— by Clydelle

A Reader’s Review of The Headache Healer’s Handbook

I am a long time migraine sufferer (55-year-old woman). I’ve had migraines since I was a teen, and during perimenopause and menopause they have become regular and more severe (I am diagnosed with severe, episodic migraine). Research is something that I am used to doing from my background, and I have spent many hours researching everything that I can find on this disabling condition. 

I have tried diets (am still on a very restricted diet now), all forms of alternative therapies, many different kinds of preventive drugs, and I can not take any acute medications due to serious side effects. The National Migraine Centre has been very helpful to me as have the wonderful talks through the Migraine World Summit. But still every month, I end up bed bound for up to four days and feel as though a physical tsunami has swept through my body.

In some research that I did before the summer, I read a post by the director of the New York Migraine Center who suggested a book called, “The Headache Healer’s Handbook” by Jan Mundo. To be honest, I’ve got a library of books on migraine and thought, why not another one? 

This book advocates a hands-on method of treating your migraine (along with other dietary and lifestyle advice) that means you can use your own hands to help you when an attack occurs. When we went on holiday, I brought it along and thought perhaps I’ll give it a go if a migraine hits. I wasn’t very optimistic because I’ve gone through new treatments so many times (new treatment, doesn’t work, feel very depressed, and back to square one again). However, this pattern did not happen.

I followed the recommendations in her book to the last detail and, I still can’t believe it as I’m writing this review, my headache lessened. Instead of having a four-day migraine, it was mostly gone in three days and I was in less pain. The next time I used the method, it was reduced again to two days. I have also used it to reduce nausea. Now, I know that many of you out there will be very skeptical of any review that recommends something as a miracle cure. 

The Mundo Method is not a miracle cure. Rather, it offers a method to use during acute attacks and makes other lifestyle suggestions that aim to treat migraine from different perspectives, e.g., diet, exercise, self-massage, posture, etc. I tend to use the actual hands-on method for acute attacks, and I use her daily head and neck massage suggestions because I find that these methods work for me. And I mean that they work — I feel better because of them. I am no longer afraid of the next attack and being helpless to do anything about it. I now know that there is something that I can do myself to help lessen the pain and that they are always with me: my hands.

I hope that others who are suffering out there may find something to think about from this review. And perhaps a few of you may even read the book out of curiosity. Whatever helps is worth considering. Good luck on your quests to find relief. What works for one person, may not work for another. But it’s worth considering and — for me — this method has give me new hope and a quiet confidence in knowing that help is at hand (quite literally)! All the best!

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