Migraine and Headache Awareness Month

June is National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month

So we might be a bit late in the month, but better late than never when shining a light on serious invisible illnesses. This month is National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month in the U.S. and around the world. That may sound a little specific for its own month, but did you know that:
Migraine is the third most prevalent illness in the world.
12% of the US population (including kids) suffers from migraines.
Every 10 seconds, someone visits an ER with head pain.
It's most common in women, and it runs in families. It's also most common between the ages of 18 and 44. And migraines aren't just bad headaches folks, they can be debilitating and affect vision, balance and the senses, cause nausea, numbness and dizziness as well as severe pain, and are often non-reactive to meds. So yeah, that's pretty bad.

For more info on migraines and their surprising prevalence, take a look at the Migraine Research Foundation.

There is some research being done on headaches and migraines, but not nearly enough given the scale and severity of the problem. Headache disorders account for 9% (9!!!) of lost labour productivity in the U.S. - which comes to about $20bn annually. However the National Institutes of Health (NIH) fund migraine research at a meagre $20m a year. This is in comparison to $589m for Alzheimer's, $1010m for diabetes, and $74m for underage drinking (to pick some very random examples from the NIH data tables).


Many people attribute this massive disparity in funding with the trivialization of the issue. Which is why awareness is so important. So yeah, a month seems fair for those with chronic, debilitating pain and nothing to do about it. 

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