People who visit Dr. Traci Purath’s third-floor office at Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare’s Franklin hospital shouldn’t be surprised if they catch her hugging a patient who has just finished an appointment.
A neurologist who leads the hospital’s Comprehensive Headache Center, Purath is well-known among colleagues and patients for her compassion and dedication to people with debilitating migraine pain and headaches.
Purath became interested in treating people with headaches as a result of her husband’s experience as a longtime migraine sufferer. She knows firsthand that migraines can run in families; her children also have had migraines.
Purath takes an interdisciplinary approach to treating headache pain, helping patients make changes in their lives to lessen their headache frequency and intensity.
“People from all over Wisconsin – and outside of our state – visit her to find relief they can’t find anywhere else,” says Dan Mattes, president of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-Franklin and St. Francis.
When patients first come to the Headache Center, it’s not uncommon for Purath to learn that headache pain has been controlling their lives. She starts by listening to patients’ stories and assessing their symptoms. She has patients meet with a clinical psychologist to address the stress in their lives. Next, they meet with a physical therapist to assess body mechanics, such as posture, which might be influencing head or neck pain. Finally, the center’s dietitian works with patients to avoid certain foods that trigger headaches. Purath prescribes medication if necessary, but not in all circumstances.
“When patients walk out of the clinic, you can see the newfound confidence they have,” Purath says. “They have the realization that they are in control of their lives and that they are not alone with their pain.”
For patients who have long suffered with chronic headaches, it’s no wonder they want to give Purath a hug.
She is equally grateful, she says, to be able to make a difference in people’s lives.
“As a physician, I am extremely blessed.”
