by J. Wes Tanner, MD

“Wow! That was interesting. My heart started beating funny for a few beats and I wasn’t doing anything at all. Now, if this had happened a few minutes ago when I was exercising, I would be more worried. My chest did hurt a little, but it went away. I have been noticing this for years. I wonder if it is anything serious. After all it is my chest.”

One of the vogue diagnoses of the 1980′s was mitral valve prolapse (MVP). If you were one of these people, you probably were also prescribed antibiotics to be taken before dental procedures. Frequently a beta-blocker (medicine to slow down the heart rate) was prescribed for 6 months up to the rest of your life. Now this could be appropriate care because beta-blockers can prevent migraines. Even a blind hog finds an acorn! I cannot tell you how many people I treated with the right medicine without the problem being correctly explained.

This person falls into the migraine syndrome profile. Let me explain what I mean by the migraine syndrome. It is the outward expression of the body’s sensitivity to light, sound, smell, food, and/or stress. Some people are more sensitive than others; therefore, their reactions to different stimuli are greater. This sensitivity can be manifested in the body as migraines, sinus headaches, neck aches, palpitations, irritable bowel syndrome, motionsickness or vertigo, reactive hypoglycemia, temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ), panic attacks, and/or fibromyalgia. Now that’s a mouthful! Understanding what is going on with you is very important in the healing process.

About the author:

J. Wes Tanner, MD, is a family practice and headache specialist who has been treating people for over 30 years. He has extensive experience in treating migraines and fibromyalgia with excellent success. In Doctor, Why Do I Feel This Way?, Dr. Tanner exposes the secrets and myths about fibromyalgia and the migraine syndrome. To find out more, go to http://www.migrainesyndrome. net.