Migraine

Sarah Robertson is the editor of the Canadian Book Review Annual.

Valerie South is chief operating officer of the World Headache Alliance,
a former executive director of the Migraine Association of Canada, and a
migraine sufferer. In this revised edition of a book first published in
1994, she debunks the belief that migraine is “an imagined
disorder,” defining it instead as “a neurochemical disorder caused
by a largely inborn chemical disruption.” According to a recent study
cited in neurologist Marek J. Gawel’s foreword, “migraine affects
17.6 percent of Canadians.”

The book’s 14 chapters cover the expected topics, including the
economic and personal costs of migraine, causes and triggers, hormonally
related migraine, medication-induced (“rebound”) headache, migraine
in infants and children, come-down-from-stress migraine, the role of
serotonin in migraine, the doctor–patient relationship, migraine and
aging, medical treatment (drug, preventive, emergency), complementary
therapies ranging from acupuncture to yoga, and home remedies. South
repeats herself on occasion and devotes a disproportionate amount of
space—one chapter—to the mechanics of forming and running a
migraine-related self-help group. Her sensible advice, accessible prose,
and proactive approach to migraine management more than compensate for
these minor flaws, however. A table of drug names, further resources, a
brief glossary, and an index round out the volume.