Hey Migraine Mentees 👋 

Today’s newsletter takes another 5 minutes to read—so if you’ve only got 60 seconds, here’s what you need to know:

• Your eyes are a window into the brain, especially with chronic headaches and migraine attacks…

• Your brain can change via “neuroplasticity”, which means YOU can change, only if you have the tools and understanding necessary to make it happen…

• Not all visual assessments are created equally. Finding a provider who looks at both the “hardware” and the “software” can be a game-changer for finding treatment…

• Visual therapy can be a phenomenal way to treat migraine symptoms…

👀 We can’t tell you how often we see visual issues as underlying factors for chronic migraines (and headaches), and yet, so many people have been misled or told “everything is normal”…

It’s time to set the record straight and help you understand what you might be missing out on.

🧠 The Migraine Mentors

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👉️ In This Week’s Edition…

• 📰 Nerdy Migraine News & Research

  • The Latest Updates in the Migraine/Health & Wellness Community

• 🥡 Weekly “Take-Meme-Out”

  • Lights Out & No-One is Home

• 🗒️ Read This Now!

  • How Your Eyes Trigger Migraines (And What To Do About It...)

• 🎧️ Migraine Mentors Minicast Podcast Episode

  • How Your Vision Influences Your Migraine Symptoms

• 🍴 Migraine-Friendly Recipe of the Week

  • Overnight Millet Porridge with Pears & Maple Syrup

📰 NEWS AND RESEARCH

Hot Off The Press…

• 🏋️ Lifestyle choices are central to managing migraine. A 2025 study found people with chronic migraine were much less likely to keep regular sleep, exercise, meals, and hydration than those with episodic migraine. ​

• 🥦 Food = Medicine. A whole‑food, plant‑based case series showed major drops in migraine frequency, duration, and disability when patients shifted toward unprocessed plant foods, while a “junk‑food” plant‑based pattern was tied to worse symptoms.

• 🧘 Mind‑body practices do more than just “relax you. An 8‑week mindfulness‑based program (meditation + gentle yoga) cut migraine frequency similarly to a headache‑education program but led to bigger gains in pain acceptance, less catastrophizing, and better quality of life, with yoga trials also showing fewer and less intense attacks over time.

• 🪜 Small steps equate to big outcomes. Lifestyle‑based migraine programs that combine regular sleep and meals, movement, hydration, trigger‑smart nutrition, and stress-management practices have achieved symptom‑control rates of 63–93% in some cohorts, especially when layered on top of basics like magnesium or riboflavin.​​​

🥡 WEEKLY TAKE-OUT

Meme of The Week…

🗒️ READ THIS NOW!

How Your Eyes Can Trigger Migraines (And What To Do About It...)

As you know, migraine attacks aren’t just “bad headaches”…

They’re a neurological condition that can be triggered by structural, neurological, and metabolic factors.

Most are aware of the classic “aura" that can accompany a migraine, but very few truly understand the actual visual changes that come with migraine attacks…

We consistently see these issues in the clinic and want to break them down for you so you can take action on fixing them, if needed.

🧠 The Eyes Are A Window Into The Brain

If the visual hardware is the eye ball, then the visual software is everything else from the retina (back of the eye) and brain that controls basic functions you don’t have to think about…

These movements include visual fixation (holding your gaze on one spot), pursuits (tracking a moving object), saccades (quick jumps from one object to another), and optokinetics (handling big, moving scenes, like driving in a car).

When these systems aren’t working properly, migraine symptoms can flare up… but when these mechanisms are fixed, they can make a significant difference in migraine attacks!

Here’s a simple overview of each mechanism, along with a test to check them at home.

🫵 Visual Fixation

What It Is: Keeping your eyes on a static single point in space.

Quick Test: Hold a thumb or pen tip 12 inches away from your face. Stare at it for 10–15 seconds with your head study AND test while slowly moving your head in a “No-No” and “Yes-Yes” movement. If your eyes wander, it’s hard to stay focused, or you trigger visual tension, visual fixation might be an issue.

Why It Matters: Straining to maintain steady focus can trigger headaches or migraine symptoms. Vision therapy can usually help; Prism lenses can also make a difference if therapy doesn’t work.

🦅 Pursuits

What They Are: Smooth eye movements that track a moving object (like a bird in the sky) in space and time.

Quick Test: Move your thumb or pencil slowly from side to side (horizontal), repeating up and down (vertical). Keep your head still and watch with only your eyes. If your eyes jump or you feel dizzy, pursuits could be weak or a trigger for symptoms.

Why They Matter: Extra effort to track motion can lead to migraine symptoms, along with nausea, dizziness, and disorientation. Therapies can often improve smooth tracking and symptoms.

👀 Saccades

What They Are: Quick shifts in focus, like when reading or glancing between two different points.

Quick Test: Hold two objects about a foot apart. Jump your gaze from one to the other several times (horizontal and vertical). If you feel strain, dizziness, or visual tension, there may be a problem.

Why They Matter: Difficulty shifting focus can overwork your visual system, causing migraine attacks. These can also cause brain fog, fatigue, and disconnect.

🦓 Optokinetics

What They Are: Eye movements that handle large, moving scenes, such as watching scenery from a car window or a herd of zebras running.

Quick Test: As a passenger, look out the window at passing objects. If you get dizzy or develop a migraine, your system may be overloaded and require rehabilitation.

Why They Matter: Overstimulation from fast-moving views can trigger migraine symptoms and tension headaches. Focus on a steady point in the distance or limit bright screens to reduce strain… We also suggest visual therapy to fix the problem!

🌡️ Visual Therapy Can Make A HUGE Difference In Your Symptoms…

If these tests provoke or hint at visual triggers, consider visiting a functional neurologist, neuro-opthalmologist, or visual therapy clinic to pursue treatment and care.

They can often do thorough exams and recommend options like vision therapy, specialized lenses, or simple changes, like adjusting lighting and taking regular screen breaks.

Managing these visual stressors might help you find relief from migraine attacks…

But always remember that migraines are multifaceted, so while you may have known visual triggers and issues, that shouldn’t stop you from your healthy habits and taking care of yourself in other ways.

And if you haven’t had a visual assessment performed but are still dealing with migraine symptoms, it’s time to do so!

🧠 The Migraine Mentors

🗞️ MIGRAINE MINICAST

How Your Vision Influences Your Migraine Symptoms

👀 Your eyes are a window into your brain, and yet, so many providers are unaware of how impactful vision is for migraine symptoms.

And no, we’re not just talking about visual auras…

🧠 We’re talking about the little things your brain does that you don’t have to think about, like keeping your eyes fixed on targets, judging depth and distance, and reading text (just like this).

If you’re someone dealing with visual issues and migraine symptoms, you definitely need to give this one a listen!

👇️ Click the link below to check it out! 👇️ 

🍴MIGRAINE-FRIENDLY RECIPE 

🥣 Overnight Millet Porridge with Pears & Maple Syrup

🍐 Ingredients (Serves 1–2)

• ½ cup uncooked millet, rinsed

• 1 ½ cups filtered water or oat milk (no additives)

• 1 small ripe pear, peeled and chopped

• 1–2 tsp pure maple syrup (optional)

• Pinch of sea salt

• Sprinkle of cinnamon (optional, if tolerated)

📖 Instructions

1. Rinse millet thoroughly and drain.

2. In a small saucepan, combine millet and water (or oat milk) and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20–25 minutes until soft and creamy.

4. Remove from heat, let cool slightly.

5. Stir in chopped pear and a drizzle of maple syrup.

6. Store in a glass container and refrigerate overnight (only if tolerated—some people with histamine issues react to any leftovers).

7. In the morning, gently reheat or enjoy cold, topped with a few safe seeds or a bit of coconut cream.