Wikipedia has really gone too far!

Dear Friends,

I would seldom even consider doing something like this, but I've been driven to it. I'm asking that we ALL stop using Wikipedia. You may think I'm exaggerating, but they are setting back Migraine DISEASE advocacy by years in the minds of anyone who takes them seriously.

Somewhere along the line, some misguided soul decided that the experts who had worked on the Migraine page and added many, many valid references were wrong; that Migraine is a disorder, NOT a disease. For proof, they went to the NINDS site, which most of us realize is always years behind current science. They also went to the NHF site. Now, on the NHF site, there are places were Migraine is referred to as a disease and some where it's referred to as a disorder. The "discussion" went into their dispute resolution process, and they will hear no more discussion on it, even from some of the world's leading experts in the field.

My blunt and honest opinion -- what started out as a good idea has turned into a site that sucks. There are all these "editors" who don't know their butt from a hole in the ground who think they're experts because they know how to go read a couple of web sites. They don't care how old the data is that they find; they only care about winning their point.

So, let's just stay away from Wikipedia. There are plenty of good sites. Wikipedia is no longer among them, and I see little hope for their return to sense and good information.

Whining about Migraines -- Here's some honesty!

It can be really hard to know what to say to someone suffering with a Migraine or headache. You want to be kind, sympathetic, helpful. I would imagine that if you're a professional in the field -- educating, supporting, and advocating for Migraineurs -- you have to walk a fine line. You'd want to do all that being kind, sympathetic, but you might not know how to handle (drum roll, please)... the whiners and drama queens! OK. I've said it, the "w" word. Some of us can be whiners. If you frequent message boards, you know the type. About once a week (if you're lucky, it's ONLY once a week), they post virtually the same "vent" they posted the week before. Some of them will even ask for advice. The problem is that they never take anyone's advice, and they never get off their butts and do anything about their situation.

I don't think I've used this word to describe Teri Robert before, but she's brave. Yesterday, she wrote a blog entry entitled "Yes, Migraines and headaches are awful, but don't be a whiner or drama queen!" Damn! I almost spit coffee all over my monitor when I read it. She was more diplomatic about it than I could have been, but that's Teri. If anyone knows what a Migraineur goes faces, she does. If anyone understands the dangers of falling into whining, she does.

What Teri did in her blog that maybe nobody else knows how to do is to explain the difference between "venting" and "whining." She even explains how to vent without whining.

Way to go, Teri, and thanks!

Namaste,
Abi

Wow! A "Top Migraine and Headache Site" Award!

Today, I received an email from Dan Marschinke, the producer of MyMigraineConnection.com. Part of it read:

"I just wanted to congratulate you and let you know that we’ve selected Abi’s Migrainous Wanderings as one of our Top Site Award Recipients! We’re honoring the ten best Migraine and headache blogs and sites on the Web, as picked by our experts."

Especially since I've been watching MyMigraineConnection become better and better, I'm very honored that my blog has received this award. Thank you

Here's the HealthCentral press release, which explains more about these awards:

HealthCentral.com Recognizes Top Migraine Web Sites and Blogs

ARLINGTON, VA- June 27, 2007- The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com), a leading online consumer health destination, today announced awards for the top Web sites and blogs dedicated to educating and supporting individuals living with Migraines and fostering the online Migraine community.

HealthCentral.com’s First Annual Top Site Awards recognize the Web’s best sites, from individual blogs to small Web sites, each committed to providing personal, quality information, support and inspiration to Migraineurs, caregivers, and their family and friends. The recipients of the award share HealthCentral.com’s mission in highlighting the patient voice in health information.

“We rely greatly on the advice and personal experiences of friends and family in all facets of life and managing a health condition is no different,” said Chris Schroeder, CEO and President of The HealthCentral Network (THCN). “This year’s Top Sites recognize the importance of sharing and learning from other people who have real life experience dealing with Migraines and join HealthCentral.com in providing trusted, personal information and support to the Migraine community.”

A team of experts from THCN’s Migraine site, MyMigraineConnection.com, chose this year’s top Migraine and Headache sites after reviewing and analyzing the most popular and influential Web sites focused on living with Migraines.

“The face of healthcare is changing. Studies show that patients who are better educated about their conditions and take part in the decision making process are more compliant with their treatment regimens and have better outcomes,” said Teri Robert, founder of Top Award winner HelpforHeadaches.com and Lead Expert Patient on MyMigraineConnection.com. “That's in no small part due to the impact the Internet has made on making information available. Paired with well researched and written content, online communities provide Migraineurs a place to share information, ask questions, and get vital support -- support from people who truly understand their situations. That kind of support can make the difference that keeps us looking for effective treatment rather than giving up and living in pain.”

The 2007 HealthCentral.com Top Migraine and Headache Sites:

The Daily Headache http://www.thedailyheadache.com/
MigraineCast http://www.migrainecast.com/
Abi's Migrainous Wanderings http://abimigraines.blogspot.com/index.html
Migraine Blog http://www.migraineblog.com/
Her Life in a Nutshell http://joannab.wordpress.com/
Help For Headaches & Migraines http://helpforheadaches.com/
Migraine Chick http://migrainechickie.blogspot.com/
Weathering Migraine Storms http://weatheringmigrainestorms.blogspot.com/
A ClusterHead’s Life http://versilleus.blogspot.com/
Somebody Heal Me http://migraineur.blogspot.com/

About the HealthCentral Network

The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is a new and unique online offering, comprised of more than 30 health and highly specific condition web properties. Each site provides timely, interactive, in-depth, and trusted medical information from organizations including Harvard Health Publications among others, and connections to leading experts and thousands of people who share their related experiences and inspiration.

The HealthCentral Network was acquired in 2005 by Polaris Ventures, Sequoia Capital, The Carlyle Group and Allan & Company, and has built a management team that combines decades of experience in interactive media and medical, science, and news journalism. The company received top recognition from the International Health and Medical Media Awards with a 2006 FREDDIE Award for MyDiabetesCentral.com and the Health Care Standard of Excellence WebAward from the Web Marketing Association.

Congrats - The Daily Headache Celebrating Blogiversary!

A belated happy blogiversary goes to Kerrie at The Daily Headache! The Daily headache has become one of the best headache and Migraine blogs around. Kerrie celebrated The Daily Headache's second "blogiversary" this past week.

If you aren't familiar with it, check it out. You'll love it!

One chiropractor's claims - arrogance, ignorance, or delusion?

Yesterday evening, I came across a post on the MAGNUM guestbook that I'm now told was approved by accident and has now been removed by their Support Advisor, Teri Robert. It was from a chiropractor who claimed, "EVERY single migraine sufferer I've ever cared for has no longer suffered from migraines after, some had 100% relief after just 1 visit." He had included the URL for his Web site. I call that post "spam;" he says, "I only put on the link so you and other could see the testimonials." His name isn't important, and I'm not going to give him the benefit of Internet exposure by posting it.

I made the mistake of emailing this "world-class doctor of chiropractic" thinking he might actually have something of value to offer Migraineurs IF he would just understand that no treatment is effective for everyone and that effective treatment often includes treatments from more than one modality of treatment.

In his reply to me, he made several assumptions...

• that I needed help with my Migraines;
• that I needed to "open my mind and wise up for my own good;" and
  
• "those you've encountered so far in your search have all had training or vested interests in keeping you a prisoner of your migraines."
  

Some of his remarks to me provided me with a few laughs. You see, you have to laugh at people like him; they're not worth the time or energy involved in being upset or even continuing to pursue reasonable discourse. Let me share a few of the laughs with you. One comment -- the misspellings and poor grammar are his; I'm just not bothering to correct them...

• "You medical people generally make things waaay to complicated. 99 out of 100 migraines (at least) are simple to resolve." In a way, he's not far off in one respect. Probably 85 out of 100 Migraines ARE simple to resolve. Whether the Migraineur employs biofeedback, meditation, or (heaven forbid) medications, the Migraines experienced by the majority of Migraineurs are simply treated. It's that other 15% that are difficult, potentially debilitating, and need expert care.
• "Seems liek you are too booksmart for your own good. I've studied real healthcare for 25 years, not what you would call "healthcare". I am not some symptom-chasing pawn of the medical establishment." He's studied "real healthcare for 25 years?" Hmmmmmmmm. He graduated from high school in 1989, 18 years ago. Maybe he was a precocious teenager.
• "Great minds are always at first ridiculed and unpopular, so your comments have not affect on me." Great minds? He seemed to be speaking of himself. Oh, well. He does have a healthy ego.
• "Open your mind, reverse your direction, seek a world-class doctor of chiropractic and you will find better success." He said this with absolutely no knowledge of my treatment or my current state of health. I had four Migraines in 2006, and I've had one so far in 2007. Do any of you think I need "better success?" I'm actually quite satisfied with my success.

For those of you who may be considering chiropractic care, don't let this put you off. There are indeed "world-class" chiropractors out there. They are true professionals who provide quality care with respect, professionalism, and humility.

I guess I enjoyed the laughs. Although attempting an adult, professional conversation with him was a futile attempt at best, such attempts are still worth a shot.

This exchange does leave me a bit puzzled though. I can't decide if I think this man is speaking from arrogance, from ignorance, or if he's just delusional about his own knowledge, skills, and expertise.

Thanks for the laughs and verifying that you're a total ass, Mr. "world-class doctor of chiropractic!"

Namaste,
Abi

News, news, and more news from the American Headache Society conference!

Every Migraineur's dear friend Teri Robert at MyMigraineConnection spent last week in Chicago at the 49th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Headache Society. Teri attends this conference every year and always returns home with fodder for many articles in which she shares with us what she learned -- written in a way we can actually understand! To me, her articles are always more valuable than most "news" articles written on Migraine because she goes deeper and into more detail than most people who write on Migraine and Migraine news.

Already, her blog entries from the conference and the first article to come out of the conference proceedings have me waiting with great anticipation for more. Here's some of what she's shared so far:

• Greetings from Chicago - the American Headache Society Conference. This is a fun post where Teri shares a video of her "remote headquarters."
  
  
• Reporting from Chicago - A new Migraine abortive in trials. Merck has released results from their Phase II trials of MK-0974, an investigational oral calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonist. Teri spoke with Dr. Tony Ho, senior director of Clinical Neuroscience for Merck Research Laboratories to give us a great report on what's happening with this new medication. It looks very hopeful, even for Migraineurs with a history of heart or stroke issues!
  
  
• Back from the American Headache Society conference! Ever wonder what some of the "famous" doctors we read about look like? Teri has shared some super photos of a few of them.

When you get a chance, check out Teri's reports. If you haven't already, consider subscribing to the MyMigraineConnection email newsletter. It's a great way to keep up on what's new!

To Teri -- Thank you, as always, for looking out for all of us and sharing so much valuable information. Oh, and a belated happy birthday!

Shalom,
Abi

The "Gentle Dentist" and his philosophy.

I have Google News Alerts set so that I receive emails about news and new blog entries related to Migraine disease. They're generally interesting, and help me learn and stay up-t0-date. There are times, on the other hand, when one of the catches my eye for another reason -- doubting what I'm reading or even the reason someone wrote it in the first place.

Case in point, is a Blog Alert I received about half an hour ago. The title was "Migraine headache treatment," and it led to a blog titled "The Gentle Dentist." The description on the blog reads, "Press Releases and Ask The Dentist Q and A. This particular blog entry is of the Q & A variety, and the question was about Imitrex and the person asking the question having read that "there may be something I can do about it that doesn't involve drugs."

In his response, "The Gentle Dentist" states that, "Medications such as Imitrex have been used to help, but only in about 50% of the cases is there a resolution from the pain." Hmmmmmmm. That figure seemed low to me, so I did a bit of research. According the the University of Maryland, "Unfortunately, recurring headaches with sumatriptan develop within the first 24 hours in 20% to 40% of people who have taken the drug... Studies on the newer agents (triptans) have reported pain relief within two hours in between 60% and 91% of patients." That would seem to contradict the dentist blocker, but let's not go on just one source.

On the American Council for Headache Education site, I found this, "About three-quarters of migraine sufferers will report significant improvement within an hour after taking sumatriptan by injection. One-half to two-thirds will have a good response 2-4 hours after taking the oral form of sumatriptan.

The Gentle Dentist goes on to say, "There is a new dental device that has been approved by the FDA to treat migraine headaches and has been actually shown to be more effective than the medications." He's referring to the NTI-TSS, developed by Dr. Jim Boyd. The NTI device is excellent. However, what the blogger dentist doesn't mention is that it's not for acute treatment, bur for prevention, and is effective for a subset of Migraineurs, those with triggers related to the temperomandibular joint and the effect it can sometimes have on the trigeminal nerve. The main web site for the NTI-TSS device, www.nti-tss.com, states, "In a large percentage of migraine sufferers, the motor root which travels within the conduit of the (sensory) third division is hyperactive, commanding tremendous amounts of potentially damaging activity from the jaw muscles during sleep. This results in a bombardment of noxious (negative) information going back to the sensory nucleus, thereby sensitizing it, making the patient far more susceptible to migraine attacks."

Comments were closed on the Gentle Dentist's blog, so I couldn't leave him a comment there. If I could have, I'd have

• asked him to check his statistics on the success rate of Imitrex
• suggested that it was a bit narrow of him to only mention one of many Migraine treatments
• pointed out that it would be helpful to say that the device is appropriate for a subset of Migraineurs, not all.

But, since he's not open for comments, I'll have to make my comments on my own blog. :-)

******************
Notes:

The Gentle Dentist can be found on his own blog.

My info on Imitrex success rates came from:

• ACHE
• The University of Maryland Medical Center
  

The Daily Headache

UGH! A daily headache or Migraine isn't something I'd wish on anyone. BUT, there is a great blog entitled "The Daily Headache." If you haven't read it, you're missing out on a great blog written informatively and with superb wit and humor.

The so-called "Migraine personality" was debunked years ago. Well, at least that's what I thought. Now, some fools in Italy who call themselves doctors are bringing it up again.

I'm not going to write more on this because Kerrie at The Daily Headache already said what I'd say. So, I'll just suggest that you go read her blog entry. Thanks, Kerrie!