There is fewer than one headache specialist for every 85,000 headache and migraine patients in the United States. This figure is similar to other countries around the world, and sometimes even worse. For the vast majority of us, this critical shortage of headache specialists requires us to work with someone who doesn’t specialize in headache or migraine—usually our family doctor or general practitioner. But here’s the problem:
On average, a family doctor or general practitioner has completed just four hours of head pain instruction during their medical training. This figure was revealed in the World Health Organization’s ‘Atlas of Headache Disorders’ report. We’ve spent more time in the doctor’s waiting room for just one visit! Even more shocking: not only is the average just four hours, but for many doctors they actually have ZERO hours of training on headache disorders!
Some patients consult a neurologist, but a neurologist isn’t necessarily a headache specialist unless they focus specifically on headache disorders. Many neurologists practice general neurology or specialize in other areas such as spinal cord disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, or epilepsy. Migraine and headache could be just a fraction of cases they see, and again, there are neurologists who have minimal or even zero hours of training on headache disorders such as migraine.
The same World Health Organization report found that migraine is UNDERDIAGNOSED, UNDERTREATED, and POORLY MANAGED. The shortage of headache specialists is nothing less than a crisis for those of us with migraine, and this deficit does not appear to be improving rapidly.
That’s why Migraine Meanderings and Hope for Migraine are supporting the Migraine World Summit. The Summit is the world’s largest virtual event for informed patients who want to know the latest treatments, research, and proven strategies to prevent and treat migraine.
The Migraine World Summit is FREE and online from March 18-26, 2020. The online event will feature 32 global experts including doctors and specialists from leading institutions such as Stanford University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and the Jefferson Headache Center.
In a perfect world, we’d all have the opportunity to work with a headache specialist. Until then, the Migraine World Summit gives us the facts about migraine and headache so that we can advocate for ourselves to get the best possible results with our current healthcare professionals.
Get complimentary access to the Migraine World Summit when you REGISTER TODAY BY CLICKING HERE!