Migraine [Paperback]

Oliver Sacks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 1999

The many manifestations of migraine can vary dramatically from one patient to another, even within the same patient at different times. Among the most compelling and perplexing of these symptoms are the strange visual hallucinations and distortions of space, time, and body image which migraineurs sometimes experience. Portrayals of these uncanny states have found their way into many works of art, from the heavenly visions of Hildegard von Bingen to Alice in Wonderland. Dr. Oliver Sacks argues that migraine cannot be understood simply as an illness, but must be viewed as a complex condition with a unique role to play in each individual's life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Balanced, authoritative . . . brilliant."
—The London Times

"Written by one of the great clinical writers of the twentieth century, Migraine . . . should be read as much for its brilliant insights into the nature of our mental functioning as for its discussion of the migraine."
—The New York Times Book Review

"I am sure . . . that any layman who is interested in the relation between the body and mind . . . will find the book as fascinating as I have."
—W. H. Auden, The New York Review of Books

“Oliver Sacks’s commentary is so erudite, so gracefully written, that even those people fortunate enough never to have had a migraine in their lives should find it equally compelling.”
— The New York Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

"Balanced, authoritative . . . brilliant."  --The London Times

"Written by one of the great clinical writers of the twentieth century, Migraine . . . should be read as much for its brilliant insights into the nature of our mental functioning as for its discussion of the migraine."  --The New York Times Book Review


The many manifestations of migraine can vary dramatically from one patient to another, even within the same patient at different times. Among the most compelling and perplexing of these symptoms are the strange visual hallucinations and distortions of space, time, and body image which migraineurs sometimes experience. Portrayals of these uncanny states have found their way into many works of art, from the heavenly visions of Hildegard von Bingen to Alice in Wonderland. Dr. Oliver Sacks argues that migraine cannot be understood simply as an illness, but must be viewed as a complex condition with a unique role to play in each individual's life.

"I am sure . . . that any layman who is interested in the relation between the body and mind . . . will find the book as fascinating as I have."  --W. H. Auden, The New York Review of Books

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; Rev Exp edition (October 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037570406X
• ISBN-13: 978-0375704062
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,853 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Disorders & Diseases > Nervous System

More About the Author

Oliver Sacks was born in London and educated in London, Oxford, California, and New York. He is professor of neurology and psychiatry at Columbia University, and Columbia's first University Artist. He is the author of many books, including Awakenings, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and Musicophilia. His newest book, The Mind's Eye, will be published in October, 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

197 of 206 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Run don't Walk!, December 3, 1999

By 

Little Dorrit "ldorrit" (WA state) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Migraine (Paperback)

Run, don't walk, to get this book, if you or anyone you know suffers from migraine. By a terrific doctor who is a migraine sufferer himself, you will be amazed at how many symptoms a migraineur can have that are not even a headache.

This is a widely misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated malady and sufferers need to be INFORMED about what is happening to them and why it is happening. Save yourself lots of grief and pain, read this book and you will be well armed in your fight for relief from this horrible malady.

I'm updating this review due to some of the unbelievably idiotic negative reviews some have given this book, one who admits they haven't even read it! After reading this book several years ago and most anything else published on migraine since, I can still say this is the book that is an absolute "Must Read" for any migraineur. You can't properly seek treatment until you understand what migraine actually is, not a 'headache' but a neurological disease, and this book will arm you with the most important weapon there is - correct information!

96 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, Sensitive Investigation by a great and probing mind., October 7, 2005

By 

Anne Rice "Anne Rice" (Little Paradise, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Migraine (Paperback)

Are migraines curable? Mine are gone. And during the time when they were at their worst, this book by Oliver Sacks was my salvation, my companion, and my way of coping. Information about the symptoms of migraine was invaluable to me; aspects of my health that had baffled, frightened and defeated me were explained here in ways that I could comprehend. Migraines left me, apparently forever, several years ago, and I'm convinced that this book was instrumental in that. The more I read, the more I understood, the easier it was for me to deal with the problem. Oliver Sacks is a healer, and this book was a healing experience for me. Highly recommended. I recommend for all migraine sufferers that they explore this. And of course, the book is beautifully written as are all Oliver Sacks' books. His contribution to health care and health study in our time is immense -- beyond calculation. --- In response to other reviews posted here, let me suggest that there are many things migraine sufferers can do which might help them. To say simply that migraine is incurable, that it's genetic -- that perhaps invites a pessimism about the problem which does not serve the people experiencing this pain. This is a great book.

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, fascinating, December 19, 2006

By 

Joseph Davis (Calgary, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Migraine (Paperback)

After my migraines greatly escalated in frequency over the past year, I decided that it would be wise to get more information, hence the reading of this classic. First published in 1970, and revised in 1985 and 1992, Migraine contains a wealth of facts, case studies, ideas, and speculation relating to the complex, elusive phenomenon of migraine. Perhaps I should say 'phenomena', since no two migraines seem to be the same. Dr. Sacks has treated over 1000 migraineurs, and appears to have read and studied everything, ancient and modern, relating to migraine. I learned a tremendous amount about what afflicts me by reading this book, and I also unlearned some of what I thought I knew, such as that migraine aura is caused by a vasoconstriction, which is followed by a pain-producing vasodilatation (i.e. the discredited vasomotor theory of migraine). But, as with any good book written by an inspired, thoughtful author, Migraine is about much more than its principle subject. Dr. Sacks is so well read and so fundamentally curious and enthralled by the universe he finds himself in, that the reader cannot help but be sucked along in his jet stream, learning about such things as the visions of Hildegard of Bingen, Dostoyevsky's epileptic ecstasies, Novalis' dictum 'every disease is a musical problem; every cure a musical solution', as well as chaos theory and self-organising systems. I found the only weak chapter to be the one entitled 'Psychological Approaches to Migraine'. It would be better entitled 'Psycho-analytical Approaches to Migraine' since in it Dr. Sacks seems to accept and promote the most bizarre and outrageous of the unscientific ravings of the 'Viennese witch doctor'. Oh well.

The many case studies quoted in Migraine are illuminating, invaluable and make for fascinating reading. It is important for the migraineur, as well as for family and therapeutic practitioners, to realise that there is much more to migraine that just the pain of the headache. Dr. Sacks' description of the various sources of depression that can accompany migraine was particularly valuable to me. Depression may not only be in response to the pain, nausea and oppression of a headache, it can be an independent symptom that accompanies all of the other symptoms concurrently.

Although, for a non-medical person, Migraine can be tough sledding in parts, Dr. Sacks is a wonderful, elegant, and inspired writer. There is a very helpful and considerate glossary supplied, in addition to an excellent index. I found Migraine a joy to read and only hope that Dr. Sacks can find time in his busy life to grace us with a new updated edition.