Peripheral Nerve Stimulation Migraine Treatment on DFW's "Ask The Dr. DFW"; Video 2

Mike Burger: Welcome back to Ask The Doctor. I am your host, Mike Burger. Here to talk about a new procedure to alleviate migraines is Dr. Kenneth Reed from Reed Migraine Centers. Remember we are also taking your calls and e-mail questions. The number is 1-855-5MIGRAINE, or you can log on to our website at www.reedmigraine.com. Dr.

Reed, who would qualify for this type of neurostimulation procedure, everyone that has a migraine or ... ? Dr. Reed: Absolutely not.

Who is a candidate for this procedure? It is probably the first question that people ask, "Am I a candidate?" It is actually pretty straight-forward. This tends to work on most types of severe headaches, migraine, tension headaches. It is not for everybody. The candidate for this patient, if somebody has frequent severe headaches, maybe two or more times a week, and the key is they have tried more conservative treatment.

This is not a first step in treatment. It is a surgical procedure, tends to be towards the end. People with headaches or a candidate that's gone to a headache specialist and neurologist have been working with it, maybe several neurologists, medications or adjunctive treatment such as Botox, very often those will work and if they are working, you certainly don't need this, but oftentimes they don't work or if they don't work and there is really nothing left to do, that patient becomes a candidate, so frequent, severe headaches that have tried more conservative treatment, they are still having them, they're a candidate. Mike Burger: Are there different types of migraine headaches? Dr. Reed: There are a lot of different types of migraine headaches.

Migraine headaches, some people just classify as a severe headache, but neurologically, they are very specific diagnoses. Patients that have them tend to know, they are going to neurologists, they can tell us the type. This treatment has been studied in several different types, classic migraines, common migraines, tension headaches, chronic daily headaches, cluster headaches and in all of the studies, it shows it to be very and similarly effective.

Mike Burger: How effective would you say the Reed procedure is? Dr. Reed: How effective is it? Not everybody responds, but if they respond, it tends to be dramatically effective. People describe it as getting their life back. "I have my wife back. The children can function again.

They are going back to school. They are enjoying life." A percentage, they'll describe over 80 to 90% improvement in the headaches, sometimes nearly complete resolution of the headaches. Mike Burger: I just want to quickly mention.

I went to YouTube and I saw the video of the young lady. I think she is a sophomore in college now, had a migraine for nine months and this procedure literally gave her life back. Dr. Reed: Exactly so. Kim, who could not function, she had to withdraw from college, she was living with her parents. Here in Dallas, her dad is a well-known orthopedic surgeon.

She could literally not leave the house. About just over four years ago, they contacted us. We did the first step, which is test procedure to confirm that it works, and then we implanted the full system. This is four years later, she is virtually headache-free. She takes no medications, lives a full active lifestyle and is doing just great. Mike Burger: She likes you a lot. Dr. Reed: It has been very gratifying, most of the patients are very, very pleased.

Mike Burger: We have got to take a short break and then we are going to come back with some more calls and some e-mail questions. Stay right here with us.