The Japanese Headache Society held its 40th anniversary congress in Tokyo from November 15th to 18th, 2012. This special congress was attended by more than 2,000 Japanese neurologists and headache experts. At the invitation of the President of the Japanese Headache Society and former President of the International Headache Society, Professor Fumihiko Sakai, Professor Dr. Hartmut Göbel presented modern European treatment options for migraine and headaches in three lectures. The Japanese headache experts and Japanese health policymakers showed particular interest in the concept of the Migraine and Headache Center at the Kiel Pain Clinic and in the nationwide headache treatment network. Although Japan has a population of more than 130 million, there are only a few specialized facilities for the treatment of migraine and headaches. A Japanese delegation had already traveled to Kiel a year earlier to learn about the concept here and to discuss possible implementation options for Japan. The desire now existed to present the initiation and implementation of a neurological-behavioral medicine pain clinic in Kiel as a model for headache centers in Japan to the Japanese professional community on site in Tokyo.
In Japan and other parts of Asia, modern headache therapy is a key indicator of an effective healthcare system focused on the well-being of the population. Therefore, making appropriate, up-to-date organizational and treatment concepts for migraine and headache therapy readily available to the public has been identified as an important future objective. The experiences and implementation of a migraine and headache center based on the concept of the Kiel Pain Clinic have been given considerable attention. It was agreed to establish a formal partnership between the Kiel Pain Clinic and a migraine and headache center currently being established in Tokyo. This partnership will facilitate the mutual exchange of ideas for optimizing modern pain therapy. Staff exchanges between the two pain centers will also take place. Joint scientific approaches will enable improved future pain therapy. Furthermore, specific traditional Japanese therapies, such as acupuncture, will be subjected to scientific analysis.
Japan has a very active and innovative headache society. An Asian Headache Master School is scheduled for March 2013. Leading headache centers from around the world will train Asian headache experts there to improve the future care of migraine and headache patients. Europe will be represented by Prof. Dr. Göbel from the Kiel Pain Clinic. The unique aspects of the Japanese way of life and infrastructure will be complemented by international concepts in migraine and headache treatment. The integration of international ideas should ultimately lead to optimized care for the population.
The following photos provide some impressions from the 40th anniversary congress of the Japanese Headache Society.
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