Migraine Canada is dedicated to assisting individuals affected by migraine and various headaches. With approximately 5.5 million Canadians impacted, predominantly women, and about 350,000 dealing with chronic migraine, there’s a clear need for increased resources and improved access to specialized care. Our goal is to educate, advocate for better healthcare access, establish supportive networks, and promote research for effective treatments. Join us as we empower those affected by migraine, raise awareness, and foster a supportive community across Canada. Stay tuned for more information and opportunities to get involved. For inquiries or volunteering opportunities, please email us at [email protected]. Together, we can make a significant impact in the lives of individuals managing migraine nationwide.
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00:00:01.580 hello everyone my name is Elizabeth
00:00:04.440 Larew I am a neurologist in Calgary and
00:00:06.870 I’m very proud and honored to record
00:00:10.170 this first video to talk to you about
00:00:12.059 migraine Canada a newly registered
00:00:14.900 not-for-profit to help people with
00:00:17.910 migraine and have other types of
00:00:19.529 headaches migraine is the third most
00:00:22.650 common problem in the whole world
00:00:24.720 according to the Health the World Health
00:00:26.880 Organization so it touches probably
00:00:29.519 around 15% of the world’s population
00:00:31.460 more women than men that means 5.5
00:00:35.460 million Canadians and if we only think
00:00:38.340 about chronic migraine which is a most
00:00:40.200 severe form is probably around 350,000
00:00:43.730 canadians suffering from it to take care
00:00:46.649 of all those people do we have enough
00:00:48.450 headache clinics and enough headache
00:00:50.160 specialist it’s very unlikely so that
00:00:53.340 leads to under diagnosis and under
00:00:55.920 treatment for people with migraine and
00:00:58.140 headaches
00:00:58.710 those people often are victims of stigma
00:01:01.680 and blame and they can go through a lot
00:01:04.019 of isolation and suffering that could be
00:01:06.600 broken and improved if we had more
00:01:09.030 resources and better access to care so
00:01:13.110 the goals of migraine Canada are marked
00:01:15.299 multiple we want to work on education
00:01:17.880 and awareness and education means of
00:01:20.610 course giving giving reliable scientific
00:01:23.540 information on migraine to people who
00:01:26.430 suffer from it but it also means as
00:01:28.710 health care providers and migraine
00:01:30.780 Canada listening to people with migraine
00:01:33.420 hearing what they need and what they
00:01:35.820 want this is a two-sided communication
00:01:38.579 and only with trust will we build a
00:01:41.400 significant progress when you suffer
00:01:45.360 from migraine you also need support when
00:01:48.030 you go through a difficult phase well
00:01:50.130 sometimes your family or friends are not
00:01:52.439 the best people and what you really need
00:01:54.750 is someone who truly understands you and
00:01:57.030 has gone through the same difficulties
00:01:59.270 establishing networks for migraine
00:02:01.469 people is probably a good way to help
00:02:04.020 them go through their most difficult
00:02:06.000 moments when they need it
00:02:08.389 advocacy is also a pillar for migraine
00:02:11.129 Canada and what does that mean
00:02:13.470 well it can mean for example advocating
00:02:16.680 for drug coverage for migraine
00:02:18.390 treatments and medications it could mean
00:02:20.810 advocating for better training a
00:02:23.130 physician so they can take care of
00:02:24.870 migraine and headache better
00:02:26.430 it could mean talking to employers in
00:02:28.770 the workplace explaining to them why
00:02:30.990 it’s important to set up accommodations
00:02:33.960 for migraine sufferers and of course we
00:02:36.690 need more public programs and government
00:02:38.810 initiatives for migraine and headaches
00:02:41.700 and without research well we wouldn’t
00:02:45.420 have new treatments we need to fund
00:02:47.490 research so science can progress and
00:02:50.010 offer new therapies and better
00:02:52.020 understanding of migraine condition and
00:02:54.300 headache conditions so I’ve been saying
00:02:57.930 a lot of migraine and headaches why
00:02:59.970 because migraine is the most common
00:03:02.070 headache but there are many others in
00:03:04.200 need and that includes things like
00:03:05.940 cluster headache to gemenon or algea and
00:03:08.430 post traumatic headache so at the end of
00:03:11.760 the day we have plenty of ideas we could
00:03:14.400 do a lot we could organize talks and
00:03:16.680 events to inform people we could create
00:03:19.860 networks of support like Facebook groups
00:03:22.019 migraine cafes we could probably
00:03:24.750 establish a list of resources of
00:03:27.000 headache clinics and headache
00:03:28.080 specialists across Canada so people can
00:03:30.330 find help and we can of course improve
00:03:33.300 our website that is in need of an update
00:03:35.580 and we will need your insights to do
00:03:38.250 that so what can you do well you can
00:03:41.040 stay tuned first it can be a little bit
00:03:43.620 patient because we’re just starting at
00:03:45.750 present time we’re working on our
00:03:47.310 structure and we’re trying to establish
00:03:49.530 a solid organization that can help you
00:03:53.100 in the future if you want to volunteer
00:03:55.230 or if you have questions well do not
00:03:58.230 hesitate to email us at migraine in
00:04:00.720 Canada at gmail.com we need people to do
00:04:03.810 all kinds of things like even planning
00:04:05.640 social media management communication
00:04:08.420 fundraising any idea is welcome so thank
00:04:11.730 you for listening stay tuned and I will
00:04:14.010 see you very soon for more information
00:04:16.168 about migraine and headache have a great
00:04:18.510 day
