My daughter has suffered with severe migraines for several months before we found Marc. She is 16 and could not continue on with the traditional school because her migraines were so debilitating. Eventually she had to take classes on-line through Keystone. Many days she was too weak and sick to do anything but cry from the pain. We were worried sick! Initially we sought out a child neurologist who did his best to break the cycle of headaches. It did not. We felt so hopeless. In addition to the migraines she could not sleep either. All of this contributed to depression. After undergoing this ordeal, our neurologist suggested acupuncture. It has made a HUGE difference in our lives. We are so grateful to Marc, Sharon and the caring staff at Advanced Healthcare Solutions. Our daughters future looks brighter now and we thank Marc for his expertise and skill. Severe Migraines

Lauren has had an intractable migraine for almost 3 months. The migraines started 2 years ago and increased in frequency until she had one continuous migraine. Since January she has had a 5 day hospital stay at Wake Med, a five day hospital stay at UNC, an MRI, 2 lumbar punctures, and a number of powerful medications. Nothing helped and Lauren essentially spent 3 months in bed in a darkened bedroom. On a migraine forum, I read about people who recovered from intractable migraines through acupuncture. We came to Advanced Healthcare Solutions and our lives have changed so much. When we left the hospital, we felt hopelessness and despair. Now we have our lives back and our daughter has a future. I had not expected much when we decided to try acupuncture. It seemed like a nebulous idea with no foundation in science. Now I know better and would suggest it for anyone. Intractable Migraines

After my second child was born seven years ago, I started having menstrual migraines. At first they weren’t too bad and didn’t last more than a day or so. Unfortunately, as the years passed the migraines became more intense and lasted longer. For the last three years I was having severe migraines with nausea and vomiting that lasted for a minimum of three days and sometimes five or more. I went to my general practitioner, my gynecologist, and several neurologists. All of the medicines I tried either didn’t work or had intolerable side effects. At my last visit to the neurologist she told me there weren’t any other drugs to try and joked that I would have a reason to look forward to menopause. At the age of forty, I didn’t think I could stand another ten years or so of migraines every month. That’s when I started looking into acupuncture. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical but I was willing to give it a try especially since it didn’t have the negative side effects the drugs did. At my first visit, Marc and the others at Advanced Healthcare Solutions explained that it might take several months of bi-weekly acupuncture treatments before I would see significant results. They also suggested I do a test to see if my hormones were contributing to my problems. They started me on a combination of acupuncture treatments, Chinese herbal medicines and, based on my hormone test results, vitamin and progesterone supplements. I saw gradual improvements each month. After the first month of treatment, I took half the amount of medicine I usually did. The second month was about the same. By the third month, I only had a slight headache for one day and by the fourth month; I didn’t have to take any medicine. I was thrilled! I really feel like I have been given my life back now that I’m not miserable and barely functioning for ¼ of the year. Thank you! Menstrual Migraines

I nominate Marc Cutler for the Healthcare Heroes Award. Marc has made a breakthrough in successful treatment of many diseases and ailments. Utilizing Acupuncture, Oriental medicine, herbology, and massage to restore health and balance to his patients naturally. By combining traditional Chinese medicine and Acupuncture, he has successfully helped many patients with the many and varying conditions; most notably his work in the area of migraines headaches. Marc has researched and now implements a comprehensive natural treatment plan for a debilitating condition affecting 28 million Americans that is approximately 1 in 9 Americans. This results in $13 billion dollars in missed workdays. Marc uses a combination of acupuncture, herbal supplements, and teas to prevent and treat symptoms associated with migraine pain, vomiting, and nausea. I have suffered from migraines for 34 years. When I came to Marc’s practice, I had been suffering with migraines for 23 consecutive days. The last time I experienced a series of rebound migraines like this it lasted for 26 days. The treatment was 3-days (for 4-hours a day) of receiving IV drug therapy which left me like a zombie for 7-days. I missed 20-days of work and my quality of life was very poor. I vomited daily and lived with constant nausea. I received some relief from the IV therapy, but didn’t get complete relief. I was also faced with the fact that if this treatment didn’t work with the recommended treatment was 3-day drug induced coma. Within days of treatment the migraines were back. I began treatment with Marc in December 2004 and I have only had 4-migrains since December with zero migraines the month of February 2005. In addition I cannot remember feeling this healthy in a very long time. I am energetic, have mental clarity, and am more productive than ever. Marc has made a migraine miracle for me and possibly millions of other sufferers. I previously took 4 medications to prevent migraines and 2 different medications to treat the migraine. Today I don’t take any medication at all. I am happy to be free from all of the medication side-effects and to be migraine free. Marc has developed a practice that really provides a caring supportive environment where patients like myself feel at ease to talk about our symptoms without feeling rushed or like a number. The entire team at Advanced Healthcare Solutions, Marc’s practice, have been such a blessing to my life in my recovery from the ill effects of migraine pain and overmedication. I want to stress the fact that Marc didn’t make me stop taking any medication that I had been prescribed. I chose to stop the treatment on my own because it made me feel terrible and I wasn’t getting good results from traditional medicine. In fact, before coming to Marc, I was seeing two neurologists trying to find relief from the pain but ultimately seeking prevention. Marc and his team have put me on the right road to prevention and total health and well-being. As a result of being migraine free, I have started an exercise regime of weight lifting, cardio work, yoga, and Pilates. My family life has improved and my business is booming. I this is all a result of the treatment I receive from Marc and his practice along with the encouragement to make some lifestyle changes to include better stress management. Marc uses a combination of acupuncture, herbal supplements, and teas to prevent and treat symptoms associated with migraine pain, vomiting, and nausea. I have suffered from migraines for 34 years. When I came to Marc’s practice, I had been suffering with migraines for 23 consecutive days. The last time I experienced a series of rebound migraines like this it lasted for 26 days. The treatment was 3-days (for 4-hours a day) of receiving IV drug therapy which left me like a zombie for 7-days. I missed 20-days of work and my quality of life was very poor. I vomited daily and lived with constant nausea. I received some relief from the IV therapy, but didn’t get complete relief. I was also faced with the fact that if this treatment didn’t work with the recommended treatment was 3-day drug induced coma. Within days of treatment the migraines were back. I began treatment with Marc in December 2004 and I have only had 4-migrains since December with zero migraines the month of February 2005. In addition I cannot remember feeling this healthy in a very long time. I am energetic, have mental clarity, and am more productive than ever. Marc has made a migraine miracle for me and possibly millions of other sufferers. I previously took 4 medications to prevent migraines and 2 different medications to treat the migraine. Today I don’t take any medication at all. I am happy to be free from all of the medication side-effects and to be migraine free. Marc has developed a practice that really provides a caring supportive environment where patients like myself feel at ease to talk about our symptoms without feeling rushed or like a number. The entire team at Advanced Healthcare Solutions, Marc’s practice, have been such a blessing to my life in my recovery from the ill effects of migraine pain and overmedication. I want to stress the fact that Marc didn’t make me stop taking any medication that I had been prescribed. I chose to stop the treatment on my own because it made me feel terrible and I wasn’t getting good results from traditional medicine. In fact, before coming to Marc, I was seeing two neurologists trying to find relief from the pain but ultimately seeking prevention. Marc and his team have put me on the right road to prevention and total health and well-being. As a result of being migraine free, I have started an exercise regime of weight lifting, cardio work, yoga, and Pilates. My family life has improved and my business is booming. I this is all a result of the treatment I receive from Marc and his practice along with the encouragement to make some lifestyle changes to include better stress management. Chronic Migraine