For the many millions of headache sufferers, a deeply reported, sometimes harrowing, and frequently humorous journey into the author?s own excruciating headaches, and the science behind these surprisingly mysterious disorders that may, finally, offer relief.
In The Headache, science journalist Tom Zeller Jr. offers a compelling, deeply personal exploration of one of the most common?and most misunderstood?health conditions: chronic headaches. Drawing from his own decades-long battle with cluster headaches, Zeller blends memoir and investigative journalism to uncover the human, scientific, and historical dimensions of head pain. Far beyond the everyday nuisance, Zeller exposes the reality of migraines and cluster headaches as life-altering disorders often dismissed due to the banality of the word ?headache.? He journeys through cutting-edge clinics, clinical trials, and conversations with experts and fellow sufferers, even experimenting with treatments like psilocybin in the search for relief. With wit, empathy, and sharp reporting, Zeller also traces the cultural and medical history of headaches?from ancient skull surgeries to modern neuroscience?revealing how these disorders became among the most neglected in medicine. The Headache is both an eye-opening investigation and a compassionate narrative, shining a long-overdue light on chronic head pain and the people who live with it. Essential reading for anyone touched by migraines, cluster headaches, or chronic pain, this book redefines how we understand and talk about one of the body?s most complex and pervasive ailments.