午夜剧场

My recently published book, "'Graduating' from Migraines," is a compilation of my migraine research intended to help the general public understand the mechanisms and countermeasures for migraines. While we use the broad term "headache," the International Headache Society actually classifies them into 367 different types. Among them, migraines are quite a villain, ranked by the WHO as the fourth leading cause of years lived with disability (shortening healthy life expectancy). The migraine population in Japan is estimated at approximately 10 million, making it truly a national disease.

However, in Japan, migraines are often viewed as "just a headache" and are still not treated as a proper disease. Even if someone wants to take time off from work or school due to a headache, they are met with the attitude of "it's just a headache," leading many to "suffer in silence." While researching cerebral circulation at the 午夜剧场 Hospital medical office, I realized that migraines are caused by dynamic brain mechanisms. I became fascinated by these mysteries of the brain and have pursued this research ever since.

The cause of migraines is polygenic inheritance. Much like families with high blood pressure or diabetes, a "constitution is inherited," and headache attacks occur when certain triggers are added. The trigger is a drop in brain serotonin, which occurs due to changes in physical or mental rhythms. Typical examples include sudden changes in barometric pressure, the release of stress after a work week, or the drop in estrogen (female hormone) before menstruation. Migraine symptoms are diverse, including throbbing pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light, sound, and smells. It is a troublesome headache that worsens with movement and feels slightly better when "lying down in a quiet, dark room," causing work efficiency to drop by more than half or making work impossible.

When I was feeling anxious about whether I could write a proper book, my wife said, "Why don't you visit Kumano Shrine, which you talk about so often?" This refers to the Kumano Hongu Taisha in Kii, where Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa—the "representative migraine sufferer of Japan"—prayed for the healing of his headaches. At that site, Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa heard an oracle from his previous life and built Sanjusangendo (Kyoto) to heal his headaches. When I reached the Yakushido hall, said to be the site of the willow tree cut down for the dedication, I was able to trace the history of migraines within that hall.

Since migraines are common among the prime working-age population, the social and economic losses caused by headaches are significant. In this book, in addition to how to handle migraine attacks, I share the secrets to eliminating migraines, such as the migraine prevention exercises I devised.

Fumihiko Sakai (Author)

Kodansha

230 pages, 840 yen (excluding tax)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.