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In this issue, Doctor George Urban of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago,
explores the complexities of cluster headache and its treatment. While reading this
article, I thought of my friend and colleague, Robert E. Ryan, Sr., MD, of St. Louis,
who passed on March 30, 2015. Bob Ryan was truly a pioneer of headache medicine.
He was a founding member of the American Association for the Study of Headache (now the American Headache Society) and helped facilitate the founding of
the National Headache Foundation. He also was one of the original editors of the
professional journal, Headache.
If you think a headache is just a headache, think again. Millions of
Americans suffer from migraines, ,cluster headaches, and other serious
headache disorders. Chances are, headache disorders affect you or
someone you love.
Join the cause by becoming a member of the National Headache
Foundation, the world’s largest voluntary organization for the support
of people with migraine and headache disorders. For 45 years, the
NHF has assisted millions of individuals and inspired hope through
awareness, advocacy, education, and research.
Individual membership:
Professional membership:
Physician (M.D. or D.O.):
Allied health:
$20 per year
$125 per year
$75 per year
With your membership, you’ll receive:
A subscription to HeadWise® magazine
The NHF News to Know monthly e-newsletter:
Access to a wealth of headache research, support,
and information. Plus, your donation will support
the NHF and help advance headache advocacy,
education, and research.
Drs. Seymour Diamond, Marcia Wilkinson, Robert Ryan Sr.
at City Migraine Clinic, London, 1971
Dr. Ryan was a great proponent of histamine desensitization therapy for headaches
– a treatment which is still used for chronic cluster headaches at the Diamond Headache Clinic. Bob had completed an otolaryngology (ENT) residency at the Mayo
Clinic in Rochester, MN, and was a student of Dr. Bayard T. Horton who published
extensively on histamine for headaches. When I first started treating headaches,
Bob invited me to the Ryan Headache Clinic in St. Louis to observe his patients
receiving histamine therapy. Histamine has never been utilized extensively with the
exception of colleagues and students of Bayard Horton, and with those who have
had the opportunity to observe its efficacy at the Diamond Headache Clinic or the
Ryan Headache Clinic. Despite the publication of articles documenting the success
of histamine therapy in recidivist cluster headache patients, the medical profession
has long ignored an effective therapy.
Dr. Bob Ryan was known for his devotion to his patients and to the St. Louis
Cardinals. His contributions to headache medicine are significant. On behalf of the
Board of the National Headache Foundation, I would like to express our condolences
to his son, Robert E. Ryan, Jr., MD, a former NHF Board member, and the rest of
the Ryan family.
Seymour Diamond, M.D.
Chicago, Illinois
To join, go to www.headaches.org/become-a-member/
or call 1-888-NHF-5552
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HeadW ise ®
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Volume 4, Issue 3 • 2015
www.headaches.org
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National Headache Foundation
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