FAQ Episode 33: Five things to consider before treating your migraines.

Frequently Asked Questions about Natural Migraine Relief

Whether your headaches are of recent onset, or have been present for years, here are five things to consider in managing the challenge of migraine headache pain:

1. Confirm your diagnosis

 It has been said that up to 50% of people with migraines have been either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.  There is a time-worn saying in medicine that “the right diagnosis is half the treatment.”  I’d say it’s more like 75%.  And if in that process, if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.  For all too many people, that non-focused road takes them down the path to failure, frustration and pain.  For more details on migraine diagnosis, see Lesson 1 of the Natural Migraine Relief for Women course (free to all) and Lessons 2-4 (for paid subscribers).

2. Stop seeking quick fixes

Most of the advice out there, be it doctors, internet, or wherever are focused on single things to do: take this drug, avoid that trigger factor, try this supplement, etc.  Migraine headaches are always multi-factorial, and if you don’t find the interlocking root causes specific to your story, it can be like trying to clap with one hand:  50% of the effort and zero percent of the result.  The more of your own underlying and specific root causes you can find and address, the more likely your success in making progress.

3. Understand your genetic traits

At least 50% of those with migraines have underlying genetic factors, and thus a family history of migraine or a medical problem that can underlie migraines.  Take a look at your family history of migraines, as well as close family members who have a history of:

• hypertension

• heart attack

• stroke

• depression

• OCD or anxiety disorders

• underactive thyroid

• an iron storage disorder

• fibrocystic breast disease or breast cancer

• pernicious anemia

• autoimmune disorders along migraine

• a MTHFR deficit or related elevated homocysteine levels. 

Each of these can identify an underlying root cause factor that may be contributing to your migraines. That’s why I make an individualizable Migraine Action Plan (MAP) the centerpiece of the migraine course I’ve posted for my paid subscribers.

4. Plan to investigate your migraine’s root cause factors

Finding trigger factors or prescribing the ‘just right’ drug therapy may have a definite, but usually incomplete benefit in managing headache symptoms.  Why is that?  Let’s think of it this way, most problems in life have several causal factors that add up and overlap to get the messy and unorganized problem that go by terms like: “we’ve got car trouble,” or “he’s a troubled teen” or “I’m flunking algebra” and of course, one we love to hate: “I keep having migraines.”

In migraines, there are many very specific biochemical pathways that need to work right to prevent headaches, or to correct them when they happen. I call these “root cause factors”. Fortunately, many of these root cause factors can be identified and treated. If you find and manage enough of them, you can change the threshold for migraine expression to manage the problem, even though we may not able to “cure it.” Please see the “The 'full cup' theory of migraine expression” halfway through Lesson 1 for details on this concept. Lesson 5 “Theories about Migraine and the role of Root Cause Factors” from my course goes into more details about the role of root cause factors in migraine.

5, Start simple with small but focused steps

When you’ve dealt with a vexing problem for a long time, its tempting to “swing for the fences” by trying to pin one’s hopes for relief all on:

• a single new intervention

• seeing that specialist who did wonders for your dentist’s sister-in-law’s headaches

• trying that new drug or natural supplement you just read about

• making a new lifestyle change

Certainly, any of these may be a reasonable next step, but progress in clearing a complex problem like migraine headaches requires:

• a better understanding of your migraine story (NOT someone else’s!!)

• learning about the potential contributory root causes for your headaches

• finding therapy considerations that best fit both your story and circumstances.

• pursuing further self-education, perhaps something like my “Natural Migraine Relief for Women” course.

It’s a stepwise process, but taking the time to put together an individualized version of the migraine relief puzzle really is worth the effort.

You may find the Natural Migraine Relief for Women course helpful in your search for answers. Gain access to the full course and its resources by becoming a paid subscriber to Natural Migraine Relief for Women at only $7/month. See more at my post Natural Migraine Relief: a Substack blog for the Self-directed Individual