At our clinic, we often encounter questions regarding the efficacy and occipital nerve block side effects injections, particularly in the context of migraine treatment. Today, I want to share some insights that might clarify why occipital nerve block for migraine, while generally beneficial, can sometimes exacerbate pain before providing relief. Understanding Nerve Blocks A nerve…
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Today on Facebook I got a great question that I think is important…. “Are ON flares also called migraines?” In fact the word “migraine” has a broad meaning, including many different kinds of severe headaches with different causes. Some migraines are caused by issues in or near the brain, such as dilated blood vessels or…
Read Full ArticleWhat is Aimovig? Aimovig is an innovative medication developed by Amgen, designed to prevent migraines before they start. It functions as a monoclonal antibody that targets and blocks the receptors of specific peptides believed to trigger migraine pain. By intervening in this way, Aimovig migraine treatment prevents the transmission of pain signals, potentially reducing the…
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I spoke with another migraine patient today who told me that despite (and likely resulting from) weekly visits to the emergency room because of severe migraine pain, the doctors there have labeled her as drug seeking and refuse to give her pain medication. This is a very, very unfortunate but very very common report from…
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During the course of a great telephone conversation with a migraine headache patient from San Diego last week, it once again became evident to me that there is a misunderstanding of the differences in nerve blocks and Botoxinjections done by surgeons vs other medical professionals when it comes to the treatment of Migraine Headaches and…
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It seems there is often much misunderstanding surrounding the terminology pertaining to headaches. While “migraine headache” is indeed a specific diagnosis, there are many subtypes of migraines with terminology that can get confusing. Additionally, many headache sufferers have not yet seen a neurologist to get a migraine diagnosis, and others have diagnoses such as “chronic…
Read Full ArticleRecently I’ve been posting “Triggers of the week” on Instagram, discussing different triggers that cause patients to have migraine headaches. There has been a lot of responses to these posts, with patients chiming in that “even if foods are cooked with wine. Within minutes my head reacts,” or “BRIGHT lights – flashing or not flashing…
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On social media, I’m seeing a lot of panic on multiple group sites in patients who have a normal MRI results in the face of pain symptoms. It is important to remember that many patients with Migraine and most patients with Occipital Neuralgia have NORMAL MRI STUDIES. This should be taken as good news, since…
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Yesterday I saw yet another migraine headache patient who was a week out from her migraine surgery, and yet again this patient was thrilled with the migraine relief. She told me she felt that the migraine surgery changed her life. She was all smiles in the followup appointment, as opposed to completely dreary when I…
Read Full ArticleMigraine headaches can be unpredictable and difficult to manage. For those of us who are familiar with migraines, this is an understatement. Established migraine headache patients can discuss at incredible length the various things that they have tried to get rid of a migraine, and the difficult thing is that there are so so so…
Read Full ArticleAt Migraine Surgery Specialty Center, we encounter a wide spectrum of headache and migraine diagnoses, each presenting unique challenges and symptoms. Our approach, spearheaded by Dr. Lowenstein, emphasizes understanding the diverse nature of these conditions rather than getting bogged down by specific diagnostic labels. This comprehensive understanding aids in effectively deploying treatments like occipital nerve…
Read Full ArticleHere at Migraine Surgery Specialty Center, we often witness life-changing stories that reaffirm our commitment to providing alternative pain management solutions, such as nerve decompression surgery for migraines. Today, I want to share a particularly inspiring conversation I had with a patient who is three months post-surgery and on the path to reclaiming his life…
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Introduction: Welcome to the Headache 360 podcast, a place to listen and learn about the diagnosis and treatment of chronic headache and migraine pain because information can be the best medicine. Dr. Lowenstein: Hello and welcome to the Headache 360 podcast. I am your host Dr. Adam Lowenstein. I am a board certified plastic surgeon…
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Dr. Lowenstein: Hi, and welcome to the Headache 360 Podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Adam Lowenstein. Again, what we’re doing here is trying to take a 360 degree view of headache and migraine pain. As such, some of you will know that I am a migraine and headache surgeon. I do nerve decompression, but people…
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A young lady was in my office recently, and like so many patients with pain from migraine headaches and/or occipital neuralgia, she had been too many many doctors before me. We discussed the possibility of doing Targeted Injection Mapping, and she became very emotional. She had been through so much over the past three years…
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Dr. Lowenstein: Hi. Welcome back to the Headache 360 Podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Adam Lowenstein, and I’ve got a amazing guest today. As I think many of you know, I’m a migraine surgeon. I do peripheral nerve decompression for migraines, and a lot of my patients have spent time in emergency rooms, and so…
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Dr. Lowenstein: Hello and welcome to The Headache 360 Podcast. This is your host, Dr. Adam Lowenstein. And as I’m imagining most of you know by now, I’m a migraine surgeon. I do nerve decompression for migraine and chronic headaches. And my goal here is to try and get some information from lots of different…
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There seem to be quite a number of questions online about instructions and expectations before and after surgery. With that in mind, I thought I would share our “guidelines” for migraine surgery. Please call our Center at 805-969-9004 with any questions you might have….. Guidelines for Headache Surgery Before your surgery • Maintaining a well…
Read Full ArticleA lot of headache patients deal with pain and difficulty on a day to day basis. On occasion I think it’s important to reflect on the good and the inspirational to get our mind right and realize that no matter how hard life may seem, there are fantastic stories that can be uplifting. So… periodically you…
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I”m very excited about our newest venture, which will involve bringing our successes in providing migraine relief to Denver Colorado. This will provide a more central access point to so many migraine sufferers in the central part of the United States, including Arizona, Kansas, Wyoming, and Utah. I was fortunate enough to live and practice…
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A great case yesterday had some anatomic features that I thought worth showing. This gentleman was a firefighter who had an accident at work and following this developed debilitating migraines. For privacy purposes we will call him Frank here. Frank is from Denver, and as such he had seen several doctors including Denver neurologists who…
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The term “migraine surgery” was coined as a simplified way for the public to understand that there is a surgical procedure to improve migraine headache symptoms. In fact, the more appropriate name for this procedure is “nerve decompression surgery for the relief of headache and migraine symptoms.” That’s a bit too wordy, but unfortunately, the…
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Adam Lowenstein: Hi and welcome to the Headache 360 Podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Adam Lowenstein, and today I have a great guest who is arguably overqualified to be talking to me. Dr. Prabu Raman is a physiologic neuromuscular dentist, and I have to admit that I did not know such a specialized specialty existed…
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I recently had the honor of being asked to do a podcast with well known Board Certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jason Martin. Dr. Martin has a podcast called Beauty and the Surgeon which discusses all aspects of plastic and reconstructive surgery. I’ve known Dr. Martin for quite some time, dating back to when I was…
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Why do patients from Los Angeles or Las Vegas travel to visit the Migraine Surgery Specialty Center for Migraine Relief? Dr. Lowenstein’s interest in migraine surgery stems from personal experience. From a very young age, Dr. Lowenstein has personally experienced the pain of chronic migraines, and understands like few other doctors do what a migraine…
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Dr. Lowenstein: Hi and welcome to the Headache 360 podcast. I am your host, Dr. Adam Lowenstein. We have a fantastic repeat guest today, Dr. Hossein Ansari, who is the head of the headache clinic at University of California, San Diego. This is our second in hopefully a series with Dr. Ansari, but you can…
Read Full ArticleWant to learn more? Click here to read a blog post discussing Air Quality, Smoke and Migraine Headaches.
Read Full ArticleDr. Lowenstein: We are here. Well, why don’t you guys introduce yourselves? Kinsey: I’m Kinsey. Jill: I’m Jill. Dr. Lowenstein: And Jill is Kinsey’s … Jill: Mom. Dr. Lowenstein: Mom. So Kinsey, tell me about how, what your life was two years ago, three years ago, five years ago, et cetera. Kinsey: So I started…
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I had a discussion with a patient recently who was interested in finding relief from her headaches, and as usual, sent me a list of her medications along with her long history of migraines. In reviewing her medical history, I had to do a double-take… she listed Excedrin as her primary medication, and she takes…
Read Full ArticleCottage health has added an article highlighting migraine surgery and the way it can help patients with occipital neuralgia and migraine headaches. You can find the short article here and at the link below. I’m very appreciative of their assistance in getting the word out about this outpatient surgical option that helps so many migraine headache pain…
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A frequent question I get asked involves nerve injections that make things worse rather than better. Many times nerves blocks work just as they are supposed to but when they don’t, patients are often left trying to figure out why??? So what happens when nerve blocks make the pain worse? Remember that nerve blocks…
Read Full Article“With a 93% success rate, we love making people better. Seeing patients regain their quality of life after years of debilitating pain is incredibly rewarding. Our goal is not just to treat headaches but to transform lives, giving hope and relief to those who have suffered for far too long.” — Dr. Lowenstein Christa’s Story:…
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