Misc

20 February 2014

Botox and Insurance – is it driving you crazy?

On the bright side, some people are being helped by Botox treatment for migraine. And that’s great.

But the common complaints of cost and insurance complications continue to put a wrinkle in the treatment that’s been such a media darling.

Dr. Allan Block weighed in on the topic in Clinical Neurology News yesterday, explaining how these complications have brought his affair with Botox to an end.

You can read his article, Botox no longer worth the headaches, but here’s one comment he makes:

In the last 2 years, the process of getting it approved became increasingly difficult. Insurance companies put up more and more restrictions to a point that it became near impossible to get it covered. Between the paperwork and rising costs, I had more and more patients deciding to stop.

Have you given up on Botox – or avoided it altogether – because of the cost and/or insurance restrictions? If you’re a doctor, what have you struggled with? Are a million insurance exceptions going to be the death of this migraine treatment?

9 December 2013

Blaise Pascal – Migraine Sufferer

James Misc 0

Blaise Pascal was a French scientist, inventor, and Christian thinker from the 17th century.

Many historians thought he suffered from a mental disorder, until RenÃ© Onfray’s research showed that he likely suffered from migraine with aura (along with stomach issues and other diseases).

Some of the “doodles” in his manuscripts (seen above in the background) likely illustrate migraine visual aura patterns.

Pascal contributed to the theory of probabilities, philosophy, the science of hydraulics, and much more.

He wrote a work entitled Prayer, to Ask of God the Proper Use of Sickness, in which he asked God to help him grow in the middle of his suffering*.

Well known quote: All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.

Credits and more information:

Image of Pascal above is by an unknown artist, circa 1690, courtesy of Janmad.

*Note: Pascal believed that at least some of his sickness was sent by God to correct how he misused his time when he had his health. The Bible teaches that sickness is not always the result of a certain fault, and that we do not always know why we suffer from specific problems. But Pascal believed that suffering not only had purpose, but that he could grow in the middle of it, and maybe even because of it.

25 November 2013

The Sound of the Light Bulb

James Misc 6

Lately I’ve been sharing graphics on Mondays, but today I have something special for you. It’s not new, but I’m sure many haven’t seen it before.

What follows is a short film that received a special mention from judges at the 2010 Neuro Film Festival. This competition encourages films that raise awareness of neurological diseases, such as migraine.

Filmmaker Anne De Lean had her first migraine attack at the age of 12. Thankfully, she was diagnosed early because she was the daughter of a Canadian neurologist.

This is a great film for doctors, nurses, family and friends to watch and discuss together. It’s short (under 4 minutes) but it portrays migraine in a unique and powerful way.

One thing many will argue with is the emphasized line Migraine does not kill. Migraine may not kill immediately and directly, but it can be seriously argued that migraine has been a major factor leading to the death of many. This is because of the impact it has on the body and health in general, and because of comorbid diseases that tend to go along with migraine. But that’s a topic for another day.

Suffice to say, migraine is serious and dangerous.

Now, please take a few minutes to watch The Sound of the Light Bulb.

If you’re a filmmaker considering a film about migraine, please think about entering the competition for 2014. The deadline is the 26th of February 2014.

If you want to support migraine research, click here for more information.

For an interview with the filmmaker, read A Filmmaker on Migraines: ‘I Could Hear the Light Bulb’.

3 July 2013

Headache in the Bible

James Misc 0

One morning almost 3000 years ago, a boy in northern Israel went to see his Dad in the field. He had a sudden headache. By noon he was dead.

He may have had a congenital cerebral aneurysm that ruptured (a ballooning of an artery in the brain which burst, causing severe headache). Thankfully, the Prophet Elisha was called. He prayed to God, and the boy was raised to life.

2Kings 4:19-37

More on cerebral aneurysms here.

10 June 2013

Headache Roams (Can you see Migraine in this ancient poem?)

James Misc 0

This poem is from Babylonian tablets 3-4 thousand years old, but probably originates in more ancient Mesopotamian traditions. It was believed that headache was a demon that had to be cast out…

Headache roams over the desert
Blowing like the wind
Flashing like lightning
It is loosed above and below.
Flashing like a heavenly star
It comes like the dew
It stands hostile against the wayfarer
Scorching him like the day.

It has struck him
And like one with heart disease, he staggers
Like one without reason he is broken
Like one thrown in the fire
He is shrivelled

Headache is like the dread windstorm
No one knows its course
No one knows its full time or its bond.

This is based on a translation by R. Campbell Thompson. Do you see migraine symptoms here? Aura? Confusion? Feeling feverish? Doesn’t migraine feel like the hot, dry, dusty wind of a windstorm? And even a mention of heart disease (now known to be related to migraine)!

Observant in those days, weren’t they?