Podcast on migraines and new developments in treatment and prevention

In general, I don't experiences headaches or migraines. A blessing, indeed. Yet, many friends and family have struggled with migraines for quite a long time and I never really understood them or why they are so debilitating. The cause of them hasn't been understood very well, until now. 

This podcast from the BBC World Service was really amazing in not only explaining what migraines are, but some new developments in treatment and prevention. Peter Goadsby is Professor of Neurology at King's College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, and describes migraines as:

"...a disorder of the way the brain deals with incoming information. Of how the brain perceives or overperceives [light], sounds, or smells. Areas of the brain that you don't well understand that help someone concentrate are not working in the synchronous way they should. That broad brain dysfunction is what produces the broad manifestations."

The professor goes on to talk about the visual aspects of migraines, the auras, that get the most attention. I only experienced the auras in a single reliably remembered instance. I certainly could not concentrate and being at work while my vision was changing was a nightmare. Thankfully, I did not live far from home and left for the day. Real migraine attacks are not nearly as tame.

If you'd like to learn more about migraines and some of the newest research out, I definitely recommend listening in.