Headache Relief for Women: 05/17/07

As a long time sufferer of migraines, I was intrigued by this book when it showed up at one of the recent BookCrossing meetings. I usually steer clear of self help type books but I thought I'd take a chance on Headache Relief for Women just in case it had some tips that I had so far missed. I wish I hadn't bothered reading this book. Suffice it to say, I hated it.

The book starts out okay. The introductory chapter gives some statistics on who suffers from migraines most and some other interesting facts. It appears to be a rather straight forward medical book for the general public.

By the second or third chapter though, the book's tone becomes increasingly patronizing. The message seems to be: oh dear suffering woman who is too shy and stupid to stand up to her doctor, we will come and cure you and explain to you how your body works because you are just a woman.

The answers provided in the book are no different than any other migraine book: keep a diary of headaches; figure out what factors might be triggers; try to change lifestyle to avoid these triggers; if migraines persist, here are some things to ask your doctor. The last couple of chapters are a list of every known drug (as of 1995) and how they can be used to keep the hysterical migraineur doped up enough to not notice her headache. The book also reads like a 250 page infomercial for their own headache clinic.

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Comment #1: Sunday, August, 12, 2007 at 15:41:27

booklogged

"See is such a cutie patootie. I'd love you to bring her over to my house and let me cuddle her for awhile while we sit and visit. Probably she wouldn't cuddle because there would be so many new things to explore. Cute babies just make me want to squeeze them."

1997-2023 Sarah Sammis