Patient Education

Instruction for Taking Chinese Herbal Extract

Each dose is stored in a separate plastic sachet.

⇒ Place the contents into a clean glass or mug, then add 100 ml to 150 ml of boiled lukewarm water and dissolve the herbal extracts well (it takes 3-4 minutes) before drinking;

⇒ Best taken when it is lukewarm;

⇒ Frequency and time:
The herbal extract is to be taken 2 times a day, one sachet each time, one hour prior to:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

⇒ If you take it after meal, please take it 2 – 3 hours after meal. If you can’t take it before and after meal, you may also take it in the middle of meal.

 

Please contact your Chinese medicine doctor if further clarification is required.

 

Nowadays, patients are keen to collect information from various sources, including their friends, social media, and Dr. Google. The information and understanding of the conditions are critical to make informed decisions. As a doctor, I encourage my patients to learn more about their conditions. On the other hand, the information can be biased or be difficult to interpret. In order to provide credible and understandable information, I am going to select clinically relevant, peer-reviewed and credible articles for our patients. In addition, I would like to present the information in those paper in a way that general population can understand. I would like to call it Journal Club for Patients, and our mission is to provide reliable information in plain language.

Sphenopalatine ganglion stimulation

Pregnancy

 

Sphenopalantine ganglion block/stimulation

 

What is The Sphenopalatine Ganglion?

The sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) is a collection of nerve cells located deep in the face. SPG is closely associated with the facial nerve and trigeminal nerve, which is the main nerve involved in headache disorders. It contains autonomic nerves (sympathetic and parasympathetic) and sensory nerves. In the SPG, these autonomic nerves supply the lacrimal glands (which produces tears) and the inner lining of the nose and sinuses (which produces nasal discharge or congestion).

   

The SPG has connections to the brainstem (where cluster and migraine attacks may be generated) and to the meninges (coverings of the brain) by the trigeminal nerve. Inflammation and opening of the blood vessels around the meninges occur, which activate pain receptors that send pain impulses through the trigeminal nerve, eventually to the sensory area of the brain, and are perceived as pain. In migraine and cluster headache, nerves carrying these pain signals pass through the SPG, with some making connections to the autonomic nerves. This explains why in cluster headache, and sometimes in migraine, we see autonomic features including tearing of the eyes and nasal congestion or discharge.

 
    

 

 

What are the risks?

 

The risks of the procedure are typically minimal. They include discomfort during and after the procedure, a numb sensation when swallowing, minor bleeding and light-headedness. These side effects typically resolve within minutes to a few hours. There is a very small risk of seizures, infection and allergic reactions.

 

Acupuncture is the good therapy for headaches during pregnancy