Written by Catherine Charrett-Dykes,
President and CEO of Chronic Migraine Awareness, Inc.
pan·dem·ic /panˈdemik/ – (of a disease) Prevalent over a whole country or the world.
You might expect this to be about the coronavirus, however it’s about the other global pandemic – migraine disease. Migraine has existed for over 6000 years and impacts one billion people worldwide. Those of us with chronic migraine, an estimated four million, live with pain day in and day out.
The thing is no one technically dies from
migraine disease, but having it may increase your risk of having another
condition. These comorbid conditions mean they may occur at the same time but
are not caused by one another. Some of these include anxiety, depression,
panic, restless leg and others. Even though migraine disease isn’t deadly,
there are a number of people who have contemplated suicide due to the chronic
pain and poor medical treatment. This isn’t acceptable.
Migraine feels like the red headed, stepchild
(long lost relative) of disease. With over 40 million people living with
migraine disease and 4 million who live with chronic migraine it’s time for a
change.
Why is this important? Because migraine
disease qualifies in definition as a global pandemic! Yes, Migraine! It’s not “just a
headache” it’s a genetic neurological disease that falls on a spectrum
from mild to severely debilitating. In fact, you can have a migraine attack
without the head pain. Migraine disease is totally underfunded and researched.
Living with migraine disease is like living
with the flu, a torturous way to live. When will people become outraged that
the current medical care is sorely lacking; that we have less than 600 doctors
who are qualified to diagnose and treat it for over 40 million people living
with it? It’s not rocket science that these numbers don’t add up. We need
funding and research – NOW! Let’s not
lose anyone else to migraine disease.
This is for you, National Institute of Health, in the words of Meredith Grey ( Grey’s Anatomy ) “#NIH pick me, choose me” 💜❤️💜 chronic migraine.
Chronic Migraine Awareness 
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