The Mystery of Migraines and How to Treat Them | Dr. Dorothy Dada

by Anthony Effinger

The Think Neuro podcast from Pacific Neuroscience Institute takes you into the clinic, operating room and laboratory with doctors and surgeons who are tackling the most challenging brain diseases and disorders. Host: Anthony Effinger

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Episode 21: Show Notes

If you’ve never had a migraine headache, you are lucky. Sufferers say the pain alone is wretched, and there are a host of other awful symptoms. A migraine can garble a person’s speech, paralyze parts of the body, cause the sensation of a room spinning, and make any motion feel like moving through molasses.

Dr. Dorothy Dada, a neurologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, a hospital partner of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, specializes in migraines and in helping people get relief from them. Migraines are among the top five causes of disability in women, who are more prone to migraines than men.

Their cause remains a mystery. Evidence points to heredity, but not every migraine sufferer appears to have a genetic history. Fortunately, there are treatments beyond painkillers like ibuprofen. Antidepressants that bolster the neurotransmitter Serotonin help in many cases.

Listen to this episode of Think Neuro to learn how experts like Dr. Dorothy Dada are tackling this debilitating—and all too common—ailment.

Recording date: September 2020

About Dr. Dorothy Dada

Dorothy P. Dada, MD, PhD, is a neurologist and holds a PhD in neuroscience. Her extensive studies in medicine and neurology include fellowships in the UCLA Goldberg Migraine program and the Steve Tisch Sports Neurology-Neurotrauma program where she provided care for adolescent and adult patients with headache, facial pain, concussion and mild traumatic brain injury. Dr. Dada is board certified and a member of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

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Anthony Effinger

Think Neuro's host is Anthony Effinger, an award-winning journalist who is fascinated with neuroscience and the workings of the brain. Anthony spent 24 years at Bloomberg News, where he covered all aspects of finance, with forays into science and health. In 2006, the Association of Health Care Journalists awarded him first prize for Playing the Odds, an in-depth piece on the changing strategies used to treat prostate cancer. These days, he is a staff writer at Willamette Week, a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife and two children.

Last updated: November 5th, 2021