When you think of migraine many of us don’t think of or see Black men. In this episode, meet Qasim Amin Nathari, who takes us on his migraine journey while getting deep about the intersections of race, masculinity, and faith when it comes to managing migraine.

“It's very rare that I see or hear Black men in the space. And I don't know if that's just the thing about the Black man and we don't want to talk about our pain and we have to be strong and tough, but me, I'm going to talk about it,” says Qasim. “I don't buy into the stigma that it makes you any less of a man or makes you any weaker.”

Some highlights in this episode:

1:28: “For me a good day is when I'm at least able to function enough to get my normal day-to-day routine done,” says Qasim

2:13: Qasim describes his worst migraine attack

4:24: The emergency room “is no place for a person with migraine disease,” says Dr. Peter McAlister

7:50: How Qasim balances advocacy with the need to be treated in the moment

9:22: The importance of having a two-way conversation with your doctor

10:05: The stigma facing a Black man with migraine

12:20: Qasim discusses why he started a hashtag on social media, #BlackMenHaveMigraineToo

12:38: Qasim befriends “The Migraine Diva”

14:19: “I'd never seen a Black person or a person of color in a migraine commercial,” says Qasim

16:18: Qasim describes being first diagnosed

18:57: Qasim talks about the intersection of migraine with his faith

21:10: How Qasim navigates spiritual practices like fasting with migraine

23:13: Dr. McAlister discusses the science behind why certain things like fasting could potentially be a migraine trigger

26:52: Qasim’s podcast "From All Aspects with Qasim Amin Nathari”

Contact Our Host

Joe Coe, Director, Education and Digital Strategy at GHLF: jcoe@ghlf.org

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