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Padgitt explains how to deal with migraines at Poland library presentation
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.Dr. Kathleen Padgitt gave a presentation at the Poland library about how people can combat migraines in ways other than conventional medication.
By TIM CLEVELAND
During her more than 25 years as a physician, Dr. Kathleen Padgitt has dedicated herself to studying and trying to find ways that people can reduce and eliminate migraine headaches.
On Jan. 29, she gave a 45-minute presentation at the Poland library during which she discussed some of those techniques.
“What I would like people to understand are sort of the different types, the triggers, and then some of the more natural and holistic things that you can do a apart from the pharmaceutical medications,” she said. “I think a lot of people know about the pharmaceuticals. You can get that from your primary care doctor. But then there’s a lot of complementary medicine techniques that you can use for migraines.
“There’s also botanical supplements that have actually been shown in research trials to help treat migraines with very little side effects.”
Padgitt said suffering from migraines is tied in with other parts of the body.
“Migraines are really tied into a whole host of chronic inflammatory processes that really have very deep roots in lifestyle and nutrition and I’m just very interested in in helping people understand that there’s something besides just taking a pill that they can do,” she said. “People have the autonomy and they have the ability to control whatever the process is and prevent it.”
Padgitt practices at the Center for Lifestyle Change, which is located in the Boardman YMCA at 45 McClurg Road, where she runs an integrated medicine and holistic medicine clinic.
She is also a part of the Kidney Group with 10 other partners.
The main location is on Southwestern Run.
Padgitt graduated from Youngstown State University. She graduated from Northeast Ohio Medical University in 1989. She went on to train at Western Reserve Care System (now Valley Health Care) and Allegheny General Hospital for hypertension and nephrology. She recently completed an integrative medicine fellowship with Dr. Andrew Weil at the University of Arizona.
Padgitt named some of the specific techniques that she recommends to help people combat migraines.
“Some of the things that work really well are a supplement that’s on the market from the plant butterbur,” she said. “The supplement is called petadolex. That’s a trademarked botanical. That’s been shown very well in research trials to help migraines and prevent migraines.
“The other things are there’s some mindfulness techniques and some breathing techniques that have been shown to help it. Acupuncture has been shown to help it. Yoga has been shown to help it. There are a number of different things that you can do to help out with that.”