American Migraine Foundation launches new podcast series

"Migraine feels like God just punched you in the side of the face," says author Andrew Levy in his interview on the American Migraine Foundation's (AMF) new podcast series, "Off the Top of Our Heads". "It's a metaphysical crisis."

In the interview AMF's president Barry Baumel MD, takes the author through his personal experience with managing the pain of migraine, how not to be a "naďve" patient, and the need for more research funding for this disease that affects some 36 million Americans.

The eight-minute podcast can be heard on AMF's website, www.americanmigrainefoundation.org by clicking on the Podcast icon.

"The podcasts are designed to share a range of perspectives on migraine that we hope will bring insights on this disease to those who treat migraine patients and those who suffer with this disabling disease," says Dr. Baumel. "In his book, Andrew's experience with the disease, while much like most migraine sufferers, is lyrically told and is witty and smart."

Levy is a biographer, essayist and author, and professor and director of The Writer's Studio at Butler University in Indianapolis. His book was praised by the famous neurologist Oliver Sacks, MD, as a "window into the whole landscape of the body and mind, health and disease, and the sheer complexity of being alive."

Some excerpts from the podcast are below:

On migraine pain:

"When my migraines are particularly bad, it really feels like the pain is coming from somewhere else. It doesn't feel like it's part of me or something that I'm generating…but of course it is."

On getting the right treatment:

"You can't be a naďve patient with migraine…I think people have to walk into [the doctor's office] saying I have a disease. I want treatment. If you don't give it to me, refer me to someone who will…"

On migraine research funding:

"…there's a hundred times more per person [spent] for epilepsy research [than for migraine research], 33 times more for people with asthma…these numbers are utterly disproportionate to the pain being caused."

Provided by American Headache Society