Migraine Advocacy
Insurance Delays and Denials Impact Patient Access to Migraine Treatment
How Insurance Barriers Impact Migraine Treatment Access Migraine is a complex neurological disease that affects more than 42 million people in the United States alone. Approximately 5 million people in the US have chronic migraine, meaning they have 15 migraine/headache days a month or more. Migraine disease is so much more than “just a headache.”…
Read MoreThe Real Voice of Migraine
There is no shortage of online migraine information (or misinformation) lately. It seems whenever I check my social media feeds or Google, so-called experts have something to say. For instance, sharing the latest treatment hack, like soaking your feet in hot water to stop an attack! By the way… in case you’re wondering, that doesn’t…
Read MoreMigraine Behind the Mask: Making a Difference Together
What Does Migraine Look Like For You? Every year, Migraine Meanderings asks our migraine community to participate in the Migraine Behind the Mask awareness campaign. This migraine advocacy campaign aims to help people without migraine better understand what life with migraine is like. Migraine is a highly stigmatized disease, and our campaign lets people with…
Read More6 Tips for Heading Back to School with Migraine
It’s that time of year again! Students are heading back to school and it seems parents are scrambling to get their kids ready for the new school year. However, when your child lives with migraine, that scrambling can be challenging because there is so much more involved. In this video, Dr. Thomas Berk, certified headache…
Read MoreMigraine & Headache Awareness Month: Making a Difference Together
Migraine and Headache Awareness Month (MHAM), held each June in the U.S., is a vital opportunity for the migraine advocacy community, patients, health care providers, and pharmaceutical companies to make a difference together. It is incredibly encouraging each year to see organizations and individuals pull together both by creating materials and helping share them, and…
Read MoreMigraine Myths: New Medications Have More Side Effects Than Older Ones
One of the most helpful things that has emerged in the past few years as migraine advocacy communities have emerged and grown, is the sharing of information about medications. While generally a positive thing, there are also negative aspects. This is seen most clearly in the discussion of migraine medication side effects (or “adverse events”),…
Read MoreThe Squeaky Wheel Gets the Oil
One of the most challenging things many of us with chronic illnesses have to face is trying to advocate for ourselves in the healthcare system. Somehow, it just seems wrong that when we are the sickest, we often have to push the hardest. Timely and appropriate medical care should not be such a challenge, yet… sadly, it…
Read MoreThe Empowered Patient: How to take an active role in your health and care
The World Health Organization defines patient empowerment as “a process through which people gain greater control over decisions and actions affecting their health.” Becoming an empowered patient can help ensure you’re receiving quality treatments that are right for you and increase your chances of healing.
Read MoreMigraine Behind the Mask: How to Participate!
The month of June is Migraine and Headache Awareness Month. As a part of our Empowering Patient Voices initiative we will be doing a series of posts highlighting the devastation of migraine, cluster, and other headache disorders. We are inviting you to participate by sending in photographs to be featured!
Read MoreIntroducing Empowering Patient Voices
Empowering Patient Voices Launch Hope for Migraine and Migraine Meanderings are excited to announce the launch of our Empowering Patient Voices initiative. In 2021, this initiative will be introducing three approaches to Empowering Patient Voices: Out from the Shadows: Real Voice of Migraine Out from the Shadows: Migraine Behind the Mask Out from the Shadows:…
Read MoreBuilding A Sense of Community – A Daunting Task?
Migraine can be a rough disease to live with and learn to manage. One that can easily leave any of us feeling emotionally and socially isolated. I can finally say that the migraine community has become an important part of my life, but it has been quite a journey. For many of you the pressing question may be: How do I even begin to get connected?
Read MoreA Journey Towards Self-Advocacy
I know for many self-advocacy is difficult. It is time consuming. It is hard to do when you are in pain. It is frustrating, being sent from one person to another and back again. It is discouraging dealing with unfriendly people, and it can be incredibly hard to find a good doctor to work with. In short, it is not easy! However, it is something we all must learn to do in order to get the very best treatment we deserve for our health.
Read More