MigraineCast

The Woman's Migraine Toolkit

Migraines can be merely annoying or totally debilitating. MigraineCast is meant to offer you information, support, and encouragement.

Whether you have Migraines yourself or know someone who does, these podcasts are for you.

Today's podcast is a special one with Dr. Dawn Marcus, one of the authors of a new book, The Woman's Migraine Toolkit: Managing Your Headaches from Puberty to Menopause.

Migraine affects 18% of women, and all too often, women's Migraines take them away from time with their families, career options, and more. To add insult to injury, pregnant women have even more difficulty because they have fewer treatment options during pregnancy.

Dr. Marcus and Dr. Bain have done a splendid job with this book, providing women of all ages with a cornucopia of information presented in a wayt that's easy to read and easy to go back to later.

For this podcast, Dr. Marcus joined me in a frank discussion of women and Migraine far beyond discussing the the book.

Ready for our newest podcast, ? Here it is! Download Woman's Migraine Toolkit Author Inte.mp3 (33669.3K). In some browsers, podcasts can be a bit slow to load, so please be patient if it doesn't load immediately. (In my experience, podcasts load and play fastest in Firefox.)

You can also listen to MigraineCast from iTunes, download it to your iPod, and subscribe to our podcast. In iTunes, enter MigraineCast in the search box -- OR, click on this iTunes button - . Please note that it can take a few hours for podcasts to show up in iTunes after being posted here.

While you're here, please take a look to your right on the page where you'll see a variety of ways you can subscribe to our podcast.

When listening to podcasts, some people like to know what the speakers look like. Here's a photo of Dr. Marcus for you...

Until next time, Live Well!

Get the latest Migraine and headache news, informational articles, tips for living well, and more in my free weekly newsletter. To subscribe, CLICK HERE.

 

 

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© Teri Robert, 2010
Last updated December 21, 2010

Migraine and Stigma, Part 2

Welcome to MigraineCast the podcast brought to you by Teri Robert and HelpForHeadaches.com.

Last week, I published our podcast, Migraine and Stigma, Part 1. Migraines and stigma is a vitally important topic, and the podcast was long enough that I broke it into two episodes.

A research poster was presented at the American Headache Society's 52nd Annual Scientific Meeting in June. This research looked at the stigma associated with Migraines and it's severity. What did the eresearchers find? What can we do about it? My guests for this podcast were Dr. WIlliam B. Young and Dr. Jung E. Park of the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia. This topic is so important that the podcast was rather long, so I've broken it into two episodes. We published Part 1 last week; this is Part 2.

Ready for our newest podcast, the second part of last week's ? Here it is! Download Migraine and Stigma Part 2.mp3 (9901.6K). In some browsers, podcasts can be a bit slow to load, so please be patient if it doesn't load immediately. (In my experience, podcasts load and play fastest in Firefox.)

You can also listen to MigraineCast from iTunes, download it to your iPod, and subscribe to our podcast. In iTunes, enter MigraineCast in the search box -- OR, click on this iTunes button - . Please note that it can take a few hours for podcasts to show up in iTunes after being posted here.

While you're here, please take a look to your right on the page where you'll see a variety of ways you can subscribe to our podcast.

Additional information:

As promised in the podcast, here are some links for information that you can use to help educate others about Migraine disease and other headache disorders:

• Letter about Migraine disease
• Letter about cluster headaches
• Letter to doctors about the hopes and needs of new patients

Until next time, Live Well!

 

Get the latest Migraine and headache news, informational articles, tips for living well, and more in my free weekly newsletter. To subscribe, CLICK HERE.

 

 

Follow me on or

 

 

© Teri Robert, 2010
Last updated August 29, 2010

Migraine and Stigma, Part 1

Welcome to MigraineCast the podcast brought to you by Teri Robert and HelpForHeadaches.com..

If you have Migraines or another headache disorder, or if you know or care about someone who does, you probably already know that there's a horrible stigma associated with Migraine disease. Migraineurs are too often dismissed as being lazy, faking, seeking drugs, and more.

A research poster was presented at the American Headache Society's 52nd Annual Scientific Meeting in June. This research looked at the stigma associated with Migraines and it's severity. What did the eresearchers find? What can we do about it? My guests for this podcast were Dr. WIlliam B. Young and Dr. Jung E. Park of the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia. This topic is so important that the podcast was rather long, so I've broken it into two episodes. This week, we have Migraine and Stigma, Part 1. We'll bring you Migraine and Stigma, Part 2, next week.

Ready for our newest podcast? Here it is! Download Migraine and Stigma Part 1.mp3 (15597.1K). In some browsers, podcasts can be a bit slow to load, so please be patient if it doesn't load immediately. (In my experience, podcasts load and play fastest in Firefox.)

You can also listen to MigraineCast from iTunes, download it to your iPod, and subscribe to our podcast. In iTunes, enter MigraineCast in the search box -- OR, click on this iTunes button - . Please note that it can take a few hours for podcasts to show up in iTunes after being posted here.

While you're here, please take a look to your right on the page where you'll see a variety of ways you can subscribe to our podcast.

Until next time, Live Well!

 

Get the latest Migraine and headache news, informational articles, tips for living well, and more in my free weekly newsletter. To subscribe, CLICK HERE.

 

 

Follow me on or

 

 

© Teri Robert, 2010
Last updated August 24, 2010

Migraines, Headaches, and Sleep: A VideoCast

Welcome to MigraineCast, brought to you by Teri Robert and HelpForHeadaches.com.

One of the most essential elements of Migraine and headache management is trigger identification and management. Why? Because some triggers are avoidable, and we want to avoid every Migraine and headache we can.

The importance of good sleep -- the right amount for each of us, regular sleep schedules, and good quality sleep - is overlooked all too often. Migraine and headache expert Dr. John Claude Krusz all discusses sleep with of his patients. 

Sleep is the topic of this podcast. I'm trying something new today, a video podcast. Feel free to comment on this blog entry and let me know what you think!

Ready for our newest podcast? Here it is! Download Migraines Headaches and Sleep.mp4 (6014.5K). In some browsers, podcasts sometimes load a bit slowly, so please be patient. (In my experience, podcasts load and play most quickly in Firefox.)

You can also listen to MigraineCast from iTunes, download it to your iPod, and subscribe to our podcast. In iTunes, enter MigraineCast in the search box, or click on this iTunes button . While you're here, please take a look to your right on this page, where you'll see a variety of ways you can subscribe to our podcast.

Until next time, Live Well!

 

Get the latest Migraine and headache news, informational articles, tips for living well, and more in my free weekly newsletter. To subscribe, CLICK HERE.

Follow me on    or 

© Teri Robert, 2010 Last updated July 16, 2010

Using the Term Migraine "Cure"

Welcome to MigraineCast the podcast brought to you by Teri Robert and HelpForHeadaches.com..

For quite some time now, the use of the term Migraine "cure" has been a topic of heated discussion, disagreement, and even some heated arguments that ended up in defamatory and libelous comments being slung around online.

Is Migraine disease curable? Is the use of the term Migraine "cure" ever acceptable. That's the topic of this podcast.

Ready for our newest podcast? Here it is! Download Using the Term Migraine Cure.mp3 (6778.7K). In some browsers, podcasts can be a bit slow to load, so please be patient if it doesn't load immediately. (In my experience, podcasts load and play fastest in Firefox.)

You can also listen to MigraineCast from iTunes, download it to your iPod, and subscribe to our podcast. In iTunes, enter MigraineCast in the search box -- OR, click on this iTunes button - . Please note that it can take a few hours for podcasts to show up in iTunes after being posted here.

While you're here, please take a look to your right on the page where you'll see a variety of ways you can subscribe to our podcast.

Until next time, Live Well!

 

Get the latest Migraine and headache news, informational articles, tips for living well, and more in my free weekly newsletter. To subscribe, CLICK HERE.

 

Follow me on    or 

 

© Teri Robert, 2010 Last updated July 11, 2010

The Migraine Research Foundation and Their Sweepstakes

Welcome to MigraineCast the podcast brought to you by Teri Robert, HelpForHeadaches.com, and MyMigraineConnection.com.

There's no question that we need more research into Migraine disease and other headache disorders -- what causes them, what goes on in our brains during a Migraine or headache, and how to treat Migraine and other headache disorders.

There's also no question that, especially in today's economy, it's difficult at best to find that research. That's where the Migraine Research Foundation comes in. The MRF is dedicated to funding Migraine research.

My guests for today's podcast are Joan Kaplan and Sam Yates from the Migraine research foundation. We discuss the sweepstakes the MRF is conducting to raise funds for research and how the MRF operates...

Ready for our newest podcast? Here it is! Download Migraine Research Foundation Sweepst.mp3 (4092.4K). In some browsers, podcasts can be a bit slow to load, so please be patient if it doesn't load immediately. (In my experience, podcasts load and play fastest in Firefox.)

You can also listen to MigraineCast from iTunes, download it to your iPod, and subscribe to our podcast. In iTunes, enter MigraineCast in the search box -- OR, click the pink "Subscribe in iTunes" button to your right.

While you're here, please take a look to your right on the page where you'll see a variety of ways you can subscribe to our podcast.

Until next time, Live Well!

Don't Ignore Head Trauma and Headaches

Welcome to MigraineCast the podcast brought to you by MyMigraineConnection.com and the HealthCentral Network.

The recent death of wife, mother, and actress Natasha Richardson has brought the issue of minor head trauma to the bright light of the news. Ms. Richardson was skiing on a beginners slope in Canada with her children when she fell. She laughed, got up, said she was fine, and refused medical care. About an hour later, she developed a headache and was taken to the closest hospital. That hospital soon transferred her to a hospital with a trauma center. Later, she was transferred to a New York hospital so her family could be with her in what would be her last hours.

What happened to Richardson happens all too often. Even though she didn't hit her head very hard and felt fine at first, the blow to her head caused a traumatic brain injury, an epidual hematoma. That occurs when blood pools between the skull and the thick lining of the brain. When injuries such as Richardson's are treated early, the results are usually good, and the patient recovers. However, if treatment is delayed, the outcome is not good because the damage has already begun...

Ready for our newest podcast? Here it is! Download Treat Head Trauma and Headache.mp3 (9374.2K). In some browsers, podcasts can be a bit slow to load, so please be patient if it doesn't load immediately. (In my experience, podcasts load and play fastest in Firefox.)

While you're here, please take a look to your right on the page where you'll see a variety of ways you can subscribe to our podcast.

Until next time, Live Well!

Writing As a Release from Migraine

Our new podcast is up and ready for you!

Welcome to MigraineCast the podcast brought to you by MyMigraineConnection.com and the HealthCentral Network.

One of the most difficult problems presented by Migraines and other headache disorders is finding ways to help us copy
e with them. They're isolating and frustrating, along with many other descriptive terms we could come up with.. We come up with coping methods that vary widely.

There's one activity that I often see Migraineurs engage in as a way to deal with their feelings -- writing. Writing can often be done even in the midst of a Migraine. It doesn't require much movement, and it can be distracting. Some people write just for themselves. Others write to share with others -- to share their feelings, offer encouragement, vent about life with Migraines, or to help people who don't have Migraines or other headache disorders understand what it's like to live with them. Migraine and headache sufferers are writing blogs, diaries, short stories, and poetry.

Ready for our newest podcast? Here it is! Download Writing as a Release from Migraine.mp3 (10844.3K) . In some browsers, podcasts can be a bit slow to load, so please be patient if it doesn't load immediately. (In my experience, podcasts load and play fastest in Firefox.)

While you're here, please take a look to your right on the page where you'll see a variety of ways you can subscribe to our podcast.

Until next time, Live Well!

Speak Up for Better Migraine Treatments

Our new podcast is up and ready for you!

Welcome to MigraineCast the podcast brought to you by MyMigraineConnection.com and the HealthCentral Network.

I think most of us with Migraines or headaches that are frequent enough to require preventive treatment have complained about the preventive medications available to us. Not a single one of them was originally developed for Migraine and headache treatment. Not one. Yes, we have over 100 medications in use as preventives, but they're all hand-me-down medications that were developed for other conditions then discovered to be helpful for Migraine and headache prevention.

For Migraine abortives, to actually stop a Migraine rather than just masking the pain for a few hours, we rely upon triptans -- Imitrex, Maxalt, Zomig, Amerge, Relpax, Axert, and Frova -- ergotamines such as DHE 45 and Migranal, or Midrin. That's it. Some experts in the field refer to all the triptans except Imitrex as "me-too" drugs or "variations on a theme."

Another issue for us is not having enough doctors who specialize in the treatment of Migraine disease and other headache disorders.

So, the big question here is WHY don't we have better treatments and more trained physicians?

Ready for our newest podcast? Here it is! Download Ask_For_Better_Migraine_Treatment.mp3 (14553.7K) . In some browsers, podcasts can be a bit slow to load, so please be patient if it doesn't load immediately. (In my experience, podcasts load and play fastest in Firefox.)

While you're here, please take a look to your right on the page where you'll see a variety of ways you can subscribe to our podcast.

Until next time, Live Well!

Migraines, Exercise, and Intimacy

Our new podcast is up and ready for you!

Welcome to MigraineCast the podcast brought to you by MyMigraineConnection.com and the HealthCentral Network.

Today, we'll address another question that's been coming up lately...

Several times recently, people have asked the question, "Can I exercise if I suffer from Migraines?" The simple answer is, "Yes, most people can." But it's not that simple. There are a couple of related issues that people have also asked about. One is Migraines triggered by exercise. The other is how difficult it is to exercise if you have frequent Migraines.

Ready for our newest podcast? Here it is! Download Migraines_Exercise_Intimacy.mp3 (8813.3K) . In some browsers, podcasts can be a bit slow to load, so please be patient if it doesn't load immediately. (In my experience, podcasts load and play fastest in Firefox.)

While you're here, please take a look to your right on the page where you'll see a variety of ways you can subscribe to our podcast.

Until next time, Live Well!

Understanding Even When YOU Don't Have Migraines

Our new podcast is up and ready for you!

Welcome to MigraineCast the podcast brought to you by MyMigraineConnection.com and the HealthCentral Network.

Today's podcast is a bit different. Yes, it's for Migraineurs -- people who have Migraine disease -- but it's also for people who don't have Migraines.

If you have family members, friends, or coworkers who have Migraines, you need to know that what you do or don't do can have an enormous effect on their lives.

So, today, I want to tell talk with you about what Migraines are and how people and things in their environment can help or hurt Migraineurs...

Ready for our newest podcast? Here it is! Download MigraineCastUnderstanding.mp3 (14156.2K) . In some browsers, podcasts can be a bit slow to load, so please be patient if it doesn't load immediately. (In my experience, podcasts load and play fastest in Firefox.)

While you're here, please take a look to your right on the page where you'll see a variety of ways you can subscribe to our podcast.

Until next time, Live Well!

Migraines: Yes, We Can!

Our new podcast is up and ready for you!

Welcome to MigraineCast the podcast brought to you by MyMigraineConnection.com and the HealthCentral Network.

As I watched the inauguration of President Barack Obama yesterday (and I promise you that this podcast is NOT going to be political), I thought of a slogan he used often during the campaign and during his acceptance speech, "Yes, we can!"

My thoughts about that slogan focused on our country, but only for a few moments; because, as usual, my thoughts quickly moved on to the millions and millions of people in the world living with Migraine disease - 36 million in the United States alone.

Migraine can be a pernicious and debilitating disease. For some of us, it can take over our lives, if we let it. And that's where "Yes, we can!" comes in.

We've learned that Migraine is a genetic neurological disease caused by genetics and overactive neurons in the brain. At this point, there is no cure for the disease. BUT, Migraine specialists and researchers tell me that they can find effective preventive regimens for 95% of Migraineurs. That means that the odds of our controlling this disease are excellent.

Ready for our newest podcast? Here it is! Download Migraines_Yes_We_Can.mp3 (7857.4K) . In some browsers, podcasts can be a bit slow to load, so please be patient if it doesn't load immediately. (In my experience, podcasts load and play fastest in Firefox.)

While you're here, please take a look to your right on the page where you'll see a variety of ways you can subscribe to our podcast.

Until next time, Live Well!