For those who have had it up to here with migraine headaches

Describe your business.

Over the past decade, researchers at some of the nation’s top medical institutions including Case Western Reserve University, the University of Michigan, and UT Southwestern have demonstrated that migraine headaches can successfully be treated with surgical decompression.

This novel treatment came from an accidental discovery made by a plastic surgeon.

The story goes a little something like this: A plastic surgery patient who had a lifelong history of chronic debilitating migraine headaches underwent a brow lift. Her lift turned out great but more importantly, she awoke from surgery migraine free. The surgeon who performed the surgery was perplexed and intrigued. Over the next 10 years, he and others worked to discover the mechanism of her improvement. The results of multiple studies demonstrated that lasting, often-permanent migraine relief can come from releasing pressure on a few key sensory nerves around the head — something that occurred with this patient’s brow lift.

The Migraine Relief Center is a medical practice dedicated to providing patients with long-term relief from migraine headaches based on these medical breakthroughs.

Who are your customers?

Of the patients who come to our office, most have already tried and failed multiple classes of medications. No primary care referral is necessary and we offer complimentary consultations.

The practice sees a wide range of patients. Migraine headaches can occur in both men and women, in all age groups, from children to seniors. Women are three times more likely to have migraines, so they make up a larger part of the practice.

What makes someone a good candidate for migraine surgery?

Good candidates are patients who have two or more migraines per month, who have tried traditional oral medications and have not seen improvement. Patients who are on medications and get good relief but wish to discontinue medications also make good candidates.

Patients who find migraine relief from Botox injections or have shown temporary improvement with a nerve block to their migraine site are most likely to benefit from surgical decompression of the migraine site.

Why open a center specifically dedicated to migraine relief?

The first time I performed the surgery on a patient, I witnessed an incredible transformation. From that moment on, I realized I needed to reach more people in need. Having a center gives patients a place to learn about the treatment, explore options, interact with other patients and decide for themselves if surgery is right for them.

What are the benefits of migraine surgery?

Surgery is a holistic treatment — if there is an identifiable problem, the aim is to fix it, not medicate it. Many of the medications for migraine headaches have terrible systemic side effects. Often times a migraine sufferer has to decide whether to take the medication and deal with the side effect or suffer with the migraine for the day. Surgery not only frees patients from their headaches, it frees them from their medications. Obviously, being headache-free means being able to live your life again the way you want to. For many migraine sufferers, the headaches can be a daily prison.

What makes your business unique?

While there may be other migraine treatments out there and other medical professionals who treat migraine headaches, we believe the proof is in our patients. They are getting better, sometimes for the first time in their lives. We ask the physicians who do refer to our practice to send us their most difficult migraine patients. For instance, one recent patient stated that for 40 years, she felt like a spike was being driven into the top of her head. She had been seen by over 20 specialists in her lifetime and had tried nearly every medication on the market. This patient underwent decompression of three migraine sites and today she is migraine free.

What is the hardest part about doing business in Las Vegas?

As a physician, I think the city needs another medical school. There are a lot of underserved areas and we need to keep turning out great doctors who want to stay and practice here. We need to train others to do the work that we are doing today.

What is your business philosophy?

Work hard and try to exceed expectations. Provide exceptional customer service and have a great bedside manner. Successful treatments and happy patients equal success.

What’s the most important part of your job?

If you personally know someone who suffers from chronic migraines, then you know how debilitating this condition can be. When I see a person suffering from migraines, I see the obstacle in their life and removing it is what I strive to do.

What is the best part about doing business in Las Vegas?

Las Vegas is an awesome city. We have a diverse group of people who have a persistent pioneer type of mentality. It's a place of “can-do” individuals who are forging new trails even today.

What obstacle has your business overcome?

The biggest obstacle is the acceptance that migraines can be treated surgically. For decades, we were taught that migraines came from something inside our heads. Physicians medicated, medicated, medicated but never really understood what it was that we were medicating. Rational thinking says that if something like a nerve is chronically compressed, no medication can decompress it. We learned this 75 years ago with carpal tunnel syndrome, and we are just beginning to understand this with migraines. It is still a shock to the neurology community that this discovery came from the world of plastic surgery, but I cannot blame them. If a neurologist discovered the perfect forehead lift, I would probably raise an eyebrow too, no pun intended.

How can Nevada improve its business climate?

We need to attract innovators and business owners to the idea that this is a living city. When patients from outside Las Vegas travel to our office, it is often the first time that they have ever visited Las Vegas outside of the Strip. Many of them cannot believe how nice the community is. We can do a better job of showcasing this city as a place to raise a family and grow your dreams.