THE HEADACHE CLINICS
featuring:
The Michigan Headache Clinic
East Lansing, Michigan
Noelle L. Helmic, CNP, CS, RN
The Michigan Headache Clinic was founded in 1981 as a private practice by
Edmund Messina, MD, and Jayne Bailey Messina, RN The following is based
on an interview with Doctor Edmund Messina, the Director of the Clinic.
D
octor Edmund Messina attended medical school at
the University of Illinois in Chicago. He remained
in Chicago to complete an Internal Medicine internship
at the former Michael Reese Hospital, and then traveled
to Saint Louis, MO for a neurology residency at Washington University. Dr. Messina reflects on his years in
medical school and internship in the book, The Spattered
White Coat. He advised that his introduction to headache
medicine occurred when he attended a lecture on headache in medical school which was presented by Seymour
Diamond, MD, the Executive Chairman of the National
Headache Foundation.
He is certified in Neurology by the American Board of
Psychiatry and Neurology, and received subspecialty certification in Headache Medicine from the United Council
for Neurologic Subspecialties in 2008. He became a Fellow of the American Headache Society on November
15, 2012. Dr. Messina is Clinical Associate Professor of
Medicine at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine. He is the founder and Medical Director
of Arbor Medicus™, a patient and physician advocacy and
educational website.
In 1981, with his wife, Jayne Bailey Messina, RN, they
founded the Michigan Headache Clinic in East Lansing,
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MI. Ms. Messina serves as a clinical nurse as well as administrator. Their staff includes nurse practitioner, Noelle
Helmic, CNP, CS, RN; clinical nurse, Judy Calhoun, RN;
medical assistants, Christina Buckmaster, MA and Jill
Sewell, MA; and the administrative staff – Julie Hill, Calie
Risch, with IT specialist Tim Thelen.
The typical patient at the Michigan Headache Clinic
presents with painful disorders of the head or face, and
usually with a complex medical history. Adults, as well
as children, 12 years and older, may be seen at the clinic.
Self-referrals are accepted if the Clinic participates with the
patient’s insuranc e.
The first appointment consists of an in-depth interview by the nurse, a thorough history and neurological
examination conducted by Dr. Messina, and followed by
personalized patient education by the nurse. A typical day
at the Clinic consists of new patient visits, return visits
which start with the nurse or medical assistant taking an
interval history, and a detailed encounter with Dr. Messina or the nurse practitioner. The nurse will conclude the
visit with additional patient teaching. Some return visits
are conducted through remote telemedicine for patients
living at greater distances. Because of the pain being experienced by new patients, all efforts are made to evaluate
Michigan Headache Clinic Staff
them within a couple of weeks. Initial visits are expedited
even if it means modifying the schedule. If a colleague has
an urgent request for a referral, the staff will make every
effort to accommodate the patient’s evaluation.
The main philosophy of the Clinic is to consider the
“entire patient” in order to not only establish the diagnosis (or diagnoses) but also to identify and treat those
factors which will interfere with a successful outcome.
Factors that may impact the patient’s treatment include
other neurological problems, neck pain, sleep disorders,
anxiety, depression, and other issues. All painful disorders
of the head and face are treated at the Michigan Headache
Clinic. The treatment plan is individualized according to
the patient’s needs.
Treatment may include medications, counseling, physical therapy, and intervention therapies, such as Botox. At
the Clinic, patients are taught auto-relaxation techniques
and cervical muscle exercises, and are encouraged to utilize
online and personal counseling services, including mindfulness. If inpatient therapy is indicated, Dr. Messina has
a long-standing relationship with the Diamond Headache
Clinic in Chicago for possible referral of recidivist patients.
The biggest immediate change that Dr. Messina described for the Clinic is the ability to offer virtual visits
for established patients, via telemedicine. Patients living
at great distances are now able to complete a visit through
a secure video connection. The Clinic is also expanding
its artificial intelligence expert system to more efficiently
gather medical histories. A pioneer in the use of electronic
medical records, Dr. Messina has been utilizing computerassisted history taking since the 1980s. He believes that the
future medical climate will be driven by cost effectiveness
and that its advanced technology will continue to make
the Michigan Headache Clinic affordable to the average
patient, despite the rise in insurance deductibles.
When asked what he enjoyed most about working in
headache medicine, Dr. Messina revealed that it is gratifying to see patients improving. From visit to visit, patients
change for the better, making the practice very worthwhile.
Edmund Messina, MD
Dr. Messina became interested in headache medicine because he had experienced migraine since the age of 8 years,
and he recalled watching his mother suffer from headaches
all of his life. There is a long history of migraine in his
family, and several of his staff are also migraine sufferers.
In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Messina has been
active in headache education through the media. With
his son, Dan Messina, he wrote, produced, and directed a
documentary on headaches, Life and Migraine, which was
broadcast on public television and was released on DVD
in 2006. The documentary was featured in an international film festival, and in 2006, Dr. Messina received the
National Headache Foundation Award for Media Excellence.
Another film, The Headache Which Would Not Go Away,
was completed in 2008, and aired on The Learning Channel and the Discovery Health Channel. The feature-length
film, Lily’s Mom, was released in 2011. Dr. Messina wrote,
produced, and directed the film (and had a supporting
role) which focuses on self-advocacy in a woman suffering
from severe migraine and depression. It was a recipient of
an independent film festival Drama Award and a nominee
for the Voice Award in Hollywood in 2012.
Dr. Messina was asked what general advice he would
give to the patient experiencing headache. He noted that
headache patients need to take the initiative to modify
their lifestyle and to seek help from those who are willing
to spend the time to help them. Patients must realize that
most headache disorders, no matter how daunting they
seem, are probably quite treatable when the best individualized treatment plan is established. HW
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CLINIC, PLEASE VISIT:
www.michiganheadache.com
Michigan Headache Clinic
1675 Watertower Place, Suite 600
East Lansing, Michigan 48823
(517) 324-3445
www.headaches.org
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