Blog #17: Have you registered for the 2021 Migraine World Summit?
If there’s one thing I recommend you do this year to help manage your migraine disease, it’s to register for the 2021 Migraine World Summit.
I should start this blog with a disclaimer. As I wrote about in this blog, I’m fortunate to be part of the Migraine World Summit volunteer copywriting team. So, I’m a bit biased when I recommend you register to watch the 2021 Summit next month.
However, the reason I joined the team was because I learnt so much from the 2020 Summit. When the opportunity arose to join the copywriting team I jumped at the chance.
Like most people, I have plenty on my plate with work, kids and generally having a life, that free time feels pretty scarce. But I value the knowledge I gained from the 2020 Migraine World Summit and wanted to be involved, so I decided I’d find the time.
Like I’ve said before, New Zealand is woefully behind in terms of support for people with migraine, access to medications, migraine specialists, neuromodulator devices and other treatment options. There’s no united voice for Kiwis affected by migraine, so joining this worldwide team was a fantastic opportunity to connect with international migraine specialists and advocates and learn from the best. The more New Zealanders learn about migraine, the more we can all help each other.
As part of the copywriting team, I’ve seen first-hand how much work goes into organising and running the Summit, supported by a lot of volunteer hours. The other copywriters and I have been busy writing emails and content for this year, and we’re set to become even busier in the week leading up to the start of the Summit.
But the most incredible aspect of the Migraine World Summit is that it’s free!
If you’re new to the Migraine World Summit, here’s how it works
The 2021 Summit starts on 17 March, 3 pm Eastern Daylight Time, which is 18 March, 8 am New Zealand time.
Over 8 days, you can watch 32 interviews with international migraine and headache specialists who discuss a range of migraine topics. The full schedule has just been released, which you can check out here.
I’ll watch as many interviews as I can but I’m especially looking forward to:
Unlocking the mystery of migraine pathogenesis, Dr Peter Goadsby
Latest strategies for chronic migraine control, Dr Carrie Dougherty
Preventing attacks before they happen, Dr Jan Lewis Brandes
How an integrative approach can help migraine, Dr Deena Kuruvilla
Shortening attacks with early migraine intervention, Dr Andrew Charles
Fighting migraine with food and nutrition, Dr Belinda Savage-Edwards
How your gut and sleep affect migraine, Dr Stasha Gominack
You need to register to watch the Summit, which you can do here
You’ll start receiving regular emails leading up to the Summit (some of these I’ve worked on), which explains how the Summit works and what to expect from the speakers.
It is USA based, but one of the founders is Carl Cincinnato from Australia, so pretty much all of the topics are relevant for those of us down under. I think the only session that won’t be relevant is the interview about managing migraine with little or no insurance.
So, what’s the catch? How can such an informative 8-day summit be free?
Well, it’s not even a catch per se, but each day’s session is free for 24 hours after it’s launched. After 24 hours, if you’ve missed a session you wanted to watch, or you want to watch the interviews again, you have to purchase an Access Pass. An All Access Pass costs $99 USD, which is about $135 NZD. I think $135 is cheap as chips in relation to how much we spend on migraine-related treatments and medications. And you may find that watching a session just once and taking a few notes gives you enough information to research the topic further yourself. Perhaps you’ll find yourself down the rabbit hole of migraine information like I am.
I know it sounds cliché, but knowledge is power. At the start of last year when I really decided to own my migraine disease and take back control of my brain, I thought I understood migraine reasonably well.
But over the past year or so I’ve learnt so much more, which has made a big difference to my migraine attacks. Even though I’m not migraine-free I feel much more in control of my crazy brain and this is in part thanks to what I learnt during the 2020 Migraine World Summit. And if anything, it gave me hope that there are so many options for people with migraine and so many specialists passionate about migraine care.
As a person with migraine, it’s up to you to advocate for yourself and know your options. Most GPs are a ‘jack of all trades’ and need to know a little bit about everything. Keeping up with new treatment options, such as CGRP medications, is difficult, and often lifestyle changes such as diet are outside of their expertise. This isn’t a reflection on GPs, just that it’s unrealistic of any GP to know everything about migraine disease. But when you learn more yourself, it can make it easier to work with your GP to develop your best treatment plan.
I encourage you to register for the 2021 Migraine World Summit if you haven’t already. And I’d love to hear from you after the Summit about the sessions you found the most valuable. I’ll write a blog after the Summit and share information and advice I found helpful, in the hope that it will help you too.
Leave a comment or feel free to email me sarah@sayline.co.nz, join the conversation on Facebook or join the Migraine Down Under community in our private Facebook group.