Celebrating Headache?
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hile Headache and Migraine are certainly
nothing to celebrate, during the week of June 7-13, 2000, National
Headache Awareness Week is being celebrated. This year's theme is
"Making Headway in Headache Relief," which is truly
worthy of celebration. |
| National Headache Awareness Week is sponsored by the National Headache Foundation (NHF) as part of their efforts to educate the public about headache. The theme, "Making Headway in Headache Relief," was chosen to draw focus to the approval of new medications used in the treatment of headache. Dr. Seymour Diamond, Executive Chairman of the National Headache Foundation, states their goals are "to gain recognition of headache pain as a real and legitimate condition, to encourage sufferers to see a physician for proper diagnosis and treatment, and to let sufferers know that there are new treatments available." |
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The best estimates say that over 45 million Americans suffer from
chronic, severe headache pain. This includes 23 million who suffer
from Migraine as well as others who endure cluster headaches, tension
headaches, and other headache disorders. Headache affects everyone --
from infants to the elderly.
There are some interesting facts that demonstrate the impact of headache:
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Last year, 90% of men and 95% of women report having suffered at least one headache. (According to the American Council for Headache Education.) Every day, one out of seven people limit their activities because of headache pain.
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Headache costs employers $13 billion annually.
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Over 18 million doctor's office visits are attributed to headache yearly.
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Last year, over $4 billion was spent on over-the-counter headache medications.
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58% of headache sufferers require some bed rest to overcome the headache, resulting in 112 million bedridden days per year.
Activities during National Headache Awareness Week include free seminars on the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of headache as part of a public education campaign. Events are planned in many cities including Secaucus, New Jersey; Memphis, Tennessee; Teaneck, New Jersey; Torrington, Connecticut, Pinellas Park, Florida; Arcadia, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; and Monroe, Louisiana. More details are available at the NHF web site, www.headaches.org.
