Being a migraineur, having a child who suffers even more severely, I felt every word, every phrase, EVERY poem deeply, and have a few new remedies to consider.
Mercedes Lewis, Poet, author of Glimpses of a Fractured Soul
It seems I've always been aware of the existence of grizzly bears and also the debilitating effects of migraine headaches. My awareness of the former told me I shouldn't ever be in the same place at the same time with a huge bear...okay, not even a small one. My awareness of the latter told me zilch about the life-controlling power of migraines. Then, I read this collection of poetry.
Sandra de Helen's poems, the slightly humorous and ironic ones as well as those roiling in pain, take the reader beyond an awareness of this malady. They deliver the reality of people who experience this disease, try to abate its pain, and persist under its unceasing efforts to control their lives.
Renée Bess, award-winning novelist, poet, essayist, and short story writer
Sandra de Helen's newest book is a one-of-a-kind collection of poems about the experience of living with migraines. Each poem is accompanied by a remedy-sometimes pharmaceutical and often herbal and word-of-mouth, suggestions offered by a friend or fellow sufferer. Throughout this delightful volume, de Helen's humor filters through the pain. Her use of personification to characterize an approaching or disabling migraine is skillful and allows the reader to get inside the monster's "head." "Saturday Night Date" and "Whatever It Takes" are two of my favorite poems in the collection. There's something here for everyone-sufferer and sympathizer. This book, illustrated by black and white drawings, will make a unique addition to your poetry collection.
Sandra Anfang, nationally acclaimed author of poetry collections Finishing School; Looking Glass Heart; and Road Worrier: Poems of the Inner and Outer Landscape.
Sandra de Helen infuses her new poetry collection Migraines and Their Remedies with humor. Having suffered through years of migraines, de Helen masterfully describes the unwanted visitor's "blinding pain" with a twist. Even through moments of debilitating pain, the migraine is muse, "bad company"-a companion that "will have to order in, I hope it has its own credit card." de Helen's ability to stab at pain playfully demonstrates her unique voice and power as poet.
Cherie Gough, Freelance Contributor at HuffPost
--This text refers to the paperback edition. 
