Migraines and Other Headaches

Experts say that twenty-four million Americans (eighteen million women and six million men) get migraine headaches. Up to 90 percent of young people get headaches now and then. Between 4 and 10 percent of these headaches are migraines. This number may be an underestimate, because many people take over-the-counter pain relievers for migraines—or simply suffer.

“I don't suffer in silence,” Jake says. “I go around holding a chunk of ice on my head. Or I ask my girlfriend to give me a massage. Nothing really helps, but I need to know someone is there for me. I need sympathy!”