The Department of Defense is making history with a landmark $500 million annual investment. But it’s not for weapons or defense systems. It’s for women’s health research.

Navigating a maddening maze of phone menus and waiting endlessly on hold are enough to give anyone a headache. But for migraine patients and others whose symptoms are worsened by stress, struggling with their insurers’ automated call system may prolong real pain.  

Biomedical researchers have made remarkable advancements in recent years, at least for certain diseases. Many conditions, however, remain underfunded and underexplored, leaving millions of patients without effective treatments or cures. 

Migraine symptoms can be debilitating. A throbbing head, nausea, and hypersensitivity to light and sound can all interfere with patients’ daily lives. The symptoms can also challenge patients’ ability to care for other illnesses or conditions at the same time. 

One in six Americans suffers from recurrent headaches. Congress can help.

That was the message from hundreds of patient advocates who gathered at the U.S. Capitol for this year’s Headache on the Hill. People living with migraine and other headache disorders use the annual event to highlight legislative solutions that could improve their health care – and their lives.  

Artificial intelligence could redefine the next decade of medicine, particularly in diagnostic tools for headache and migraine. But patient care is paramount, and policymakers should prioritize physician involvement and oversight.

Policymakers are asking the Biden Administration to investigate artificial intelligence’s role in decisions about which seniors get medical care.

People experiencing migraine attacks commonly report to the emergency room for treatment. But ERs seldom offer patients the most suitable treatment. So why go there? 

Some women may discover that their migraine attacks ebb and flow in sync with their menstrual cycle.  Known as “menstrual migraine,” the experience requires greater awareness and education, which the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Women’s Health is working to provide. 

The imminent end of the public health emergency is a sure sign that most people have adjusted to a new normal. For people living with headache or migraine, however, COVID-19 remains a current issue, deeply intrusive to their lives. 

While there is still no cure for migraine, there are more options than ever for relieving and preventing the painful and disabling neurologic condition. 

For migraine patients, not all treatment options are on the table – even during open enrollment season.

For many women, her annual well-woman appointment may be the one time a year she speaks with a doctor about her health. And given that women suffer from migraines at a rate three times that of men, amending the Well-Women screening to include questions about the disease has the potential to benefit many women.

Years of advocacy by numerous patients’ and veterans’ organizations, as well as comedian-turned-advocate Jon Stewart, has paid off.

More than one-third of veterans have been diagnosed with or exhibited symptoms of migraine disease. That’s about twice the national average. This uniquely positions the VA Health Care System to help more veterans get access to innovative treatments.

A new treatment is expanding options for the 40 million people living with migraine disease.

Managing a painful and debilitating disease with no known cure is an uphill struggle for doctors and patients alike.

People who experience episodic migraine know how painful and debilitating the attacks can be. Now, these patients have a new option for stopping attacks before they start.

By Christopher Gottschalk, MD, FAHS

Headaches are just an excuse to avoid everyday responsibilities, society sometimes tells us, certainly not a “real” medical problem. My years of treating patients prove this stereotype utterly inaccurate.

For some people living with migraine disease, trying to access appropriate medication has become a headache – literally.