The Migraine Brain: Your Breakthrough Guide to Fewer Headaches, Better Health

by Elaine McArdle and Carolyn Bernstein

Book Overview

Now in paperback, this groundbreaking book by renowned Harvard neurologist Bernstein launched on the Today show to great acclaim and sales. It's the only book to present the newest science on migraine... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416547681
• ISBN13: 9781416547686
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 353 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent book for Migraine Sufferers

This is truly the most comprehensive book about migraines I have ever seen. Finally, a doctor who dispels the myth that migraine is a type of headache. It is not! "Migraine is a complex neurological disease that affects your central nervous system", the author states, and headache is just one of its many symptoms. Dr. Bernstein not only gives excellent, detailed information about migraines and the various treatments available, but also gives the reader straight-forward recommendations on how to reduce the frequency & intensity of migraines, how to prevent them, and how to recover from them more quickly. Since everyone who suffers from migraines has a distinctive "migraine brain", She provides step-by-step guidelines for developing your own personal wellness plan. In the appendix, she provides excellent forms to use for this purpose. I can't say enough good things about this book! I took it with me to my last doctor's appointment and she was so impressed, she immediately ordered her own copy. If you or someone you love suffers from migraines, I know you will benefit from reading this book.

Excellent Book!

I work as a Biofeedback Therapist at Tampa General Hospital's Headache Clinic. A patient showed me this book, and gave an excellent review. I have purchased it,read it, and it is excellent. It is all that we teach our patients, in a concise and intelligent manner. Easy to read and understand. No crazy theories! I have already given it away to another headache sufferer. I would recommend this book to all that have migraine.

after 22 years with migraine this book changed everything

I have had migraine since I was 12 and I am 34, that is 22 years of migraine. I get about 2-3 a week. So you'd think I'd know a lot about migraine. Not until I read this book! After all this time, I have never had a Dr explain what happens when you get a migraine. Or why some medicines work for some people and not for others. After reading this book I look at my migraines in a different way and I have taken new steps using advice from the author to try to reduce the number of migraines I get. I love this book and have been recommending it to everyone who has migraine!

A Refreshing, Supportive, and Informative Book

As a long-time migraine sufferer, I would highly recommend this book. Some of the book treads on basic ground, but the author's manner of talking about migraines & her emphasis on the fact that it's a "whole body" phenomenon is very refreshing. And, it's not one of those hokey, useless books that tries to tell you, "Do x, and your migraines will disappear" (ha! Oh, if I had a penny for every book that purports to give a silver bullet to us migraine sufferers....!!). The book emphasizes the need for a holistic (that is, comprehensive) approach to migraine management -- what we can do to support our overall health in order to mitigate or lessen the impact of migraines on our lives -- and offers some practical strategies for living with migraines (e.g., how to increase your family's understanding of the disease and how it affects our functioning). And, I found her review of various therapies (medical and "alternative") very instructive. It's a well-researched, solid book from a highly-credentialied physician, and I would highly recommend it. Also, the author is a migraine sufferer, so she "gets it."

Having A Headache?

From: www.BasilAndSpice.com Book Review: The Migraine Brain: Your Breakthrough Guide to Fewer Headaches, Better Health (Free Press, 2008) By Carolyn Bernstein, M.D. and Elaine McArdle With the publishing of The Migraine Brain, a precedent has been set for better prevention and treatment of migraine patients. Written by Carolyn Bernstein, herself a migraine sufferer, but also the Founder and Director of the Women's Headache Center at Cambridge Health Alliance, Dr. Bernstein empathizes with those who are struck down by the mind-numbing pain of migraines. Dr. Bernstein refers to those with the headaches as migraineurs, and as a neurologist on the faculty at Harvard Medical School, she has treated thousands of fellow sufferers. The Migraine Brain seeks to express to readers how to: * Prevent migraines * Find their triggers * Reduce pain and duration of the migraine * Understand her/his own brain Bernstein's Points to ponder: * One in every four households in the United States includes a person who get migraines. It is the ninth leading cause of disability among women, and is also one of the most painful conditions. Some women quoted in the book said that natural childbirth was easier than a migraine. * Migraine costs the United States $1 billion a year in health costs and about $13 billion in loss of industry. * Most migraine sufferers do not realize they have the condition as it is often misdiagnosed or underreported. * Within the last 15 years, new medications have revolutionized migraine treatment. * Alternative medical treatment, like yoga, ice massage, acupuncture, and biofeedback has been found to help. * Even the famous get migraines. Recognize any of these? Terrell Davis, Troy Aikman, Serena Williams, Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Ben Affleck, Whoopi Goldberg, Carly Simon * Foods like chocolate and red wine do not begin migraines, rather for some, foods set off abnormal brain chemistry, which begins the migraine. * At a 3 to 1 ration, more women than men get migraines due to a difference in our brains. 1 in 20 elementary school children get migraines. * Those with migraines are more likely to be depressed. The Migraine Brain is divided into three large sections, each covering a different aspect of the migraine. Part one helps the reader decide if hers is a true migraine, learn how to find anything that triggers the condition ( Dr. Bernstein lists her own top ten), and covers how female hormones play a part throughout life. There is also a short but important section for men. Part two discusses how to find the right physician to help you; explains the variety of medications--those that prevent, abort, and rescue; mentions in-hospital treatment; covers recent natural alternative methods for migraine relief. Part three helps the reader set up her personal wellness plan. Topics covered are family, sex, mental health, travel, home environment, and work. The Migraine Brain is the kind of book I