As I've mentioned in a few of my social media posts, June is Migraine Awareness Month, and there are a few special days that we observe within the month, like today.
Today June 6th, is Veterans with Headache Diseases Day.
Can you imagine fighting a battle for your country, coming home, then battling an invisible enemy for the rest of your life?
Research from the Department of Veteran's Affairs states that many veterans are more likely to develop migraine & headache diseases due to their service in the military.
I wanted to learn more to back this up and didn't find a lot of information to confirm and fact check as of late, but I hope to have more that you can return to shortly.
This is what the Department of Veteran Affairs published in 2017, "Unfortunately, Veterans are more likely to develop migraine or other persistent headache disorders than their civilian counterparts, according to research. In fact, one study showed that 36 percent of Veterans who had completed a 12-month deployment to Iraq were either diagnosed with or exhibited symptoms of migraine. In comparison, it has been estimated that migraine affects approximately 12 percent of the general population."
Read the entire article HERE.
Of course, common sense says that anyone who has head or brain trauma is susceptible to getting migraines, but not all veterans were in combat.
Migraines may be brought on by stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, and many other factors that each on their own, can also be a symptom of migraine.
Please be thoughtful and patient with your veteran friends and family members who may not accept your invitation to talk on the phone or go to the movies when we can go back, they may be battling an invisible war with an enemy we can't see, but they can definitely feel; migraine or headache disease.
June 8, 2020 Update:
I reached out to the Migraine Awareness Month Organization for more details about this topic for my friend Frank, a veteran suffering from migraines. One of their contacts Wendy, sent me some articles today, and I thought I'd share them with all.
Please see the following, and a HUGE thanks to Wendy!
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