As women strive to become more educated and more responsible for their own health, books of this type can be a primary source of information. The opening page of the book shows that the authors comprehend some of the problems we face:

"Do you suffer from constant, agonizing pain? Have you been to doctor after doctor, only to receive nothing that helps or be told 'it's all in your head,' 'it's stress,' or 'you're just getting old?' If so, you're not alone . . . Given how much we know about pain, it's scandalous that women suffer needlessly."

The book covers a good variety of topics, including:

• The Hormonal Connection
• Your Spine, the Body's Backbone
• Unending Pain
• The Traditional Medicine Cabinet
• Foods That Heal
• Nature's Remedies
• Exercise for Relief and Prevention
• Mind-Body Therapies

It also includes a section, "When It Really Is All in Your Head." The opening paragraphs start out well, but I was disappointed in the section about Migraine Disease:

• The authors refer to "Migraine Headaches." We have learned that the term "Migraine Headaches" is misleading and incorrect because the headache is only a symptom of the attack. In addition, referring to attacks of Migraine Disease as "headaches" only serves to set back our need for others to realize that Migraine is a neurological disease.
• Their statistics are out of date. On page 201, "... affect more than 25 million Americans." The figure was more than 28 million officially, two years ago.
• In the section on causes on Page 202, they don't even mention the research from June of 2000, which has been accepted by the American Headache Society, American Council for Headache Education, National Migraine Association, American Medical Association, and the World Headache Alliance. This research cites overactive neurons in the brains of Migraineurs. (http://headaches.about.com/library/weekly/aa062000a.htm)
• On page 204, it is stated, "There are also some pain medications available in oral, nasal spray and injection form (Zomig, Maxalt, Imitrex)." These are triptans, and they aren't pain medications at all. They have no traditional pain relieving properties. They are Migraine abortives, and work in the brain to stop the actual attack and all its symptoms. Ergotamine derivatives such as DHE 45 and Migranal are not even mentioned. DHE has been in use since 1945 and is still one of the most effective and widely used Migraine abortives.
• In the section on supplements, it is not warned that no patient should take these supplements without consulting their doctor. It is stated about Feverfew specifically, but it stands for all supplements. In the material about Magnesium, there is no warning that patients MUST balance it out with some additional calcium or face problems.

I don't doubt that the intentions of the authors when writing "Women and Pain" were admirable. Nor do I doubt that some sections of the book contain excellent information. However, given the inaccuracies in the sections about Migraine Disease, I would caution readers to do as any responsible patient would, and check the information with their doctor before integrating any of it into their health regimen.