Can You Relate to This?

🤥 Another doctor saying, “It’s just in your head…”

💊 Maxing out your nine Triptans a month within ten days…

🔋 Feeling like you’re running out of energy and always behind on your to-do list…

🙏 Hoping there are answers out there for your symptoms…

We’ve been naturally treating patients who suffer from migraine symptoms for 15+ years by addressing the root causes and helping people structurally, neurologically, and nutritionally.

And in this newsletter, we will give you everything we’ve learned.

For Free. 

🧠 The Migraine Mentors

In Today’s Email:

•  🗞️ Migraine Media & Research

  • Helpful Tips from Around the Scientific Community

• 📜 This Week’s Top Article

  • The Depressing News About Antidepressants

• 🥑 Migraine Take-Out

  • Meme of The Week

  • Habit of The Month - 🙏 Migraine Mindset!

  • Migraine-Friendly Recipe of the Week - 🎃 Pumpkin Quinoa Salad

  • Menstrual Migraine - ❓️Is Estrogen Our Friend or Enemy?

🗞️ MIGRAINE MEDIA & RESEARCH

_{What’s Happening in the Migraine World?}

• 👀 For a select group of individuals, an aura before a migraine is usually the first sign of the onset of a migraine, but what is it? A recently published study discussed how these “prodromal/premonitory” brain changes impact migraines via the hypothalamus in a different manner compared to environmental “triggers,” which essentially make it easier to cause a migraine to happen.

• 🌿 There’s an exciting study currently being done investigating the effects of Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) and L-Carnitine supplementation on migraine symptoms… But why wait for the study?

• 🔥This one is HOT off the press! Pediatric populations who suffer from migraine symptoms have different gut microbiome profiles than their healthy counterparts, providing evidence of the importance of diet and gut health on healthy brain function.

• 😶‍🌫️ How this ONE piercing could change your migraines forever… Read more HERE.

📜 TOP ARTICLE

The Depressing News About Antidepressants

🤔 Having a migraine can be downright depressing, but can depression cause migraines?

Let’s bookmark that for a later discussion…

❓️ Here’s what you should be asking:

Why do migraine patients get prescribed antidepressants to manage their symptoms in the first place?

Does this mean you’re depressed and you don’t even know it?!

😕 Very few people genuinely understand the relationship between antidepressants and migraine symptoms…

So, while it’s standard practice, it’s not always standard knowledge.

💊 Antidepressants are prescribed as an “off-label” medication for the management of migraines for a multitude of reasons.

Mainstream antidepressants like Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and Tricyclic Antidepressants (TACs) primarily work by increasing the brain’s concentrations of serotonin (or so we thought…), a neurotransmitter commonly associated with feelings of happiness, fulfillment, and ease.

🤍 Serotonin plays an essential role in regulating pain, blood flow, and sensitization of the Trigeminal nerve (CN V) in the face, which is the primary trigger for migraine symptoms and head pain.

We used to think that low serotonin was the cause of migraine symptoms, but new evidence has shown that individuals with migraine may have HIGHER levels of serotonin than those who don’t…

It comes down to the proper functioning of serotonin in the brain and ensuring the brain can utilize the available resources.

👶 So, let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater just yet.

Other types of antidepressants, like Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs), work by modulating pain processing in the brain when it is in a state of “central sensitization.”

These antidepressants support serotonin and norepinephrine production, which play a role in pain regulation and neuronal stability.

😥 And while these medications may be beneficial in managing specific symptoms, we know that there are always potential downsides to taking antidepressants and mind-altering medications...

As we discussed in last week’s newsletter, nutrient deficiencies with migraine medication are more common than we’ve been led to believe…

But what about antidepressants?

🫠 It turns out that antidepressants don’t work very well in the presence of nutrient deficiencies.

An interesting case study published in 2010 presented findings that supplementation of Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) in 2 vegetarian individuals made significant improvements in their depression scores with medication protocols that were previously unsuccessful.

💥 TLDR - Vitamin B12 supplementation enhanced the effects of the antidepressants.

Other studies have shown Vitamin B9 deficiencies to be a limiting factor for the beneficial effects of antidepressants and various mental health disorders.

💥 TLDR - Vitamin B9 supplementation also enhanced the effects of the antidepressants.

🧠 We also know that antidepressant use for long periods of time may increase your risk of developing dementia.

In a study with over 71,000 individuals, the use of antidepressants was associated with a higher incidence of dementia, specifically in individuals over the age of 60.

While it’s still too early to weigh in on the costs vs. the benefits of antidepressants, we need to make sure we keep an open mind about finding other ways to get migraine relief without the potential downsides.

😱 Does this mean that ALL antidepressant medications are bad? No. 

But it should fire the alarm bells that there could be tradeoffs that you may not want to have.

❓️ So what can you do about it?

Study after study after study continues to show that nutrient deficiencies often play a role in the onset of symptoms in both migraine and depression (and mental health disorders in general).

💠 Why not just treat the source of the problem with diet and nutrition?

That’s what we do in our office, and that’s what we’ve seen as the first essential factor in moving the needle forward for our chronic migraine patients.

It’s also why we use nutrition and high-quality supplements to support their journey!

🙃 If you’ve been taking an antidepressant for your migraine symptoms and haven’t been eating essential foods or taking supplements to support B Vitamins and Serotonin production, then you’re missing out.

Lucky for you, we’ve done the hard work for you!

✅ We’ve put together a list of the best supplements on the market to help you support the healthy production of serotonin and acquire enough B Vitamins.

Click HERE to fill out your profile and we will send you a script once you’ve signed up!

Sadly, these aren’t the only nutrient deficiencies caused by medications…

🤔 Speaking of which…

Next week, we will discuss how one of the most common OTCs on the market causes iron and Vitamin C deficiencies… And you might be at risk for it!

Stay tuned for next week’s newsletter!

🥑 MIGRAINE TAKE-OUT

Meme of The Week

Migraine Mindset: Habits and Lifestyle

🤓 If you’re reading this, you’ve probably tried your fair share of migraine therapies.

Botox

Medications

Nerve Ablations

📊 The list goes on…

🤢 Why does it seem like those things work for some and not me? Why do some need a single medication to feel better, and I’ve tried EVERYTHING and still suffer?

⬇️ Here’s the deal ⬇️ 

😮‍💨 Migraine doesn’t always fight fair, and for those that don’t respond to western medicine, here’s the harsh truth:

It's entirely dependent on having good migraine-friendly health habits in place. 

💪 A lifestyle, if you will.

It’s about being a healthy person.

In 15 years of clinical experience, the ones who take 1 medication and call it a day are also the ones who understand diet 🍎 , hormones 📈 , supplementation 💊 , sleep 🛌 , and exercise 🏃‍♀️ 

❓️ Now, you can look at this and think, “Where do I even start? It seems like so much work.”

OR…..

🤩 You can view it as a HUGE positive ➕ because you don’t need to rely on a doctor who barely remembers your name to give you some mythical perfect dose of medication to feel better.

It’s all in your hands…

📈 If you don’t know what to do, just keep reading every Wednesday, and we’ll do our best to fill in the gaps.

Till next time.

Instructions

1. Cook the Quinoa

- Rinse the quinoa thoroughly under cold water using a fine mesh sieve.

- In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and water (or vegetable broth). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is fluffy and the liquid is absorbed.

- Remove the pot from heat and let it sit, covered, for an additional 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.

2. Roast the Pumpkin

- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).

- Place the diced pumpkin on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.

- Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender and lightly caramelized, flipping halfway through. Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly.

3. Prepare the Salad

- In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, roasted pumpkin, arugula (or spinach), diced apple, and toasted pumpkin seeds. If using dried cranberries, add them now.

4. Make the Dressing

- In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar), maple syrup (or honey), salt, and pepper until well combined.

5. Assemble the Salad

- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients in the large bowl. Toss gently to ensure everything is evenly coated.

6. Serve

- Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to a day.

7. Enjoy!

This salad brings out the flavors of the fall season and is versatile! Feel free to adjust ingredients based on what’s available or your personal preferences.

The salad avoids common migraine triggers such as aged cheeses, MSG, nitrates, processed meats, chocolate, and artificial additives.

However, it's important to remember that migraine triggers can be very individualized…

It's always best to keep track of personal triggers and adjust recipes to suit your own needs.

Estrogen: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

❌ Estrogen gets a bad rap, especially when talking about migraine.

While some of the media demonize all estrogen, there are good ✅ , medium 🟡 , and bad ❌ forms of estrogen.

Let’s look at the data from a test we love for migraine, a DUTCH test.

This is a small clip from a DUTCH panel. If it looks like a foreign language, don’t worry. Just pay attention to the pie chart.

As you can see, the pie has green, blue, and red sections. 

In general, you want most of the pie to be green ✅ and a little blue 💙 and red ❤️ .

Red estrogen is the “Bad” 😡 form that is linked to cancer 😷 . This is what the media demonizes.

If you have too much red and blue estrogen, you’ll probably have severe migraine attacks close to or during your period.

✅ The green form is where we want most of the estrogen going. Green is good, just like money. 

So, how do I get my estrogen to turn green?

The answer is simple: a compound called diindolymethane, or DIM for short. This compound helps convert estrogen from the bad forms to the good one.

It can be bought as a supplement and occurs naturally in 🥦 cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts.

In general, it is a best practice for anyone struggling with migraine attacks during their menstrual cycle to up in intake of cruciferous vegetables or supplement with DIM.

*Note: This advice does not replace having a comprehensive test run and interpreted by a professional or medical provider. There are many other factors in a DUTCH test that go into recommending specific advice.