Why It’s Important to Visit Your Doctor for Your Migraines: Dr. Richard Hamer, MD
Dr. Hamer has become an expert at identifying and determining the proper individualized treatment for patients who suffer from migraines.
Many get medical attention after experiencing a series of headaches causing disruption to their day-to-day routine. Patients describe their headaches to be a throbbing-type that starts or remains on one side of the head. It is the most frequent reason patients look for a medical consultation and is commonly diagnosed as a migraine — In which case, over-the-counter medication may not be effective in treating its agonizing symptoms.
Migraine sufferers can experience from fatigue, weakness, food cravings to more severe disturbances such as seeing flashing lights with zig zagging lines, blurred or lost vision, lateralized tingling, speech, nausea or cognitive difficulties. These complicated symptoms and treatment plans that should be prescribed to the patient, goes beyond the scope of a primary health care doctors as it requires expertise in specialist fields such as headaches, sleep and musculoskeletal disorders. Because migraines can be associated with chronic illnesses (like fibromyalgia, lupus or other illnesses), it is crucial you see a neurologist for proper treatment, without going through unnecessary treatment that could worsen your condition.
Before seeing a neurologist, a physician must make a clinical diagnosis basing this largely on your history and the absence of features that may require for additional testing to exclude conditions that mimic a migraine. Headaches that result from a fever, weight loss, HIV, or systemic cancer will be unaccounted for when diagnosing the patient with a migraine. A physician may also rule out migraines if there’s been a change in level of consciousness in an older person.
According to the Migraine Research Foundation, Migraines are the 3rd most prevalent illness in the world and is more common in women between the ages of 20 and 50. Unsurprisingly, with migraines being more common and incapacitating as it is, there are many triggers associated with this neurological disease including: alcohol, weather changes, menstruation, lack of sleep, dehydration, hunger, strong odors and certain foods.
Speak to a neurologist like Dr. Richard Hamer MD to get preventative tips for migraines. Dr. Hamer can make the proper recommendations to accompany your neurological symptoms by recommending a dietary modification, lifestyle changes, vitamin intake and what daily prescription medication to take.
