This Migraine Awareness Week, the National Migraine Centre is asking us all to help change the conversation around migraine.
Migraine Awareness Week takes place from 21–27 September 2026, and this year the National Migraine Centre has a simple but important message: Say Migraine, Mean Migraine.
The campaign challenges some of the everyday language surrounding migraine – language which can contribute to misconceptions about what it means to live with the condition.
Migraine is more than a headache
Around one in seven people live with migraine.
Yet despite its prevalence, migraine continues to be surrounded by misconceptions and stereotypes. It may be dismissed as “just a headache”, an excuse for being unable to work, or simply an inconvenience.
In reality, migraine is a complex neurological condition. Symptoms can include headache, nausea, sensory sensitivity and visual disturbances, as well as difficulties with normal day-to-day functioning.
One of the aims of this year's campaign is therefore to change the way we talk about it.
Migraine or migraine attack?
The National Migraine Centre is encouraging a simple distinction:
Migraine = the condition.
Migraine attack = an individual attack.
That means talking about someone who “lives with migraine” rather than “suffers from migraines”, for example, and saying someone “experiences migraine attacks” rather than “gets migraines”.
The campaign also asks people to avoid phrases which trivialise the condition or imply that somebody experiencing an attack is exaggerating its impact.
These may seem like relatively small changes, but the National Migraine Centre believes changing the way we talk about migraine can help change perceptions, challenge stigma and ensure people living with the condition are taken seriously.
Supporting people living with migraine
Better understanding also means recognising when people need support.
The National Migraine Centre is the UK's only charity dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of migraine and headache conditions. Its specialist team supports people living with migraine and primary headache conditions, including those who may have struggled to access effective care elsewhere.
BHR Biosynex is proud to have an established relationship with the National Migraine Centre. As part of its work supporting people living with migraine, NMC consultants may discuss CEFALY Enhanced with appropriate patients as one of the options available to them.
CEFALY Enhanced is a non-invasive external trigeminal nerve stimulation (e-TNS) medical device designed for the acute treatment and prevention of migraine. Electrical impulses stimulate the trigeminal nerve through an electrode placed on the forehead, offering a drug-free treatment option that can be used at home.
Importantly, migraine management is individual. What works well for one person may not be appropriate for another, and people living with migraine should discuss their treatment and management options with an appropriate healthcare professional.
Changing the conversation
This Migraine Awareness Week, the National Migraine Centre is asking people to do three things:
Say migraine. Challenge the stigma. Support the campaign.
That can start with something as simple as reconsidering the words we use.
Instead of treating migraine as shorthand for a headache, we can recognise it for what it is: a complex neurological condition that can have a significant impact on people's lives.
And instead of talking about people “suffering from migraines”, we can talk about people living with migraine.
It's a small change – but one that can contribute to a much bigger change in understanding.
Find out more about the National Migraine Centre and the Say Migraine, Mean Migraine campaign at nationalmigrainecentre.org.uk.
Find out more about CEFALY Enhanced
