Survey: When facing a new migraine symptom, what do you prefer to do first?
Well, well...
The results of the survey "When facing a new migraine symptom, what do you prefer to do first?"
93% of respondents so far (how many total?) have replied that they prefer to research on their own.
What does this say about the competence and quality of care provided by Neurologists and other headache care practitioners and the perception of their patients?
Personally, I am having significant doubts about the professionals in this field. Much of their advice seems to be little more than just guesswork. To some extent, this can be understood because of the extremely variable nature of migraine presentation across the patient population. However, my own impression is that licensed practitioners are not really much more useful than their script pads. I cannot see how I can have much confidence in either the clinical practitioners or (especially) in the pharma manufacturers. This is a pretty sad state of affairs.
- Thank you for taking the time to pose this reflection and important question. Your reflections about the current state of affairs as it pertains to migraine doctors are shared by many. There are so many variables in doctors who treat migraine - it can be a real crapshoot whose arms we randomly land in to help us navigate this difficult condition. We generally encourage those with migraine to pursue evaluation and treatment by a migraine specialist as these doctors have pursued additional and specialized training in migraine. That said, there is a severe shortage of these types of doctors which leaves many people driving across multiple states for care. And even still, there is a major variation in the type of care one receives from one specialist to the next. Others are left pursuing care from a primary care physician or a neurologist. Again- the type of care received depends greatly (and too much) on the doctors we choose as there is no streamlined system of care for those living with migraine. And, as you said, there can be a troubling tie between many doctors and pharma companies resulting in certain drugs being pushed over others. I have yet to encounter a holistic migraine practice that offers both Eastern and Western medicine approaches. We are looked at not as a whole person (who may benefit from the incorporation of massage therapy, acupuncture, etc), but rather as someone who needs more medication. So, yes, you've tapped into a real issue here. Thanks for starting an important conversation. Warmly- Holly -migraine.com team.
