Migraine Heroes | Chronic Migraine, Hemiplegic Migraine, Migraine with aura, Vestibular Migraine

You finally slow down. The emails stop. The alarm is off. The pressure lifts. And then, the migraine arrives.In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme, we explore the strange and frustrating paradox of week-end migraines: why the moment you rest, your body seems to revolt. What feels like cruel irony is actually a well-documented nervous-system response, and once you understand it, it becomes something you can work with rather than fear.This episode unpacks why migraine brains don’t always respond well to abrupt shifts, even when those shifts are positive and how both Western science and Eastern medicine explain this phenomenon in surprisingly aligned ways.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why “let-down” migraines happen and how sudden drops in stress hormones can destabilize a sensitive nervous systemHow the brain adapts to high pressure during the week, then struggles when that pressure suddenly disappearsThe Eastern perspective on why a sharp transition from doing to being can cause energy to surge upward instead of settlingA simple, gentle strategy to soften the transition from workweek to weekend so rest becomes restorative, not triggeringThis episode isn’t about avoiding rest. It’s about changing the way you arrive there. If your migraines tend to show up just when you think you’re finally safe to relax, this conversation may help you rethink weekends not as a cliff, but as a bridge.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Reduction in Perceived Stress as a Migraine Trigger: Testing the “Let-Down Headache” Hypothesis: Lipton R.B and colleagues.This paper demonstrates that declines in stress (rather than high stress itself) can trigger migraine attacks, supporting the “let-down” phenomenon where the brain’s stress recovery phase is a vulnerable window for migraine onset. Read the full article here.Stress and Migraine: Interaction, Cephalalgia (Sauro K.M. & Becker W.J., 2009): This review explores how chronic stress alters pain processing, hormonal balance, and central sensitization, helping explain why stress, emotional load, and recovery phases strongly influence migraine frequency and severity. Read more here.Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for providing medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.For women, men, and children who suffer from migraine disease, Migraine Heroes is your go-to resource for understanding, managing, and overcoming migraine attacks.We cover all types of migraines and related headaches, including primary and secondary migraines, chronic migraines, and cluster migraines. We dive deep into the complexities of migraine with aura and migraine without aura, as well as rarer forms like...

When your gut heats up and your brain starts to ache, it’s not random — it’s a message. A flare-up in your gut can echo upward, shifting your brain chemistry, amplifying inflammation, and lowering your migraine threshold.In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme connects the dots between digestive distress and neurological pain — helping you understand why gut trouble so often becomes head trouble.You’ll discover:🔥 How gut inflammation changes the brain — from neuroinflammation to altered neurotransmitters🔥 Why the stress–gut–brain loop keeps symptoms cycling — and how permeability, cortisol, and inflammation feed each other🔥 How Eastern medicine explains a “hot” or “inflamed” gut — and why cooling, calming, and restoring flow can quiet the mind🔥 Practical ways to soothe the gut so the brain can finally settle — using food, routines, and simple nervous-system resetsThis episode blends neuroscience with holistic medicine to help you recognize when your gut is speaking — and how to respond before the pain reaches your brain.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Gut–Brain Axis & Neuroinflammation (The Journal of Headache and Pain, 2020): This study by Arzani et al., 2020 shows how gut permeability and inflammation heighten neurological sensitivity and increase migraine risk. Read more here.Altered Gut Microbiota in Migraine (Xu et al., Nature Scientific Reports, 2023): Xu and colleagues found that individuals with episodic and chronic migraine show distinct gut microbiota signatures, highlighting a gut–brain connection influencing inflammation, pain sensitivity, and migraine frequency. Read more hereUnravelling the Gut–Brain Connection: A Systematic Review of Migraine and the Gut Microbiome (Kennedy et al., 2024): Kennedy and colleagues reviewed current research showing that gut microbiome imbalances can influence inflammation, nervous system regulation, and migraine severity, reinforcing the gut–brain axis as a key factor in migraine. Read more here.Migraine and the Gut Microbiome: Insights from Mendelian Randomization (Zhang et al., Frontiers in Neurology, 2024): Zhang and colleagues used Mendelian randomization to show genetic links between gut microbiome composition and migraine risk, suggesting that certain microbial patterns may play a causal role in migraine development. Read more

Ever wake up after eight hours and still feel like your mind is wrapped?In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme unpacks why “sleep” and “recovery” are not the same thing — and why the brain needs true rest to restore blood flow, clear waste, and lift the fog that so many migraine-prone people live with.We explore how neuroscience and Eastern medicine both point toward the same truth: deep rest is nourishment. And when your brain doesn’t get it, everything — focus, memory, mood, and migraine thresholds — begins to fray.You’ll discover: 💤 How sleep debt quietly reduces cerebral blood flow, leading to fog, dizziness, and migraine vulnerability 💤 What your brain’s night-shift cleaning crew (the glymphatic system) does while you sleep — and why skipping its shift creates toxic buildup 💤 What Eastern medicine teaches about rest as “yin nourishment,” and why stillness is as physiologically important as sleep itself 💤 Simple ways to reclaim real rest, even if you can’t change your schedule, your stress, or your nights right nowThis episode blends research, lived experience, and healing wisdom to help you restore what your brain has been missing. If you’ve been sleeping — but not recovering — this one’s for you.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Sleep Drives Metabolite Clearance From the Adult Brain (Science, 2013): Xie et al. showed that deep sleep accelerates glymphatic clearance, helping the brain remove metabolic waste that builds up during wakefulness. Read more here.Sleep Deprivation and Endothelial Function (Frontiers in Physiology, 2021): Short-term sleep loss impairs endothelial function, reducing blood flow regulation and increasing vulnerability to brain fog and migraines. Read more here.Mild Sleep Restriction and Oxidative Stress in Women (Scientific Reports, 2023): Even mild nightly sleep restriction (1.5 hours) increases oxidative stress in women, amplifying inflammation and migraine risk. Read more here.The Foundations of Chinese Medicine — Giovanni Maciocia (Elsevier, 2015): Maciocia explains how deep sleep nourishes Yin, restores Blood, and calms the Shen — aligning classical TCM theory with modern neuroscience on restorative rest. Read more

Your mind races, loops, analyses, plans, replays — and somewhere in the background, the pressure in your head starts building. For many people, migraines don’t begin with a food trigger or a weather shift… they begin with thoughts that won’t turn off.In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores the link between mental noise and physical pain — and why a busy mind can be just as triggering as a stressful day or a skipped meal.We dive into neuroscience, the lived experience, and the Eastern-medicine understanding of the “wind of the mind” — the invisible force that stirs tension, drains energy, and pushes the brain toward migraine.You’ll discover:💭 How chronic overthinking reshapes your stress and pain circuits, turning mental loops into neck tension, jaw tightness, and migraine pain💭 Why the brain’s default mode network (DMN) becomes hyperactive in overthinkers — and how science is finally explaining the ancient wisdom of mental stillness💭 How Eastern traditions calm internal ‘wind’, grounding an overactive mind through breath, routine, ritual, and gentle sensory anchors💭 Practical steps to interrupt mental spirals, reduce cognitive load, and find more internal quiet — even if your mind feels “always on”This episode blends Western neuroscience and Eastern philosophy to help you understand why your thoughts can trigger your symptoms — and what you can do to reclaim stillness, clarity, and ease from the inside out.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Mindfulness & the Brain: Harvard Medical School (2018) explains how mindfulness reshapes neural pathways involved in stress, mood, and pain regulation — offering meaningful tools for calming the migraine brain. Read more here.Increased connectivity of the pain matrix in chronic migraine (Lee et al., 2019): This resting-state fMRI study shows that people with chronic migraine have heightened connectivity in key pain-processing brain regions, helping explain why pain becomes more persistent and easily triggered. Read more here.Traditional Chinese Medicine Foundations: Giovanni Maciocia’s The Foundations of Chinese Medicine (2015) outlines classical patterns such as Liver Qi Stagnation, internal wind, and phlegm misting that mirror modern understandings of neurological dysregulation in migraine. Read more here.Disclaimer: This

Your migraine hits, and before you even check the forecast, your body already knows a storm is coming. For many migraine-prone brains, weather isn’t background noise. It’s a trigger. A pressure. A switch.In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores why changes in weather — barometric drops, humidity spikes, sudden heat, even bright sun — can create the perfect storm inside your nervous system. With neuroscience, real-world patterns, and Eastern medicine woven together, you’ll finally understand why your symptoms flare when the sky shifts.You’ll discover: 🌦️ How barometric pressure changes impact pain pathways, inflammation, and brain sensitivity 🌦️ Why some people are “weather-sensitive” — and how to recognise the subtle cues before an attack 🌦️ What temperature swings, humidity shifts, and UV exposure do to your migraine threshold 🌦️ Eastern-medicine insights on Wind, external forces, and why storms can “stir” a reactive system 🌦️ Practical ways to stabilise your nervous system when the weather won’t cooperateYou’ll also hear grounded, actionable strategies to help you feel less at the mercy of the sky — from small routines that support your pressure-sensitive brain to preventative habits that calm the internal storm before it forms.This episode is for you if you’ve ever noticed: • Your migraines spike when the weather changes • You feel “off” hours before a storm • Heat waves, cold snaps, or humidity leave you foggy or exhausted • You’ve been told it’s “just the weather” — but your body says otherwiseYour body isn’t dramatic. It’s perceptive. And once you understand its signals, you can work with the weather — not against it.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:The Influence of Weather on Migraine: Are Migraine Attacks Predictable? — PMC (2015): Hoffmann J. et al. found that changes in temperature, humidity and barometric pressure can meaningfully influence migraine onset in susceptible people. Read more here.Weather Effects on Headache Using Smartphone App + AI — Headache (2023): This study used real-time symptom tracking and machine learning to show that weather fluctuations can increase headache frequency and help predict migraine risk. Learn more here.Influence of Barometric Pressure in Patients with Migraine — PubMed (2011): Researchers demonstrated that falling barometric pressure may trigger migraine attacks in a subset of patients sensitive to atmospheric changes. Explore the findings here.Whether Weather Matters with Migraine — Current Pain and Headache Reports (2024):...

Ever had a migraine that seemed to strike out of nowhere — and later noticed your digestion had been off, your appetite weird, or your belly unusually tight? It’s not random. It’s a conversation. Because your gut and your brain are constantly talking, and when that dialogue breaks down, migraine often steps in.In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme unpacks the hidden ways your microbiome shapes inflammation, mood, sensitivity, and migraine pain. With a blend of neuroscience, real-world data, and Eastern medicine wisdom, we decode what your gut has been trying to tell you long before the migraine hits.You’ll discover: 💡 How the gut–brain axis controls inflammation, stress chemistry, and pain sensitivity 💡 Why microbiome imbalances can amplify reactions to food, hormones, and daily stress 💡 What Western research and Eastern medicine both say about restoring digestive balance 💡 How small shifts in digestion can predict — and prevent — future attacksIf your migraines feel mysterious, inconsistent, or tied to your digestion in ways you can’t fully explain — this episode will finally make the invisible visible.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:A Causal Effects of Gut Microbiota in the Development of Migraine — The Journal of Headache and Pain (2023): He Q., Wang W., Xiong Y., Tao C., Ma L., Ma J., You C., & the International Headache Genetics Consortium found that specific gut bacterial taxa have causal associations with migraine, migraine with aura and migraine without aura, supporting the gut–brain axis in migraine. Read more here.The Importance of the Microbiota and Diet in Migraine — PMC (2024): This article reviews how diet alters gut microbiota composition, which in turn influences neuroinflammation, energy metabolism, and pain modulation relevant to migraine. Learn more here.Gut Microbiota and Migraine — PMC (2022): A comprehensive open-access review showing shifts in microbiota diversity, metabolite profiles and microbial signalling in migraine patients—suggesting interventions via gut health may support migraine management. Read the full article here.A Systematic Review of Migraine and the Gut Microbiome — The Journal of Headache and Pain (2025): This upcoming 2025 review compiles 20+ studies linking gut microbial dysbiosis with migraine frequency, severity and comorbidities—emphasizing microbiome as a therapeutic frontier. Read more

When everyday sounds feel sharp, intrusive, or overwhelming, it’s not “just stress” or “being sensitive.” For migraine-prone brains, noise can hit like a pressure wave — too loud, too close, too fast — long before anyone else even notices it.In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme unpacks the neuroscience behind noise sensitivity and why certain brains struggle to filter sound. You’ll learn why what you’re experiencing is real, physiological, and deeply linked to how your brain processes safety, threat, and sensory overload.We blend real-world patterns from thousands of migraine cases with Western research and Eastern medicine’s understanding of energetic balance to help you understand why sound becomes painful — and what you can do about it.You’ll discover: 🔊 Why some brains amplify sound instead of filtering it 🔊 How migraine, trauma, and chronic stress can rewire your auditory gain system 🔊 Why your brain’s “volume control” gets stuck on high alert 🔊 What Traditional Chinese Medicine says about overstimulation, Liver Wind, and sensory overwhelm 🔊 Practical ways to soften the world around you without isolating yourselfThis episode is for anyone who has ever felt flooded by noise in cafés, offices, restaurants, or even at home… and wondered, Why does this feel so unbearable?You’re not imagining it, your brain is responding to real physiological overload. And with the right tools, there is a way back to calm.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Brain Structure & Function Abnormalities in Migraineurs: This 2022 neuroimaging meta-analysis shows that migraine alters pain-processing networks, sensory integration hubs, and regions linked to attention and hyper-responsivity. Read more here.The Brain Basis for Misophonia: Kumar et al. (2017) identify abnormal connectivity between the auditory cortex and salience network, offering insight into why migraine brains overreact to sound triggers. Read more here.TCM Perspectives on Sensory Overstimulation & Internal Wind: Li & Xu (2018) describe how Traditional Chinese Medicine interprets sensory overload, tinnitus, and migraine-like agitation as manifestations of “Internal Wind” disturbing the liver–heart system. Read more here.Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for providing medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.For women, men, and children who suffer from migraine disease, Migraine Heroes is your go-to resource for understanding, managing, and overcoming migraine...

You tilt your head for one quick scroll — and suddenly your neck, jaw, and temples feel heavier. It’s not just “bad posture.” It’s a full-body stress signal your brain can’t ignore.In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores how screens reshape the way your body holds itself — and how those tiny shifts in posture can quietly fuel tension, dizziness, and migraine attacks.Blending neuroscience with Eastern medicine, we break down why the modern digital world is pulling your body out of alignment and your brain into overload.You’ll discover: 💡 How forward-head posture and screen angles overload the brain’s pain and balance centers 💡 Why chronic neck and jaw tension trap the nervous system in a “micro-stress loop” 💡 What TCM teaches about posture, Qi flow, and how stagnation leads to pain 💡 Practical ways to restore alignment — not through perfection, but through ease, breath, and gentle awarenessThis isn’t about sitting perfectly. It’s about reclaiming the natural alignment that lets your energy — and your life — flow.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Digital Eye Strain – A Comprehensive Review (Sheppard & Wolffsohn, 2018/2022, Ophthalmology and Therapy): Broad review of digital eye strain (computer vision syndrome), including visual symptoms (dry eyes, headaches, blurred vision) and associated musculoskeletal issues like neck and back pain related to poor ergonomics and prolonged screen time. Read more here. Assessment of Stresses in the Cervical Spine Caused by Posture and Head Position — Surgical Technology International (2014): Hansraj K.K. quantified how forward-head posture dramatically increases cervical spine load—explaining why screen use, neck strain, and posture imbalance can worsen migraine, tension headaches, and nerve compression. Read more here.A Model of Neurovisceral Integration in Emotion Regulation — Journal of Affective Disorders (2000): Thayer J.F. & Lane R.D. reveal how vagal tone links posture, stress response, and autonomic balance—key mechanisms behind posture-related migraines and nervous-system dysregulation. Explore the abstract here.The Channels of Acupuncture (Maciocia, 2006): Giovanni Maciocia explores how the body’s channel pathways and secondary vessels influence circulation, stagnation, and pain patterns, offering insights that align with migraine pathways from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective. Read more a...

You sleep. You eat. You even rest. And yet your body wakes up feeling like someone left the lights on all night inside you.In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme uncovers the hidden “energy leaks” that quietly drain your vitality — the ones most people never notice until their body starts whispering in fatigue, brain fog, irritability, or migraines.Blending neuroscience with Eastern medicine, this conversation reveals why your system feels tired even when you “did everything right,” and how to repair the subtle places where your energy slips away.You’ll discover: ⚡ The three invisible drains — chronic stress, mental clutter, and low-grade inflammation ⚡ Why your nervous system can’t recharge when it’s stuck in a perpetual micro-stress response ⚡ How emotional residue, overstimulation, and boundary fatigue quietly weaken your resilience ⚡ What Eastern medicine calls “Qi leaks” — and how they map onto modern neurobiology ⚡ Practical tools to seal the leaks, strengthen your baseline, and finally restore the clarity and vitality you’ve been missingThis episode is your guide to understanding why tiredness isn’t always about sleep — it’s about energy management. And once you seal the leaks, everything shifts.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:The Impact of Chronic Stress on Energy Metabolism (Chen et al., 2020): Chen and colleagues show how prolonged stress disrupts mitochondrial energy production, draining vitality and impairing focus—patterns that closely mirror migraine-related fatigue and cognitive fog. Read more here.Protective and Damaging Effects of Stress Mediators — New England Journal of Medicine (1998): McEwen B.S. explains how stress hormones can support short-term survival but cause long-term neural wear-and-tear, fueling migraine vulnerability and emotional dysregulation when overload persists. Read more here.The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful: Effects of Stress on Immune Function — Immunologic Research (2014): Dhabhar F.S. shows that acute stress can boost immune readiness, while chronic stress disrupts inflammation pathways—mechanisms closely tied to migraine flares and fatigue. Learn more here.A Model of Neurovisceral Integration in Emotion Regulation — Journal of Affective Disorders (2000): Thayer J.F. & Lane R.D. describe how vagal regulation links emotional stress, autonomic balance, and brain health, offering a framework for understanding stress-sensitized migraines. Read the abstract a...

Could your “safe” snack actually be fueling your migraine by way of histamine? For many migraine-prone people, histamine intolerance is the missing link — hiding in plain sight inside everyday foods.In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme unpacks how histamine works in the body, why some people react so strongly to it, and how something as simple as leftovers, fermented foods, or certain fruits can tip your system over the edge.Whether histamine has been on your radar for years or you’re hearing about it for the first time, this episode helps you finally understand why some foods feel fine one day… and unbearable the next.You’ll discover: 🔥 What histamine actually is — and how it can trigger migraines, flushing, dizziness, fatigue, and brain fog 🔥 Why some bodies break down histamine easily while others get overwhelmed, especially when the gut, hormones, or stress responses are imbalanced 🔥 Which foods and habits quietly overload your tolerance, from aged cheese to reheated leftovers 🔥 How Traditional Chinese Medicine explains histamine sensitivity through Heat, Liver Qi, and the gut–brain ecosystem 🔥 What steps help you calm the fire, reduce reactivity, and support your natural detox pathwaysThis episode blends Western neuroscience with Eastern wisdom to help you stop guessing, start decoding your symptoms, and choose foods that truly support your migraine-prone brain.If you’ve ever felt worse after “healthy” foods, struggled to understand inconsistent reactions, or sensed that inflammation is running the show — this episode is for you.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Migraine, Allergy, and Histamine: Is There a Link? — PMC (2023): This review explores how histamine pathways, mast cells, and allergic responses can heighten migraine susceptibility and trigger inflammation-driven attacks. Read more here.Histamine Intolerance: The More We Know, the Less We Know — Nutrients (2021): Researchers highlight why histamine intolerance is difficult to diagnose and how dietary histamine, DAO activity, and gut imbalance contribute to symptoms—including migraine. Learn more here.Histamine and Migraine Revisited: Mechanisms and Possible Drug Targets — The Journal of Headache and Pain (2019): This review maps how histamine receptors (H1–H4), neuroinflammation, and vascular responses interact with migraine biology, offering potential therapeutic targets. Read the full article here.Histamine Intolerance: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment — Cleveland Clinic: A clinical overview explaining...

You’ve stepped out of the old routine, the old home, the old identity… and somewhere in that space between what was and what will be, migraine entered your life. Transitions stretch the nervous system in ways we rarely talk about — and your brain feels every ripple.In this episode of The Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores why life transitions so often collide with migraine onset or flare-ups. Whether you’ve moved cities, changed jobs, become a parent, left a relationship, or simply entered a new season of life, this “in-between” state can be both emotionally rich and physiologically destabilizing.We dive into the neuroscience of uncertainty, the emotional landscape of change, and the Eastern lens of movement, grounding, and flow — to help you understand why your symptoms appeared right here and how you can move forward with clarity.You’ll discover: 🌫️ Why transitions feel so physically uncomfortable — how your brain processes uncertainty, and why the body tightens and reacts before your mind catches up 🌍 How travel, upheaval, and emotional shifts activate the same stress circuits that amplify migraine risk 🧭 How to help your system adapt, find rhythm again, and reduce the nervous-system overload that often comes with big life changes 🌀 Why Eastern philosophies see transition not as chaos, but as a fluid state of transformation — and how learning to “flow” instead of brace can soften symptoms 🧠 The neuroscience of identity shifts — and why losing your old version of self can create temporary internal disorientationThis episode is for you if you’ve ever wondered: Did my migraine start because of that change? And why is it still here?Whether you’re in the thick of transition or looking back on one, this conversation shows you how to navigate the in-between with more understanding, more grounding, and more flow.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Foundations of Chinese Medicine (Maciocia, 2015): Giovanni Maciocia’s seminal text outlines how organ-system imbalances, qi flow, and circadian cycles contribute to stress patterns, fatigue, and headache syndromes, bridging Eastern theory with modern integrative health. Read more here.Stress and the Brain: From Adaptation to Disease, Nature Reviews Neuroscience (de Kloet E.R., Joëls M. & Holsboer F., 2005): de Kloet, Joëls and Holsboer describe how acute stress can be adaptive while chronic stress reshapes neural circuits, increases inflammation and disrupts emotional regulation, mechanisms that lower migraine thresholds and intensify pain sensitivity. Read more here.Travel, Sleep & Circadian Rhythm: This Sleep Foundation resource explains how jet lag, light exposure, and travel stress disrupt the circadian rhythm, affecting inflammation, stress hormones, and migraine vulnerability. Read morea...

What if your migraine isn’t just about pain—but about a nervous system that never got the signal it’s safe to rest?In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores how the migraine brain can get “stuck” in survival mode—always scanning, bracing, and protecting. Through the lens of neuroscience and Traditional Chinese Medicine, you’ll learn what it takes to move from constant vigilance to calm flow.You’ll discover: 💡 How chronic alertness drains your brain’s energy and increases pain sensitivity 💡 What the vagus nerve and neuroplasticity teach us about rewiring the stress loop 💡 Eastern tools and daily habits that help your body remember safety againIt’s not just about avoiding triggers—it’s about teaching your nervous system to trust life again.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Neurovascular Mechanisms of Migraine and Cluster Headache — Frontiers in Neurology (Akerman S., Holland P.R., & Goadsby P.J., 2019):Akerman, Holland and Goadsby outline how the trigeminovascular system, vascular signaling, and neuroinflammatory pathways interact to drive both migraine and cluster headache pain, highlighting key overlaps in brain and autonomic function. Read more here.Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Clinical Practice — Headache Medicine (Farmer A.D. et al., 2016): Farmer A.D. and colleagues review how vagus nerve stimulation modulates brainstem circuits, reduces pain signaling, and supports autonomic balance—offering a non-pharmacological tool for migraine and headache disorders. Read more here.A Model of Neurovisceral Integration in Emotion Regulation and Dysregulation — Journal of Affective Disorders (Thayer J.F. & Lane R.D., 2000):Thayer and Lane describe how vagal regulation links emotional processing, autonomic balance, and brain–body communication—offering a foundational framework for understanding stress-sensitive migraines and nervous-system dysregulation. Read the abstract hereDifferences in Treatment Response Between Migraine With Aura and Migraine Without Aura — Lessons From Clinical Practice and RCTs — The Journal of Headache and Pain (Martelletti P. et al., 2019):Martelletti and colleagues summarize how patients with migraine with aura respond differently to preventive and acute treatments compared with those without aura, highlighting distinctions in pathophysiology, drug efficacy, and personalized migraine management. Read more

Some memories don’t fade, they echo. A word, a glance, a moment that keeps the body on alert long after it’s passed. Your brain remembers the pain, and your chemistry follows.In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores how holding on to anger, guilt, or resentment, keeps your nervous system locked in defense mode. Neuroscience shows that unforgiveness isn’t just emotional; it’s chemical. And Eastern philosophy has been teaching this for thousands of years: peace is not a mood, it’s a biological state.You’ll discover: 💡 How resentment and rumination keep your stress chemistry “on,” flooding the brain with cortisol and adrenaline 💡 The key brain regions — like the amygdala and prefrontal cortex — that shift when you practice forgiveness 💡 How forgiveness lowers inflammatory markers, improves heart rate variability, and helps regulate chronic pain and migraine sensitivity 💡 What Eastern wisdom traditions reveal about releasing emotional stagnation — and why true forgiveness restores inner flowYou’ll also learn simple, science-backed ways to help your brain and body let go — not by forcing it, but by re-training your chemistry toward calm.If you’ve ever felt trapped by your own thoughts, or noticed how emotional stress triggers physical pain, this episode is for you.Tune in to learn how forgiving others — and yourself — can become one of the most powerful medicines for your brain.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Theory and Application — Routledge (2016): Worthington E.L. and Hook J.N. presented a comprehensive framework showing how forgiveness interventions strengthen emotional regulation, empathy, and relational repair, with implications for trauma and chronic pain recovery. Explore the book here.Forgiveness, Stress & Health (2016): Toussaint et al. show that practicing forgiveness reduces stress reactivity over just five weeks, supporting its role in lowering inflammation and improving emotional well-being. Read more here.Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation — Psychosomatic Medicine (2003): Davidson R.J. and Kabat-Zinn J. demonstrated that eight weeks of mindfulness meditation increased left-frontal activation (linked to positive emotion) and enhanced immune response, highlighting forgiveness’s neurological parallels. Read the study here.Forgiveness, Physiological Reactivity and Health: The Role of Anger — Radboud University Nijmegen (2008): Witvliet, C. shows how unresolved anger heightens physiological stress responses—elevating heart rate, cortisol and autonomic arousal—while forgiveness promotes healthier emotional regulation and improved physical wellbeing. Read the full text a...

You skip breakfast, push through lunch, and tell yourself you’ll eat later, but instead, your head starts pounding. What if fasting isn’t helping your focus, but quietly stressing your brain into a migraine attack?In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores the paradox of fasting — why it can be both a healing tool and a hidden stressor for migraine-prone brains. With insights from neuroscience and Eastern medicine, you’ll learn how to find your balance between cleansing and collapse.You’ll discover: 🍽️ Why fasting can support or sabotage brain health depending on your stress levels, hormones, and energy reserves 🧠 How blood sugar, cortisol, and neurotransmitters interact when you go too long without eating 🌿 What Traditional Chinese Medicine reveals about the dangers of “empty fire” and energy depletion ✨ How to fast in a way that calms, not shocks, your nervous systemThis episode helps you reclaim a mindful relationship with food — one that nourishes your brain instead of draining it. Because sometimes, the bravest thing your body asks for isn’t restraint… it’s rhythm.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Breakfast Skipping and Declines in Cognitive Score Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A 2023 longitudinal study of the HEIJO-KYO Cohort found that older adults who skipped breakfast one or more times per week had more than double the risk of cognitive decline (IRR ≈ 2.1) compared to those who ate breakfast daily. Read the full study here.Associations Between Breakfast Skipping and Outcomes in Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Cognitive Performance, and Frailty: A Mendelian Randomization Study: A 2024 MR analysis published in BMC Psychiatry found causal links between breakfast skipping and increased risk of ADHD, major depression, poorer cognitive performance (β ≈ -0.16), and higher frailty scores. Read more here. Fasting as a Therapy in Neurological Disease: This review (PMC) explores how fasting or caloric restriction may influence neurological disorders, including migraine, via metabolic and neuroprotective pathways. Read the full review here.The Impact of Continuous Calorie Restriction and Fasting on Cognition in Adults Without Eating Disorders: A review published in Nutrition Reviews examines how sustained calorie restriction or...

You keep pushing through one more email, one more scroll — until the screen blurs, colors pulse, and the edges of your vision begin to shimmer. It’s not just fatigue. In a world bathed in blue light, your brain is overstimulated, your nervous system on edge, and your eyes are paying the price.In this episode of The Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme unpacks how modern light exposure hijacks your body’s natural rhythms. Drawing from both Western neuroscience and Eastern medicine, she reveals how screens, stress, and overstimulation keep your brain in “on” mode — and what you can do to calm the circuitry.You’ll discover: 💡 How blue-wavelength light activates the same neural pathways that control alertness, pain, and stress 💡 Why constant screen time disrupts melatonin, sleep, and recovery — making your brain more sensitive to triggers 💡 Simple, restorative practices to help your nervous system down-shift from reactive to regulatedYou’ll also learn how Traditional Chinese Medicine sees the eyes as the “windows of the Liver,” meaning that overstimulation drains your body’s Qi and depletes the calm you need to heal.If your migraines, insomnia, or tension rise with every notification — this episode will help you reclaim the calm beneath the glare.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Exposure to Blue Wavelength Light Increases Subsequent Functional Activation of the Prefrontal Cortex: A 2016 study in Sleep (Alkozei et al.) found that short-term exposure to blue light boosts prefrontal cortex activity during working-memory tasks, showing how blue light can heighten cognitive alertness—sometimes at the expense of relaxation and sleep. Read the full study here.Artificial Blue Light Safety and Digital Devices, Environmental Research Communications (2022):This review evaluates how blue light from screens affects the eyes, circadian rhythms, and visual comfort, showing that prolonged exposure can disrupt sleep quality, strain the visual system, and alter alertness patterns. Read more here.Blue Light Exposure Increases Functional Connectivity Between Brain Networks: A 2022 Frontiers in Neuroscience paper revealed that blue light enhances connectivity across attention and working-memory networks, helping performance short-term but potentially overstimulating the visual and sensory systems relevant to migraine. Read more here.Blue Light Has a Dark Side – Harvard Health Publishing: Harvard Health explained how blue light suppresses melatonin and delays sleep onset, linking nighttime screen exposure to fatigue, eye strain, and circadian misalignment. Read the full article here.Screen Time and the Brain – Harvard Medical School: This overview from Harvard Medical School describes how constant digital stimulation reshapes neural reward circuits and attention systems—creating mental fatigue and stress linked to chronic headaches and migraine triggers. Read more here.Disclaimer:

Why do your migraines always strike right before your period? What if your body is actually trying to tell you something—something that could help you prevent the next one?In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores the intricate connection between your menstrual cycle and migraine attacks. Together, we decode what your body is signaling in those fragile days before your period—and how to work with it, not against it.You’ll discover: 💫 Why hormonal shifts before your period can lower your migraine threshold—and how to spot the early warning signs before pain begins. 💫 What targeted lifestyle and nutrition adjustments you can make in your luteal phase to calm inflammation and stabilize your nervous system. 💫 How combining Eastern and Western approaches reveals new ways to regulate estrogen, liver Qi, and stress response naturally.This episode goes beyond symptom management. It’s an invitation to listen deeply—to see your pre-period migraine not as betrayal, but as communication. When you decode the message, you open the door to balance, prevention, and peace.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Menstrual-Related Headache: A 2024 overview in StatPearls/NCBI Bookshelf explains that menstrual-related headaches stem from cyclical hormonal fluctuations—especially the premenstrual drop in estrogen—and offers guidance on diagnosis and targeted therapy. Read more here.Migraine in Women: The Role of Hormones and Their Impact on Migraine: A review in Frontiers in Neurology (PMC) explores how estrogen and progesterone modulate pain sensitivity, cortical excitability, and vascular reactivity, contributing to higher migraine prevalence in women. Read the article here.Migraine Associated with Menstruation: An Overlooked Trigger: A 2021 review in Frontiers in Neurology highlights that menstruation is one of the most under-recognized migraine triggers, emphasizing the biological role of estrogen decline and prostaglandin activity. Read the study here.Menstrual Migraine: A Review of Current and Developing Evidence: A 2018 PubMed-indexed review discusses emerging evidence that hormonal withdrawal, serotonergic fluctuations, and altered pain processing underlie menstrual migraine. Learn more here.Menstrual Migraine Is Caused by Estrogen Withdrawal: Revisiting the Evidence: A 2023 study in The Journal of Headache and Pain supports estrogen withdrawal as the primary hormonal driver of menstrual migraine, redefining its diagnostic and treatment framework. Read the article here.Menstrual Migraine Treatment and Prevention: The American Migraine Foundation provides practical tips on cycle-tracking, short-term prevention, and hormone stabilization to reduce migraine intensity and frequency. Read more

Are your migraines actually a side effect of perfectionism?In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores the hidden connection between the pressure to control everything and the body’s pain response. Through both neuroscience and Eastern medicine, you’ll discover why the relentless drive to “get it right” can quietly keep your nervous system in survival mode.You’ll learn: 💡 How perfectionist tendencies create chronic neurological stress that lowers your migraine threshold 💡 Why the need for control often roots back to fear, grief, or unmet emotional safety—and how awareness helps you release it 💡 Tools from neuroscience and Traditional Chinese Medicine to loosen control without losing your sense of self 💡 How softening the mind’s grip can actually strengthen your body’s resilienceThis episode is for anyone who feels the constant hum of pressure beneath their migraines—the achievers, the caretakers, the ones who never rest until everything is perfect. Healing begins not in doing more, but in learning how to let go.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Perfectionism and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: Pressing Issues and Promising Research Directions, Clinical Psychology Review (2022):This review highlights how perfectionism, rigid self-standards, and emotional suppression increase vulnerability to distress and how these psychological patterns overlap with migraine triggers such as stress, rumination, and nervous-system dysregulation. Read more here.Perfectionism, Worry, Rumination, and Distress: A Meta-Analysis: A 2019 meta-analysis in Personality and Individual Differences by Xie Y., Kong Y., and Yang J. confirmed that perfectionistic thinking strongly predicts worry and rumination—mechanisms that sustain emotional distress and somatic tension, relevant to migraine chronification. Read more here.Migraine: Multiple Processes, Complex Pathophysiology: A 2015 review in The Journal of Neuroscience by Burstein R., Noseda R., and Borsook D. described migraine as a multisystem disorder involving sensory, emotional, and vascular networks—bridging psychological stress and neural sensitization. Learn more here.Chronic Migraine Pathophysiology and Treatment: A 2021 article in Frontiers in Pain Research by Mungoven T.J. et al. outlined the neuroinflammatory and neuroplastic changes that maintain chronic migraine, emphasizing how behavioral and emotional regulation affect pain pathways. Read the full article here.Migraine – A Common, Chronic Neurologic Disorder: A 2022 review in Nature Reviews Disease Primers summarized current understanding of migraine’s complex biology, including genetics, cortical excitability, and environmental stressors, positioning migraine as a systemic neurobehavioral disorder. Read more hereDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for providing medical advice. Always consult your healthcare...

Ever landed in a new time zone and felt like your head was playing catch-up while your body begged for rest?In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme unpacks how travel and jet lag can throw your body’s rhythm off balance—and trigger migraines when you least expect it.Whether you’re crossing oceans or just changing daylight hours, this episode gives you practical tools to keep your brain steady and your energy grounded.You’ll discover: ✈️ How time-zone shifts confuse your body clock, cortisol rhythm, and melatonin cycle—creating the perfect storm for migraine vulnerability 🌙 Rituals to protect your sleep–wake rhythm before, during, and after travel, so your nervous system can recalibrate faster 🌏 The Eastern-medicine view on movement, fatigue, and why disconnection from Earth’s energy makes us more sensitive to pain and imbalance 🧘‍♀️ Simple grounding techniques—from breathwork to mindful eating—that help your body find home, wherever you areWhether you’re a frequent flyer or just planning your next getaway, this episode helps you travel without fear—staying calm, aligned, and migraine-resilient on the move.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Association with Social Jetlag and Time Preference of Migraine Attack – Journal of Sleep Medicine, 2019: This pilot study found that migraine sufferers with a preference for a particular time of day for attacks had lower social jet lag and earlier circadian timing, linking sleep-wake misalignment with migraine susceptibility. Read the full study here. Migraine and Sleep — An Unexplained Association? – Int J Mol Sci, 2021: Waliszewska-Prosół et al. reviewed how migraine and sleep disorders share anatomical structures and mechanisms—such as serotonin, orexin, and melatonin pathways—highlighting the complex link between poor sleep and migraine. Read more here. Investigating the Relationship Between Sleep and Migraine in a Global Sample – J Headache Pain, 2023: A large smartphone-based dataset (11,166 users) showed that sleep interruptions and deviation from a person’s usual sleep pattern significantly predicted a migraine attack the following day, underscoring sleep stability’s role in migraine control. Read the full article here.Jet Lag: Current and Potential Therapies – PMC, 2011: This article reviewed how circadian disruption (as in jet lag) affects the nervous system and hormonal rhythms, offering relevant insights into how “travel-time shift” might trigger migraine via sleep/circadian misalignment. Read the review here.Jet Lag — What It Is, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention – Cleveland Clinic: A patient-friendly overview from the Cleveland Clinic describing how rapid time-zone changes disrupt sleep, hormones, and circadian alignment, all of which are known migraine triggers. Read morea...

What if the fear of your next migraine is the very thing keeping it alive?In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme dives deep into the fear–migraine feedback loop, how the mere anticipation of pain can activate the same pathways as pain itself.We explore how chronic fear trains your brain to stay on high alert and how that hypervigilance quietly keeps your nervous system in “migraine mode.”You’ll discover: 💭 How the fear of the next attack can actually spark the next attack, and the science behind that feedback loop. 💭 Practical ways to interrupt the anticipation spiral so you can regain calm, control, and confidence. 💭 Why blending Eastern-medicine wisdom (the art of releasing fear through flow) with Western neuroscience (the science of neuroplasticity and safety signals) creates a whole-new way out.This episode is for anyone who’s ever woken up scanning for warning signs or felt their heart race at the first twinge of pain. You’ll learn how to stop living for your migraines and start living beyond them.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:The Not So Hidden Impact of Interictal Burden in Migraine: A 2022 narrative review in Frontiers in Neurology (Vincent et al.) shows that migraine has significant effects even between attacks—such as sensitivity, mood changes and balance issues—highlighting the continuous burden of the condition. Read the full review here.Altered Neural Activity to Monetary Reward/Loss Processing in Episodic Migraine: A 2019 study in Scientific Reports (Kocsel et al.) found that individuals with episodic migraine have decreased neural reactivity in the brain’s reward system when processing monetary rewards, suggesting altered neural processing beyond pain episodes. Read more here.Are Some Patient-Perceived Migraine Triggers Simply Early Manifestations of the Attack?: A 2021 review in PMC discusses how symptoms patients interpret as triggers—such as food, stress or weather—may actually be early-phase migraine indicators, shifting our understanding of “trigger” versus prelude. Read the full article here.Premonitory Symptoms in Migraine: An earlier seminal study in Neurology (2003) investigated premonitory symptoms—such as mood changes, yawning and cravings—showing how the brain shifts state before the headache phase, thus reframing migraine as a multi-phase brain event. Read the study here.Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for providing medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.For women, men, and children who suffer from migraine disease, Migraine Heroes is your go-to resource for understanding, managing, and overcoming migraine attacks.We cover all types of migraines and related headaches, including primary and secondary migraines, chronic migraines, and cluster migraines. We dive deep into the complexities of migraine with aura and migraine without aura, as well as rarer forms like hemiplegic migraine, retinal migraine, and acephalgic migraine (silent

Ever feel like your migraines strike right when your hormones swing? That’s no coincidence. In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, hosted by Diane Ducarme dives how hormonal shifts, especially sudden estrogen drops, can spark migraine attacks and emotional turbulence.With a blend of neuroscience and Eastern medicine, we uncover: 💡 How to anticipate estrogen-related migraine patterns instead of being caught off guard 💡 The biology of “hormonal migraines”, what blood levels, cycles, and timing to watch 💡 How Eastern medicine interprets estrogen as an energy force that must flow harmoniously to prevent stagnation and painYou’ll also learn practical tools to ride the hormonal waves with more stability — from nutrition and rest to emotional release and rhythm tracking. Whether you’re in your reproductive years, perimenopause, or post menopause, this episode helps you tune in to your body’s natural signals and restore hormonal flow before the next migraine hits.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Role of Estrogens in Menstrual Migraine: A 2022 review in Frontiers in Neurology explained how fluctuations in estrogen levels—particularly rapid drops before menstruation—trigger neurovascular changes that sensitize pain pathways and promote migraine attacks. Read the full overview here.Menstrual Migraine Is Caused by Estrogen Withdrawal: A 2023 paper in The Journal of Headache and Pain presented evidence that estrogen withdrawal, rather than low absolute levels, is the main hormonal trigger for menstrual migraine, emphasizing timing over concentration. Read more here.The Complex Relationship Between Estrogen and Migraines: A Scoping Review: A 2021 systematic review in Systematic Reviews (BMC) synthesized decades of research showing that both rising and falling estrogen levels can influence migraine risk, highlighting individual hormonal sensitivity as a key factor. Explore the review here.Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for providing medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.For women, men, and children who suffer from migraine disease, Migraine Heroes is your go-to resource for understanding, managing, and overcoming migraine attacks.We cover all types of migraines and related headaches, including primary and secondary migraines, chronic migraines, and cluster migraines. We dive deep into the complexities of migraine with aura and migraine without aura, as well as rarer forms like hemiplegic migraine, retinal migraine, and acephalgic migraine (silent migraine). Our discussions also extend to cervicogenic headaches, ice pick headaches, and pressure headaches, which often mimic migraine or contribute to overall migraine burden.