In this episode, I review the pathological and clinical dimensions of migraine, the most common disabling neurological disorder. I tried to capture migraine’s diverse disabling recurrent symptoms, from its risk factors, triggers and prodrome to the aura, the headache, and multiple heightened sensitivities.
To illustrate the lived experience of migraine, its classical manifestations, and its curious variants, I refer to such vivid patient memoirs as those of Monica Nelson titled Mere Sense, and Abby Reed titled The Color of Pain. I also cited Oliver Sacks classical book titled 'Migraine'.
I also flavour the podcast with historical migraine patient anecdotes, such as those of Ann Conway, the enlightenment writer who was treated by the great physicians William Harvey and Thomas Willis, of Annie, who was treated with an astounding number of therapies by the famous Queen Square neurologist William Gowers, and of Alexander Pope who treated his migraines in a most unconventional way.
In this regard, I relied on Migraine: A History, Katherine Foxhall’s magnificent historical account of the medieval ideas and treatments of the disorder, and Soul Made Flesh, Carl Zimmer's exhilarating biography of Thomas Willis.
The podcast also explores and the evolution of migraine's acute and preventative treatments, and how a better understanding of its pathology is leading to treatments such as those that influence the CGRP pathway.
