ladies (well, women) who immediately took affront to my signature. One of them felt the need to reply to every post I made and scold me for "advertising." If I were new to forums, I wouldn't be surprised. If these women had approached me nicely, I wouldn't be so sad. I don't know if I'll continue posting there or not. A couple of other members have sent me very nice private messages, but who needs that kind of stress. Sigh. You may wonder why I'm posting this. I really do have a point. If you're a member of a forum somewhere, I hope make new members feel welcome. There's always room for new people in our support groups.

Welcome!

Wed, 05 Oct 2005 02:16:55 -0500

Welcome to Putting Our Heads Together! Those of you who are familiar with my blog will notice something missing -- my blog!! Yes, well... Let's just say that I should stick to writing and leave the more technical issues to the technical pros! My thanks to Sarah at Movabletype, who bailed me out when I tried to update my blog software and made a royal mess of it. Sarah, you're a gem!

Flowers from FDT? No Way...

Fri, 23 Sep 2005 23:07:58 -0500

Today is my mother inlaw's 91st birthday. Wanting to send her something beautiful and special, I went to the FTD site to send her some flowers. being very careful to choose a bouquet that, according to their web site, could be delivered on her birthday, I found a gorgeous bouquet of Peruvian Lilies and ordered it -- YESTERDAY. This was something I'd done many times before, and had found FTD to be dependable. Not this time! At four o'clock this afternoon, I received a phone call from someone at FTD. They said that FTD no longer has an affiliated florist in the town where my mother inlaw lives, but they could have it delivered to her via FedEx tommorow -- for an additional $35.00. Not too pleased, I told them I thought they should pay the FedEx charges since they hadn't been keeping track of their affiliated florists, and the information on their web site guaranteed delivery today. Additionally, one hour before the end of the business day was a bit late to be telling me that our birthday gift was not going to be delivered...

New Daily Persistent Headache: What Is It?

Tue, 06 Sep 2005 14:28:13 -0500

In the last few years, New Daily Persistent Headache (NDPH) has been recognized as a distinct primary headache syndrome. It is characterized by continuous daily head pain, varying in intensity, and sometimes accompanied by Migrainous symptoms. It's important that NDPH be diagnosed carefully and correctly after ruling out other conditions that can present the same symptoms. Feature Article.