WHAM! World Headache Awareness Month
37 organizations in 26 countries join to raise awareness

Senator John R. Warner (R-VA) sent Michael John Coleman, Executive Director and Founder of MAGNUM, the National Migraine Association, to London to attend the Symposium representing the United States. Mr. Coleman hand-delivered powerful bipartisan letters showing support for this major headache and Migraine health event from Senator Warner and Congressman James P. Moran (D-8th District, VA) to Ms. Ann Rush, Director of The Migraine Trust. Part of Senator Warner's letter reads:

"The Symposium's slogan, "RESEARCH Is the Key" is most fitting for this important international gathering. The ongoing research and recent experimental treatment regimens suggest new hope for the millions who suffer from serious head pain problems. Yet this is just the beginning and efforts like yours must continue if we are to build the public awareness and support needed to achieve our goal of relief for head pain sufferers."

Part of Congressman Moran's letter reads:

"In today's world it is more important than ever to see international cooperation in medical research. The slogan for your symposium, "Research is Key," is extremely appropriate as you gather with other nations to discuss the best ways to treat Migraines. It is my hope that with a more multi-cultural look at head pain, we will be able to forge new ideas and help ease suffering for all."

Mr. Coleman had an opportunity to speak with Dr. Stephen Silberstein as he was going to be interviewed by ABC-TV news. Dr. Silberstein said he was "very happy that our government gave official messages of policy to be issued and to show how seriously our government takes head pain issues."

Coleman also spoke with Dr. Jes Olesen of Denmark, who wears many hats in the European and international medical community. He recently attended a pain conference in Brussels with ministers from eight major European governments to discuss head pain and other brain and neurology issues. Regarding the letters, he told Coleman, "This is exactly the kind of thing we need from more governments to get head pain and other pain issues on radar screen. I'm pleased that MAGNUM is present to report back and advise the US government." Ann Rush, director of the Migraine trust said she was "pleasantly surprised that the conference was acknowledged by the American government at such a prestigious level. Coleman was "quite impressed with the Migraine Trust and the quality of the symposium Ms. Rush has organized." He added that "It's exciting and gratifying to have the support of our government and to be present here to see the true progress that is finally being made in the treatment of Migraine disease. It is significant that research on Migraine prevention is increasing."¹

More about WHAM
Kary Shannon, Chief Operating officer of the WHA, commented:

"World Headache Awareness month 2002 represents 37 organizations in 26 countries working to get the attention not only of public and press, but also of interested healthcare providers, primary care physicians, and other professionals it to understand and raise awareness about headache and headache disorders. To support that was presentation of the prestigious Elizabeth Garret Anderson (EGA) Award to Dr. Anne MacGregor at the Migraine Trust Symposium. Anne was recognized for her tireless commitment to research, specifically that focused on women and menstrual headache disorders and the effects of hormones on these disorders and for her and public education. Because of that, her ability to under the full dynamics of headache disorder sufferers is profound. Continued research and public education are vital, and the WHA is honored to present this award to Anne. 'I look forward to a time when there is no need for a World Headache Awareness Month.'²

Preparations for WHAM 2003 are in progress, and the WHA is developing a comprehensive media and awareness platform for use by non-medical organizations.

Valerie South, Chief Operating Officer of the International Headache Society commented about "exciting things" going on in the field, saying about Migraine prevention that there is, "more interest now. It's exciting that prevention is finally being looked at in tandem with acute treatment."³ 

Dr. Jean Claude Krusz, a headache/Migraine and pain specialist from Dallas, Texas, offered a doctor's point of view on treating head pain disorders today, saying:

"There are so many newer treatments/tools - acute and preventive biochemical tools. Take advantage of what's out there with guidance of a headache and Migraine specialist. New categories of meds will hopefully treat acute Migraine, offering better quality of life. If there is enough frequency, it warrants daily treatment - newer categories of meds with lifestyle changes in sleep, exercise, other environmental factors. This can make a huge difference in how you control head pain rather than head pain controlling you. Treatment is best when the patient becomes major player, part of team, not walking into the doctor's office to be fixed like changing light bulb. Team effort, meds are one aspect. It's important to understand that these family disorders, affecting everyone in family. Not only are they familial disorders, sometimes with multiple family members affected, but they do affect everyone, so it's important to draw everybody in as part of the treatment algorithm to learn about awareness. Organizations are important, and support groups need to bring in family members, children, so everyone has as much information as possible. Expose everybody to information or you won't get as good results. It's the 'Absent-spouse syndrome.' The person who is absent never hears what transpires in terms of education and awareness and feels the person is making up their symptoms. This is how things go on too often. I tend to try to bring family units in and make sure everybody hears what we have to say."

Dr. Krusz was also impressed with the letters from Senator Warner and Congressman Moran, saying:

'... incredible reading because they're not something canned. They were put together by their own staff and show an incredible amount of awareness. There are 100 million headachers in the country. It's one of the largest medical clubs around other than perhaps chronic pain. Because of groups like MAGNUM, we're seeing more awareness. The Joint Commission (JCAHO) rules stop discharging patients in pain. It's incredible that Congress is so aware. We need a major initiative in the head pain field to raise public awareness, with concerted awareness, with patients standing up and fighting for the right to be treated and recognized as a legitimate group of patients. Certainly cancer, blindness, deafness, and other chronic disabilities are. Head pain and other pain need to be in that kind of grouping so that 10 to 15 years from now treatment isn't so elementary as it is now.'⁴

 

More about the WHA
The World Headache Alliance was incorporated in 1997 and has offices in London, England, and Ontario, Canada. There are currently 38 member head pain organizations in 26 countries around the world. To assist in reducing the burden of headache disorders, the WHA has two main goals:

1. To lobby governments and other agencies on the unmitigated burdens of headache and the cost-effectiveness of their alleviation

2. To raise awareness of headache as a public health concern.

As stated on their web site, "The World Headache Alliance (WHA) exists to relieve the suffering of people affected by headache throughout the world, in particular, by sharing information among headache organisations and by increasing the awareness and understanding of headache as a public health concern with profound social and economic impact."
          

More about the IHS
The International Headache Society (IHS), a professional scientific group, has a mission very similar to that of the WHA. The two organizations have a very close working relationship, with the WHA working through lay organizations and the IHS working through professional groups and individuals.

The IHS was founded in 1981. As stated in their Articles of Association their objectives are "to relieve sickness and to protect and preserve health in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the world, including in any one or more of the individual countries of the world, in particular by promoting research into the causes, mechanisms, diagnosis, treatment and other aspects of headache..."

developed head pain disorder classification and diagnostic criteria that are internationally accepted as the standards in treating diagnosing, classifying, and treating these disorders. Director Val South reports that the IHS is in the process of updating these documents and invites those interested to review the proposed updates and post their comments to the IHS web site at www.i-h-s.org.

Summary
Without awareness of head pain disorders, we will make little or no progress toward timely and quick diagnosis, prevention and treatment of these disorders and their symptoms or toward a better quality of life for all those afflicted by them. It's WHAM - World Headache Awareness Month! Let's each of us do our part by educating ourselves and those around us. 

 

Resources & References

¹ From a telephone interview conducted by Teri Robert with Mr. Coleman from the International Research Symposium on September 24, 2002.
² From a telephone interview conducted by Teri Robert with Ms. Shannon from the International Research Symposium on September 24, 2002.
³ From a telephone interview conducted by Teri Robert with Ms. South from the International Research Symposium on September 24, 2002.
⁴ From a telephone interview conducted by Teri Robert with Krusz from the International Research Symposium on September 24, 2002.

 

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