In response to a piece I wrote in May, Disappointing Article on Migraine in Body & Soul Magazine, I received a very nice e-mail from the author of that Body & Soul Magazine article, Hillari Dowdle.

Dowdle is a fellow migraineur who wrote about her experiences seeking alternative treatments for her migraine disease. I'm sharing her words with her permission.

Hey! Great site.

I came across your entry on the "disappointing article in body + soul."

Well, I wrote the article, and I have to say that 1. I tried to be careful to point out that it's MY journey, 2. I don't disagree with the fact that there's a neurological basis, and 3. I don't think the neurological basis is all that nondifferent from the emotional one.

Migraines run in my family. There's no doubt a genetic link. But chalking everything up to that alone wasn't exactly helping me. I worked with a neurologist for over a year, tried every drug and combination of drugs possible, and still found myself trapped in a cycle of migraines that was way beyond anything that I, or either of my grandmothers, had ever experienced. Frustrating! Infuriating! Miserable!

I can't say that the emotional insight "cured" anything exactly--and if you read the article carefully, I don't. Only that there are many ways to look at this very complex problem. Making a little peace with the headaches has helped me. Every little bit helps.

Any, by the way, I share your frustration with the general state of
the press coverage for migraines. If I read one more article about how it's a fun ride down the rabbit hole just like in Alice in Wonderland, I'll be ready to kick somebody in the head. But maybe that's my anger issues talking...

Keep up the good work with the site. Another thing that really helps? Emotional support!!!

Kind regards,
Hillari

Content by Diana E. Lee.