Charlie Morey's Blog
December 29, 2012
Book Review: Headache Godfather
Dr. Seymour Diamond generously shares his professional and personal life experience in the field of headache treatment and research in this lively conversation-based memoir. His life story unfolds naturally, interwoven with the milestones in headache diagnosis and treatment for the past half century.
When headache medicine began as a recognized scientific field, no single medical specialty took ownership. Neurologists appeared most interested in diagnosis but there was little information about treatment. With his background in primary care, Dr. Diamond was well suited to become a pioneer in headache management.
Throughout his life, Dr. Diamond demonstrates tremendous energy and strength of character to meet the challenges inherent in developing headache management as a medical specialty. What comes across clearly in this chronicle is his focus on the patient: establishing a relationship, quality of care, communication, and education. His career achieves the establishment of the National Headache Foundation as a key organization for headache sufferers, and the creation of the Diamond Headache Clinic as the first multidisciplinary patient oriented continuity-type practice with an available acute inpatient hospital unit.
The National Headache Foundation's role in funding research and education has been a great source of satisfaction to Dr. Diamond. These are diverse and include grants for clinical studies as well as travel to educational meetings for providers training in headache medicine.
His experience in medicine is rich and varied with a background in family practice, training in neurosurgery, and a preceptorship in neurology. Participation in headache research and clinical studies involving drugs to treat headache sufferers grows naturally from his interest in patient care. This leads to a ground- breaking open-label study on tricyclic medication for headache patients in the 1960’s, and studies of propanolol for migraine prevention. Both medications are still mainstream for migraine treatment.
Through engaging anecdotes of interactions with patients, famous headache physicians, the media, and numerous world travels to educate the public about headache, the narrative reveals the experiences that create this established expert in his field. Family portraits and the meaningful relationships built over many years with friends and colleagues are featured as well. His career includes many honors and awards including an appointment in 1981 as Executive Officer of the Migraine and Headache Research Group of the World Federation of Neurology. His publications include the first comprehensive book about headache for the public, “More Than Two Aspirin: Hope for your Headache Problem,” and his manual for clinicians, “Practical Physicians Guide to Headache”. Of note in this publication, he provides information for continuing patient care, beyond intervention on a one-time basis.
His accomplishments are balanced by descriptions of the difficult times in his personal and professional life. He has met these challenges with his characteristic tenacious attitude and problem solving solutions. Currently, he has retired from medical practice and now continues to work at the National Headache Foundation in an advisory role. Dr. Diamond’s legacy includes the establishment of a headache fellowship in his name by Dr. Jose Biller in the Department of Neurology at Loyola University of Chicago/Stritch School of Medicine in 2010.
This book will be of great interest to anyone trying to understand headache medicine from an historical perspective. Readers with a medical background and those without one will find the writing style easily accessible.
Mark W. Green M.D.
Professor of Neurology, Anesthesiology, and Rehabilitation Medicine
Director of Headache and Pain Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York, NY
When headache medicine began as a recognized scientific field, no single medical specialty took ownership. Neurologists appeared most interested in diagnosis but there was little information about treatment. With his background in primary care, Dr. Diamond was well suited to become a pioneer in headache management.
Throughout his life, Dr. Diamond demonstrates tremendous energy and strength of character to meet the challenges inherent in developing headache management as a medical specialty. What comes across clearly in this chronicle is his focus on the patient: establishing a relationship, quality of care, communication, and education. His career achieves the establishment of the National Headache Foundation as a key organization for headache sufferers, and the creation of the Diamond Headache Clinic as the first multidisciplinary patient oriented continuity-type practice with an available acute inpatient hospital unit.
The National Headache Foundation's role in funding research and education has been a great source of satisfaction to Dr. Diamond. These are diverse and include grants for clinical studies as well as travel to educational meetings for providers training in headache medicine.
His experience in medicine is rich and varied with a background in family practice, training in neurosurgery, and a preceptorship in neurology. Participation in headache research and clinical studies involving drugs to treat headache sufferers grows naturally from his interest in patient care. This leads to a ground- breaking open-label study on tricyclic medication for headache patients in the 1960’s, and studies of propanolol for migraine prevention. Both medications are still mainstream for migraine treatment.
Through engaging anecdotes of interactions with patients, famous headache physicians, the media, and numerous world travels to educate the public about headache, the narrative reveals the experiences that create this established expert in his field. Family portraits and the meaningful relationships built over many years with friends and colleagues are featured as well. His career includes many honors and awards including an appointment in 1981 as Executive Officer of the Migraine and Headache Research Group of the World Federation of Neurology. His publications include the first comprehensive book about headache for the public, “More Than Two Aspirin: Hope for your Headache Problem,” and his manual for clinicians, “Practical Physicians Guide to Headache”. Of note in this publication, he provides information for continuing patient care, beyond intervention on a one-time basis.
His accomplishments are balanced by descriptions of the difficult times in his personal and professional life. He has met these challenges with his characteristic tenacious attitude and problem solving solutions. Currently, he has retired from medical practice and now continues to work at the National Headache Foundation in an advisory role. Dr. Diamond’s legacy includes the establishment of a headache fellowship in his name by Dr. Jose Biller in the Department of Neurology at Loyola University of Chicago/Stritch School of Medicine in 2010.
This book will be of great interest to anyone trying to understand headache medicine from an historical perspective. Readers with a medical background and those without one will find the writing style easily accessible.
Mark W. Green M.D.
Professor of Neurology, Anesthesiology, and Rehabilitation Medicine
Director of Headache and Pain Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York, NY
