Hey Migraine Mentees 👋 

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

• Regular, low-to-moderate exercise can reduce migraine frequency by improving blood flow, regulating nervous system balance, and calming inflammation…

• The wrong workouts—like high-intensity intervals, heavy lifting under strain, or exercising in hot environments—can trigger migraine attacks for some people…

• Aerobic exercises (walking, cycling, swimming) and yoga have the strongest evidence for migraine relief, while tai chi and gentle postural strengthening are emerging as supportive strategies…

• If dizziness or vertigo is part of your migraine pattern, vestibular balance exercises can help retrain your nervous system and improve resilience…

• Pacing, hydration, symptom tracking, and consistency are critical to using exercise safely and effectively as a tool for migraine prevention…

This week, we’ll break down the science behind exercise and migraine—and show you how to build a migraine-friendly movement plan that supports healing without triggering attacks.

🧠 The Migraine Mentors

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In This Week’s Edition…

• 🥡 Weekly Take-Out

  • Meme of The Week - 🍟 McDonald’s Therapy…?

• 📸 Weekly TikToks

  • Migraine Tips from An EMT Who Suffers from Migraines

  • Acupressure Point for Migraine Management

• 🔈️ The Migraine Mentors Minicast - Podcast Series

  • The BEST Exercises to Prevent Migraines (Backed by Science)

• 📜 This Week’s Top Article

  • Why Exercise Matters for Migraine Prevention and Treatment

• 🍴 Migraine-Friendly Recipe of the Week

  • Turkey & Spinach Wrap

🥡 WEEKLY TAKE-OUT

Meme of The Week

🥡 WEEKLY TIKTOKS

Migraine Tips from An EMT Who Suffers from Migraines

@casstasstrophee

Ipushmyfingersintomy EEEEYYEEESSS 👹 #emt #emtsoftiktok #emts #ems #migraine #migrainerelief #headache #lifehack #mcdonaldsfrenchfries #ce... See more

Acupressure Point for Migraine Management

@oldtown_acupuncturist

Stop your migraine instantly with acupressure. #acupuncture #acupressure #acupuncturist #migraine How to stop migraine instantly with ac... See more

🗞️ MIGRAINE MINICAST

🎧 The BEST Exercises to Prevent Migraines (Backed by Science)

🥡 Did you know the right kind of movement can actually reduce migraine frequency—but the wrong workout can trigger an attack? It’s not about pushing harder… it’s about moving smarter.

🧠 In this week’s Migraine Mentors Minicast, we break down how exercise impacts migraine and reveal the best science-backed strategies to get moving safely:

• Why moderate, low-intensity aerobic exercise (like walking or swimming) helps regulate your nervous system and reduce migraine days 📉

• How yoga and gentle stretching lower muscle tension and calm pain pathways 🧘‍♀️

• Why tai chi and mind-body movement are emerging as powerful tools for migraine relief 🌿

• How neck and postural exercises can support stability and decrease cervical triggers 💪

• When vestibular balance training is helpful—especially if dizziness or vertigo are part of your migraine pattern ⚖️

• Practical tips to exercise without triggering attacks: hydration, pacing, consistency, and tracking your personal thresholds 🗒️

🧩 Whether you’ve been avoiding workouts out of fear or you’re ready to build a migraine-friendly routine, this episode will teach you how to use exercise as a tool for healing—without making symptoms worse.

🎯 Tune in now and learn how to move smarter, feel stronger, and take back control from your migraines.

👇 Tap below to listen now! 👇

📜 TOP ARTICLE

🏃‍♀️ Why Exercise Matters for Migraine Prevention and Treatment

Movement isn’t just good for the body—it’s medicine for the brain.

Regular exercise helps regulate the autonomic nervous system, reduce inflammation, and boost natural pain-fighting chemicals like endorphins.

Studies consistently show that patients who exercise moderately have fewer, less severe migraines compared to those who remain sedentary.

But here’s the catch: too much, too fast, or too intense can backfire.

High-intensity workouts, heavy lifting under strain, or exercising in overheated environments can actually trigger an attack.

The secret is learning what types of movement strengthen your nervous system—without overwhelming it.

✅ The Best Exercises for Migraine Management

1. Low-Intensity Aerobic Activity 🚴 

• What: Brisk walking, cycling (stationary/road), or swimming.

• How much: Start with 20–30 minutes, 3–5×/week; progress as tolerated.

• Evidence: An RCT found aerobic exercise was as effective as relaxation or topiramate for prevention in episodic migraine; meta-analysis supports fewer migraine days versus controls.

• Practical tip: Keep intensity conversational, build gradually, and monitor your diary for thresholds.

2. Yoga & Gentle Stretching 🧘‍♀️ 

• What: A short, consistent practice (e.g., child’s pose, cat–cow, seated twist, diaphragmatic breathing).
  Evidence: A randomized clinical trial in Neurology showed yoga as an add-on to standard care reduced headache frequency, intensity, impact, and disability more than standard care alone.

  Practical tip: On high-risk days, swap a workout for 10–15 minutes of restorative yoga + breathing.

3. Tai Chi & Mind-Body Movement 🥋 

• What: Slow, flowing sequences emphasizing breath and balance.
  Evidence: A 12-week randomized trial in women with episodic migraine reported significant reductions in attack frequency with Tai Chi versus control; larger comparative trials are underway.

  Practical tip: Useful if you want gentle cardio with built-in pacing and stress regulation.

4. Postural & Neck Strengthening 💪 

• What: Chin tucks, scapular retraction, bird-dog, cat–camel; progress slowly and focus on control.
  Why: Many people with migraine report neck pain and cervical dysfunction; targeted strengthening may help, particularly when cervical triggers are suspected. Evidence is mixed but growing - a randomized trial of craniocervical muscle strengthening showed improvements in headache outcomes; broader trials in chronic headache also report decreased weekly headache frequency after neck–shoulder training.

  Practical tip: Consider a brief consult with a trained healthcare provider to personalize dosage and technique if neck pain is a trigger.

5. Vestibular & Balance Training (for those with dizziness/PPPD) 👀 

• What: Gradual, therapist-guided head–eye coordination and balance drills; short, repeated exposures.
  Evidence: Reviews and clinical studies support vestibular rehabilitation as part of management for vestibular migraine and vestibular disorders to reduce dizziness handicap and improve function.

  Practical tip: Start with a specialist (like our providers at The Neural Connection) to calibrate intensity and avoid symptom “flares.”

🛠 Practical Tips for Exercising With Migraine

• Start slow—even 10 minutes in duration counts.

• Stay hydrated (with electrolytes) and avoid skipping meals before activity.

• Stick to the same time of day to reduce unpredictability.

• Track symptoms in a journal to find your personal threshold.

• Prioritize recovery: stretching, breathing, and sleep all count as part of the “workout.”

💡 Movement is The Language of The Brain

Healing and overcoming migraine isn’t about pushing harder—it’s about moving smarter.

The right exercise doesn’t just strengthen your body—it retrains your brain to feel safe, balanced, and resilient.

So next time you lace up your shoes or roll out your yoga mat, remember:

You’re not just working out—you’re rewiring your nervous system for health.

🧠 The Migraine Mentors

🍴MIGRAINE-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Turkey & Spinach Wrap

✅ Ingredients (1 wrap)

• 1 whole-grain or gluten-free tortilla/wrap

• 3–4 slices of nitrate-free turkey breast (look for fresh or minimally processed deli turkey, without additives)

• 1 handful of baby spinach (fresh, washed)

• ½ small cucumber, thinly sliced

• 1–2 tsp hummus or mashed avocado (optional spread for creaminess)

📖 Instructions

1. Lay the wrap flat on a plate.

2. Spread a thin layer of hummus or avocado if using.

3. Layer the turkey slices evenly across the wrap.

4. Add fresh spinach and cucumber slices.

5. Roll tightly, slice in half, and enjoy fresh.

🌿 Why It’s Migraine-Friendly

• Nitrate-free turkey: Processed meats with nitrates/nitrites are a common migraine trigger. Choosing nitrate-free cuts avoids that problem.

• Fresh spinach: Provides magnesium and folate, both nutrients often helpful for people with migraines. (Note: some with histamine intolerance may react to spinach—see below.)

• Cucumber: Naturally hydrating, supports electrolyte balance, and is rarely a trigger.

• Gluten-free option: For people sensitive to gluten (sometimes a trigger), using a gluten-free wrap keeps it gentle.

🌱 Why It’s Histamine-Friendly

• Fresh turkey (or freshly cooked and sliced turkey breast) is lower in histamine than aged, processed, or leftover meats.

• Cucumber is a very low-histamine, soothing vegetable.

• Hummus/avocado: Usually tolerated in moderation, though chickpeas and avocado can be borderline for some. You can swap for olive oil drizzle if you’re very sensitive.

• Spinach: This one’s tricky! Spinach is healthy but technically higher in histamine. Some people tolerate it, while others don’t. If spinach bothers you, swap it for butter lettuce or arugula.

✅ Quick tip: With histamine intolerance, the freshness of ingredients matters. Use freshly cooked turkey or nitrate-free packaged slices eaten the same day, and avoid leftovers sitting in the fridge for several days.