Forgotten Medicine Is a Game Changer for Headache and Migraine Patients According to Highland Park Doctor

    CHICAGO, IL, November 08, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The treatment of medicine is often subject to the pendulum of time as effective treatment are often discarded only to regain popularity later. Sometimes valuable medical procedures disappear over time and become Forgotten Medicine. This is the story of an amazing treatment saved from obscurity.

Severe headaches and migraines are destroying the quality of lives of millions of Americans with negative effects on children and families and in the workplace. According to Headache-Help.org lost productivity can be as much as 17.2 Billion per year.

The American Headache Society has reported that "Migraine and severe headache are leading causes of Disability in the United States" This is based on data from the National Center For Health Statistics and featured in a study "The Prevalence and Impact of Migraine and Severe Headache in the United States: Figures and Trends from Government Health Services".

The overall prevalence was reported as 20.7% in females and 9.7% in males with the greatest prevalence between 18 and 44 years of age. The social costs of this epidemic are of course the primary concern but according to the "Journal of Managed Care" the financial costs of care tremendous. "These patients also utilize healthcare resources at a significantly higher rate compared with similar patients without a migraine diagnosis."

According to the Migraine Research Foundation 39 million Americans suffer from migraine.

Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks are a historically established therapy with over 100 years of successful treatment with virtually no negative side effects. It was first described by Dr Greenfield Sluder an Otolaryngologist in St. Louis who published in 1908 on the use of this nasal block for treating Sluder's Neuralgia. Physicians now think Sluder's Neuralgia or Sphenopalatine Ganglion Neuralgia was either Cluster Headaches, another Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalgia or possibly Costen's Syndrome, Mandibular Joint Neuralgia or TemporoMandibular Disorder (TMJ,TMD) which was not described by Dr Costen, a St. Louis Otorhinolaryngologist until1934.

Dr Sluder published a medical textbook in 1929 on the subject, "Nasal Neurology, Headaches and Eye Disorders" while he was the Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Hiram Byrd MD and Wallace Byrd A.B. in the 1930 Annals of Internal Medicine (now JAMA) wrote "Sphenopalatine Phenomena: Present Status of Knowledge" where they documented 10,000 Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks in 2000 patients with almost universal success and without any significant negative side effects.

So, what happened to this miraculous treatment? It sank into the quicksand of Forgotten Medicine when the age of pharmaceuticals arrived. Physicians felt that new medications produced were the ideal answer and knowledge of the blocks was not passed on to young physicians in medical schools.

In 1986 a book "Miracles on Park Avenue" was written by Benjamin Gerber about the New York City medical practice of Dr Milton Reder, an octogenarian Otolaryngologist whose practice consisted solely of the use of Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks. The results of his treatments seemed too good to be true but drew patients from around the world to his office. Dr Reder had utilized this treatment for well over 50 years of medical practice. Thank God that Dr Reder did not retire early but he loved his work and how he improved lives on a daily basis.

Dr Shapira credits his use of the blocks to being given that book by a patient who wanted to know if anyone in the Chicago area did the blocks. Dr Shapira learned that a friend and colleague from The American Academy of Head, Neck and Facial Pain (now AACP) Jack Hayden DDS in Kansas City used these blocks and he travelled there to the learn the procedure.

Dr Shapira has been treating TMJ and Sleep Disorders for the last 40 years and has focused his career on treatment of Chronic Pain, TMJ Disorders, Sleep Disorders, and especially headaches and Migraines. The use of Neuromuscular Dentistry (www.ICCMO.org) and Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks have been successfully used in his armamentarium since 1986.

CRANIO Journal, or The Journal of Craniomandibular and Sleep Practice in May 2019 published his paper "Neuromuscular Dentistry and the role of the autonomic nervous system: Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks and Neuromodulation. An International College of CranioMandibular Orthopedics (ICCMO) position paper. The paper was originally written as a Master's Thesis for ICCMO but the board thought it was too important to only be published in the ICCMO Anthology and encouraged Dr Shapira to publish it in CRANIO.

Dr Shapira is the world's leading proponent of Self-Administered SPG Blocks or SASPGB. He strongly believe that the miraculous Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks should be controlled personally by patients to improve their day to day lives and not on an emergency basis in Emergency rooms and Physician's offices. He teaches patients how to Self-Administer these Blocks in his Highland Park office. www.ThinkBetterLIfe.com

The Sphenopalatine Ganglion resides in the Pterygopalatine Fossa behind the nose. The Maxillary Division of the Trigeminal Nerve leaves the calvarium and enters the fossa thru the Foramen Rotunda. The Sphenopalatine Ganglion sits on the trigeminal nerve in the fossa.

The Trigeminal Nerve or Fifth Cranial Nerve, is often referred to as "The Dentist's Nerve" and most of us have experienced the "numb" feeling after dental anesthetic. innervates all of the teeth, gums, oral mucosa, nasal mucosa, sinus mucosa, all of the jaw muscles, the Tens Veli Tympani that goes to the ear drum, and the Veli Tesor Palatine which opens and closes the Eustacian tubes, the TMJoints, the skin inside the ear, the cornea and other eye tissues. The three Trigeminal Divisions, Opthalmic, Maxillary and Mandibular innervate the entire face and more importantly control the blood flow to the anterior 2/3 of the meninges of the brain. Almost 100% of all headaches are modulated and controlled by the Trigeminal Nerves. Dr Shapira has said the Neuromuscular Dentists are the "Master's of the Trigeminal Nervous System".

The Sphenopalatine Ganglion is the largest Parasympathetic Ganglion of the Cranium but it also contains Somatosensory Nerves from the Trigeminal Nerve and the Facial Nerve. There are also Sympathetic Nerves passing through the Sphenopalatine Ganglion that come from the Stellate Ganglion and the Cervical Sympathetic Chain via the Superior Cervical Sympathetic Ganglion and on to the Sphenopalatine Ganglion.

The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) controls many functions in our body including innervation to smooth muscle and glands. The ANS is a control that acts primarily unconsciously and regulates bodily functions, such as the heart rate, digestion, urination, pupillary response to light, responses to stress and sexual arousal.

SPG Blocks have a remarkable ability to "reset" the ANS. This is much like hitting Control-Alt-Delete on your computer. This can often supply almost instant relief not just to pain but also to anxiety.

There are two balancing divisions of the ANS. The Sympathetic system creates the "Fight or Flight Reflex" when danger presents. Chronic Stress or Sympathetic Overload contributes to many medical disorders including headaches, migraines, anxiety and panic attacks. The Parasympathetic system is in charge of "Rest and Digest" or "Feed and Breed Reflex".

Additional information on SPG Blocks:

https://www.sphenopalatineganglionblocks.com/intractable-headaches-mi ... treatment/

https://www.ihateheadaches.org/video/anxiety-gone-for-first-time-in-l ... r-migraine

Dr Ira L Shapira has been treating patients with chronic headaches, migraines and TMJ disorders for over 40 years. He is a former Assistant Professor at Rush Medical School where he was involved in research and treatment of Sleep apnea utilizing comfortable oral appliances as an alternatice to CPAP or Surgery. He was the first dentist ever to be an Assistant Professor in a Medical School Sleep Department.

In his Highland Park Office he treats a wide variety of headaches, migraines and chronic orofacial pain and TMJ disorders and Sleep Disorders.

He is the Dental Editor of Sleep and Health Journal.
Dr Shapira is Editor of Craniofacial Pain for CRANIO Journal.

His Highland Park Office is located in the Chicago area on the Metra line at 3500 Western Ave.
Contact his office thru his website www.ThinkBetterLife.com
There is easy access from O'hare Airport in Chicago and Mitchell Field in Milwaukee.

Ira L Shapira DDS, D,ABDSM, D,AAIPM, FICCMO, MICCMO
Past Chair, Alliance of TMD Organizations
Diplomat, Academy of Integrative Pain Management
Diplomate, American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine
Diplomate, American Board Sleep and Breathing
Regent, Master & Fellow, International College of CranioMandibular Orthopedics

Board Eligible, American Academy of CranioFacial Pain
Professor Neuromuscular Orthodontics and CranioMandibular Orthopedics University of Castellon
Dental Section Editor, Sleep & Health Journal
CranioFacial Pain Section Editor, CRANIO: Journal of Craniomandibular and Sleep Practice
Member, American Equilibration Society

Member, Academy of Applied Myofunctional Sciences
Member, Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
Life Member, American Dental Association
www.ThinkBetterLife.com
www.DelanyDentalCare.com
www.NorthShoreSleepDentist.com
www.IHateCPAP.com
www.iHateHeadaches.org
www.SleepandHealth.com
www.SphenopalatineGanglionBlocks.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk9Bfz6pklC7_UluWFHzLrg

#migraine,
#spg block, #TAC
#sphenopalatineganglionblock
#neuromusculardentistry

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