National Headache Foundation

National Headache Foundation Our story: We support headache & migraine awareness, deliver education, fund research, and inspire advocacy. Non-profit Headaches.org

For over 50 years, our mission at the National Headache Foundation has been to further awareness of migraine and headache disorders as legitimate neurobiological diseases. Much has changed during this time, and with the aid of advanced technology and clinical innovation, there are more treatment options than ever before. However, we understand that these diseases are still largely misunderstood and that finding the right treatment options for you requires nuanced and adaptable insight.

09/26/2025

🌟 This week we celebrate Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) Week! 🌟

AHS extends our gratitude to all APPs and especially to our APP members, for the essential role you play in advancing the care of people living with migraine and headache disorders. Your dedication, expertise, and compassionate care make a lasting difference in the lives of patients every day.

We also recognize the important work of the AHS Advanced Practice Provider Special Interest Group, which provides community, education, and leadership opportunities for APPs within AHS. Learn more about the APP Special Interest Group here: https://bit.ly/4pDqiYP

Thank you for all that you do!

09/24/2025

Today history has been made, bringing with it real hope for our community. Thank you Representatives Lori Trahan and Brian Fitzpatrick, and every cosponsor, for introducing the HEADACHE Act, the first bipartisan legislation ever introduced for headache disorders.

This bill would create the first coordinated federal initiative to address headache disorders. It puts patients and caregivers at the table, brings agencies together around one national plan with annual reporting, and makes sure our community is finally seen in federal policy.

For families who plan their days around pain. For kids missing class. For veterans managing post-traumatic headache. For parents, providers, and caregivers who never stop trying. This is a moment to be heard.

Add your voice and urge Congress to support the HEADACHE Act:
https://forms.allianceforheadacheadvocacy.org/a/headache-act-take-action

09/24/2025

What are the limits of mind-body approaches in managing migraine? In this episode of HeadWise, Lindsay Weitzel, PhD, talks with Elizabeth Seng, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology and expert in headache psychology, about the promises and pitfalls of behavioral strategies for migraine.

Together, they explore:
- Why lifestyle and psychological techniques can help but don’t “cure” migraine
- How misconceptions fuel stigma and self-blame for people living with migraine
- The role of psychology in supporting effective treatment without dismissing migraine as “all in your head”
- Practical insights for patients, caregivers, and clinicians to provide support without judgment

Lindsay Weitzel and Elizabeth Seng discuss how stress, behavior, and biology intersect—and why it’s essential to move away from blame and toward understanding.

As a nurse, Penny has spent her career caring for others, but for years, she’s also been quietly struggling with a condi...
09/21/2025

As a nurse, Penny has spent her career caring for others, but for years, she’s also been quietly struggling with a condition of her own. Migraine has been a constant, unwelcome companion in Penny’s life. Her journey began around age 12, coinciding with her menstrual cycle, with attacks that struck with a crushing intensity.

đź”— Read Penny's full story here: https://bit.ly/4n7TuFF

The U.S. Pain Foundation’s Pain Connection program offers free online peer support groups— led by trained facilitators a...
09/18/2025

The U.S. Pain Foundation’s Pain Connection program offers free online peer support groups— led by trained facilitators and tailored to different needs.

This month’s theme for the groups is Knowledge is Power and finding connection is one of the strongest tools we have.

👉 Explore groups here: https://painconnection.org/

US Pain Foundation

09/17/2025

In this special HeadWise News episode, Lindsay Weitzel, PhD and Tim Smith, MD, break down some of the most talked-about new studies in headache and migraine research.

Topics include:
- GLP-1 medications and their potential to reduce migraine days
- Reassuring data on ubrogepant use while breastfeeding
- How memantine may help adolescents with migraine
- The link between Ajovy and improved outcomes for patients with migraine and depression
- Why new daily persistent headache (NDPH) responds differently to treatments
- A surprising connection between migraine attacks and the new moon

Stay up to date with the latest research that could impact treatment, prevention, and everyday life for people living with headache and migraine.

Study 1:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40525593/

Study 2:
https://headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/head.14960

Study 3:
https://headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/head.14979

Study 4:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40323613/

Study 5:
https://thejournalofheadacheandpain.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s10194-025-02111-2

Study 6:
https://headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/head.15035

09/14/2025

For decades, Charlene’s life has unfolded in two worlds: the one she tries to live in and the one her chronic migraine pulls her into without warning, with intense pain and aching loss.

đź”— Read Charlene's full story here: https://bit.ly/3VeQ73B

09/10/2025

In this episode of HeadWise, Lindsay Weitzel, PhD, is joined by neurosurgeon Dr. Betsy Grunch to explore idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH)—also known as pseudotumor cerebri or high-pressure headache. Dr. Grunch explains what IIH is, why it can be difficult to diagnose, and how it differs from migraine and other headache disorders.

Follow Dr. Betsy Grunch - Ladyspinedoc


Jon’s hearty, infectious laugh and upbeat outlook hide the many years he lived with debilitating cluster headache. Jon, ...
09/07/2025

Jon’s hearty, infectious laugh and upbeat outlook hide the many years he lived with debilitating cluster headache. Jon, a retired food scientist has been in remission from cluster headache for 2 ½ years. While he’s thankful the headache attacks have stopped, he remains unsure of the reason behind their disappearance.

đź”— Read Jon's full story here: https://bit.ly/4ePvWSN

Ronetta, a 51-year-old woman living in Connecticut, has been navigating the challenges of migraine disease for over two ...
08/31/2025

Ronetta, a 51-year-old woman living in Connecticut, has been navigating the challenges of migraine disease for over two decades.

Her journey began in high school when she experienced her first migraine attack, though it wasn’t until after college that she received a formal diagnosis.

đź”— Read Ronetta's full story here: https://bit.ly/3UGYggI

Back in 1992, when onboarding a frigate for a security alert, Thomas, a U.S. Navy veteran, was vigorously running throug...
08/24/2025

Back in 1992, when onboarding a frigate for a security alert, Thomas, a U.S. Navy veteran, was vigorously running through the corridors when he clipped his head on the ship’s hatch and was unconscious for 15 minutes.

After the incident occurred, Thomas’s head pain would be mistaken for allergies and would later be more persistent, defined as migraine.

đź”— Read Thomas's full story here: https://bit.ly/47Gvp3Y

Kate, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, was occasionally stationed in radiation fallout areas, where she suspects her thyroid ...
08/17/2025

Kate, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, was occasionally stationed in radiation fallout areas, where she suspects her thyroid tumor developed. Discovering it was cancerous, she underwent surgery to remove it.

Shortly after surgery, Kate would experience excruciating head pain that would later be defined and diagnosed as chronic migraine and trigeminal neuralgia.

đź”— Read Kate's full story here: https://bit.ly/45owKd2

Address

162 W Hubbard
Chicago, IL
60654

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Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

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+13122742650

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Our Story

Founded in 1970, the National Headache Foundation is the oldest and largest foundation for patients with migraine disease and headache disorders. The Foundation is the premier educational and informational resource for those with headache, health care providers, and the public. The work of the Foundation is through education, raising awareness, advocacy, and research. At the national and state levels, we are informing policymakers and the general public of the need to help patients get access to safe and appropriate care. We are reaching out to employers throughout the US to provide education for their staff and support in their efforts to minimize the costs and the personal/social impact of chronic headaches. We also hope to educate and encourage the 40 million Americans with migraine and chronic headaches to become self-advocates with their healthcare practitioners, insurers, employers, and families.