Over 12% of North Americans suffer from migraine every year. Has chronic head pain reached epidemic proportions? A large group of chronic head pain patients have eluded all convention medical treatments because over 80% of pain conditions in the head and neck area actually have some component that involve the oral cavity and the jaw. Until recently, there has not been a way to properly and systematically assess this complex condition. A breakthrough technique was recently introduced. By combining technologically advanced assessment tools from both medicine and dentistry all injured structures are identified. Dentists, with their basic medical training, and extensive knowledge in the head and neck area are the best choice to carry out these assessments and procedures. Since 1 in 5 people in the general public will have suffered one or more of these pain conditions in the past year, the assessment and treatment in ‘Hidden Secrets of Migraine Headaches’ will be essential to you or someone you know.
Need some answers about the secrets of migraines? Cheng Lun Wang has joined me today to unravel some of the causes and solutions documented in ‘Hidden Secrets of Migraine Headaches’. Cheng, thanks for joining me today, I appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to inform both myself and the audience about the world of migraines. Professionally, you are a dentist correct?
Yes, I am a dentist by profession, an orthodontic specialist actually. I work with the alignment of teeth and jaws. I have been working as a dentist for over 25 years.
For many readers I would expect that they view migraines as outside of your pervue. What pushed you as a dentist to write about migraines?
In the course of treating patients with jaw pain, I came across a sub group of chronic headache patients that were suffering with routine medical and dental solutions. I began to study further about pain causes in the head and neck area. The solution is a multi-step diagnostic system to pin point all the injuries and disorders in the head and neck area to be used in comprehensive treatment to get to the root cause of their problem.
What were some of the disciplines that you researched further?
I conducted research into the latest medical, physiotherapy, sports medicine, holistic medicine, and dental treatments for head and neck pain. It became clear that a combination of many techniques is needed in dealing with complex chronic pain syndromes.
Have you personally experienced chronic head and neck pain?
During my second year of dental school I had a two-week period of intense examinations. I experienced a bout of lock jaw, clenching, clicking of jaw joint and severe pain. I went to see the foremost expert in jaw pain at the time for treatment. What I got was two magnets taped to the side of my face. I thought at the time, is this the best we can do for our patients? The pain eventually subsided, but I am left with chronic jaw clicking and clenching. 30 years later, and enough clinic experience and research has allowed me definitively answer that question and more. We have better understanding of pain triggers, transmission, and effects.
Wow, I can really see how that personal experience and the side effects that you are still experiencing today would fuel your drive to address this problem, on top of trying to solve this problem for a significant number of your patients. What do you feel is the most important understanding that you hope chronic pain suffers can take from this book?
Instead of being dependent on drugs and medication to mask your chronic pain issues, a well-trained dentist holds the keys to lasting headaches and migraine relief.
What was the most satisfying aspect about putting this book together for you?
Knowing that we are able to reach thousands of chronic head pain sufferers that have not found relief for months, years, or some cases, decades, giving them understanding and hope for finally finding a solution to what is holding them back form enjoying their life.
After finding a successful a solution for so many patients, have you turned your writing attentions to a new arena of medical science that you feel is not being treated effectively as it could be?
Yes, I’m writing a book on obstructive sleep apnoea. This is another chronic life threatening disorder that is gaining more attention in the general public. Thousands of people suffer from this disorder, and there are better techniques to detect this disorder and we want people to hear about it.
When you start one of your new writing projects, whether it be about chronic headaches or sleep apnoea, do you know ultimately know the most important aspect that you want to communicate to the readers before you start writing? Or are you still researching and don’t see a clear ending at that stage?
Since this is a non-fiction book, I do know what I want to say from the beginning. However, I do see that the book will need to be edited from time to time as to keep up with the latest innovations.
For the sake of all of the readers requiring pain relief, I hope that you have many opportunities to research new editions with more and more effective and successful treatments. When you have started writing, what keeps you on track?
I set a goal of number of words for the book. Then I set a number of hours to spend each day and each week.
It sounds like you do have a fairly structured writing process. Does this process also have built-in ways to cater for addressing writer’s block?
Yes, I will take a time out, go back to my outline, look at the points that I am trying to make, look at the overall structure of my writing, and come up with things that I want to say next. If it is a story or example that I am trying to make, I will think about daily events that have happened recently or in the past that can give me inspiration.
Once you have been inspired, how do you work through the process of editing?
I do the initial editing, going through the grammar and spelling first, then I go through and verify sources and quotes, and finally, I read through the whole text to make sure it flows properly. It is after this process, do I send the manuscript to a professional editor, to have the same process done through a book editor.
Other than employing the services of editors, do you have any top tips to help other’s realise their own dreams of self-publishing?
Get a coach or mentor, someone who has lots of experience in what you are doing. They can help guide you through the logistics of the process, and give you advice on what not to do and how to get through the work efficiently. Most importantly, they can help you set realistic goals, what you want to accomplish each week, each day, each sitting. By concentrating on small tasks, it makes the process much more attainable and focused.
Keeping that focus in check is key for any goal that you want to achieve. Speaking of focus, I’d like to move ours a little towards the final stage of today’s interview, the quick fire round where the minds of great authors are explored through questions of various substances. Let’s get this round running with: Are you a valuable asset on a quiz team?
In some ways.
I’m thinking that you’re a great asset to a quiz team; you’re just being modest! What is your zodiac sign?
Libra
What is your favourite ocean?
Pacific
Are you introvert or extrovert?
Introverted
If they made a movie from your book who would you choose to play the main characters?
Myself
*Laughs* Fantastic! And it does make the co-ordinating of casting so much easier! Would you have a cast party with the characters in your book, besides yourself, if they could come to life?
Absolutely, they are all real live patients anyway. It sounds like a great idea to gather them together to celebrate finding a solution to their problems and getting back to life!
Now that I think about it, having a return to health party sounds much more rewarding than a cast party. Either way, hanging out with so many people who have a new lease on life would be awesome. Speaking of awesome experiences, have you ever danced in the rain?
Not that I can remember, but have bicycled in the rain, and that feeling of physical exertion, along with the need to keep speed and balance in check, all the while feeling the rain and wind crashing in on your body really gives you sense of being alive!
Yep, you’d be feeling very alive, and feeling very lucky to be alive after that! Are you left or right handed?
Right
How are the colours in rainbows made?
Refraction
What is your favourite flavor of ice-cream?
Jamocha almond fudge
Yum! Do you have any philosophies that you live by?
As a healer by profession, I accept the fact that our body is a wonderful, intricate, complex being that was gifted to us. It has the natural ability to heal, and us as practitioners in the art of healing, merely unlocks that natural ability.
Cheng, thank you for generously showing us the mind of a healer and I wish you the best of luck with solving the pain problems for chronic suffers today, and solving the chronic sleep problems of others in the future.
Want to find out more about Cheng Lun Wang? Connect here!