Can the “Miracles on Park Avenue” SPG Block cure Essential Hypertension?
Sphenopalatine Ganglion blocks have over a One Hundred Year history of being safe and effective for a wide variety of chronic pain issues. They were the block used by Dr Milton Reder in his work made famous by the book “Miracles on Park Avenue”
A new article in the Journal of Cardiology “Infiltration of the sphenopalatine ganglion decreases blood pressure in newly diagnosed and never treated patients with essential hypertension.” looks at SPG Blocks as a possible primary treatment for essential Hypertension. (abstract below+
Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks (SPG Blocks) are frequently utilized to treat anxiety, depression, chronic pain and migraine and/or cluster headaches. It is helpful for stress related disorders like Fibromyalgia and TMJ disorders that are sympathetically maintained or induced. SPG blocks are considered an alternative to renal denervation.
The study concludes that “SBG block might be a promising, non-invasive, safe, painless and easy to perform therapeutic option of BP decrease. As with renal denervation, SBG should be effective in those hypertensive patients with an activated SNS, so a period of patient selection should precede the application of this procedure’.
Dr Shapira, is a dentist in Suburban Chicago area who teaches multiple approaches to blocking the Sphenopalatine Ganglion. In his practice which he sees patients from across the US and international patients as well. He utilizes the blocks as an adjunctive treatment for his TMJ (TMD) patients and for treating chronic Tension Headaches, New Daily Persistent Headache, Migraine Headache, Cluster Headache, Sunct, Hemicrania Continua and other problems.
Dr Shapira teaches physicians and dentists both nationally and internationally how to preform these miraculous blocks. He has personally done SPG Blocks since 1986. These blocks have been used since 1908 for Sluder’s Neuralgia which may be either cluster headaches, TMJ or migraine or a combination.
There are multiple methods to deliver the SPG Blocks including intra=oral injection, extra-oral injection, cotton tipped nasal catheters, flexible catheters. Regardless of how they are delivered there is almost universal improvement.
Dr Shapira strongly believes the best approach is self adminisrtered block done both as a preventive and abortive approach andf as a treatment. Self administration is inexpensive and easy and empowers patients.
Video testimonials about SPG Blocks are available on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/SPGBlocks/
and on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk9Bfz6pklC7_UluWFHzLrg
Infiltration of the sphenopalatine ganglion decreases blood pressure in newly diagnosed and never treated patients with essential hypertension.
Int J Cardiol. 2016 Nov
Triantafyllidi H1, Arvaniti C2, Palaiodimos L3, Vlachos S3, Schoinas A3, Batistaki C2, Kostopanagiotou G2, Lekakis J3.
BACKGROUND:
Sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG), an extracranial structure, is connected with the central nervous system (CNS) through sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves. We hypothesized that SPG block through sympathetic nerves anesthesia might decrease blood pressure (BP) in recently diagnosed and never treated middle-aged patients with essential hypertension.
METHODS:
We performed SBG block in 22 hypertensive patients (mean age 45±12years, 15 men). All patients have been subjected to 24hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring a week prior the procedure as well as in a period of 21-30days after the SBG block in order to estimate differences in 24h average systolic (24h SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (24h DBP), daytime, nighttime, pre-awake and early morning SBP and DBP as well as BP load.
RESULTS:
We found that 24h SBP (p=0.001) and 24h DBP (p<0.001), daytime SBP and DBP (p<0.001) as well as daytime SBP and DBP load (p=0.002 and p<0.001, respectively) were decreased in total population at 21-30days after SPG block. In 11/22 responders (24h SBP decrease ≥5mmHg), SBP and DBP were reduced during overall 24h and daytime (p<0.001) and nighttime periods (p=0.01 and p=0.06, respectively) while pre-awake SBP (p=0.09) along with daytime SBP and DBP load (p=0.07 and p=0.06, respectively) were also almost decreased.
CONCLUSIONS:
SBG block might be a promising, non-invasive, safe, painless and easy to perform therapeutic option of BP decrease. As with renal denervation, SBG should be effective in those hypertensive patients with an activated SNS, so a period of patient selection should precede the application of this procedure.
24h blood pressure measurement (24h ABPM); Arterial hypertension; Neural block; Sphenopalatine ganglion
This article covers SPG Blocks for Cluster Headaches:
Ther Adv Neurol Disord. 2014 May; 7(3): 162–168.
doi: 10.1177/1756285613510961
PMCID: PMC3994920
Sphenopalatine ganglion stimulation for the treatment of cluster headache