The John R. Graham Headache Center strives for excellence in management of headache. We are dedicated to finding a solution to the problem of migraine.

In 1955, John R Graham, the founder of the headache center that now bears his name, wrote a short book on the treatment of migraine. It is hard to find today but does carry some useful advice from a time when abortive therapies for migraine were few and there were essentially no preventive medications.  Some of his advice he listed under “Errors of Living” which have been abstracted below. Some of this advice still rings true more than 50 years later.

Errors of Living (made by migraine patients)

By John R Graham from Treatment of Migraine;  Little, Brown and Company, 1955.

Poor meals-skimpy breakfasts and lunches and large dinners eaten in a state of fatigue

Irregular hours for meals-( or missing meals).

Morning deadlines- too little time is allowed between the rising hour and the scramble for school and office

Sleeping late on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays

Lack of breaks in the day

Overcrowded schedules

Failure to take proper vacations

Failure to get away from their children periodically

Excessive participation in community and church activities

Overanxiety regarding preparations for guests, etc

Long automobile trips

Acting as chairman (because nobody else will accept) -migraine patients do not delegate work to others.

Making up for lost time – as soon as the patients are over one attack, the usually rush to repair losses.

Suffering petty wrongs in silence- until they mount to unbearable heights

Aiming for impossible goals

Lack of exercise

Lack of recreation

See how many of these seem familiar to you and reflect for a moment on how choices you make day in and day out might be influencing your migraine pattern.