From Headache to Migraine: What’s Really Happening in Your Brain

What Really Happens During a Migraine

A migraine is more than just a bad headache—it’s a neurological condition that comes from inflammation. During an attack, the brain becomes hypersensitive and sends signals that irritate certain nerves and blood vessels. These vessels often dilate and release chemicals like CGRP, which intensify pain and keep the cycle going. Shifts in brain chemicals—especially serotonin—also play a major role in triggering these episodes.

Migraine Triggers: More Than Just the Obvious

Many people find relief by identifying and avoiding migraine triggers, but triggers aren’t always the root cause. Common triggers include:

• Alcohol (especially wine)

• Bright lights or strong odors (like perfumes)

• Weather and barometric pressure changes

• Caffeine or coffee (even decaf)

• Medications such as birth control or blood pressure drugs

• Foods high in tyramine, MSG, aspartame, salt, or aged cheese

Avoiding triggers is helpful, but lasting relief often requires going deeper.

Conventional Migraine Treatments and Their Limits

Mainstream medicine often relies on symptom-suppressing options:

• NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin): Used for mild to moderate migraines. They don’t target migraine-specific pathways and can irritate the stomach with frequent use.

• Triptans: Designed for moderate to severe migraines. They act on serotonin receptors to constrict blood vessels and block nerve activity, stopping an attack in progress. However, overuse (10+ days per month) can cause rebound headaches and actually make migraines more frequent.

• Botox injections: Often prescribed for chronic migraine. Injections are given every. 12 weeks at 31–39 sites around the head and neck, costing $3,000–$5,000 per year (sounds pretty intensive if you ask me). Side effects can include neck weakness, drooping eyelids, injection site pain, and flu-like symptoms.

These treatments may provide temporary relief but don’t address why migraines happen in the first place.

The Path to Relief: Addressing Root Causes

Migraines can resolve when the body is given the right environment. In most cases, it takes about three months to leave and stay gone. If you don’t notice change immediately, don’t lose hope—it often comes suddenly after steady healing.

Gluten and Migraines

One of the most powerful interventions for migraine sufferers is eliminating gluten for at least three months. Gluten contributes to migraines by:

• Triggering gut inflammation and intestinal permeability causing pain signals in the

brain

• Disrupting hormone balance leading to headaches around menstruation (e.g.,

menstrual migraines)

• Blocking absorption of magnesium and B-vitamins, which protect nerve function

• Weakening the immune system and allowing viral triggers like Epstein-Barr virus to linger

For many, this is the single biggest game-changer. Pairing gluten removal with Epstein-Barr support dramatically reduces migraine frequency. Do both of these and you’re well on your way to becoming migraine-free. Many remain stuck in headache/migraine patterns from a lack of willpower to avoid gluten—allowing Epstein-Barr to stick around or come back quickly after resolution.

Supporting Energy Production in the Liver

Another key to migraine resilience is supporting the Krebs cycle, particularly in Zone 3

hepatocytes of the liver where mitochondria are abundant. Supporting this zone helps

detoxification and energy production.

Helpful nutrients include:

• B vitamins

• Magnesium

• CoQ10

• Alpha-lipoic acid

• Glutathione (start low, increase gradually)

These nutrients restore mitochondrial efficiency, reduce oxidative stress, and help the body clear inflammatory compounds that can trigger migraines.

Migraines Are Not “Random”

Migraines are not just bad luck or genetic destiny. Genetics may load the gun, but lifestyle and environment pull the trigger. Instead of silencing the signal, the real path to healing is restoring balance. By removing triggers, supporting gut and liver health, and addressing underlying infections or toxins, the nervous system no longer needs to create pain as a warning.

Migraines aren’t a lifelong sentence—they’re a call to investigate, rebalance, and restore resilience.