What is the Migraine Tree?
If you’re living with migraine [1], the amount of information you will navigate during your quest for improvement is huge. The list of topics seems endless, from essential oils to antibodies, from Botox to diets, and of course trying to figure out what migraine is exactly.
Migraine Canada™ reviewed existing websites on migraine and asked people in focus groups what they liked and did not like.
People told us that they could not easily find what they needed. They were lost in too many clicks, too many pages, too many topics. So, we thought we should create a map. A guide. Something to help you find your way on your migraine journey. The Migraine Tree is this map.
How does the Migraine Tree help me in finding what I need?
The Tree breaks down the pile of information in categories that make sense. They will help you navigate the information. The Tree is your hub, your starting point. You can explore one section, then come back to the Tree and explore another one.
What are the sections of the Migraine Tree?
Roots: The roots represent migraine patterns, because every person with migraine is somewhat unique. Every care plan starts with a review of your personal story (that is what your health care provider usually does during the first visit).
- Migraine types
- Medical factors
- Psychological factors
- Women and children topics
- Other types of headaches
Trunk: The trunk is the MUST READ part for every person with migraine. It has the basic facts on migraine and tips on how to try treatments. We call those «CORE skills».
- The cause of migraine and the Ping Pong theory
- Migraine in the world
- How to use a diary
- How to evaluate a treatment option
- How to try medications and behavioral approaches
Branches: We placed the treatments into groups so you can explore each one easily. We did not separate «alternative [2] medicine» from «traditional medicine» as we believe that every treatment option should be evaluated according to the same principles.
- Behavioral: adapting a migraine-friendly lifestyle
- Life with migraine: dealing with migraine in different situations
- Acute treatments: breaking the individual attacks
- Preventive medications: lowering the frequency of attacks
- Needles and devices: usually preventive, approaches that use injections, devices and neuromodulation.
Leaves: The leaves on the branches contain individual topics. For certain topics, we separated the information in WHY (explanation of why a treatment should work for migraine, and what the evidence is that it really works) and the HOW (concrete tips to try it in real life). In the future, we hope to gather stories from real people for each treatment and even hosting dedicated threads so people can share.
We hope that the Migraine Tree [3] will help you find what you need and maybe discover things you were not aware of. The Tree symbolizes growth and change. There are all kinds of trees. As you walk on your own path, you will learn and gain skills. The Tree also represents a network, a community, and we encourage you to join ours.
May you find what you need to get better!
The Migraine Canada™ Team
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