Migraines caused by facial muscles that interfere with certain nerves can be cured or dramatically improved by surgically removing part of these muscles.
The nerves in question are branches of the trigeminal nerve, which acts as both a motor and sensory nerve in the face.
Surgeons can predict whether or not the surgery will work by injecting BOTOX® into the muscle and determining if paralyzing it in this way eases migraine.
When BOTOX® eliminated migraines, the surgery was limited to partial removal of the corrugator supercilii muscles. For those who did not experience complete resolution of the migraines with BOTOX®, the surgeon also cut part of one of the branches of the trigeminal nerve.
Twenty-one patients experienced at least 50% improvement during follow-up of 222 to 494 days. Intensity of headaches fell from 8.9 to 4.1 on a 10-point scale, while the frequency dropped from 5.2 to 0.8 headaches per month. Two patients who failed to respond to BOTOX® experienced complete elimination of their headaches after undergoing plastic surgery to smooth forehead wrinkles.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery June 2002;109:2183-2189
Well, isn't this just fine and dandy? Cutting your facial muscles to cure a migraine; as if they are the cause!
Reminds me of the ads in JAMA fifty years ago, when doctors were pictured smoking - like their endorsement somehow magically reversed the dangers of smoking.
Future generations will look back at this insane approach and wonder how these doctors were ever given permission to use such drastic measures without first using simpler and more effective treatments. Migraines are one of the easiest problems to treat. I have long considered them a minor problem because they respond so well to dietary and emotional treatments.
It is very uncommon not to experience dramatic improvement after adopting the eating plan. Most migraines seem to have a food based reaction relating to wheat, dairy, sugar, or artificial preservatives or chemicals. Eliminating these foods and incorporating the other eating plan measures, frequently improves migraines.
If additional improvement is required, I recommend EFT . This technique focuses the attention on the cause of the stress, rather than just treating the pain. The new EFT videos are available and have been significantly updated and improved so you can learn to use this method on your own. We also have a free manual that is an additional guide to coincide with the videos or use on its own. I have also provided an EFT referral page to locate a clinician near you.
Surely this is a better option than drugs or surgery.
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