migraine books

29 June 2021

“The End of Migraines” – Is the New eBook Worth a Read?

Published earlier this year, The End of Migraines is the latest work from neurologist and migraine specialist Dr. Alexander Mauskop. There are a lot of books on migraine out there, and of course a lot of information online. So is this particular book worth your time?

The End of Migraines: 150 Ways to Stop Your Pain

Dr. Mauskop admittedly comes to the topic from a unique perspective. Not only has he suffered from migraine himself, he has also treated migraine patients personally for decades. He founded and directs a migraine clinic (the New York Headache Center), and has also been involved for many years in migraine research. There are few professionals in the world that could boast the same credentials.

He has also written before, both books for migraine patients and for professionals, and has published in many scientific journals.

So in his new book, Dr. Mauskop has combined that experience with a recognition of the quickly changing and advancing world of migraine medicine. He decided to publish in eBook format, not only to make it affordable, but also “to be able to update this book regularly, as new scientific data emerges”.

Along with important background and basic information on migraine (as well as quite a few other headache conditions), the book is basically an index of current migraine treatments – hence the full title, The End of Migraines: 150 Ways to Stop Your Pain. Combining his extensive personal experience with the scientific literature, he discusses each treatment and actually gives it a rating from 1-10 (although he doesn’t include any 1s, and doesn’t give anything a 10). The eBook format allows him to link directly to articles, studies, papers, and other resources for those who want to investigate further.

One of my favourite quotes from the book: “When a link to a scientific study is provided, you need not assume that the study proves something.” We would all do well to take that advice. It’s not skeptical in a negative sense – it’s realistic. For years, doctors and researchers have been expressing their concerns about the way in which studies are used. Dr. Mauskop’s recognition of the the value and limitations of these studies, including the reality that every person is complex and different, is a breath of fresh air.

No one, including myself, will agree with all of Dr. Mauskop’s choices of treatments. (There are some interesting treatments on the list, such as the unusual combined discussion of prayer and cursing (not blessing and cursing – more like certain forms of prayer, and swearing!)) But I appreciate the approach of admitting that there is always some subjectivity involved, while also pointing to the research of others.

Many of you will also appreciate the fact that this is not a listing of drugs. Yes, there is extensive discussion of various medications. However, Dr. Mauskop doesn’t begin with medications or push them as the only or even preferred solution. Migraine-fighting devices, lifestyle choices, triggers, supplements, and many other treatments and related conditions are investigated.

And they are all discussed succinctly – that is, a lot of information is quite often packed into a couple of paragraphs or a couple of pages. This is a book that is easy to scan, and an invaluable resource when you want to get the quick facts on some new treatment you’re considering. You could just flip through and do further investigation of any treatment that was rated higher than “6”. Or look up that treatment that Auntie Lisa mentioned. Or simply flip over to Dr. Mauskop’s top 10.

So yes, I highly recommend The End of Migraines. The combination of up-to-date information, prioritizing of what seems to work best, and experience with real people, make this a book that every migraine patient should have on their virtual shelf. (I should note that yes, you can purchase a printed copy if you prefer, but I would recommend the digital copy if possible – the many links are invaluable.)

One more quote that may help you understand this book, before we go. Many of us are rightly skeptical when we hear anyone who is trying to offer us hope. Like many of you, I have heard the line from a doctor “We’ve tried everything”. While recognizing that there are difficult cases out there, the truth is that – no, you most certainly have not tried everything.

Writing about refractory or resistant migraine, the author lists 16 treatments that some suggest you should try before being diagnosed. Then he writes:

If a doctor labels you as having refractory migraines, do not despair – these are only 16 out of over 150 methods you can try.
Dr. Alexander Mauskop – The End of Migraines

Exactly. It’s time to fight back.

15 January 2021

Children’s Migraine Book Review: Why Mommy’s Head Hurts

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Today we’re going to take a look at the children’s book “Why Mommy’s Head Hurts: A Migraine Story” by Ryan Williams.

James... and a "migran". — *James and “friend”*

And, of course, I’ll explain who my little “friend” is.

A quick search on Amazon for children’s books about migraine will convince anyone that there was a gap to be filled. Material about migraine especially for kids is rarer than it should be.

Enter Ryan Williams. Someone with the title of Marketing Director at StudyKIK would seem like an unlikely candidate for a children’s book author, but this actually isn’t his first book.

It will help to know that Ryan actually helps to connect patients to clinical trials, and so has a lot of contact with patients with all kinds of struggles. And so he has successfully Kickstarted books on Alzheimer’s Disease and Crohn’s Disease, as well as migraine.

So let’s get into the book! It’s a high quality large hardback, glossy, lots of colour – so far so good for young children!

And looking at the cover below, you’ll see two creatures – a cuddly fuzzy green one, and a nasty toothy red-eyed purple one.

So without giving away the whole story, here’s what happens. A young adventurer sails to a mysterious island, and adopts several mysterious creatures, which he calls migrans.

But early on, he discovers that these creatures can be “irritated” in various ways, turning them into the scary purple monsters. And so he finds ways to keep them green and cuddly.

By now you’ve probably guessed that the green creatures represent a happy, healthy head. The purple ones represent a head in the midst of a migraine attack. And so the book the children about triggers and simple ways to calm the migraine beast.

You might guess what the challenge of the author is here. First, not everyone shares the same “triggers”. Migraine attacks, even for a single person, may get started because of one thing one day, and one thing another day.

The other challenge is that the focus on triggers means that there’s no time to talk about some of the wider issues, such as preventative treatments and lifestyle changes.

But, after all, this is a children’s book with a single purpose. Let’s not make things too complicated.

Let’s put it this way. This book is not a medical treaties. Neither is it a replacement for a talk between an adult and a child. It’s a conversation starter. It’s a way to start talking about migraine. And a way for young kids to learn how they might even be able to help Mom or Dad when the migraine monster hits.

After all, it’s easy enough for the parent or adult friend to say, “It’s different for me. For me, this would be more helpful.” Or, “Sometimes this food doesn’t bother me.”

And so I give this book a thumbs up for opening the door to what sometimes might be a difficult conversation. It’s colourful, fun, and would look great in a doctor’s office or on your own coffee table.

Ryan kindly sent me this book to review, and also sent me the actual migran shown in the picture. Which so far, thanks to careful care, has remained his green, squishy self.* Or – is it a girl? How do you tell with migrans? Never mind, I don’t need to know.

Anyway, you might be able to catch a copy of Why Mommy’s Head Hurts on Amazon (and by the way, this is not a “board book” as the listing currently says. It’s a hardcover). But to get the full-meal-deal with the cute migran and all, go to Etsy.

* No, the stuffed creature actually does not change colour or become a monster, no matter what you do to it. It stays just the way it is in the picture. I just like to pretend. 😀

10 August 2020

A Book You Missed (because of “bad timing”)

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Timing can be everything – when a medication comes out, when a book is published. And with all that’s going on in the world, it’s been easy to miss some of the news you need to know about.

In April I wrote about a medication – Nurtec – whose timing may have led to many people missing it. Today, it’s a book.

There are two reasons why the timing may have been “off” for this book. First, of course, is the fact that it came out in 2020, and it was taking on migraine – not specifically COVID-19. ‘Nuff said.

But there was another timing issue. This book has the necessary but perhaps unfortunate title “Keto for Migraine“. It sounds like someone was looking for a trendy title back in 2019, trying to capitalize on the trendy keto diet. But that wasn’t the case at all.

So if you missed it because of the timing, or were turned off because of the title, it’s time to give this book another look. Especially if you’ve “already tried keto”. Here’s why.

The author of Keto for Migraine argues that the “typical” keto (or so-called keto) diets and recipes can actually make migraine attacks worse.

And how would he know? Well, the author is someone with migraine himself. He’s also a neurologist, who has worked with many, many migraine patients. He’s Dr. Josh Turknett, author of the very highly rated book The Migraine Miracle.

And here’s where the timing comes in. Dr. Turknett was talking about keto long before keto became trendy. And he was working specifically with migraine patients to find out what worked best for them.

So this book is most certainly for people who have “tried keto”, because this is keto for migraine. (It’s like saying,”I tried eating, and it didn’t work for me”. Ok, but did you try eating a migraine-fighting diet?)

And we can’t ignore the fact that many people have turned to keto in hopes of losing weight. Yes, the book also addresses this facet of keto – how can this way of eating fight migraine and help me maintain a healthy weight?

If you are interested in a holistic plan to fight migraine, check out this book. The full title is: Keto for Migraine: Keys to the Ketogenic Diet for Migraine Sufferers (The Physicians Guide to Holistic Migraine Relief).

22 August 2019

Facebook….

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Hi everyone!

I just wanted to stop by for those of you who are wondering why the Facebook page has been so quiet lately. The situation is that I’ve been completely locked out of Facebook for the past week. I’ve sent Facebook my security information twice, but still have had no response from them.

I know it can take a few days, so I’ll wait a little longer before trying yet again. Meanwhile, if anyone has any bright ideas about how to expedite the process, let me know!

The good news is that Twitter has been humming along as normal, so if you’d like to see some of the latest news, just visit the official Twitter feed. Recently I’ve been posting some good migraine related books that you can read on Kindle Unlimited at no extra cost (you can probably even get a free trial, if you haven’t tried Kindle Unlimited before.)

24 December 2008

10 Most popular Headache and Migraine Books of 2008!

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We all know that "popular" does not always equal "good". However, for your interest, here are the books that have proved to be popular to our visitors in the previous year. Here we go, starting with #10:

Secrets of Serotonin: The Natural Hormone That Curbs Food and Alcohol Cravings, Elevates Your Mood, Reduces Pain, and Boosts Energy by Carol Hart. This 1996 book continues to be so popular that Secrets of Serotonin, Revised Edition came out earlier this year.
Migraine Headaches and the Foods You Eat: 200 Recipes for Relief by by Agnes Peg Hartnell and G. Scott Tyler. In my opinion a boring presentation, but lots of recipes.
Migraines for Dummies by Dianne Stafford and Jennifer Shoquist. And now they even have a pocket edition. Who knew?
The Headache Prevention Cookbook: Eating Right to Prevent Migraines and Other Headachesby David R. Marks and Laura Marks, another foray into the migraine diet topic. 3 years newer than the previously mentioned one.
The Women’s Migraine Survival Guide: The most complete, up-to-date resource on the causes of your migraine pain–and treatments for real relief by Christina Peterson. Written in 1999, it’s not so up to date anymore. I would love to see a new book or revised edition specifically for women, and one for men. Is that too politically incorrect for 2009?
The Migraine Cookbook: More than 100 Healthy and Delicious Recipes for Migraine Sufferers by Michele Sharp. Migraine cookbooks have their weaknesses, but out of the popular ones this is still my favourite.
The Magnesium Solution for Migraine Headaches by Jay S. Cohen, bringing attention to this often ignored supplement.

Amazon.com Widgets

Heal Your Headache: The 1-2-3 Program for Taking Charge of Your Pain by David Buchholz. This is a HUGE migraine bestseller. It has been in the centre of controversy with its faith in elimination diets. Though it has helped some (of course, any treatment could claim to have helped some!), it has been often panned because of unrealistic expectations of diet alone. But I won’t take the time for a full review here!
Conquering Your Migraine: The Essential Guide to Understanding and Treating Migraines for all Sufferers and Their Families by Seymour Diamond and Mary Franklin. Diamond is of course a well known headache and migraine specialist.
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About: Migraines: The Breakthrough Program That Can Help End Your Painby Alexander Mauskop and Barry Fox. Mauskop is another headache and migraine specialist. This book from 2001 should be getting old, but it’s so full of practical advice, it’s still worth the money (review here).

Now remember that many of these books are popular in part because they’ve been around so long. The newest would be 2004 – the Magnesium Solution. So let me mention three others that haven’t made the list.

Migraine and Other Headaches by William B. Young and Stephen D. Silberstein. By two doctors, this relatively short book is packed with great information and charts which I frequently check in my research. Published in 2004.
Living Well with Migraine Disease and Headaches: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Tell You…That You Need to Know by Teri Robert. This 2005 book is a contribution from a migraineur’s advocate, and is heavy on the practical side of how to navigate the medical and economic realities of living with a chronic condition.
The Migraine Brain: Your Breakthrough Guide to Fewer Headaches, Better Health by by Carolyn Bernstein and Elaine McArdle. Migraine research is speeding up, and it’s easy for a book only a few years old to rely on outdated information. I haven’t finished reading this one yet, but so far it’s fresh and offers perspectives on research that wasn’t available when the older books were written. This is a 2008 contribution.

A few of these books to check out are on the right.