Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block (SPG Block) and Headaches, Migraines, Cluster Headaches, Chronic Daily Headaches and New Persistent Headaches

Headaches and Migraines are almost 100% caused by the Trigeminal Nervous System.  This is accepted by all specialties of medicine who deal with headache patients.

The Spenopalatine Ganglion Block, Pterygopalatine Ganglion Block or SPG Block is known to be one of the safest and most effective means of preventing and treating migraines and tension headaches.

The Spenopalatine Ganglion is the largest parasympathetic ganglia in the head.  The other ganglia are the Ciliary Ganglion, the Submandibular Ganglion and the Otic Ganglion.

The Sphenopalatine Ganglion was made famous by the best selling book, "Miracles on Park Avenue" where it was explained how SPG Blocks could be a miraculous cure,(treatment) for a wide variety of illnesses including headaches and migraines.

The SPG Block can be aministered intranasaly, via an intra-oral injection or a direct injection thru the face to the ganglia.

The extra-oral injection offers immediate relief for severe or acute pai, the intra-oral injection is also very rapid onset.

The intranasal route is slower but is ideal for prevention of headaches, migraines, tension headaches, anxiety, OCD and depression.  Side effect are almost all positive.

The best method for prevention is the nasal applicators because they can be self administered by patients.  The TX360, the Sphenocath and Allevio are all utilized by neurologists in a series of applications.

I frequently utilize injection for an acute attack followed by teaching patients to self administer blocks as a preventive, the single most effective use of SPG Blocks.  Also the most cost effective method available.

Self administered SPG Block gives patients a higher quality of life with far less expense and side effects than any drugs including triptans.

I see Chicago patients and patients from across the USA for SPG Blocks and Neuromuscular Dentistry.

Neuromuscular dentistry prevents trigeminal nerve overload.
  

Important new information that will help headache patients

THE AAMS CONFERENCE PRESENTED INFORMATION THAT EVERY HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL SHOULD TAKE NOTE OF.

http://www.aamsinfo.org/aams-first-congress/

I just attended the AAMS Congress and became a founding member. I was first introduced when Marc Moeller came to the Alliance of TMD Organizations to ask for their organization to join the TMD Alliance.

I decided to attend the conference in my role as Chair of the Alliance and because of their incredible program. This was an amazing conference and I expect that the combination of groups will change the world. ADD, ADHD, Sleep Apnea, UARS, Fibromyalgia, TMJ Disorders, Headaches, Behavioral disorders are all on the rise .
ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, OBD, AND PROBLEMS WITH ATTATCHMENT BETWEEN MOTHER AND INFANT are also problems addressed it this program.

This group will help combine all the disparate groups who know a piece of the puzzle and combine knowledge to change the world. The first presentation concerned by Dr Irene Marchesan PhD, SLP was about the law passed in Brazil mandating all new bors be checkeed for tongue tie or lingual frenums that interfere with breathing and nursing. This is a major cause of nipple and breast pain in nursing women. It is a leading cause of stopping nursing. Breastfeeding creates ideal orthopedic and Pneumopedic growth of the maxilla. All of the problems and many more are all outgrowths of poor maxilla growth.

This topic was covered by Dr Kevin Boyd, a pediatric dentist who discussed the epigenetic causes of these problems from an anthropological perspective. Christian Guilleminault , the universal voice of sleep medicine discussed how short lingual frenum is connected to sleep apnea in children. he also discussed how oral myofuntional therapy is an essential part of treatment for sleep apnea, regardless of the approach to treatment. Especially insightful was Dr Guillemnaults position on Medicares new rules on sleep apnea testing which he summed up as "MEDICARE DELETED THE BRAIN'

Sleep Medicine is an amazing field the main tool is Polysomnography, unfortunately new Medicare rules push for only limited evaluation guaraanteeing wide spread misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis in the field of sleep medicine. Private insurance compaines are following this pattern destroying the quality of sleep medicine evaluation.

Lawrence Kotlow DDS gave an amazing presentation on advanced surgical techniques to eliminate tounge tie with laser surgery. This can be done in the first day of life in 30 seconds without anaesthetic or pain.

Two Italian Physician/Dentists Drs Giovanni Olivi and Maria Genovese discussed how Ankyglossia could affect entire body posture. I hope to visit their office when in Italy in October.

I think that every physician, dentist, physical therapist , respiratory therapist, language pathologist and educator especially involved with special ed should attend future meetings.

I am lecturing at the ICCMO meeting October 1-3 in San Diego on "The common developmental aspects of Sleep Apnea, TMJ Disorders, ADD and ADHD" I will be updating my presentation prior to that meeting!

Ira L Shapira DDS, D,ABDSN, D,AAPM, FICCMO Chair, Alliance of TMD Organizations

Find A TMJ Dentist: Who is The Academy of Applied Myofunctional Sciences and where do they fit in TMJ treatment?

There are several excellent ways to locate a TMJ Dentist.

There are several schools of thought in TMJ Dysfunction.  The Alliance of TMD Organizations represents all of the major groups who treat TMJ Disorders.

I am current the Chair, Alliance of TMD Organizations.  It represents groups with several schools of thought.

Personally, I would recommend starting with a Neuromuscular Dentist who is a member of ICCMO.  These doctors are dedicated to the neuromuscular concepts discussed throughout the I Hate Headaches website.

I also belong to the American Equilibration Society and the American Academy of Craniofacial pain, both groups have wonderful courses and I love seeing problems from all angles.  I find I learn more from people outside the primary focus in my practice.  The AES is primarily centered on Centric Relation as a starting point for treatment.  While I don't agree with Centric Relation as the best starting points there are excellent doctors who are well trained in treating TMJ disorders.   The AES puts on a fantastic yearly meeting but the underlying focus is CR as taught by Peter Dawson.  That will change gradually when Dr Dawson retires and leaves the field.  He is much less visible than in the past due to increasing age.  Centric Relation is losing popularity in the age of precise measurement.  The concept of CR has had at least 26 different definitions over the years.

The American Academy of Pain Management is no longer a member of the Alliance but dentists who are also Diplomats of the AAPM tend to be very knowledgable on medical aspects of pain.  The problem in recent years is the AAPM has moved further in the direction of medication as a primary treatment rather than correcting underlying pathology.

The Academy of Orofacial Pain takes this type of treatment to the extreme.  There is a tendency to ignore the physiology of the muscles, TMJoints and Occlusal factors.

The International Association of Physiologic Aesthetics also holds excellent meetings.  It tend toward being a user group of LVI, The Las Vegas Institute that teaches neuromuscular dentistry primarily for use in esthetic dentistry.  LVI teaches excellent cookbook neuromuscular dentistry but does not delve into the science like ICCMO  does.  My preference is find a neuromuscular dentist who belongs to IAPA and ICCMO.

All of the basic principles and top educators at LVI are ICCMO members.  LVI recruited from ICCMO specifically due to their excellence in Neuromuscular Dentistry.  Many ICCMO doctors, myself included went to LVI to increase efficiency in reconstructive dentistry.

The Kois Center and Dr John Kois are similar to LVI in teaching his version of Centric Relation as a way to reconstruct patients.  Interesting, is that while he calls it CR it is actually very very similar to the neuromuscular position.   Dr Kois give excellent courses on technical aspects of dentistry.  

There are other groups teaching Neuromuscular Dentistry.  OcclusionConnections is one such group, its founder learned neuromuscular dentistry at ICCMO and later taught at LVI before going on his own.  Clayton teaches his form of neuromuscular dentistry and I again suggest seeing doctors who also belong to ICCMO.

Ther are other groups who belong to the TMD Alliance including Sacro Occipital Technique Organization or SOTO an excellent Chiropractic group very interested in TMJ treatment as part of whole body biomechanics, Tennessee Cranio and The International Association for Orthodontics who teach functional orthodontics to create healthy physiology and TMJoints.

The newest member is the Academy of Applied Myofunctional Sciences. Their first meeting is September 9-13.  I have been very impressed with their organization and I am enjoying the meeting.  I really belong to too many organizations but feel this is one more I must join not because of the work with adult TMJ patients but because of their commitment to grow healthy children into healthy adults without TMJ, sleep or breathing problems.  I expect great good to come from their efforts and I am proud to be at their first meeting.

Myofuntional Therapists work with patients oral habits and oral function and treat patients by correcting pathological patters.  regardless of which doctors are treating you Myofunctional Therapy can help the process.