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Migraine [Paperback]

Oliver Sacks
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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The many manifestations of migraine can vary dramatically from one patient to another, even within the same patient at different times. Among the most compelling and perplexing of these symptoms are the strange visual hallucinations and distortions of space, time, and body image which migraine sufferers sometimes experience. Portrayals of these uncanny states have found their way into many works of art, from the heavenly visions of Hildegard von Bingen to Alice in Wonderland. Dr. Oliver Sacks argues that migraine cannot be understood simply as an illness, but must be viewed as a complex condition with a unique role to play in each individual's life.

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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars migraine explained April 27 2010
Format:Paperback
This book contains everything you ever wanted to know about migraine but didn't know who to ask. If you have migraines, or if you are a physician who treats migrainers, Dr. Sacks book is the one to read.

The author is a neurologist (specialist in nervous disorders) who has treated thousands of patients with migraine and who experiences migraine himself. He explains the structure of migraine, different types of migraine, what helps people cope with or cut short attacks, and what are good treatment options.

Dr. Sacks offers up a generous number of case descriptions which are thoroughly engaging, and often enchantingly strange. In the course of these cases a wide variety of migraine symptoms are elaborated and explained. Migraine is not simply a very bad headache.

I found Dr. Sacks' writing a little more technical in this book than in his others, but he includes a comprehensive terminology section at the back which is very helpful.

The best thing about reading Migraine is that now understand a lot more about what's happening to me during an attack and as a result I no longer worry about what my symptoms mean.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Run don't Walk! Dec 3 1999
Format:Paperback
Run, don't walk, to get this book, if you or anyone you know suffers from migraine. By a terrific doctor who is a migraine sufferer himself, you will be amazed at how many symptoms a migraineur can have that are not even a headache.

This is a widely misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated malady and sufferers need to be INFORMED about what is happening to them and why it is happening. Save yourself lots of grief and pain, read this book and you will be well armed in your fight for relief from this horrible malady.

I'm updating this review due to some of the unbelievably idiotic negative reviews some have given this book, one who admits they haven't even read it! After reading this book several years ago and most anything else published on migraine since, I can still say this is the book that is an absolute "Must Read" for any migraineur. You can't properly seek treatment until you understand what migraine actually is, not a 'headache' but a neurological disease, and this book will arm you with the most important weapon there is - correct information!

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Nicely written but misses the mark. Nov 17 2002
Format:Paperback
I like most of Oliver Sacks's books. I think "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" and "An Anthropologist on Mars" are major contributions to the understanding of the human mind. I do have a problem with "Migraine" however. My experience as a migraine sufferer and as a clinical psychologist has left me in no doubt that the fundamental causes of migraine headaches are physical, not psychological. I have no doubt that stress can make the attacks worse, but I believe most migraines are triggered by such physiological factors as allergies (particularly MSG, chocolates, red wines, and well-cured cheeses), or by overexposure to bright sunlight, too much sugar, or by overexertion or overstimulation with an accompanying lack of rest. Sacks takes a Freudian view of migraine, which I believe is inaccurate. I now get migraine attacks perhaps a tenth as often as a few years ago, and the improvement has not been due to psychotherapy or any earthshaking insights, but to my avoiding MSG and chocolate and to my doctor perscribing Imitrex. Imitrex is a miracle medication for patients who can tolerate it. (It can cause a dangerous increase in blood pressure in some people, hence the need for a doctor's prescription.) Sacks has written some fine books, but I don't think this one belongs near the top of the list.
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Most recent customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars migraine by oliver sacks
It is a well known fact that migraine is hereditary and
incurable at this time. Sometimes the pain can be reduced to
a tolerable level for a time. Read more
Published on Feb 7 2004
1.0 out of 5 stars Hereditary Migraine
Migraine is the result of an abnormal

gene containded in the thirteenth chromosome. Lots of money is
made by not first disclosing this fact to the patient before... Read more

Published on Feb 7 2004 by Lloyd S.Marks
3.0 out of 5 stars Oliver Sacks can't write about himself...
One of the things that mad "The Man who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" and "Awakenings" so great were Dr.Sack's powerful (an human) powers of observation. Read more
Published on Oct 24 2001 by Susan R Murray
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Necessary for Migraine Sufferers
I found this book at a time when I was having weekly migraines and feeling very lost as to how to handle them anymore. Read more
Published on Oct 24 2001 by narrative
5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what it claims to be
If you have any interest in migraines at all, this is the definitive book on the subject. While it is dense going in areas, and occassionally a little dry, it is chock-full of... Read more
Published on Jan 31 2001 by "kangarex"
5.0 out of 5 stars FASCINATING...
Truthfully I didn't expect this to be an enjoyable book. I bought it because i have migraines. But I was fascinated by the history and especially by what it must have been like... Read more
Published on Aug 19 2000 by T. Reinhardt
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!
As a migraineur, I thought this book was fantastic. Sacks goes in to great detail with regrd to the history, types, and symptoms of Migraine. Read more
Published on Aug 8 2000
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