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Headache and Migraine Pain Management at DHC . . . .
For thousands of Americans, headache and migraine pain is a serious drain on productivity and quality of life. According to a recent national survey by Louis Harris & Associates, nearly 75 percent of all Americans age 18 and over suffer one or more headaches per year; more than 40 percent have six or more in the same period.
The economic consequences are staggering. The Harris survey estimated that adults with full-time jobs lost nearly 157 million workdays due to headache pain. And that doesn't begin to count the personal costs of interrupted sleep, upset daily routines and spoiled leisure time.
 These problems are the reason for the Diamond Headache Program. Founded by Dr. Seymour Diamond in 1972, it is the first comprehensive private headache clinic in the world. In 1983, the Program expanded to include an inpatient unit specializing in care of recidivist patients. There have been others who have modeled their centers after the Diamond Headache Clinic, but none have the full comprehensive approach intrinsic to headache care as the DHC.
The Program has an impressive success rate. More than 2,000 new patients are referred to the Clinic each year, and the majority of them experience decreased duration, frequency or severity of headaches, and decreased use of analgesics. Nationally recognized, the Diamond Clinic and Inpatient Unit is a referral center for the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke. It also serves as a research site for the National Institutes of Health.
The special strength of the Diamond Program comes from a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to headache management. Its staff includes physicians, nurses, psychologists, pharmacists, dietitians, physical therapists, activity therapists and counselors, who apply such therapies as medication, dietary modification, biofeedback training, lifestyle modification and psychological counseling.
Biofeedback training is a particular strength of the Diamond Program, which has played a pioneer role in the application of this non-drug treatment to headache management. In 1983, the Diagnostic and Therapeutic Assessment Panel of the American Medical Association recognized biofeedback as an established treatment of vascular and tension headaches.
In addition, because of its active research programs, the Clinic can, when indicated, provide medications that are not generally available to patients. The Headache Clinic is located in the Frank Cuneo Professional Building in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago. The outpatient facility located on the fifth floor includes a large diagnostic area. The Inpatient Unit offers a 38-bed, self-contained unit located at Saint Joseph Hospital. It is almost entirely composed of beautiful, newly remodeled private rooms.
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