Headache Through the Ages Archives - Headache and Migraine News

3 December 2012

Headache Godfather

I’m very excited to announce a new book – a book about a headache specialist, who has been often quoted here, and who continues (at the age of 87) to fight for headache patients.

The book is called Headache Godfather. It’s the story of Dr. Seymour Diamond, who founded the first private headache practice in the USA.

Let me just quote the first bit of the book:

In a series of cards and letters that Dr. Seymour Diamond received after announcing his retirement from the Diamond Headache Clinic, there’s a phrase that appears frequently and is most often followed by an exclamation point: “You saved my life!”

You might expect that statement in a letter to an emergency-room physician who’d literally helped his patients cheat death when they’d suffered physical trauma from automobile accidents or other violent disasters, but Seymour is a headache doctor. And these expressions of gratitude come from people who suffered from diseases that had no treatment-and little respect as an actual disease-until Dr. Diamond with his pioneering headache-medicine mentors and peers accepted their patients’ head pain complaints as legitimate and treatable medical conditions.

Whatever you may or may not know about Dr. Diamond and his work, this much is clear: the world of headache and migraine treatment has been completely transformed in his lifetime – and his work was at the heart of that transformation.

This book is brand new, and would make a great gift for anyone who is interested in headache and migraine treatment. Not only do you get history and a fascinating biography, you’ll also learn about the “secret” world of migraine treatment – politics, medicine, doctors, patients, suffering – so many things meet together (and not always on friendly terms!) in that world.

The book is available in paperback. It’s also available in amazon UK.

This book is actually the personal memories of Dr. Diamond, written by Charlie Morey. Now Mr. Morey told me the story behind the story – he’s actually Dr. Diamond’s son-in-law. Pretty cool! So you know you will get a personal touch from Dr. Diamond that you probably wouldn’t see elsewhere.

In addition, Mr. Morey has allowed me to offer you the first few pages of the book to whet your appetite! So if you’ve read this far, here’s your bonus – download the first bit of Headache Godfather here (pdf 537kb).

Speaking of Dr. Diamond, I was just reminded of one of his other books (did you know he has published 73 books?!) which is actually another fun gift for a headache patients. It’s called Headache Through the Ages, and you can still get it at amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. It’s a fascinating tour through history, looking at interesting headache patients and unbelievable treatments. I have one here in front of me – beautiful book.

But back to Headache Godfather – thanks again to Charlie Morey and Dr. Seymour Diamond for this book! Check it out here. Enjoy! 🙂

18 November 2005

Headache sufferer’s Christmas wish list

James Resources 0

It’s on my wish list this Christmas. Check it out! This book, entitled Headache Through the Ages, was published this past August. It was written by Dr Seymour Diamond and Mary A Franklin. Of course, Dr Diamond is a well known headache specialist in the USA. Mary Franklin is a long time staff member at the Diamond Headache Clinic. She also worked with Diamond on Conquering Your Migraine.

Now we all know that lots of famous people have suffered from headaches and migraine attacks. This book gives you a sweeping view of history. How did people deal with their symptoms in the past? How did the great artists, writers, and poets express their struggles through their art? How have the headache sufferers of ancient Assyria, or Victorian England influence our modern culture? These are people who haven’t endured in silence, but have left a legacy for the whole world.

So raise up your head and be aware that if you’re a migraineur or headache sufferer, you’re in respectable company. I think this would be a neat Christmas gift. Now I see over at the National Headache Foundation that they were actually preselling autographed copies. You might be wise to double check if that deal is still available now that the book is out. If so, the book will make an even more unique gift. It’s on my list!