Migraines – A High Price To Pay
Face it, migraines are not cheap. Recently, there have been studies showing that these chronic and debilitating headaches are costly not only for those that suffer from them, but also for their families and their employers too.
The people that suffer from migraine headaches (sometimes called Migraineurs) experience a huge loss in their quality of life, not to mention the financial burden. Migraine sufferers and their families spend, typically, more than 70 percent more for health care than families blessed not to have a migraineur. Adding insult to injury, migraine sufferers often suffer from lost wages due to the time away from work. It is unfortunate, but when it comes time for a raise or promotion, migraineurs take a hit because of the percieved “unreliability” that results from their condition and attempts to get treatment for their migraines.
Employers don’t escape the expense trap either. According to some estimates US employers spend in excess of twenty-four billion dollars a year for migraine related costs. Absenteesim, short-term disability and workmans comp account for roughly half that amount. If “presenteeism” (loss of productivity while suffering a migraine “on the job”) cost are included the estimates skyrocket.
The largest direct cost of migraines for US employers is outpatient care (~$6.2 billion annually) with prescription drugs a close second at roughly $5.2 billion per year. Inpatient care and emergency costs make up the remaining percentage of the $12.7 billion total.
But that is just the United States slice of the migraine pie. In the United Kingdom alone more than 25 million work or school days were lost last year becuase of migraines. The costs of absenteeism and lost productivity have reached the point that many companies are creating programs to encourage employees suffering from migraines to seek treatment.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
While it is improbable that sex hormones can completely explain the difference there is significant evidence that there may be a connection between migraines and fluctuations in estrogen levels in women. Women who suffer from migraines should understand that hormonal fluctuations are normal…Women often experience their first migraine headache during their teen years most occurring with the onset of menstruation. Menstrual migraines occur usually without aura and are headaches that occur only during the period of 2 days before and 2 days after the onset of menstruation.
Thank you Karina for that information. I have found that even these migraines can be controled with this system. Alicia
headaches and there is one common thread that seems to run through all of their discussions about these headaches. For the most part the headache sufferers that I know have all but given up on finding an actual cure for these debilitating headaches and they have learned instead to live with the headache – - oftentimes going to bed for hours or days at a time – - rather than finding a way prevent it or to stop it once it has begun.Why is that?
There was a time when I “treated” my migraines the same way. When I first got out ‘on my own’ I didn’t have the resources to pay for the expensive medication so I resorted to “living with them” by going to bed in a darkened room with blinders over my eyes. At first it was cute looking like Betty Davis in some movie from the 1940′s, but it didn’t take long for that to wear off. It was only after having spent three days that way that I decided that wasn’t “living”! I got lucky and found this system only 2 months into my search. I can only hope that your friends that suffer from migraines find this system to be as effective for them as it has been for me.
Hey there, Just wanted to thank you for sharing this. IT’s already helped me a lot.
-Dorothy
Hey, good post. Superb website. Its clean and applicative.
-Angel
Tight looking page. I can tell you put a great deal of thought into your writing.
:O) -Elizabeth