8 years Severe Headaches: What to do before TMJ Treatment

Carol’s Questions:
I suffer from headaches for 8 years now. They come on very suddenly. I took my blood pressure during one and discovered my bp was 235/135. This is under control with Medes but still get the headache. It’s obvious my bp is high because the headache goes away once I stop what I’m doing. Dr tells me they are exertion all headaches. I don’t think 5 lb. weights in 5 minutes is exertion.the Meds don’t keep my bp from spiking I did discover that my left carotid was 90% blocked and 40 on my right. I had patch angioplasty in 2013. i went for an evaluation by periodontist on my tooth and my bp was 201/103. With meds.

Dr Shapira’s Response:
Helping with your headaches is usually easy. You must first get your dangerously high BP under control. I would consult a vascular specialist for the blocked carotid. You might want to look into Chelation Therapy (very controversial but can be life-changing) to try to eliminate blockages in carotid. I would personally also get an ultra fast CT Scan of the heart to look for possible coronary blockages. The first symptom of most headaches is head or neck pain that can mimic other problems. You do not want to waste precious time on TMJ treatment is there is a pressing life threatening disorder that needs immediate treatment. If there are no urgent medical issues I suggest seeking treatment ASAP as quality of life is very important.

That said, I regularly see long distance patients. Nearly 100% of headaches are caused by the Trigeminial Nerve through the Trigeminal-cervical complex and the Trigemino-Vascular System

Check out my website www.ThinkBetterLife.com and view my youtube channel testimonials.

 

 

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Ira L Shapira DDS, D,AAPM, D,ABDSM, FICCMO