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M.A.G.N.U.M.'s Mission Statement
To bring public awareness to the fact the Migraine is a true biologic neurological disease, using the electronic, print and artistic mediums of expression.
To assist Migraine sufferers, their families, and co-workers.
To help improve the quality of life and lessen the burden of Migraine disease and head-pain disorder worldwide.
To encourage NIH to adequately fund research of Migraine disease & headache disorders to reflect the level of disease burden on the nation.
Change Federal Legislation to include Intractable Migraine as a disability;
Increase public Awareness that migraine is not caused by stress, depression or lifestyle;
Educate the public that Migraine is not psychological or somatoform, but is a serious physical condition, neurologically based, that in some cases can even lead to permanent visual loss, stroke, coma, and death;
Debunk myths... i.e. "Migraine personality";
Arm Migraineurs with knowledge to directly improve their quality of life;
Educate Migraineurs about aspects of Migraine disease, such as trigger mechanisms and the latest in medical treatments and pharmaceuticals, and patient education;
Direct Migraineurs to positive medical organizations; and
Direct Migraineurs to quality regional medical facilities.
Why we put together MAGNUM -
Migraine disease is a major health and disability problem that affects approximately 36 million Americans, most of whom are women, with up to 45 million having Migraine genetic propensity.
Migraine disease is a serious medical condition which can cause great financial and personal losses to people who suffer from it.
Migraineurs not only have to fight a debilitating disease, but they also have to fight tremendous public ignorance and prejudice due to years of misinformation and disinformation.
What the benefits are to society to have this Migraine disease knowledge-
To put an end to the myths and "wives tales" that Migraines are psychological, that they are caused by stress or the result of depression.
In reality, Migraine is a true organic, neurological disease. It is a disease that needs to be treated with the serious respect of any other neurological disease.
To help persons afflicted with this debilitating disease gain the wherewithal, treatment and respect to rebuild their lives.
To bring attention to the many medical and lifestyle options available in the treatment of Migraine and to make the sufferers aware of current pharmacological advances in the treatment of Migraine.
What the impact is to increasing public awareness of Migraine -
To improve the quality of life of the individuals who suffer from this disease and their loved ones who have to suffer along with the Migraineurs.
To allow Migraineurs to be productive contributors to society.
To make persons aware that Migraine is not a benign disorder. For example, 27% of all strokes suffered by persons under the age of 45 are caused by Migraine. (Stroke is the third leading cause of death in this country.) In fact, by some estimates more people died from Migrainous stroke last year than were murdered by handguns.
Migraines also cause a host of other physical problems: permanent visual loss, severe dental problems, and coma.
Greater than 1400 more US women with Migraine with aura die annually from cardiovascular diseases compared to women who do not have migraine.
Based on a sample of Americans, suicide attempts are three times more likely in individuals with Migraine with aura compared to those with no Migraine, whether or not major depression is also present.
What the economic impact and personal cost is to this country -
Productivity: 150 million work days, or an equivalent of 1,200 million work hours, are lost each year to head pain.
Chronic Migraineurs can be forced to leave their jobs, abandon their leisure activities, withdraw from their families and friends, and organize their lifestyle around the continual pain. This impact overflows to those who have to live and work with Migraineurs.
The US annual direct and indirect economic costs of Migraine disease & headache disorders exceed $31 billion.
Who in this country is affected by Migraine Disease and Headache Disorders -
Migraine disease & Headache disorders are the most prevalent neurological disorders, affecting more than 90% of all Americans.
Migraine afflicts approximately 36 million Americans annually overall, including 25 percent of middle-aged women and 19 percent of veterans of the Iraq war.
A quarter of American families contain someone with migraine.
Four percent of Americans experience headache pain more than four hours per day for more than 15 days per month.
Cluster headache attacks are among the most severe pain conditions known, and this condition is as prevalent as multiple sclerosis.
Who Says Migraine Disease and Headache Disorders are among the most costly and disabling medical conditions in the world? Why the W.H.O. does! -
According to a World Health Organization analysis, Migraine alone is responsible for at least one percent of the total US medical disability burden, and severe migraine attacks are as disabling as quadriplegia.
The US annual direct and indirect economic costs of Migraine disease & headache disorders exceed $31 billion.
Migraine disease & Headache disorders are responsible for nine percent of all US lost labor productivity.
The NIH has never funded research on Migraine disease & headache disorders at adequate levels -
In response to this huge disease burden, the NIH expended approximately $10 million in 2006 towards all research on Migraine disease & headache disorders, comprising less than 0.05 percent of its total budget.
Migraine disease & Headache research funding did not rise appreciably during the recent doubling of the NIH budget.
There is no NIH intramural research program on Migraine disease or headache disorders.
There is no NIH study section for grant review wholly devoted to pain research, let alone Migraine disease or headache disorders.
Migraine disease has very rarely been prioritized for NIH extramural research funding.
NIH inattention to Migraine disease & headache disorders has discouraged scientists from pursuing research in this field and contributed to the limited development of new therapies -
NIH under-funding has resulted in a very small community of active Migraine disease & headache research scientists and few quality Migraine disease & headache grants submitted for NIH funding.
Since seminal research studies leading to novel pharmaceutical therapies are typically performed in publicly funded laboratories, the meager development of innovative effective therapies for Migraine disease & headache disorders can be traced to NIH underfunding.
Under-funding of NIH research on Migraine disease & headache disorders has denied millions of affected Americans equal access to the benefits of publicly funded research programs and the promise of effective Migraine disease & headache care.
To learn more how you can help address this lack of NIH research funding visit our Headache On the Hill section and related web pages to learn how to become involved on protecting the next generation of children born with the genes for Migraine disease.
