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Goodbye Gluten
TOP RIGHT: Mark Green, MD; Sarah Rahal,
MD; Emily Kandel; Josh Friedman, Esq
RIGHT: Drs. Susan Broner, Dawn Buse,
Seymour Solomon LEFT: NHF Staff
member, Aukosua Stokes
New Board Member Elected
On March 24, 2014, the National Headache Foundation elected Stephen
Stern, Esq. to the Board of Directors. Mr. Stern is Of Counsel in the Los
Angeles office of O’Melveny and Myers, LLP. He has been engaged in the
practice of project and infrastructure financing for the past 40 years, representing airports, air carriers, ports, railroads, transportation companies, developers, operators, investment banks, and other financial institutions. From 1973
through 2006, Mr. Stern was a partner in the Firm, and is a member of the
International Practice and the Project Development and Real Estate Practice.
He also served as managing partner of the Firm’s London office from 2001
through 2004.
He completed his undergraduate work at the University of California at
Berkeley, and received his J.D. from the University of San Francisco. He has
been admitted to the bar in California and New York, and is a member of the
National Association of Bond Lawyers. Mr. Stern has lectured on airport and
healthcare financing.
He and his wife, Sheila, reside in Los Angeles.
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HeadW ise ®
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Volume 4, Issue 2 • 2014
As a 31-year-old, I have experienced
migraines with auras for 20 years. I have been
prescribed medication, injections, vitamins,
tests, x-rays, yoga, chiropractors, restrictive
diets, Botox, hormonal treatments…the list
goes on. With each new recommendation
by doctors, neurologists, family and friends,
I faced more frustration and failed attempts.
Getting not one, but TWO migraine
headaches on my wedding day this summer
was my breaking point. On the biggest day of
my life (which took 10 months to plan), I hold
weighted memories of being curled up in
bed in a dark hotel room, only later followed
by sitting on the floor of my wedding venue,
tears freely falling onto my wedding gown. As
my wedding-wrecking, jack-hammering, lifestopping headache continued on to the next
morning, all I could think about (other than
pain and embarrassment) was that I would
make a vow to help others who suffered too.
A few days after the wedding and honeymoon,
I was back in my neurologist’s office. Out of
complete desperation, I barked, “Why is there
no cure for migraine headaches?!” While my
neurologist could completely understand my
frustration, he mentioned how difficult it is
to find a cure for migraines because each
patient has different triggers, leading to
different treatments. Then, my neurologist
offered a positive results-driven idea given to
him from another patient, similar to myself.
He told me that the patient had started a
gluten-free diet, and that it may be worth
trying.
At this point, I was encouraged. This
recommendation didn’t include drugs. It didn’t
include tests. It simply required a change to
my eating habits. I started researching as
much as I could on gluten-free living and
what it entailed. After trying a 75% glutenfree diet, I noticed a tremendous decline in
the amount of headaches I was getting. This
was the first time I had ever gone 3 months
without a migraine. I did fall off the wagon
over the holidays and ate several foods
containing gluten over the course of a day,
which sparked another migraine. Getting
this last migraine was a sign that reinforced
the fact that gluten, indeed, was my ultimate
trigger. Since learning my lesson, I am back on
track with a gluten-free diet and am currently
migraine-free.
My triggers and treatment may not be yours;
however, I am hopeful that education about a
gluten-free diet will resonate and treat some
of us. There are 36 million Americans who
suffer from migraine headaches each year.
Help spread the knowledge on treatment, so
we can become one less. Candice H.
Gluten sensitivity can manifest itself in many forms.
Some individuals show signs and symptoms during early
childhood. The child usually loses weight, experiences abdominal distress, and may develop a full blown malabsorption (inability to absorb vital nutrients, such as vitamins,
calcium, etc) condition in the intestines. That disease is
referred to as celiac disease, later in life called sprue.
www.headaches.org
|
National Headache Foundation
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