I'll do a more personal update in an upcoming post, but first I'd like to share a book review with you. This is a brand new book called Knock Out Headaches, by Gary Ruoff, MD. My review covers the good, the bad, and - unfortunately - the ugly.
The Good: Knock Out Headaches starts right off by acknowledging that headaches are not "curable." It's well-written and easy to read, but it also has sidebar sections that give more in-depth, scientific information. It covers types of headaches, migraine, triggers, treatments and medications, and health problems that typically accompany headaches. The back of the book includes a headache diary, anxiety rating scale, migraine disability assessment and a checklist to develop your own treatment plan. It's a good book if you have frequent headaches and/or occasional migraines and you want to read a book that doesn't contain outdated information.
The Bad: If you've read other headache books, don't expect this book to be very different. It covers the basics and provides real-life stories. To my surprise, one of the stories didn't end with "and then we figured out that X treatment worked and the patient is now able to manage her headaches" (that's a quote from me, not the book, although it's definitely a paraphrase). I felt guilty that I was hoping for a story without a happy ending, like my own, and even more guilty that I was excited when I actually read one. This particular story doesn't have a happy ending, it just says that there's been some improvement and the doctor is optimistic. Unfortunately, the story starts by saying that it's an "extreme case." Dr. Ruoff also seems to indirectly blame the patient for not having much improvement, saying that it's like pulling teeth to get her to go to bed and get up at the same time each day or eat regular meals. Perhaps that's true, but it could be that she simply can't be helped, or it will take more time to figure out what will help, as seems to be the case for me and many of you.
The Ugly: I do not want to write this part, but I have to be honest when I write reviews, so here goes... Near the end of the book is a section called "When Treatment Fails." Again, I was excited to find this section because it would address my situation. Near the beginning of the short section, it said, "In some cases, we will never know the answers, but through experience we have identified a few possible explanations." The first part may be true, but let me sum up the "possible explanations" to which he is referring: (1) When a lawsuit or disability claim is involved, so the patient may not get better intentionally or subconsciously. Same thing when headaches elicit sympathy or provide an excuse for not working. (2) When a patient is taking a narcotic regularly for another pain condition which causes rebound headaches that are impossible to control. (3) When headaches are part of deeper emotional or psychological issues which can interfere with treatment. These three explanations may be true in some cases, but to me they're a cop out and are insulting.
In summary, this is a good generic headache book and will be helpful to people who don't have chronic-level headaches and migraines. Knock Out Headaches is available for $15.95 on the publisher's website.
Disclosure: Spry Publishing provided me a free copy of Knock Out Headaches in exchange for me writing this review, but my review is unbiased.
