‘Oh, it’s just a bad headache, you’ll get over it soon.’ 

That’s the misconception far too many people (and employers especially) have of migraines and those who struggle with them. Naturally, many people are surprised to learn just how serious migraines can be and that they are one of the most frequent causes of absences at school, work, and other day-to-day activities.

So, what is a migraine anyway? 

A migraine is a severe, painful headache that is accompanied by several sensory signs, such as flashes of light, blind spots, tingling in the arms and legs, nausea, vomiting, and increased sensitivity to light, smell and sound. The excruciating pain that migraines bring can last for hours or even days for some individuals.

Migraine headaches are a result of blood vessel enlargement and the release of chemicals from nerve fibres that surround them. During the headache, an artery enlarges and releases chemicals that cause inflammation, pain, and further artery enlargement. In many people, a throbbing pain is felt only on one side of the head. Also, migraines often run in families and it’s been discovered that females are much more likely to suffer from them than males.

Now just how badly can migraines affect someone’s quality of life? Again, the impact is probably a lot more significant than most people realize. Migraines can make even the simplest and most mundane tasks seem impossible. 

Amesh A. Adalja MD, FACP Clinical Assistant Professor at the Department of Critical Care Medicine, describes them as, “A complex, incompletely understood, and common disorder characterized by recurrent headaches that can be so debilitating as to interfere with the performance of daily tasks.” 

But there is hope. Although the direct cause of these headaches is still unclear to the medical community, new and innovative treatments targeted at migraines are constantly evolving. Some popular options are anti-inflammatory medications, acupuncture, Botox (injected into the forehead), and most recently, neurostimulation (a special device that activates key neurons within the brain to relieve pain). 

Dr. Ken Reed, a pioneer of the Reed Procedure (an innovative new treatment that blocks migraine pain), says of chronic migraines, “Often people can’t work; they can’t enjoy quality time with their family or friends; they become isolated and depressed. (But) we’ve seen remarkable results with the neurostimulation migraine treatment. Patients ... now enjoy long-term relief from their migraine pain.”

For years, medical associations have struggled to get migraines officially recognized as a disability and their struggle is far from over. Teachers, employers and even family members must make an effort to understand this disorder and how seriously it can affect a person’s abilities, so that they can provide the necessary assistance and accommodations. It’s about time that we, as a society, pulled the veil off this hidden culprit—migraines are for real.