International Headache Awareness Week 6th - 12th June

International Headache Awareness Week 6^th - 12^th June

To mark International Headache Awareness Week, South Africa’s leading medical headache specialists are giving headache and migraine sufferers in Johannesburg the rare opportunity to gain detailed information and advice on managing their condition at an open forum seminar taking place in Parktown on Monday 7^th June 2010. The seminar will be totally free of charge to the public.

International Headache Awareness Week takes place from 6^th – 12^th June. The aim is to raise worldwide awareness about this widely misdiagnosed condition. About 16-17% of the population gets a headache sometime in their life – that means over a billion people worldwide at some point get headaches. This percentage has been shown to be constant across races, cultures and income groups. Headache does not discriminate. In SA, a country of 49m people this equates to about 9m headache sufferers of all races, colors, creeds, and income groups.

The Chairman of the South African Headache Society Dr Elliot Shevel will be giving a talk on the importance of having safe and effective procedures to relieve the extreme symptoms of chronic headache. Dr Manney Orelowitz a consultant neurologist in Johannesburg will be discussing the warning signs for life threatening headaches. Nita Hargovan a physiotherapist who specializes in headache treatment will also be discussing how complementary therapies can benefit headache sufferers.

Other topics to be covered:

ü What the drug companies should be telling you about over-the-counter medication

ü Simple stretching techniques which have been proven to ease the pain of tension type headaches

ü How headache in children can lead to emotional problems

ü The latest breakthroughs in treatment

Mr. Daniel Shevel, CEO of The Headache Clinic, says: “Although headache is extremely common, sufferers can find themselves feeling very isolated. They often suffer in silence. They wrongly believe that little can be done to help. We would like to encourage people to make a positive step towards managing their headache by coming along to this friendly and informal event. They will have a rare opportunity to hear from a renowned expert panel in the field. There will be free information packages and lots of practical tips. Sufferers will also be able to share experiences with other suffers and with the specialist panel.”

The free seminar will be taking place on Monday 7^th June at The Headache Clinic’s offices on 45 Empire Road, Parktown, 17:30pm for 18:00pm. Admission is free and drinks and snacks will be provided. Pre-booking is essential as space is limited. For more information and to book a place, please call The Headache Clinic on 0861 678 911 or email info10@headclin.co.za.