[.ca] Migraine (ISBN 037570406X)

Nicely written but misses the mark.:
I like most of Oliver Sacks's books. I think "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" and "An Anthropologist on Mars" are major contributions to the understanding of the human mind. I do have a problem with "Migraine" however. My experience as a migraine sufferer and as a clinical psychologist has left me in no doubt that the fundamental causes of migraine headaches are physical, not psychological. I have no doubt that stress can make the attacks worse, but I believe most migraines are triggered by such physiological factors as allergies (particularly MSG, chocolates, red wines, and well-cured cheeses), or by overexposure to bright sunlight, too much sugar, or by overexertion or overstimulation with an accompanying lack of rest. Sacks takes a Freudian view of migraine, which I believe is inaccurate. I now get migraine attacks perhaps a tenth as often as a few years ago, and the improvement has not been due to psychotherapy or any earthshaking insights, but to my avoiding MSG and chocolate and to my doctor perscribing Imitrex. Imitrex is a miracle medication for patients who can tolerate it. (It can cause a dangerous increase in blood pressure in some people, hence the need for a doctor's prescription.) Sacks has written some fine books, but I don't think this one belongs near the top of the list.

Absolutely Necessary for Migraine Sufferers:
I found this book at a time when I was having weekly migraines and feeling very lost as to how to handle them anymore. I was shocked to find not only my specific type of migraine dealt with here, but also the abdominal migraines I had as a child, which even a pediatric neurologist confessed he'd only read about. It seems from this book that a crucial aspect of migraine is the holding-back of something emotionally. There is so much information from Dr. Sacks (yes, a bit dry at times, but at most other times readable and even entertaining) that you can read this book in a nonlinear fashion, picking it up and putting it down, skimming until you find what's useful to your specific situation. Dr. Sacks found in two years of his study that over half the people he examined stopped having migraines! Why? Because he was taking an avid interest in them several times a month, and the migraine was no longer necessary as an embodiment of something the patients weren't dealing with emotionally. Obviously there are many more causes of migraine, but for me that was immensely helpful and, over time and with better communication, I now only get them a couple of times a year, knowing that I can turn to this book to find out virtually anything I need to know. When I had my first optical migraine, I didn't panic because I'd seen the drawings in this book of the schomata (sp?) and knew what it was. If you have migraines and can read, do yourself a favor and get a copy of this book. I don't care if you find it new or used. Just get it, and start skimming. You will find yourself in its pages and can perhaps start on the road to healing.

Oliver Sacks can't write about himself...:
One of the things that mad "The Man who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" and "Awakenings" so great were Dr.Sack's powerful (an human) powers of observation. Migranies is thin in these areas. Oliver Sacks suffered from migraines himself and finds the subject a bit more fascinating than people who have no experience with migraines might. I'd recommend this book for some who suffers from migraines (no medical advice though, it about understanding the cause of the condition) or to someone who had a loved one who had migraine and wanted to get a better idea of what it was like. For the average pop science fan the book is a little boring... skip it and get Anthropologist on Mars instead.

Hereditary Migraine:
Migraine is the result of an abnormal gene containded in the thirteenth chromosome. Lots of money is made by not first disclosing this fact to the patient before treatment. None of the reviews appear to disclose this

migraine by oliver sacks:
It is a well known fact that migraine is hereditary and incurable at this time. Sometimes the pain can be reduced to a tolerable level for a time. Patients should be advised of of this before any treatment is attempted. I find nothing in the reviews of the book MIGRAINE by Oliver Sacks disclocing this pertinent information.