Dr. Gary Keilson was almost thirty years old when he applied to medical school, having worked in toxicology and environmental health as his first career. “I enjoyed my job but later became interested in medicine and thought I would enjoy having more interaction with people. So even though my wife was pregnant with twins at the time I decided to go to medical school and become a physician.”

As a neurologist, Dr. Keilson treats everything from migraine headaches and back pain to more serious conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. One of the things Dr. Keilson works hard at is reassuring his patients. “A lot of people come in and are worried that something is terribly wrong with them and most of the time that is not the case. Many of the diseases that we treat are variable. Plus there are always new treatments being developed that have the potential to help people.”

Dr. Keilson has a special interest in treating those suffering from various kinds of headaches, as well as neuro-muscular diseases. “Most headaches are caused by a chemical imbalance. The research is still in its infancy with headaches, but we’ve learned there is a hormonal component and there is a genetic component. A lot of people are resigned to living with headaches but treatment can really make a difference. I encourage anyone suffering from headaches to talk to their doctor.”

Dr. Keilson hopes that many of the neurological diseases that are difficult to treat now will have better options in the future. “We have made progress in many areas but diseases like ALS and Huntington’s chorea still have no effective treatments. However, there are medications available now for diseases like Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s that simply weren’t available 10 years ago. I expect we will see better medications in the future for many of the diseases we deal with.”

Dr. Keilson enjoys the detective work that it takes to find the underlying cause of a neurological illness. “I enjoy studying a patient’s neuroanatomy, the structure of the brain and the nervous system. It’s fascinating the way you can pinpoint different problems based on anatomy. Neurologists also perform neuralgic exams, and I enjoy the hands-on aspect of that kind of medicine.”

Dr. Keilson also enjoys working with his many colleagues in the Division of Neurology at Reliant Medical Group. “There is a lot of collegiality within our group. We discuss difficult cases with each other and always try to help each other out. We also have a very dedicated support staff and that really makes a difference in patient care.”