HOW TO FIND RELIEF FROM MIGRAINE

by Rosemary with Wade Rowland Dudley ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 20, 1982

A friendly, knowledgeable guide that combines strong support from fellow-sufferers with background medical information and practical tips on living with the disease: migraine, in short, is not just another form of headache. Dudley started the Canada-based Migraine Foundation in 1974, after being officially diagnosed as having migraines; her own expertise is bolstered by the experiences of ""over 280,000 migraine sufferers"" in contact with the Foundation. Some myths topple. Migraine is not a psychosomatic or neurotic condition, though attacks may sometimes be triggered by stress--it's an inherited physical disorder of the vascular system. And while men were once thought to be only rarely afflicted by migraines, we now know that they share the problem almost equally with women (hormones do make some difference)--but are ""far more prone to try to ignore or conceal"" the problem, and less likely to seek help. Considerable attention is paid here to triggers (certain foods are frequent culprits)--whose elimination or avoidance can greatly reduce the number of attacks. Discussion of both self-help techniques and medical treatment follows. (Alternative therapies--hypnosis, yoga, etc.--are neither endorsed nor condemned; at best, they're ""supportive."") A cure for migraine is unlikely, Dudley and Rowland conclude, ""as long as so many questions about the chemical and biological genesis remain unanswered."" For the present, their book has much to offer--that's not in the run of headache books.

Pub Date: May 20, 1982

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Beaufort-dist. by Scribners

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1982

Categories: NONFICTION