Fieldays 2025: Making migraine community connections rurally
June was a busy month for Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand, having attended our first General Practice Conference & Medical Exhibition (GPCME), and then making our debut at Fieldays the following weekend. Fieldays is the largest agricultural event in the Southern Hemisphere, held annually at Mystery Creek, Waikato. More than 110,000 visitors were in attendance […]
Botulinum neurotoxins and migraine
Botox® (onabotulinumtoxinA) is well known for its ability to help conceal the visible signs of ageing. But Botox, and related products, can also be used as a preventive treatment for chronic migraine. They work to gradually decrease the frequency and severity of migraine attacks and for many people it’s an effective treatment that significantly improves […]
Pharmac progress update
We welcome the announcement from Pharmac about the appointment of its new Consumer and Patient Working group that will be helping Pharmac in its ‘reset’ programme over the next 12 months to be more transparent and focused on the needs of consumers. This group is chaired by Dr Malcolm Mulholland (co-founder of Patient Voice Aotearoa) […]
Improving migraine literacy at the Rotorua GP conference
The June Rotorua General Practice Conference & Medical Exhibition (GPCME) was a valuable opportunity for Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand to connect with health professionals and share the most up-to-date information, resources and best practice guidelines. The 3 day conference was held at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre, and was attended by over 1,000 GPs, […]
Progress update about fremanezumab (Ajovy) in New Zealand
Migraine Foundation is pleased to report that the CGRP monoclonal antibody fremanezumab (Ajovy) is on the agenda for the Pharmacology and Therapeutics Advisory Committee (PTAC) August 2025 meeting. PTAC provides objective clinical advice to help Pharmac make decisions about how to use its funds. Teva, the pharmaceutical company who makes fremanezumab (Ajovy), submitted an application […]
What’s up with the ‘McMigraine’ hack?
A migraine remedy recently went viral on social media, generating millions of views, comments and testimonials. The “McMigraine” hack was touted as a treatment for migraine attacks that involves downing a large Coke and large fries from McDonald’s, although presumably any fast-food outlet could provide the same service. So is there any science behind this? […]
Concussion, migraine and post-traumatic headache
What is concussion? A concussion, also called a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), is a temporary disturbance in brain function caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body. Any sudden movement that causes the brain to bounce around in the skull can cause a concussion, disrupting the signalling pathways in the […]
Managing migraine in Aotearoa New Zealand education event
On 27 March 2025 the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand hosted a migraine event as part of its 2025 Brain Awareness Month. Breaking the grip of pain: Managing migraine in Aotearoa New Zealand was a free, in-person event hosted at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland. MC’ed by former TVNZ presenter Nicole Bremner, […]
Understanding vestibular migraine: A guide for people in NZ
Written by Dr Ray Bose, Auckland neurologist and migraine and headache specialist Vestibular migraine is a common yet often underdiagnosed neurological condition that combines the symptoms of vertigo or dizziness with those of migraine. It can significantly impact quality of life, often affecting balance, mobility and daily functioning. This article aims to provide patient-friendly information […]
Migraine and anxiety
This article was first published October 2022. Updated May 2025 Do you have trouble relaxing? Are you unable to control or stop worrying? Feel nervous, anxious or on edge? These were the most common symptoms of anxiety found in a study of people with migraine and mood disorders, that found anxiety was strongly associated with […]
