Please Help to Get Better Migraine Treatment

The Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy (AHDA) is asking for our support for their second "Headache on the Hill" (HOH), to be held February 23 and 24, 2009.  This HOH will be similar to the first one held in September, 2007 and is

...intended to bring headache clinical and research specialists and patient advocate leaders to Washington, DC to educate members of Congress and their staffs about the problem of NIH under-funding of headache research and to suggest remedies. 

Last spring, emails, prompted by the AHDA, sent by us Migraineurs and our friends and family, to state Senators and House Members had a very positive impact and

...led to the adoption of the House and Senate report language that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is currently responding to.

You can help by signing up for AHDA "Action Alerts" emails.  When the AHDA needs help they will send you an "Action Alert" and ask for your support by doing things such as contacting your state Senators and House Members.  The AHDA provides a letter for you to use that is already written.  If you'd like, you can personalize it.  The email is automatically sent to your state representatives without you having to go to the trouble of looking up their contact information.  Sending an email will take you less than 10 minutes.

I know you understand how important this is so please take a few minutes and sign up for "Action Alerts" now. 

For more information please click HERE to go to this MyMigraineConnection article written by Teri Robert. 

Click HERE to go to the AHDA's site.
To join the AHDA mailing list click HERE.

School-Age Migraine and Headache Sufferers Head Back to School

Teri Robert has written a very helpful article about going Back To School With Migraines or Headaches. She states:

When your child has a chronic illness, whether it's headaches, Migraines, or a different illness entirely, we really can't afford to put off getting our children ready for school. There are extra steps that need to be taken; extra preparations that need to be made. In the Miss America scholarship pageant program, they have a motto. They call it "the Ps..."

If your kids suffer with Migraine disease or headaches, you may want to read the entire article HERE.

Migraine Expressions: A Creative Journey through Life with Migraine

If you haven't heard of or seen the book, Migraine Expressions: A Creative Journey through Life with Migraine yet, you have got to check it out. This magnificent anthology, compiled and edited by Betsy Baxter Blondin, contains art, poetry, essays and photography contributed by 124 writers and artists, all either Migraineurs or loved ones, from many states and countries.

You can order the 192 page hardcover book from Word Metro Press. The book normally retails for $34.95 but right now you can order it for the special price of $27.95. Part of the proceeds will be contributed to Migraine research and advocacy organizations.

More information can be found in the press release below.

NEW MIGRAINE ART AND LITERATURE BOOK FROM WORD METRO PRESS

Groundbreaking book depicts migraine in insightful visual and written art from migraineurs worldwide


San Diego, California, July 16, 2008 – Migraine Expressions: A Creative Journey through Life with Migraine illustrates in breathtaking art, poetry, essays and photography some of the ways tens of millions of people worldwide live, work, feel and love while trying to minimize attacks and manage symptoms of this often-debilitating disease. The courage and strength that takes is illuminated in this dramatic work from 124 writers and artists in many states and countries.

No other book expresses migraine in both words and art of people who suffer the symptoms and survive the disease; most books about migraine are from experts who define, explain, and offer advice on how to manage it. This book will complement existing information, be instrumental for people with migraine to share experiences and communicate feelings, and serve as a tool for furthering understanding among non-migraineurs.

Migraine is a neurobiological disease impacting more than 30 million people in the United States and similarly 12 to 15 percent of people in most countries of the world. It is a debilitating and little-understood disorder that is finally attracting the long-overdue attention it urgently needs in medical research and treatment arenas as well as in the general media. Celebrities, athletes and well-known professionals appear more and more often to share their stories or in news items of crippling migraine attacks. They represent many millions of others around the world.

Suzanne E. Simons, Executive Director of the National Headache Foundation, commented, “Congratulations! The images and the words are compelling. Migraineurs will relate to the visual images and poems. Those who don’t suffer may be better able to empathize after reading the book.”

The book includes a foreword by leading migraine educator, advocate and author, Teri Robert, Ph.D., who says, “Projects such as Migraine Expressions are rare, priceless, and sorely needed. They offer an intimate view of the impact of migraine disease. The works of art in this book are deeply personal and revealing. They are heart-wrenching and inspiring, filled with both terror and hope.”

And Richard B. Lipton, MD, Professor of Neurology and Director, Montefiore Headache Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, claims, "Migraine Expressions reveals a neurobiological disease from many highly personal perspectives as contributors transform their experiences into stunning verbal and visual art. The book will help people with migraine find their individual voices even as they recognize the universality of their shared experiences.”

Book details: Hardcover, 192 pages, full color, 8.5 by 11 inches, available from publisher at www.wordmetropress.com July 21, 2008, $34.95 retail. Editor is available for interviews, appearances and book signings.