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:

• Here are the migraine stages: Hotline (trigeminal pathway) → Spark (aura/CSD) → Amplifier (CGRP) → Fire (inflammation/sensitization) → Alarm Clock (prodrome).

• Act in prodrome: fluids + electrolytes, small frequent snacks for steady blood sugar, dim screens/lights, 2–3 minutes of slow breathing.

• Quiet the hotline: gentle neck/face/jaw mobility, heat or ice, and a dark, low-stim space.

• Know your acute plan (with your clinician): triptans or medications; consider non-drug supports like ginger, magnesium, and methylated B vitamins.

• Track & tweak: know what you’ve tried and when, so you can refine your playbook for each cycle.

Your brain follows a pattern during migraine attacks and by recognizing the stages, you can act sooner and find relief faster…

🧠 The Migraine Mentors

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In This Week’s Edition…

• 🥡 Weekly Take-Out

  • Meme of The Week - TM

• 📢 This Week’s Sponsor

  • Korrect - ⚡️ Electrolytes + Paraxanthine = Energy

• 🔈️ The Migraine Mentors Minicast - Podcast Series

  • How Migraine Changes The Brain (And How To Treat It)

• 📜 This Week’s Top Article

  • The Anatomy and Neurometabolic Cascade of A Migraine

• 🍴 Migraine-Friendly Recipe of the Week

  • TM

• 📸 Weekly TikToks

  • Have You Tried Drinking Water For Your Bad Headache…?

  • The Beauty of An Aura…

🥡 WEEKLY TAKE-OUT

Meme of The Week

🗞️ MIGRAINE MINICAST

🎧 How Migraine Changes The Brain (And How To Treat It)

🥡 Migraine isn’t random, as it often follows a repeatable cascade of neural activation, inflammation, and sensitization.

And when you know the steps, you can intervene earlier and take action to reduce the intensity and severity of an attack…

🧠 In this week’s Migraine Mentors Minicast, we unpack the following:

• The neurological, hormonal, and inflammatory pathways involved in migraine attacks…

• How prodromal symptoms often occur 1-3 days before an actual migraine attack…

• What steps to take to intervene early before a full migraine sets in…

• Action items to deploy for treating a migraine before it’s a full-blown migraine…

💬 Understanding the migraine cascade can turn these mystery symptoms into a road map to finding relief.

👉️ The sooner you recognize the stage you’re in, the faster you can respond—and the more control you reclaim!

👇 Tap below to listen now! 👇

📜 TOP ARTICLE

The Anatomy and Neurometabolic Cascade of A Migraine

Migraine attacks can feel elusive and mysterious, but when you understand the mechanisms behind them, there’s a clear pattern your nervous system follows.

And we’ve found clinically that when patients understand this process, it’s easier to act earlier and calm symptoms faster…

So here’s this week’s Anatomy 101 lesson:

🧠 The Alarm/Hotline (The Trigeminal [Cranial Nerve V] Pathway)

Migraine pain often travels along the Trigeminal nerve of the face, which are the superhighways that carry sensation from the brain’s coverings (meninges) and sensory feedback from our facial structures.

🟢 In a normal situation, this information is then relayed into the deeper hubs of the brain…

🔴 In a migraine attack, pain is propagated throughout these systems and promotes inflammation…

When this system gets extra sensitive, normal light, sound, or movement can feel “too loud’ and can overwhelm the brain, causing symptoms.

⚡ The Spark (Aura’s Slow Wave of CSD)

If you’re part of the 30% of migraineurs who get auras (visual changes, zig-zags, numbness, speech glitches etc.), it’s due to a slow wave of altered neurological activity in the brain called cortical spreading depression (CSD).

This pattern of CSD can ripple across the cortex and prime the pain pathways to trigger a full blown migraine attack…

📣 The Megaphone Amplifier (CGRP)

Once these Trigeminal fibers start firing erratically, they release CGRP, a messenger that opens nearby blood vessels and turns up local nerve/immune cells, further amplifying pain.

And this is the exact mechanism behind why CGRP-blocking meds (mAbs, “gepants”) are often pursued for treating migraine attacks…

🔥 The Fire (Inflammation & Sensitization)

The combination of these signals create short-term, local inflammation in the meninges and make pain circuits more reactive through a process called sensitization.

Over time, your threshold can drop, so smaller triggers set off pain signals easier and more often…

⏰ The Alarm Clock (Prodrome & Hypothalamus)

Hours to days before pain shows up, people may notice yawning, cravings, neck tightness, or even mood shifts.

Imaging shows the hypothalamus (your rhythm/home-base center) changes before attacks, which can often be your earliest cue to take action in order to prevent a migraine from setting in…

Now that you understand the process, let’s break down how to approach your treatment plan…

🎯 Here’s How to Use This Road Map

• Treat the prodrome

  • When early cues show up, start your personal plan (hydration + electrolytes, light and frequent snacks, limit bright light/screen glare, simple breath work, etc.).

• Eliminate the alarm line

  • Use gentle neck/jaw mobility therapies, apply heat/ice, and utilize a quiet dark room to eliminate overexposure to stimulation.

• Talk with your clinician 

  • It’s important to discuss your acute options (triptans, gepants, ditans) and non-drug add-ons (e.g., ginger, magnesium, methylated B vitamins, etc.) that fit your history and are medically available for you to utilize.

• Track & tweak your plan over time

  • As we’ve discussed in the past, it’s important to note what helped at each phase to refine your playbook for next time.

As you can see, the migraine cascade is full of changes and altered circuitry in the brain, so the quicker you can recognize your symptoms, the faster you can find relief.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and you know our stance on how to go about preventing migraines from occurring in the first place…

Time to take massive action!

🧠 The Migraine Mentors

🍴MIGRAINE-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Coconut Yogurt Parfait (Migraine + Histamine-Friendly)

🫐 Ingredients (1 serving)

• ½ cup plain coconut yogurt (unsweetened, without gums if possible)

• ¼ cup fresh blueberries (or substitute pear slices if better tolerated)

• 2 Tbsp gluten-free oats (lightly toasted) or puffed rice for crunch

• Optional: drizzle of pure maple syrup

📖 Directions

1. Spoon half the coconut yogurt into a small glass or bowl.

2. Add a layer of blueberries.

3. Sprinkle in oats or puffed rice.

4. Top with the remaining coconut yogurt.

5. Garnish with a few extra berries and a light drizzle of maple syrup if desired.

🧠 Why It’s Migraine + Histamine Friendly

• Coconut Yogurt → A dairy-free alternative that avoids aged cheeses or cow’s milk, both common migraine and histamine triggers. Coconut is generally low in histamine and gentle on digestion.

• Blueberries → One of the safer fruits for both conditions. They’re low in histamine, not overly acidic, and provide antioxidants without the sugar spikes of tropical fruits.

• Gluten-Free Oats or Puffed Rice → Safe sources of complex carbs without gluten, which can be inflammatory for some people. Unlike nuts or chocolate (often migraine triggers), these give texture and satiety without the risk.

• Fresh Preparation → Using fresh fruit and freshly opened yogurt prevents histamine buildup, which happens with leftovers or fermented foods.

✅ This snack works well because it’s cooling, gentle, and satisfying without relying on common trigger foods like chocolate, nuts, citrus, or aged/fermented products.

🥡 WEEKLY TIKTOKS

Have You Tried Drinking Water For Your Bad Headache…?

@natalie.dubak

This sound has been STUCK in my head all week, so I had to use it with one of my biggest pet peeves. #migraine #chronicpain #migrainerelie... See more

The Beauty of An Aura…

@_awsome_sauce_

bonus if it's at school #rareaesthetic #migraine #chronicillness #relatable? #idunno