Brian McDonagh, M.D. is from Dublin, Ireland and has been in medical practice since 1970, with a focus on primary care, with a practice in Arlington Heights. Brian also completed training of rehab/restorative medicine at Wayne State, Detroit.

 

When he developed severe varicose veins during the 1970s, it led him to develop a successful injection treatment that out performed surgical vein stripping. It is now performed around the world. He opened 27 Vein Clinics of America but sold them in 2007 when  he developed arthritis in his knees. He learned of prolotherapy, had his knees treated, and he was so impressed with this that he went for training at UW-Madison. There, he learned about PIT which is the key to resolving chronic pain and certain forms of paralysis. 

 

In his Northbrook office, Brian uses PIT - Perineural Injection Therapy. This treatment was developed by Dr. John Lyftogt in New Zealand in 2004.  This is a new treatment for neuropathy, and as Brian shared, for so many other health issues from migraines, plantar fasciitis, dry eye, Carpal Tunnel, IBS, degenerative arthritis, bladder urgency, tennis elbow, shoulder injuries, some forms of fibromyalgia and MS. (I don't know about you, but I checked off about four of my ailments from this list!)

 

The patient helps to isolate the areas of pain to Brian, who will give that inflamed nerve or near-nerve an injection of a 5% dextrose solution - a common fluid used in medicine for IVs. The glucose solution (which is too diluted to affect diabetic patients) reduces the inflammation and therefore the pain because it is the lack of glucose that is causing the inflammation/pain. In many cases, the pain ceases after the first or first few injections.

 

These injections are not deep (only about half an inch) with a small/fine needle. There are no reported side effects from this treatment. Since this is still a relatively new treatment, it isn't covered by insurance yet. A single office visit with treatment will run about $350 - $500. Brian is very excited with PIT results that continue to stack up!

 

 

Being the inquisitive people that we are, we did pepper him with lots of questions. and he wasn't able to get to his favorite PIT results for MS. Brian's office is located at 60 Revere Drive #505, Northbrook. His daytime phone number is 847-612-2737.