migraine art

24 November 2023

New Migraine Book Reminds Us, We’re Not Alone

A new book is not only reminding us that we’re not alone, but also being used to raise money to fight migraine.

It’s not the only one of its kind, but let’s face it, it’s been a full 15 years since the beautiful Migraine Expressions was published (a book I would still recommend, by the way!). It’s certainly time for another chapter in the story.

This book comes from a different source – our friends at Miles for Migraine. You’re probably familiar with the Run/Walk/Relax events that has made Miles for Migraine famous for raising awareness and raising funds. If there’s a season for these events, it tends to be more February to April, with a few other events later on. But the organization has expanded quite a bit in recent years, offering many other events and support groups online and offline, as well as resources and training. All the while, they help provide funds for migraine treatment and research.

But off-season or not, this is the season for giving, and the new book Dear Migraine: Migraine and headache inspired essays, poems and art is out just in time for Christmas. You might want to get it for a migraineur, or perhaps for a close friend or family member, to help them understand. As it says in the official promo:

Inside these pages you will find works that illustrate pain and struggle, but also laughter, insights, and inspiration. The words and visuals in this book are by 64 contributors who have all been affected by migraine and headache diseases.
Dear Migraine

But besides the value of the book itself, proceeds from the sales will go toward the work of Miles for Migraine. That’s how you give twice! Give through the links in this post, and you’ll also support the work of this website. That’s giving three ways at once! I think that’s the best I can do for today. 🙂

A special thanks to all of those who contributed!

3 May 2018

Explore a Remarkable “Migraine Art” Website

James News, Resources 0

We’ve talked a lot about migraine art. In fact, you can explore migraine art and add your own artwork right here. Just scroll down to the bottom of the page and check out what others have submitted.

And, of course, we’ve talked about the beautiful and haunting Migraine Expressions: A Creative Journey Through Life With Migraine and the classic and more technical Migraine Art: The Migraine Experience from Within.

Migraine art gives us a way to express our symptoms to others, but also a way to understand the symptoms of others. The strange shapes and patterns of visual migraine aura have been a constant topic of conversation here, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

That’s why I’m excited to share with you The Migraine Art Collection, and entire website dedicated to migraine art. The art comes from the collection of the Migraine Action Association, with the help of migraine historian Katherine Foxhall and the University of Leicester.

The brilliant thing about this collection is how you can search it. For example, filter by symptom – shaking? throbbing? nausea?

Or filter the art by visual aura elements. Do you see a halo effect? dots? zig zags? spirals?

You can even filter by themes such as hope, embarrassment, or “not again”.

The Migraine Art Collection is most certainly something you’ll want to spend some time exploring, and something you’ll want to share with your friends. And while you’re at it, why not share this post too? 🙂

6 August 2015

The Ophthalmic Migraine Kaleidoscope

James Information 7

Some people report a certain visual hallucination due to migraine – seeing kaleidoscopes. What exactly does this mean?

Some people talk about the ophthalmic migraine kaleidoscope. “Ophthalmic Migraine” is actually not a specific kind of migraine, but it’s a term that’s sometimes used to refer to migraine with visual disturbances or “aura”. Sometimes ophthalmic migraine refers specifically to a migraine attack in which there are visual symptoms but no headache. The diagnosis either way would be a type of migraine with aura.

But what is this ophthalmic migraine kaleidoscope?

As most people know, a kaleidoscope is made from a tube that has loose pebbles or beads or other colourful things that are reflected inside by mirrors. The when you look in the tube and turn it, the light shines in the other end and you see moving, colourful shapes, such as in the picture to the left.

Patients occasionally describe these migraine auras as kaleidoscopes. Podoll and Robinson’s Migraine Art describes the experiences of some patients as recorded in medical literature:

octagonal kaleidoscopic geometric figures fitted together in ten colors

kaleidoscopic images

a crimson area with an ever-moving pattern like a kaleidoscope

flower kaleidoscope Even though these auras are not always specifically described as kaleidoscopes, there are a number of similar descriptions. Flower patterns, for example. Webs, spirals and lattices. Very specific mosaic patterns are also described. Take for example this description from a patient:

It was an irregular shape composed of five-and-six-sided units, which were largest in the center of the shape and smaller at the edges. Clusters of units were revolving and each individual unit was revolving; it was all swirling and moving all the time. In the middle, the units tended to be blue and orange, those around them were red and green, but there was no very clear demarcation into zones. Colors were intense and brilliant like stained glass windows full of light…

Sounds like a kaleidoscope to me!

Of course not all auras are like an ophthalmic migraine kaleidoscope. But why patterns at all?

The aura images, such as the ones described above, are a result of activity in the brain. The cortical spreading depression is a kind of “brain storm” that spreads across the brain, bringing strange symptoms with it.

It has been hypothesized that the shapes some people see are actually a representation of how parts of the brain work. It’s like you’re seeing a “reflection” of the setup of part of your brain. (Read more in Why Migraine Auras are the way the are)

The visual disturbances are usually treated with ordinary migraine treatments, such as magnesium, triptan medications, lifestyle changes, and so on.

If you have experienced kaleidoscope auras, tell us about it – or better yet, draw a picture and submit your artwork here.

I’ll close with the words of someone else who took the time to represent their migraine aura in art:

I felt separate from the real world, and when I closed my eyes I could see flashes of color and light. . . . I became almost mesmerized by what I was seeing behind my eyelids.”

All quotes taken from Migraine Art: The Experience from Within.

Migraine Fractal

13 September 2013

Migraine Art: A Few Inspiring Examples

James Resources 0

I was recently updating some of the resources on our migraine aura art page, so I thought I would take the time to link to a few great examples of migraine art. Why inspiring? Because I’d like you to share your own!

Self-Portrait of the Artist as a Haruspex (William Harper)
Migraine (Peg Lattinville)
Tolerance (Olea Nova)
Denatured Tension (Lisa LaMotte)
Migraine (Ea Ejersbo)
Scintillating scotoma (Delia Malchert)
Check out a whole gallery of migraine art here – and add your own art!

1998 Migraine Masterpieces Honorable Mention

Mommy’s Bad Awful Day
(Barbara Williams)

My Life on A Shelf
(Christa Barnell)

Untitled
(Gregory Mueller)

Migraines are Us
(Tudor Barker)

Watching “Helvetica” with my Migraine Buddy
(rochelle hartman)

For more fantastic examples, check out these Two Books that Should be on Every Migraineur’s Coffee Table.

19 December 2012

Two Books that Should be on Every Migraineur’s Coffee Table

James Resources 5

If you could only choose two books to have on your coffee table, or to have handy when company comes over, what would they be? Here are my two suggestions for migraineurs:

Migraine Expressions: A Creative Journey through Life with Migraine: Migraine Expressions is really designed to be a coffee table type book. It’s a large, colourful, beautifully designed hardcover.

Many people don’t understand the impact of migraine disease, and what a large community migraineurs make up. They don’t understand how migraine destroys life, and how much migraineurs want to fight back.

This book will give your guests quick pictures to look at that illustrate the agony of migraine, but it will also give them poems and prose to read if they’re relaxing for the evening. (Full review here. Migraine Expressions is available at amazon.com or amazon.co.uk.)

Migraine Art: The Migraine Experience from Within: At first this may sound like the same kind of book. And yes, both books are filled with full colour art showing migraine symptoms and the impact of migraine.
So why would you want both?

Migraine Art comes from a very different perspective than Migraine Expressions. Migraine Expressions gives a voice to the migraine community. Migraine Art, on the other hand, is scientific research.

If your friends think you’re the only one who has your crazy symptoms, they’re in for a surprise.

First, they’ll find the names of two doctors on the cover – Dr. Klaus Podoll (a physician and researcher) wrote the book along with Derek Robinson (long time migraine art expert). Plus there’s a forward by Dr. Oliver Sacks, famous for his migraine research and the work that became known to the world in the movie Awakenings.

Next, your friends will see page after page of documented, researched symptoms of migraine. They’ll see fascinating illustrations in each category. They will find out that most likely some people have symptoms even more strange than yours. (What is the strangest symptom, anyway? That may be a topic for another post!)

This is a medical reference book, so not for casual reading. But the scientific aspect is what makes it so different and valuable. At the same time it’s easy enough to flip through that your guests will find it interesting.

(Full review here. Available at amazon.com and amazon.co.uk)

One more note. Because of the topic, these books are at times harsh and graphic in their art and descriptions. So it may not be a book you’ll want your neighbour’s 6 year old flipping through.

But if you really want your friends to understand migraine, sometimes you have to be blunt. These books can do the work for you.