WEBVTT
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I don't think the diagnosis matters as much as we used to think it does.
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I think the biggest mistake people make is with this pop a pill and power through mentality.
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There are nearly 200 different genes linked to migraine.
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Just because the pain isn't there right now does not mean everything's fine.
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Migraines aren't new.
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Descriptions of severe one-sided headaches with symptoms that sound remarkably similar to migraine appear in medical writings going back thousands of years.
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My guest today, Dr. Amelia Scott Barrett, is a Stanford-trained neurologist who has spent decades trying to understand why migraines happen and what we can actually do about them.
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Amelia, if humans have been dealing with migraines for thousands of years, what does that tell us about why they happen?
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I think it confirms that there is some deeply ingrained biology behind this process.
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You know, it's not just a product of the modern world with our stress and our sleep disruption and our blue light.
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You know, this is something that is truly biological.
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And I think what's absolutely fascinating,
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Fascinating is what we've learned about the biology behind migraines through DNA research.
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So we're finally, finally starting to get some real answers about what's going on.
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Modern life is actually helping to discover new facets of why these happen and how we can help people with them.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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You know, this stuff was not available until we understood the human genome, until we had computers that could crunch, you know, billions upon billions of bits of information and come up with the answers for us.
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So this is all very new stuff.
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For someone like myself, I've never actually had a migraine.
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I rarely get headaches.
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And honestly, it's been living with someone who gets migraines that help me understand it.
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But I have to imagine most people out there don't actually even understand what is the difference between a migraine and a headache.
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Yeah, let's talk about that.
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And then...
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And then I'm going to say something that might ruffle a couple of feathers, but I'm going to do it anyway.
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So first of all, what is migraine?
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You know, it's usually a headache that's on one side of your head.
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Doesn't have to be, but it often is.
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It tends to be pounding or throbbing like your heartbeat.
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It often gets worse when you do any kind of exertion, even something simple like bending over to pick something up off the floor.
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That's enough to make it worse.
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And they are often associated with nausea, sometimes vomiting when it's bad, although it can be as subtle as just, yeah, I'm not eating dinner tonight.
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People also get sensitive to light and sound.
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And again, you know, it doesn't mean you're stuck in a dark room and can't come out.
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There are millions and millions of people powering through.
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They've just got five pairs of sunglasses in their car because they know that.
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They don't want to have to go somewhere and be feeling kind of sensitive to light and have that be so irritating.
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So that is the pain experience that we typically think of as migraine.
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And then the thing I'm going to say that's going to ruffle some feathers is, I don't think the diagnosis matters as much as we used to think it does.
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And this is coming from a girl who spent hours and hours memorizing all the diagnostic criteria for all the headaches in my training at Sam.
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Right.
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So, you know, and part of the reason I say that is that the biology is showing us that there are such similarities between migraine and other types of headaches once you dig a little bit deeper.
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And I think that over time, what's going to matter is not so much the description of your pain, but what is going on for you biologically under the surface.
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That's the relevant feature.
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That's what you've got to focus on to get to a place of lasting relief.
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So why does someone get a migraine and another person doesn't?
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Is there clear data on that?
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Absolutely.
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So we've done these amazing studies looking at the DNA on 100,000 people with migraine, comparing them to people who don't.
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And we said, all right, what do these people with migraine have in common with each other that these people with migraine don't?
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So this is really, really accurate information.
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And so what we know is that there are nearly 200 different genes linked to migraine, and they regulate four different systems in the body.
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So the first of those is brain chemistry.
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This is also related to things like anxiety or insomnia.
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The second is inflammation.
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This incorporates things like gut health and how our inflammatory response works.
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The third area is energy production inside cells, inside the little batteries in our cells, the mitochondria.
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And that can be impacted by things like toxins, which is a product of the modern world that's definitely making people worse.
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And then the final area is vascular, and that incorporates things like methylation, blood sugar, lipids.
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So these four different broad categories are the underlying biological drivers for people once you know what it is for you.
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that's when you can start honing in on the specific solutions that are going to really move the needle for you and get you to lasting relief.
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Okay, so that's really great.
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There is a solution to a degree.
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There is something that people can do.
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You spent 25 years practicing conventional neurology.
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I did.
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Why did you leave?
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Why?
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It's because people kept saying, fine, I'll take this pill.
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But why is this happening to me in the first place?
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I just want to know why my migraines are getting worse.
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Why do these happen to me?
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And there are no great answers to that in mainstream medicine.
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I get migraines, too.
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So do my daughters.
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So does my mother.
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So does my aunt.
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So, you know, it's had a huge impact on my world.
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And honestly, it has a huge impact on women's lives.
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Right.
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So I got very interested in functional medicine and started finding answers there.
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And then I think it really took it to the next level for me in early 2020s when some of this new DNA research came out and I immediately recognized that.
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Oh, this is this is the answer.
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This is what, you know, all those thousands of people who asked me, why?
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Why is this happening?
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What's going on?
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What can I do about this other than take the pill?
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You know, this is their answer.
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So that's really why I got so fascinated by it.
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I want to, you know, give women and men to, of course, but it affects our lives more.
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I want to give them the solutions that they need to go live the beautiful lives they want to live.
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I've never actually heard that before.
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So why do migraines affect more women than men?
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You know, I think part of it's hormones.
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So we definitely outnumber men three to one.
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And, you know, there's that increase in migraines right before our cycle, menstrual migraines.
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We often get worse migraines around menopause when estrogen is all over the place.
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So I think those are some of the reasons.
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And I'll be honest with you, I think part of it is...
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And, you know, not to be stereotypical, but but the ways that many women choose to behave, we choose to put other people's health above our own, we choose to make other people a priority.
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You know, we volunteer to stay up late and get that work report done.
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So, you know, maybe some of that is just ways that we are conditioned to behave.
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Maybe it's the way we naturally are.
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I don't know.
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That's fine.
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probably a topic for another podcast.
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But I think that some of these factors are the reasons that women have such a hard time saying, all right, that's it.
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I'm having migraines.
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I'm out.
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I'm done.
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Like nobody asked me to do anything.
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People usually don't do that.
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They put, they try to pop a pill and power through, you know, they want to follow through on their commitments and not saying men don't do that too.
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But I think that some of those pressures can be greater on women.
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So, and
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Yeah, yeah.
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But I do find that fascinating, though, because I think there is a stereotype that, oh, headaches or even migraines are a sign of repressed emotions, you know, or that you're holding something in.
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Do you think that energetically that that is true from your experience of working with all these different people?
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Yes, and here's why.
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It's because of what we've learned about the brain chemistry of people who tend to get migraine, the nature of those brain chemistry abnormalities.
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So these are neurotransmitters and other chemicals.
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And what we know is that the overall pattern makes us experience things, especially trauma, that's,
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more intensely than other people do.
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So let's say we're in a car accident with somebody else.
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You know, the other person might be like, okay, well, everything's cleaned up.
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Let's go to lunch.
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You know, the person with migraines like, are you kidding?
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I'm never getting in a car again.
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You know, I mean, it's just, you know, it's the way our nervous system is made that we're
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you know, things can land more deeply and imprint more deeply and powerfully for us than they do for other people.
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So for example, we know that PTSD is more common in people who have migraine.
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Why is that?
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It's because of how our nervous system is wired.
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And I think once you know that, and you know the nature of those abnormalities, exactly which pieces of your biology is it for you, it's incredibly empowering because it gives you permission to take care of yourself, to understand
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okay, I'm experiencing this at a 10.
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Everybody around me is experiencing it at two.
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I'm not wrong, but I need to go take a half an hour by myself or whatever it is, you know, whatever that looks like.
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I think just understanding yourself opens up all sorts of solutions for that deeper level of healing, for understanding, you know, my life may have accumulated inside me
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differently than the next person who doesn't have a migraine brain.
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So yeah, I think you're absolutely right that there can be more stuff going on under the surface, you know, and all of those issues combined with this pressure to pop a pill and power through, minimize is just a headache.
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You can still get dinner on the table and get the kids to soccer.
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All of that combines together so that absolutely there can be stuff you have not addressed.
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So you mentioned that in your previous kind of conventional neurology, it was pill popping.
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That was the focus.
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Just get someone some medication.
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So what's different about how you work with someone now?
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Well, I don't prescribe anymore.
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And what I focus on, I actually, my favorite way to do this is to start with genomics testing.
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So I developed a genomics testing panel based on everything we've learned about migraine, the things that are most relevant, in my opinion, of course.
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And we check this panel.
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We get a good idea of how these biological systems are wired.
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And then we bring in a support protocol.
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And this is very, very extensive, updated against currently published literature on PubMed.
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And we give people a recovery protocol.
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And that is everything you need to get better.
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It's which medications are the best fit for your biology, which ones are going to give you side effect, which ones are you going to tolerate better.
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That alone saves people years of trial and error with their doctor.
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So that's an incredibly important piece of information.
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We can also help people out with the other thing that migraine sufferers struggle with, which is food.
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What the heck do I eat?
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I mean, you have some migraine influencers who are saying, eat keto.
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And then you've got some influencers who are saying, eat carbs every two hours.
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And like, what's right?
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And the answer is there is no single right.
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Both answers are right for different subsets of the migraine population.
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But we can tell you what's right for you.
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so that you're not going through elimination diet after elimination diet, trying to figure this stuff out on your own.
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We can just tell you straight up, okay, yes or no.
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How do you process tyramine?
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How do you process histamine?
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How do you process MSG?
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Are those things you really need to avoid?
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How about lactose?
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Do you make the enzyme to digest it?
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How about gluten?
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Is your body wired to react to it?
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So we can answer a lot of questions and put you on a protocol to help your biology.
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start getting supported.
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And then, you know, as these systems start to heal, then people stop having the experience of migraine be provoked by whatever needs are unmet within their biology.
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Are there different types of migraines?
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Absolutely.
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So I have stratified them according to what the DNA research has shown us.
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So one type is brain chemistry.
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One type is inflammation.
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One type is energy production.
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And the last type is vascular.
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And we see very, very different patterns.
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People don't have to have just one.
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They often have, you know, one driver and then one or two secondary drivers.
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I don't think I've seen two sets turn out the same.
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Yeah.
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it's not like someone is just DNA wise wired for one people can cycle through all of them.
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Yeah, they can have, like, say, for example, maybe brain chemistry is your primary driver, but then you've also got difficulty clearing toxins and oxidative stress.
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So, you know, those are two very different sets of solutions.
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You need a little of both.
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And I think the thing is when you get these complicated recovery protocols that have like two dozen different pieces, you're never going to find this through trial and error.
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You're just not going to come up with the magic combination that your biology needs.
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So I think the data is really essential.
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Now, you mentioned you do DNA testing, which obviously, as you mentioned, is helping people get specific to what their body, how their body reacts, what their body needs.
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Are there some through lines?
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Are there some commonalities that we could share with the audience here that they can just bring awareness to maybe stop doing those things or changing their diets?
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Are there just common tools that apply to everyone?
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Sure.
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I mean, I think every headache type needs good sleep at night.
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And, you know, one very concrete piece of advice I can offer people, you know, I mean, we all know we're supposed to sleep at night.
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That's pretty generic.
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But, you know, to give one specific piece of advice, you need to track your deep sleep with a device.
221
00:15:44.122 --> 00:15:47.105
Don't just think, oh, I think I sleep well.
222
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I got a pretty good night's sleep last night.
223
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Take a deeper look and track deep sleep.
224
00:15:51.949 --> 00:15:53.370
It's not about your sleep score.
225
00:15:53.770 --> 00:15:54.851
It's not about your REM sleep.
226
00:15:54.891 --> 00:15:55.772
It's not about any of that.
227
00:15:55.832 --> 00:15:57.694
It's about improving your deep sleep.
228
00:15:58.054 --> 00:16:03.899
That's when your migraines are going to get better, regardless of what other biological factors are going on.
229
00:16:04.279 --> 00:16:07.462
So I think that's a fantastic place for people to start.
230
00:16:08.566 --> 00:16:11.092
Is there, I don't actually know the markers for deep sleep.
231
00:16:11.352 --> 00:16:14.278
What are we looking for when we want to improve our deep sleep?
232
00:16:14.318 --> 00:16:18.086
Are we looking for like two hours a night for, is there something specific?
233
00:16:18.698 --> 00:16:19.519
Oh, the more the better.
234
00:16:19.539 --> 00:16:20.600
Oh, okay.
235
00:16:20.880 --> 00:16:29.868
So when I first started tracking my deep sleep, gosh, maybe four years ago or so, I was getting like 15 minutes a night and I thought I was sleeping well.
236
00:16:30.288 --> 00:16:32.010
Like I thought I was doing all the things right.
237
00:16:32.030 --> 00:16:37.054
I went to bed at the same time and I woke up at the same time.
238
00:16:37.074 --> 00:16:40.558
Like all the things you're supposed to do and I kind of felt like my sleep was good.
239
00:16:40.998 --> 00:16:42.199
I was so wrong.
240
00:16:42.739 --> 00:16:44.981
I had no idea how...
241
00:16:45.682 --> 00:16:49.807
how good I could feel once I nailed that metric.
242
00:16:49.907 --> 00:16:54.131
And I would say consistently, I'm at an hour and an hour and a half right now.
243
00:16:54.432 --> 00:16:55.793
And I am so happy with that.
244
00:16:55.853 --> 00:16:58.036
You know, on the nights when I get more, I feel even better.
245
00:16:58.116 --> 00:17:01.699
But, you know, sometimes there's just random day to day variation.
246
00:17:01.780 --> 00:17:04.262
But, you know, definitely the more the better.
247
00:17:04.322 --> 00:17:07.386
And I think really use yourself as a control wherever you are now.
248
00:17:07.846 --> 00:17:08.547
Try to make it better.
249
00:17:09.155 --> 00:17:11.597
Really, in a sense, not getting sleep is a trigger, right?
250
00:17:11.637 --> 00:17:12.597
Can be for some people.
251
00:17:12.617 --> 00:17:13.918
So are triggers the problem?
252
00:17:13.938 --> 00:17:17.540
Or is that why people keep getting these migraines or headaches?
253
00:17:18.201 --> 00:17:19.301
Yeah, really good question.
254
00:17:19.722 --> 00:17:20.762
So sort of.
255
00:17:22.023 --> 00:17:23.124
And here's why I say that.
256
00:17:23.244 --> 00:17:29.388
I really envision triggers as like things that fill up your migraine bucket.
257
00:17:29.788 --> 00:17:37.313
Like if you've ever taken a kid to a water park, you know, and the water fills up the bucket slowly, slowly, and then it tips over and, you know, kids are all screaming and stuff.
258
00:17:37.333 --> 00:17:37.433
Yeah.
259
00:17:38.314 --> 00:17:40.176
The tipping over is kind of like the migraine.
260
00:17:40.196 --> 00:17:42.738
The filling up is kind of like the triggers.
261
00:17:43.159 --> 00:17:46.742
And so sometimes you identify something as a trigger.
262
00:17:46.762 --> 00:17:50.245
You know, it's the last thing that happened before the bucket tips over.
263
00:17:50.646 --> 00:17:56.552
Other times you can tolerate that same trigger and it doesn't tip you over into a migraine because your buckets only have full.
264
00:17:57.772 --> 00:18:02.713
So I think that's the key insight there, that all this stuff is filling up your bucket.
265
00:18:03.053 --> 00:18:10.155
You want to do everything you can to drain your bucket so that you are living from a very resilient place.
266
00:18:10.215 --> 00:18:13.875
And it takes a lot to tip you over into a migraine.
267
00:18:13.935 --> 00:18:18.216
Because I'm not saying this is a magic wand cure or anything like that.
268
00:18:18.256 --> 00:18:26.778
But I have seen it happen hundreds of times that you can get to a place where migraines don't interfere with your life anymore.
269
00:18:27.178 --> 00:18:32.259
You might get one, you know exactly which pill to take or which treatment to do.
270
00:18:32.819 --> 00:18:34.280
And a couple hours later, it's gone.
271
00:18:34.540 --> 00:18:37.020
It doesn't, you know, change your plans with your friends.
272
00:18:37.220 --> 00:18:40.341
It doesn't, you know, prevent you from being there for your kids.
273
00:18:40.541 --> 00:18:44.302
It doesn't interfere with your ability to get that important work project done.
274
00:18:44.462 --> 00:18:46.022
I mean, to me, that's migraine freedom.
275
00:18:46.483 --> 00:18:47.863
That is a reasonable thing.
276
00:18:47.883 --> 00:18:49.783
You know, like I said, it's not a magic wand.
277
00:18:49.803 --> 00:18:50.403
It's not a cure.
278
00:18:50.423 --> 00:18:51.964
It's not like you're never going to have them again.
279
00:18:52.064 --> 00:18:55.085
But you can get to a place where they really don't impact your life.
280
00:18:55.125 --> 00:18:56.685
That's doable and reasonable.
281
00:18:57.225 --> 00:19:00.646
Can the way we treat migraines make them worse over time?
282
00:19:01.007 --> 00:19:03.227
Are people doing it wrong in your judgment?
283
00:19:03.868 --> 00:19:09.870
I think the biggest mistake people make is with this pop a pill and power through mentality.
284
00:19:10.390 --> 00:19:15.532
And my whole goal is to just find the right pill, you know, make the pain go away.
285
00:19:15.772 --> 00:19:17.353
And if the pain is gone, everything's fine.
286
00:19:17.753 --> 00:19:21.614
Well, just because the pain isn't there right now does not mean everything's fine.
287
00:19:22.135 --> 00:19:25.556
You know, whatever biological systems are out of whack under the surface,
288
00:19:26.036 --> 00:19:30.259
They still need some attention and love to improve, to make those better.
289
00:19:30.299 --> 00:19:35.323
Because as we all know, root causes have multiple downstream symptoms.
290
00:19:35.403 --> 00:19:37.244
Migraine is only one symptom.
291
00:19:37.785 --> 00:19:50.434
You know, maybe some of those other downstream issues are, you know, the inflammatory bowel syndrome that you've been having, the anxiety or insomnia you were diagnosed with, the long COVID you were diagnosed with because your cells have no energy.
292
00:19:50.794 --> 00:19:57.019
And unfortunately, we do know that, you know, the long term consequence of some of these vascular issues is things like stroke and heart attack.
293
00:19:57.039 --> 00:20:01.243
We've known for decades that those things are more common for people with migraines.
294
00:20:01.283 --> 00:20:10.010
So I think, yes, the you know, if you're focused purely on eliminating the pain and finding the right pill, yeah, that that is the wrong approach.
295
00:20:10.070 --> 00:20:12.893
And it absolutely can do more harm than good.
296
00:20:13.713 --> 00:20:15.575
Where do medications help?
297
00:20:15.918 --> 00:20:16.698
I love that question.
298
00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:19.160
I think medications are great for acute treatment.
299
00:20:19.640 --> 00:20:20.641
There is no herb.
300
00:20:20.801 --> 00:20:23.943
There is no supplement that's going to make your migraine go away in an hour.
301
00:20:24.403 --> 00:20:26.844
They're just, I mean, there are ones that say they will.
302
00:20:26.924 --> 00:20:29.326
Honestly, I just don't think they work as well as the prescriptions.
303
00:20:29.706 --> 00:20:35.449
So I love prescriptions or even over-the-counters for that occasional migraine.
304
00:20:35.509 --> 00:20:38.051
If you get one, take your pill right away.
305
00:20:38.471 --> 00:20:40.212
Make it go away.
306
00:20:40.552 --> 00:20:42.873
Go back to functioning and living your own life.
307
00:20:45.675 --> 00:20:51.438
And in my definition, that's if you're having more than two headache days a week, then it's time to do something more.
308
00:20:52.018 --> 00:20:58.801
At the same time as you're, you know, taking your pill, you have to simultaneously say, all right, what am I going to do to fix this problem?
309
00:20:58.821 --> 00:21:00.862
I can't just like suppress the pain forever.
310
00:21:01.382 --> 00:21:03.704
I've got to get to the underlying issues here.
311
00:21:03.804 --> 00:21:08.086
Put out those fires so that not only are my migraines better, but my overall health is better.
312
00:21:08.506 --> 00:21:10.567
So that's what I think the pills are good for.
313
00:21:11.127 --> 00:21:12.688
Also, they just give you the bandwidth.
314
00:21:12.708 --> 00:21:12.808
Yeah.
315
00:21:13.488 --> 00:21:19.695
You know, instead of instead of being stuck in bed for three days with a migraine, if you take it on day one and it goes away in three hours.
316
00:21:20.175 --> 00:21:23.059
OK, now you have three days back to go and figure out.
317
00:21:23.239 --> 00:21:24.040
All right.
318
00:21:24.200 --> 00:21:26.322
What what's happening here to my body?
319
00:21:26.362 --> 00:21:28.024
Why is my body doing this to me?
320
00:21:28.686 --> 00:21:33.470
there's the flip side of what happens when you take these pills too much, right?
321
00:21:33.510 --> 00:21:35.132
Is your gut gets messed up, right?
322
00:21:35.152 --> 00:21:35.933
Or I don't know.
323
00:21:35.953 --> 00:21:41.017
I feel like I've heard that about taking Advil, for example, that your gut lining gets messed up.
324
00:21:41.518 --> 00:21:44.120
So is there a middle ground?
325
00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:52.027
Is there something people can do that can not only alleviate the migraine, but also support their health?
326
00:21:52.808 --> 00:21:53.869
First of all, you're totally right.
327
00:21:53.929 --> 00:21:57.873
Yes, of course, taking NSAIDs too often will absolutely contribute to leaky gut.
328
00:21:57.913 --> 00:21:59.875
Leaky gut is a huge cause of migraine.
329
00:22:00.896 --> 00:22:10.565
We tend to be more prone to it genetically, and we also tend to make a stronger immune reaction to that leaky gut than other people do.
330
00:22:10.585 --> 00:22:12.427
So it's a huge problem for us.
331
00:22:13.388 --> 00:22:14.789
So you're absolutely right on that.
332
00:22:15.210 --> 00:22:17.172
I think you have to view medications as...
333
00:22:17.492 --> 00:22:20.413
I'm going to do this short term, but it's not my long term answer.
334
00:22:20.493 --> 00:22:21.233
I'm not done.
335
00:22:21.253 --> 00:22:22.134
There's not success.
336
00:22:22.394 --> 00:22:24.354
There really isn't a great middle ground.
337
00:22:24.634 --> 00:22:29.856
I mean, there are new drugs out, G pants that are amazing, that don't cause rebound.
338
00:22:29.916 --> 00:22:30.816
They're fairly safe.
339
00:22:30.856 --> 00:22:32.437
They don't contribute to leaky gut.
340
00:22:32.897 --> 00:22:34.678
You know, go to your doctor, get one of those.
341
00:22:34.778 --> 00:22:35.138
Sure.
342
00:22:35.238 --> 00:22:36.778
Take take whatever you need to take.
343
00:22:37.178 --> 00:22:41.700
I think that, you know, the real thing you need to tell yourself is don't stop there.
344
00:22:42.454 --> 00:22:42.714
Yeah.
345
00:22:42.754 --> 00:22:53.418
So when someone works with you, is it possible that you mentioned earlier that you could potentially, you won't never have a migraine again, but you might make it so it's very rare.
346
00:22:53.698 --> 00:22:56.219
Like, is that what you find with a lot of the people that work with you?
347
00:22:56.922 --> 00:22:58.242
Yeah.
348
00:22:58.262 --> 00:23:03.484
So we see on average, and remember, I tend to work with the most severe, right?
349
00:23:03.524 --> 00:23:04.724
People have tried everything else.
350
00:23:04.744 --> 00:23:06.925
They've been having headaches every day for 10 years.
351
00:23:07.525 --> 00:23:09.586
You know, this is our average person.
352
00:23:09.986 --> 00:23:14.587
You know, we see a 50 to 60% reduction at three months, which is stunning.
353
00:23:14.607 --> 00:23:20.129
You know, these are people who have been through every medication, not once, not twice.
354
00:23:21.989 --> 00:23:26.311
And for them to get better, it's nearly miraculous, truly.
355
00:23:26.712 --> 00:23:31.814
I've had headache experts in various parts of the country call me up and say, what's your magic?
356
00:23:31.854 --> 00:23:33.595
And I'm like, it's the biology.
357
00:23:33.615 --> 00:23:34.275
It's not me.
358
00:23:34.776 --> 00:23:37.217
It's just showing this person their biology.
359
00:23:37.257 --> 00:23:38.197
That's really all.
360
00:23:39.498 --> 00:23:41.019
So the results can be amazing.
361
00:23:41.139 --> 00:23:44.540
I'm not saying it's everybody or 100% or anything like that.
362
00:23:44.601 --> 00:23:49.023
Obviously, individual people vary, and we don't know all the science yet.
363
00:23:49.843 --> 00:23:57.188
Um, so I think that, you know, in the next decade in particular, we're going to see some just absolutely phenomenal advances in this field.
364
00:23:58.008 --> 00:24:01.810
Um, but that, yeah, people do get amazing results.
365
00:24:02.150 --> 00:24:05.272
And I think in some level, we all know that lifestyle matters.
366
00:24:05.312 --> 00:24:06.513
Like, of course it does.
367
00:24:06.613 --> 00:24:08.134
It's not just all about finding a pill.
368
00:24:08.154 --> 00:24:10.515
We all know that, you know, you've got to get a good night's sleep.
369
00:24:10.535 --> 00:24:11.856
You can't out medicate that.
370
00:24:11.876 --> 00:24:16.339
You can't, you know, eat Cheetos all day long and take a multivitamin and think everything's okay.
371
00:24:16.399 --> 00:24:17.960
You know, we all know lifestyle matters.
372
00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:22.922
I think what frustrates people is just that they work so hard on lifestyle and don't get any results.
373
00:24:22.962 --> 00:24:25.444
But that's just because they're not doing what their biology needs.
374
00:24:25.964 --> 00:24:28.946
You know, again, like we've got people saying eat keto and eat carbs.
375
00:24:28.986 --> 00:24:35.249
Like you've got to know which one your body needs you to do before you're going to see results.
376
00:24:35.918 --> 00:24:44.942
Because what I hear you saying is like, okay, the ancestral kind of pillars, you know, movements, low stress, sleep, what you eat are important.
377
00:24:45.162 --> 00:24:48.864
And of course, they're going to be drivers and support your longevity.
378
00:24:49.644 --> 00:25:03.130
But the modern technique of like DNA and understanding, like being able to know how your body responds to these stimuluses, that's the power of where we are at in the technology and in the awareness around this now.
379
00:25:03.450 --> 00:25:05.774
You see a lot of the people who have tried everything.
380
00:25:06.074 --> 00:25:11.863
So for someone who is in that place where they've tried everything, where should they start or where do they start?
381
00:25:12.857 --> 00:25:14.758
go to theheadachequiz.com.
382
00:25:15.238 --> 00:25:16.518
Super simple, free quiz.
383
00:25:16.578 --> 00:25:21.839
It will connect you with a ton of resources based on your biology that you can start with.
384
00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:26.501
And if you wanna take it a step further, go read my book, Decode Your Migraine.
385
00:25:26.521 --> 00:25:28.141
It's on Amazon, everywhere.
386
00:25:29.362 --> 00:25:36.764
And that will really give you even more tools and help deepen your understanding of this biology and how you take action.
387
00:25:37.284 --> 00:25:41.585
And then if you wanna jump in and get some testing done, we've got several different programs
388
00:25:42.505 --> 00:25:47.567
to help you through that, you know, very budget friendly, all the way up to one to one guidance.
389
00:25:47.947 --> 00:25:54.469
I think that, you know, when you're in the place to be ready to get more data, that's definitely where we see the biggest impact.
390
00:25:54.509 --> 00:26:02.051
The other steps are kind of just, you know, first level DIY stuff, not gonna necessarily take you down to, you know, one migraine a year.
391
00:26:03.111 --> 00:26:06.872
But you do need data for that level of a specialization.
392
00:26:06.892 --> 00:26:09.453
But there's truly something for everybody out there.
393
00:26:10.228 --> 00:26:23.261
And for the people that aren't ready to just commit to working with you, are there just some practical tips that you have that people can just apply to their everyday lives, their homes, their relationships that will support them in feeling better?
394
00:26:23.502 --> 00:26:24.823
Yeah, absolutely.
395
00:26:25.203 --> 00:26:31.710
One thing I'll mention, there are nearly 200 different studies showing that magnesium helps for migraine.
396
00:26:32.050 --> 00:26:36.071
So I think if you're going to take just one supplement, that's a really good place to start.
397
00:26:36.471 --> 00:26:44.732
I think it's so important that I put it into the migraine multivitamin that I developed because I think everybody needs a little bit more every day.
398
00:26:44.772 --> 00:26:55.354
I mean, you probably encounter this in your work that we're low on minerals and magnesium is uniquely positioned to help with some of the brain chemistry abnormalities that happen with migraine.
399
00:26:55.754 --> 00:26:57.454
So I think that's a good place to start.
400
00:26:57.815 --> 00:26:59.835
And I love just the multivitamin supplements.
401
00:27:00.495 --> 00:27:01.437
approach.
402
00:27:01.617 --> 00:27:03.760
You need something to support inflammation.
403
00:27:03.800 --> 00:27:06.444
You need a low histamine probiotic.
404
00:27:06.464 --> 00:27:07.846
You need omegas.
405
00:27:08.287 --> 00:27:15.458
Lots of people with migraine have troubles with histamine, so you need the low histamine type of probiotics, so I put both of those in my multi-
406
00:27:16.979 --> 00:27:19.420
You know, they need help with energy production.
407
00:27:19.560 --> 00:27:23.462
So they need methylated B vitamins.
408
00:27:23.502 --> 00:27:27.884
They need a little bit of NAC and acetylcysteine to help clear out toxins.
409
00:27:28.284 --> 00:27:31.505
They need some antioxidants to help stabilize everything.
410
00:27:32.045 --> 00:27:40.769
To me, this approach makes a lot more sense to really support specific pathways in your biology with your multivitamin, as opposed to some of the
411
00:27:44.050 --> 00:27:49.555
You know, one of the most studied supplements in migraine is vitamin B2 or riboflavin.
412
00:27:50.136 --> 00:27:59.625
But in order to make those results happen in those randomized controlled trials, they had to give people an entire year's worth of riboflavin every single day.
413
00:28:00.146 --> 00:28:03.389
I get it that the data is there, but does that make sense biologically?
414
00:28:03.409 --> 00:28:04.130
I would say no.
415
00:28:04.150 --> 00:28:04.330
No.
416
00:28:05.671 --> 00:28:13.336
Instead of supporting one step of our B vitamin pathways in the body, maybe we just give them all a little bit of support.
417
00:28:13.376 --> 00:28:15.798
Let's study that and see if that works better.
418
00:28:15.818 --> 00:28:20.541
I kind of come back to it based on what's biologically plausible.
419
00:28:21.341 --> 00:28:22.382
I think that matters too.
420
00:28:23.096 --> 00:28:27.979
Do you find there are certain foods that just either pulling them out of the diet seem to help?
421
00:28:28.099 --> 00:28:30.760
I heard you mention gluten earlier for some people.
422
00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:34.982
And then are there certain foods that you find help to ensure they're in their diet?
423
00:28:35.683 --> 00:28:36.363
Absolutely.
424
00:28:36.603 --> 00:28:42.086
So I think for so many years, migraine food recommendations have been about what not to eat.
425
00:28:42.466 --> 00:28:47.969
And I'll tell you what bothers me about that is the very high incidence of eating disorders in migraine.
426
00:28:49.092 --> 00:28:51.134
Oh, specifically with people that have migraines.
427
00:28:51.575 --> 00:28:51.755
Yep.
428
00:28:52.395 --> 00:28:52.976
They're working.
429
00:28:53.016 --> 00:28:54.958
I mean, I just feel terrible for these people.
430
00:28:55.058 --> 00:29:03.206
They're working so hard to get their pain gone that they get themselves into what is honestly a very deadly mental health disorder.
431
00:29:03.506 --> 00:29:07.050
More people die from anorexia than any other mental health condition.
432
00:29:07.070 --> 00:29:07.170
Yeah.
433
00:29:07.810 --> 00:29:11.554
And so I am not a fan of avoid all the foods.
434
00:29:11.795 --> 00:29:16.099
So I instead think we should eat to nourish our brain.
435
00:29:16.660 --> 00:29:23.887
And so I recommend what I call the food triangle, which is sort of gently poking fun at the food pyramid.
436
00:29:23.907 --> 00:29:29.353
And then the three corners of the triangle are protein, fiber, protein.
437
00:29:29.987 --> 00:29:32.848
and phytonutrients from colorful plants and vegetables.
438
00:29:32.948 --> 00:29:41.330
So I think it's helpful to focus on, all right, how do I give my body all the tools it needs to do its job really, really well and make me feel amazing?
439
00:29:42.270 --> 00:29:47.452
We mentioned at the top of this that migraines have been around for a very long time, thousands and thousands of years.
440
00:29:48.532 --> 00:29:52.913
You've been in this industry for a few decades now.
441
00:29:53.033 --> 00:29:58.315
So do you find even just during your lifetime with it, is it getting better or is it getting worse?
442
00:29:58.335 --> 00:29:58.535
Yeah.
443
00:29:59.814 --> 00:30:04.698
I mean, in mainstream medicine, 100% the medications are better, no doubt.
444
00:30:04.918 --> 00:30:07.080
You know, the first drugs to be developed were triptans.
445
00:30:07.100 --> 00:30:08.582
Those helped a lot of people.
446
00:30:08.682 --> 00:30:13.446
The newer drugs, the G-pants, the CGRP monoclonal antibodies, they help a lot, absolutely.
447
00:30:14.867 --> 00:30:18.290
But, you know, there are the limitations of that mask the pain approach.
448
00:30:19.191 --> 00:30:20.933
So certainly life is better.
449
00:30:21.385 --> 00:30:26.631
But I guess I'm more referring to are more and more people getting migraines?
450
00:30:26.671 --> 00:30:36.982
Like, do we see just kind of migraine issues increasing or is it just it just is part of humanity and it's just always there and we're not we don't know?
451
00:30:38.323 --> 00:30:38.903
I see.
452
00:30:39.243 --> 00:30:42.746
And unfortunately, yeah, it is getting worse.
453
00:30:42.766 --> 00:30:44.368
So here's what we know.
454
00:30:45.429 --> 00:30:49.632
Migraine is actually the leading cause of disability in women under 50.
455
00:30:49.872 --> 00:30:52.675
That's according to the Global Burden of Disease Report.
456
00:30:52.695 --> 00:30:54.616
So this is multiple parts of the world.
457
00:30:54.696 --> 00:30:56.638
It's not just our crazy American culture.
458
00:30:56.718 --> 00:30:58.259
This is happening to a lot of people.
459
00:30:58.279 --> 00:31:02.143
28 million American women have migraine.
460
00:31:02.663 --> 00:31:03.403
That's a lot.
461
00:31:03.964 --> 00:31:16.590
And even more disturbingly, the American Migraine Foundation estimates that only about 5% of people who really do have migraine have, you know, been to a doctor, been diagnosed and gotten meds.
462
00:31:16.710 --> 00:31:19.432
Now, part of that's access to care, right?
463
00:31:19.492 --> 00:31:22.093
You know, that could be part of the reason that it's such a small percent.
464
00:31:22.713 --> 00:31:28.215
Still, that's a lot of people listening right now who have migraine and don't know it.
465
00:31:28.395 --> 00:31:34.316
And their bad headaches, their sinus headaches or, you know, tension headaches, whatever it is that they're calling them.
466
00:31:34.516 --> 00:31:35.557
Those are actually migraines.
467
00:31:36.937 --> 00:31:37.197
Yeah.
468
00:31:37.217 --> 00:31:37.857
So that's interesting.
469
00:31:37.877 --> 00:31:50.081
You're bringing up the point of like, can you be with something for long enough or have it be so systemic that you don't even realize that there's help out there beyond, you know, just popping a pill?
470
00:31:50.675 --> 00:31:54.956
That's why in so much of my work, I refer to migraines and other chronic headaches.
471
00:31:55.096 --> 00:32:03.337
And I know that sometimes people with migraines get upset by that because migraine is its own diagnostic category and it is a separate deal.
472
00:32:03.837 --> 00:32:12.279
But we have to understand that those lines do blur when you look at the big picture of headaches in general and understand how many people are undiagnosed.
473
00:32:12.499 --> 00:32:15.359
And there are certainly tools available to help them, too.
474
00:32:16.660 --> 00:32:19.020
Now, why do you think it's increasing, though?
475
00:32:19.060 --> 00:32:19.160
Yeah.
476
00:32:19.650 --> 00:32:26.356
Crazy modern life, staying up too late, not sleeping, more fragmented social connections.
477
00:32:26.416 --> 00:32:30.920
I mean, we don't sit around the fire with the people we love in the evening anymore.
478
00:32:32.501 --> 00:32:34.323
So I think those are part of it.
479
00:32:34.403 --> 00:32:42.830
And unfortunately, I think toxins are a much, much bigger issue than most people realize because of their effect on mitochondria and because toxins.
480
00:32:43.090 --> 00:32:49.073
So many people with migraine have trouble clearing out those toxins and also managing oxidative stress.
481
00:32:49.093 --> 00:32:49.733
I mean, that's me.
482
00:32:49.753 --> 00:32:50.953
That's my migraine type.
483
00:32:51.333 --> 00:32:52.394
I have the energy type.
484
00:32:53.314 --> 00:33:00.217
It takes a lot of work in terms of lifestyle change to address that issue.
485
00:33:00.457 --> 00:33:05.079
And I think that we're going to be hearing a lot more about that in the next decade.
486
00:33:05.099 --> 00:33:07.080
I think that's a bigger issue than people realize.
487
00:33:07.891 --> 00:33:12.136
Is that why you move towards neurology and why migraines are our focus?
488
00:33:12.196 --> 00:33:16.722
Is it something you've suffered with in your lifetime or is it something a parent did?
489
00:33:17.551 --> 00:33:18.792
Yeah, no, absolutely.
490
00:33:19.652 --> 00:33:22.274
All the women in my family have migraine.
491
00:33:22.354 --> 00:33:23.815
That's definitely true.
492
00:33:24.115 --> 00:33:26.876
But on the other hand, I was always interested in the brain.
493
00:33:26.936 --> 00:33:29.218
So it's not necessarily why I chose it.
494
00:33:29.638 --> 00:33:34.101
I mean, I was a very geeky little kid sitting around playing with clay and making human brains.
495
00:33:34.121 --> 00:33:36.542
I think I made my parents nervous.
496
00:33:36.602 --> 00:33:38.063
You know, like, why is she playing?
497
00:33:38.543 --> 00:33:39.684
Why is she making brains?
498
00:33:39.724 --> 00:33:40.184
That's weird.
499
00:33:40.464 --> 00:33:44.246
But anyway, I did end up being a neurologist.
500
00:33:44.286 --> 00:33:46.508
So, you know, there was something there that was meant to be.
501
00:33:46.528 --> 00:33:46.628
Yeah.
502
00:33:47.561 --> 00:33:50.082
Neurology isn't necessarily the study of migraines.
503
00:33:50.682 --> 00:33:52.763
That just became your focus over time.
504
00:33:53.423 --> 00:33:54.383
Right, right, yeah.
505
00:33:54.643 --> 00:33:56.744
Lots of other stuff within the field as a whole.
506
00:33:57.284 --> 00:33:59.205
Thank you so much for being on the podcast.
507
00:33:59.285 --> 00:34:00.946
Where can people get your book?
508
00:34:01.126 --> 00:34:04.647
Where can they start working with you if they're inclined?
509
00:34:05.767 --> 00:34:09.149
Everything is on my website, ameliaskottbarrettmd.com.
510
00:34:10.249 --> 00:34:10.669
Excellent.
511
00:34:10.769 --> 00:34:13.230
And if they want to find you on socials, are you on socials?
512
00:34:13.973 --> 00:34:16.374
Same, same name everywhere, no matter the platform.
513
00:34:16.674 --> 00:34:17.255
Yep.
514
00:34:17.355 --> 00:34:17.615
Nice.
515
00:34:17.715 --> 00:34:18.515
I just made it easy.
516
00:34:18.535 --> 00:34:19.396
Yeah.
517
00:34:20.036 --> 00:34:20.316
Okay.
518
00:34:20.336 --> 00:34:21.177
So final question.
519
00:34:21.217 --> 00:34:22.177
I asked this of everyone.
520
00:34:22.217 --> 00:34:28.260
If you could wave a magic wand, bring back one ancestral practice, what would that be and why?
521
00:34:28.941 --> 00:34:30.741
That's a really good question.
522
00:34:30.761 --> 00:34:33.543
Oh, I want to take a minute to answer this carefully.
523
00:34:35.307 --> 00:34:40.993
I think tribal human communities with no technology.
524
00:34:41.754 --> 00:34:45.918
Like there's nowhere you can go to find that in our modern world.
525
00:34:46.258 --> 00:34:47.780
I don't think anyway.
526
00:34:47.800 --> 00:34:48.741
I haven't discovered any.
527
00:34:49.802 --> 00:34:54.507
But if there were some way where people could go to choose to live in
528
00:34:54.987 --> 00:35:01.732
technology free for, I don't know, even a month or a week or six months or a year and live with a community of people.
529
00:35:01.792 --> 00:35:06.995
I mean, I know it's not the same as like the community you were born and raised and you're going to die with.
530
00:35:07.055 --> 00:35:11.358
But I just I just love maybe I over romanticize it.
531
00:35:11.378 --> 00:35:11.738
I don't know.
532
00:35:11.798 --> 00:35:18.423
But that just sounds amazingly nourishing and just like something that would just really hold our souls.
533
00:35:18.443 --> 00:35:19.904
Yeah.
534
00:35:20.583 --> 00:35:27.848
Yeah, it's tough because those of us that remember life before we had these supercomputers in our pockets, we have that contrast.
535
00:35:27.908 --> 00:35:32.191
But many people in these younger generations don't.
536
00:35:32.231 --> 00:35:34.052
They've been living with it since day one.
537
00:35:34.832 --> 00:35:35.153
Yeah.
538
00:35:35.493 --> 00:35:36.854
Well, thank you so much, Amelia.
539
00:35:36.874 --> 00:35:38.275
I appreciate your time.
540
00:35:38.815 --> 00:35:41.796
This is something, as you mentioned, so many people are living with.
541
00:35:42.156 --> 00:35:51.439
And I am so happy that you are bringing some solutions and some different perspectives and hope to those people that are chronically experiencing migraines.
542
00:35:52.179 --> 00:35:53.020
So thank you for that.
543
00:35:53.620 --> 00:35:54.080
Yeah.
544
00:35:54.200 --> 00:36:03.823
And thank you so much for letting me be here, for letting me help your community understand that, you know, there really are new solutions that are changing people's lives.
545
00:36:05.378 --> 00:36:05.779
Thank you.
546
00:36:06.259 --> 00:36:08.682
And thank you all for coming with us on this ride.
547
00:36:09.303 --> 00:36:12.366
As usual, remember, stay curious and be well.
548
00:36:13.433 --> 00:36:16.855
Thank you so much for joining me on Everyday Ancestral.
549
00:36:17.696 --> 00:36:21.898
If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe so you don't miss the next one.
550
00:36:22.279 --> 00:36:27.202
You can find the show notes, links, and resources mentioned at eatpluck.com.
551
00:36:27.242 --> 00:36:32.365
That's E-A-T-P-L-U-C-K dot com.
552
00:36:33.086 --> 00:36:37.949
And hey, if you know someone who'd get something out of this, share it with them too.
553
00:36:38.469 --> 00:36:42.532
Stay curious, live well, and keep it ancestral.
554
00:36:42.552 --> 00:36:42.872
Thank you.
1
00:00:00.191 --> 00:00:05.358
I don't think the diagnosis matters as much as we used to think it does.
2
00:00:05.698 --> 00:00:11.806
I think the biggest mistake people make is with this pop a pill and power through mentality.
3
00:00:11.906 --> 00:00:14.669
There are nearly 200 different genes linked to migraine.
4
00:00:14.930 --> 00:00:18.214
Just because the pain isn't there right now does not mean everything's fine.
5
00:00:18.574 --> 00:00:19.855
Migraines aren't new.
6
00:00:20.415 --> 00:00:28.679
Descriptions of severe one-sided headaches with symptoms that sound remarkably similar to migraine appear in medical writings going back thousands of years.
7
00:00:29.560 --> 00:00:40.346
My guest today, Dr. Amelia Scott Barrett, is a Stanford-trained neurologist who has spent decades trying to understand why migraines happen and what we can actually do about them.
8
00:00:41.366 --> 00:00:48.802
Amelia, if humans have been dealing with migraines for thousands of years, what does that tell us about why they happen?
9
00:00:50.244 --> 00:00:57.410
I think it confirms that there is some deeply ingrained biology behind this process.
10
00:00:57.850 --> 00:01:04.135
You know, it's not just a product of the modern world with our stress and our sleep disruption and our blue light.
11
00:01:04.695 --> 00:01:08.558
You know, this is something that is truly biological.
12
00:01:09.399 --> 00:01:12.121
And I think what's absolutely fascinating,
13
00:01:12.221 --> 00:01:17.545
Fascinating is what we've learned about the biology behind migraines through DNA research.
14
00:01:17.625 --> 00:01:23.550
So we're finally, finally starting to get some real answers about what's going on.
15
00:01:24.291 --> 00:01:31.877
Modern life is actually helping to discover new facets of why these happen and how we can help people with them.
16
00:01:32.535 --> 00:01:32.975
Yeah.
17
00:01:33.356 --> 00:01:33.596
Yeah.
18
00:01:33.616 --> 00:01:46.124
You know, this stuff was not available until we understood the human genome, until we had computers that could crunch, you know, billions upon billions of bits of information and come up with the answers for us.
19
00:01:46.184 --> 00:01:47.965
So this is all very new stuff.
20
00:01:48.675 --> 00:01:51.657
For someone like myself, I've never actually had a migraine.
21
00:01:51.698 --> 00:01:52.578
I rarely get headaches.
22
00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:57.622
And honestly, it's been living with someone who gets migraines that help me understand it.
23
00:01:57.903 --> 00:02:03.587
But I have to imagine most people out there don't actually even understand what is the difference between a migraine and a headache.
24
00:02:04.248 --> 00:02:05.709
Yeah, let's talk about that.
25
00:02:05.829 --> 00:02:06.250
And then...
26
00:02:07.531 --> 00:02:11.732
And then I'm going to say something that might ruffle a couple of feathers, but I'm going to do it anyway.
27
00:02:11.812 --> 00:02:14.933
So first of all, what is migraine?
28
00:02:15.333 --> 00:02:18.213
You know, it's usually a headache that's on one side of your head.
29
00:02:19.434 --> 00:02:21.654
Doesn't have to be, but it often is.
30
00:02:22.054 --> 00:02:25.375
It tends to be pounding or throbbing like your heartbeat.
31
00:02:25.935 --> 00:02:32.597
It often gets worse when you do any kind of exertion, even something simple like bending over to pick something up off the floor.
32
00:02:32.677 --> 00:02:34.157
That's enough to make it worse.
33
00:02:35.037 --> 00:02:44.663
And they are often associated with nausea, sometimes vomiting when it's bad, although it can be as subtle as just, yeah, I'm not eating dinner tonight.
34
00:02:45.143 --> 00:02:47.165
People also get sensitive to light and sound.
35
00:02:47.205 --> 00:02:51.027
And again, you know, it doesn't mean you're stuck in a dark room and can't come out.
36
00:02:51.067 --> 00:02:53.989
There are millions and millions of people powering through.
37
00:02:54.509 --> 00:02:59.252
They've just got five pairs of sunglasses in their car because they know that.
38
00:03:00.172 --> 00:03:07.435
They don't want to have to go somewhere and be feeling kind of sensitive to light and have that be so irritating.
39
00:03:07.475 --> 00:03:12.458
So that is the pain experience that we typically think of as migraine.
40
00:03:12.858 --> 00:03:21.321
And then the thing I'm going to say that's going to ruffle some feathers is, I don't think the diagnosis matters as much as we used to think it does.
41
00:03:21.742 --> 00:03:29.325
And this is coming from a girl who spent hours and hours memorizing all the diagnostic criteria for all the headaches in my training at Sam.
42
00:03:29.785 --> 00:03:30.065
Right.
43
00:03:30.746 --> 00:03:42.532
So, you know, and part of the reason I say that is that the biology is showing us that there are such similarities between migraine and other types of headaches once you dig a little bit deeper.
44
00:03:42.552 --> 00:03:52.436
And I think that over time, what's going to matter is not so much the description of your pain, but what is going on for you biologically under the surface.
45
00:03:52.617 --> 00:03:53.957
That's the relevant feature.
46
00:03:54.317 --> 00:03:57.319
That's what you've got to focus on to get to a place of lasting relief.
47
00:03:58.639 --> 00:04:03.068
So why does someone get a migraine and another person doesn't?
48
00:04:03.569 --> 00:04:06.074
Is there clear data on that?
49
00:04:06.644 --> 00:04:07.324
Absolutely.
50
00:04:07.604 --> 00:04:15.827
So we've done these amazing studies looking at the DNA on 100,000 people with migraine, comparing them to people who don't.
51
00:04:15.867 --> 00:04:21.849
And we said, all right, what do these people with migraine have in common with each other that these people with migraine don't?
52
00:04:22.409 --> 00:04:25.830
So this is really, really accurate information.
53
00:04:26.730 --> 00:04:34.273
And so what we know is that there are nearly 200 different genes linked to migraine, and they regulate four different systems in the body.
54
00:04:34.873 --> 00:04:36.875
So the first of those is brain chemistry.
55
00:04:37.035 --> 00:04:41.138
This is also related to things like anxiety or insomnia.
56
00:04:41.959 --> 00:04:43.520
The second is inflammation.
57
00:04:43.880 --> 00:04:50.366
This incorporates things like gut health and how our inflammatory response works.
58
00:04:50.446 --> 00:04:56.731
The third area is energy production inside cells, inside the little batteries in our cells, the mitochondria.
59
00:04:57.371 --> 00:05:05.357
And that can be impacted by things like toxins, which is a product of the modern world that's definitely making people worse.
60
00:05:05.858 --> 00:05:13.483
And then the final area is vascular, and that incorporates things like methylation, blood sugar, lipids.
61
00:05:14.004 --> 00:05:22.410
So these four different broad categories are the underlying biological drivers for people once you know what it is for you.
62
00:05:22.990 --> 00:05:31.258
that's when you can start honing in on the specific solutions that are going to really move the needle for you and get you to lasting relief.
63
00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:34.662
Okay, so that's really great.
64
00:05:34.822 --> 00:05:36.724
There is a solution to a degree.
65
00:05:36.984 --> 00:05:38.826
There is something that people can do.
66
00:05:39.366 --> 00:05:43.430
You spent 25 years practicing conventional neurology.
67
00:05:44.071 --> 00:05:44.431
I did.
68
00:05:45.052 --> 00:05:45.793
Why did you leave?
69
00:05:45.813 --> 00:05:45.893
Why?
70
00:05:46.862 --> 00:05:51.885
It's because people kept saying, fine, I'll take this pill.
71
00:05:52.145 --> 00:05:54.487
But why is this happening to me in the first place?
72
00:05:54.587 --> 00:05:56.888
I just want to know why my migraines are getting worse.
73
00:05:57.048 --> 00:05:58.269
Why do these happen to me?
74
00:05:59.009 --> 00:06:03.712
And there are no great answers to that in mainstream medicine.
75
00:06:03.932 --> 00:06:04.933
I get migraines, too.
76
00:06:05.053 --> 00:06:05.913
So do my daughters.
77
00:06:06.374 --> 00:06:07.134
So does my mother.
78
00:06:07.214 --> 00:06:08.034
So does my aunt.
79
00:06:08.535 --> 00:06:10.816
So, you know, it's had a huge impact on my world.
80
00:06:10.856 --> 00:06:13.478
And honestly, it has a huge impact on women's lives.
81
00:06:13.498 --> 00:06:13.878
Right.
82
00:06:14.118 --> 00:06:20.186
So I got very interested in functional medicine and started finding answers there.
83
00:06:20.526 --> 00:06:32.881
And then I think it really took it to the next level for me in early 2020s when some of this new DNA research came out and I immediately recognized that.
84
00:06:33.061 --> 00:06:34.901
Oh, this is this is the answer.
85
00:06:34.962 --> 00:06:40.343
This is what, you know, all those thousands of people who asked me, why?
86
00:06:40.543 --> 00:06:41.623
Why is this happening?
87
00:06:41.643 --> 00:06:42.123
What's going on?
88
00:06:42.143 --> 00:06:44.504
What can I do about this other than take the pill?
89
00:06:45.804 --> 00:06:47.445
You know, this is their answer.
90
00:06:48.025 --> 00:06:50.905
So that's really why I got so fascinated by it.
91
00:06:50.965 --> 00:06:55.987
I want to, you know, give women and men to, of course, but it affects our lives more.
92
00:06:56.107 --> 00:07:00.888
I want to give them the solutions that they need to go live the beautiful lives they want to live.
93
00:07:01.665 --> 00:07:03.232
I've never actually heard that before.
94
00:07:03.252 --> 00:07:06.646
So why do migraines affect more women than men?
95
00:07:08.377 --> 00:07:09.918
You know, I think part of it's hormones.
96
00:07:10.078 --> 00:07:12.339
So we definitely outnumber men three to one.
97
00:07:12.899 --> 00:07:19.822
And, you know, there's that increase in migraines right before our cycle, menstrual migraines.
98
00:07:19.982 --> 00:07:25.604
We often get worse migraines around menopause when estrogen is all over the place.
99
00:07:26.045 --> 00:07:28.406
So I think those are some of the reasons.
100
00:07:28.826 --> 00:07:31.427
And I'll be honest with you, I think part of it is...
101
00:07:32.167 --> 00:07:41.016
And, you know, not to be stereotypical, but but the ways that many women choose to behave, we choose to put other people's health above our own, we choose to make other people a priority.
102
00:07:41.457 --> 00:07:45.201
You know, we volunteer to stay up late and get that work report done.
103
00:07:45.701 --> 00:07:51.988
So, you know, maybe some of that is just ways that we are conditioned to behave.
104
00:07:52.028 --> 00:07:53.609
Maybe it's the way we naturally are.
105
00:07:53.669 --> 00:07:54.070
I don't know.
106
00:07:54.090 --> 00:07:54.350
That's fine.
107
00:07:54.450 --> 00:07:56.472
probably a topic for another podcast.
108
00:07:57.312 --> 00:08:02.917
But I think that some of these factors are the reasons that women have such a hard time saying, all right, that's it.
109
00:08:03.157 --> 00:08:04.098
I'm having migraines.
110
00:08:04.218 --> 00:08:04.578
I'm out.
111
00:08:04.698 --> 00:08:05.179
I'm done.
112
00:08:05.759 --> 00:08:07.561
Like nobody asked me to do anything.
113
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People usually don't do that.
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They put, they try to pop a pill and power through, you know, they want to follow through on their commitments and not saying men don't do that too.
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But I think that some of those pressures can be greater on women.
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So, and
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Yeah, yeah.
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But I do find that fascinating, though, because I think there is a stereotype that, oh, headaches or even migraines are a sign of repressed emotions, you know, or that you're holding something in.
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Do you think that energetically that that is true from your experience of working with all these different people?
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Yes, and here's why.
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It's because of what we've learned about the brain chemistry of people who tend to get migraine, the nature of those brain chemistry abnormalities.
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So these are neurotransmitters and other chemicals.
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And what we know is that the overall pattern makes us experience things, especially trauma, that's,
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more intensely than other people do.
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So let's say we're in a car accident with somebody else.
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You know, the other person might be like, okay, well, everything's cleaned up.
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Let's go to lunch.
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You know, the person with migraines like, are you kidding?
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I'm never getting in a car again.
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You know, I mean, it's just, you know, it's the way our nervous system is made that we're
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you know, things can land more deeply and imprint more deeply and powerfully for us than they do for other people.
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So for example, we know that PTSD is more common in people who have migraine.
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Why is that?
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It's because of how our nervous system is wired.
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And I think once you know that, and you know the nature of those abnormalities, exactly which pieces of your biology is it for you, it's incredibly empowering because it gives you permission to take care of yourself, to understand
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okay, I'm experiencing this at a 10.
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Everybody around me is experiencing it at two.
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I'm not wrong, but I need to go take a half an hour by myself or whatever it is, you know, whatever that looks like.
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I think just understanding yourself opens up all sorts of solutions for that deeper level of healing, for understanding, you know, my life may have accumulated inside me
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differently than the next person who doesn't have a migraine brain.
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So yeah, I think you're absolutely right that there can be more stuff going on under the surface, you know, and all of those issues combined with this pressure to pop a pill and power through, minimize is just a headache.
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You can still get dinner on the table and get the kids to soccer.
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All of that combines together so that absolutely there can be stuff you have not addressed.
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So you mentioned that in your previous kind of conventional neurology, it was pill popping.
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That was the focus.
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Just get someone some medication.
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So what's different about how you work with someone now?
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Well, I don't prescribe anymore.
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And what I focus on, I actually, my favorite way to do this is to start with genomics testing.
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So I developed a genomics testing panel based on everything we've learned about migraine, the things that are most relevant, in my opinion, of course.
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And we check this panel.
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We get a good idea of how these biological systems are wired.
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And then we bring in a support protocol.
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And this is very, very extensive, updated against currently published literature on PubMed.
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And we give people a recovery protocol.
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And that is everything you need to get better.
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It's which medications are the best fit for your biology, which ones are going to give you side effect, which ones are you going to tolerate better.
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That alone saves people years of trial and error with their doctor.
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So that's an incredibly important piece of information.
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We can also help people out with the other thing that migraine sufferers struggle with, which is food.
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What the heck do I eat?
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I mean, you have some migraine influencers who are saying, eat keto.
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And then you've got some influencers who are saying, eat carbs every two hours.
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And like, what's right?
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And the answer is there is no single right.
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Both answers are right for different subsets of the migraine population.
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But we can tell you what's right for you.
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so that you're not going through elimination diet after elimination diet, trying to figure this stuff out on your own.
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We can just tell you straight up, okay, yes or no.
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How do you process tyramine?
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How do you process histamine?
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How do you process MSG?
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Are those things you really need to avoid?
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How about lactose?
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Do you make the enzyme to digest it?
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How about gluten?
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Is your body wired to react to it?
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So we can answer a lot of questions and put you on a protocol to help your biology.
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start getting supported.
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And then, you know, as these systems start to heal, then people stop having the experience of migraine be provoked by whatever needs are unmet within their biology.
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Are there different types of migraines?
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Absolutely.
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So I have stratified them according to what the DNA research has shown us.
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So one type is brain chemistry.
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One type is inflammation.
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One type is energy production.
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And the last type is vascular.
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And we see very, very different patterns.
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People don't have to have just one.
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They often have, you know, one driver and then one or two secondary drivers.
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I don't think I've seen two sets turn out the same.
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Yeah.
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it's not like someone is just DNA wise wired for one people can cycle through all of them.
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Yeah, they can have, like, say, for example, maybe brain chemistry is your primary driver, but then you've also got difficulty clearing toxins and oxidative stress.
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So, you know, those are two very different sets of solutions.
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You need a little of both.
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And I think the thing is when you get these complicated recovery protocols that have like two dozen different pieces, you're never going to find this through trial and error.
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You're just not going to come up with the magic combination that your biology needs.
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So I think the data is really essential.
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Now, you mentioned you do DNA testing, which obviously, as you mentioned, is helping people get specific to what their body, how their body reacts, what their body needs.
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Are there some through lines?
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Are there some commonalities that we could share with the audience here that they can just bring awareness to maybe stop doing those things or changing their diets?
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Are there just common tools that apply to everyone?
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Sure.
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I mean, I think every headache type needs good sleep at night.
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And, you know, one very concrete piece of advice I can offer people, you know, I mean, we all know we're supposed to sleep at night.
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That's pretty generic.
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But, you know, to give one specific piece of advice, you need to track your deep sleep with a device.
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Don't just think, oh, I think I sleep well.
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I got a pretty good night's sleep last night.
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Take a deeper look and track deep sleep.
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It's not about your sleep score.
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It's not about your REM sleep.
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It's not about any of that.
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It's about improving your deep sleep.
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That's when your migraines are going to get better, regardless of what other biological factors are going on.
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So I think that's a fantastic place for people to start.
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Is there, I don't actually know the markers for deep sleep.
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What are we looking for when we want to improve our deep sleep?
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Are we looking for like two hours a night for, is there something specific?
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Oh, the more the better.
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Oh, okay.
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So when I first started tracking my deep sleep, gosh, maybe four years ago or so, I was getting like 15 minutes a night and I thought I was sleeping well.
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Like I thought I was doing all the things right.
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I went to bed at the same time and I woke up at the same time.
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Like all the things you're supposed to do and I kind of felt like my sleep was good.
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I was so wrong.
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I had no idea how...
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how good I could feel once I nailed that metric.
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And I would say consistently, I'm at an hour and an hour and a half right now.
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And I am so happy with that.
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You know, on the nights when I get more, I feel even better.
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But, you know, sometimes there's just random day to day variation.
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But, you know, definitely the more the better.
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And I think really use yourself as a control wherever you are now.
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Try to make it better.
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Really, in a sense, not getting sleep is a trigger, right?
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Can be for some people.
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So are triggers the problem?
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Or is that why people keep getting these migraines or headaches?
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Yeah, really good question.
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So sort of.
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And here's why I say that.
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I really envision triggers as like things that fill up your migraine bucket.
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Like if you've ever taken a kid to a water park, you know, and the water fills up the bucket slowly, slowly, and then it tips over and, you know, kids are all screaming and stuff.
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Yeah.
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The tipping over is kind of like the migraine.
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The filling up is kind of like the triggers.
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And so sometimes you identify something as a trigger.
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You know, it's the last thing that happened before the bucket tips over.
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Other times you can tolerate that same trigger and it doesn't tip you over into a migraine because your buckets only have full.
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So I think that's the key insight there, that all this stuff is filling up your bucket.
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You want to do everything you can to drain your bucket so that you are living from a very resilient place.
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And it takes a lot to tip you over into a migraine.
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Because I'm not saying this is a magic wand cure or anything like that.
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But I have seen it happen hundreds of times that you can get to a place where migraines don't interfere with your life anymore.
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You might get one, you know exactly which pill to take or which treatment to do.
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And a couple hours later, it's gone.
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It doesn't, you know, change your plans with your friends.
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It doesn't, you know, prevent you from being there for your kids.
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It doesn't interfere with your ability to get that important work project done.
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I mean, to me, that's migraine freedom.
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That is a reasonable thing.
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You know, like I said, it's not a magic wand.
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It's not a cure.
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It's not like you're never going to have them again.
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But you can get to a place where they really don't impact your life.
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That's doable and reasonable.
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Can the way we treat migraines make them worse over time?
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Are people doing it wrong in your judgment?
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I think the biggest mistake people make is with this pop a pill and power through mentality.
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And my whole goal is to just find the right pill, you know, make the pain go away.
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And if the pain is gone, everything's fine.
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Well, just because the pain isn't there right now does not mean everything's fine.
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You know, whatever biological systems are out of whack under the surface,
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They still need some attention and love to improve, to make those better.
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Because as we all know, root causes have multiple downstream symptoms.
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Migraine is only one symptom.
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You know, maybe some of those other downstream issues are, you know, the inflammatory bowel syndrome that you've been having, the anxiety or insomnia you were diagnosed with, the long COVID you were diagnosed with because your cells have no energy.
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And unfortunately, we do know that, you know, the long term consequence of some of these vascular issues is things like stroke and heart attack.
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We've known for decades that those things are more common for people with migraines.
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So I think, yes, the you know, if you're focused purely on eliminating the pain and finding the right pill, yeah, that that is the wrong approach.
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And it absolutely can do more harm than good.
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Where do medications help?
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I love that question.
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I think medications are great for acute treatment.
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There is no herb.
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There is no supplement that's going to make your migraine go away in an hour.
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They're just, I mean, there are ones that say they will.
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Honestly, I just don't think they work as well as the prescriptions.
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So I love prescriptions or even over-the-counters for that occasional migraine.
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If you get one, take your pill right away.
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Make it go away.
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Go back to functioning and living your own life.
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And in my definition, that's if you're having more than two headache days a week, then it's time to do something more.
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At the same time as you're, you know, taking your pill, you have to simultaneously say, all right, what am I going to do to fix this problem?
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I can't just like suppress the pain forever.
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I've got to get to the underlying issues here.
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Put out those fires so that not only are my migraines better, but my overall health is better.
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So that's what I think the pills are good for.
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Also, they just give you the bandwidth.
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Yeah.
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You know, instead of instead of being stuck in bed for three days with a migraine, if you take it on day one and it goes away in three hours.
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OK, now you have three days back to go and figure out.
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All right.
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What what's happening here to my body?
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Why is my body doing this to me?
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there's the flip side of what happens when you take these pills too much, right?
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Is your gut gets messed up, right?
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Or I don't know.
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I feel like I've heard that about taking Advil, for example, that your gut lining gets messed up.
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So is there a middle ground?
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Is there something people can do that can not only alleviate the migraine, but also support their health?
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First of all, you're totally right.
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Yes, of course, taking NSAIDs too often will absolutely contribute to leaky gut.
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Leaky gut is a huge cause of migraine.
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We tend to be more prone to it genetically, and we also tend to make a stronger immune reaction to that leaky gut than other people do.
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So it's a huge problem for us.
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So you're absolutely right on that.
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I think you have to view medications as...
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I'm going to do this short term, but it's not my long term answer.
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I'm not done.
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00:22:21.253 --> 00:22:22.134
There's not success.
336
00:22:22.394 --> 00:22:24.354
There really isn't a great middle ground.
337
00:22:24.634 --> 00:22:29.856
I mean, there are new drugs out, G pants that are amazing, that don't cause rebound.
338
00:22:29.916 --> 00:22:30.816
They're fairly safe.
339
00:22:30.856 --> 00:22:32.437
They don't contribute to leaky gut.
340
00:22:32.897 --> 00:22:34.678
You know, go to your doctor, get one of those.
341
00:22:34.778 --> 00:22:35.138
Sure.
342
00:22:35.238 --> 00:22:36.778
Take take whatever you need to take.
343
00:22:37.178 --> 00:22:41.700
I think that, you know, the real thing you need to tell yourself is don't stop there.
344
00:22:42.454 --> 00:22:42.714
Yeah.
345
00:22:42.754 --> 00:22:53.418
So when someone works with you, is it possible that you mentioned earlier that you could potentially, you won't never have a migraine again, but you might make it so it's very rare.
346
00:22:53.698 --> 00:22:56.219
Like, is that what you find with a lot of the people that work with you?
347
00:22:56.922 --> 00:22:58.242
Yeah.
348
00:22:58.262 --> 00:23:03.484
So we see on average, and remember, I tend to work with the most severe, right?
349
00:23:03.524 --> 00:23:04.724
People have tried everything else.
350
00:23:04.744 --> 00:23:06.925
They've been having headaches every day for 10 years.
351
00:23:07.525 --> 00:23:09.586
You know, this is our average person.
352
00:23:09.986 --> 00:23:14.587
You know, we see a 50 to 60% reduction at three months, which is stunning.
353
00:23:14.607 --> 00:23:20.129
You know, these are people who have been through every medication, not once, not twice.
354
00:23:21.989 --> 00:23:26.311
And for them to get better, it's nearly miraculous, truly.
355
00:23:26.712 --> 00:23:31.814
I've had headache experts in various parts of the country call me up and say, what's your magic?
356
00:23:31.854 --> 00:23:33.595
And I'm like, it's the biology.
357
00:23:33.615 --> 00:23:34.275
It's not me.
358
00:23:34.776 --> 00:23:37.217
It's just showing this person their biology.
359
00:23:37.257 --> 00:23:38.197
That's really all.
360
00:23:39.498 --> 00:23:41.019
So the results can be amazing.
361
00:23:41.139 --> 00:23:44.540
I'm not saying it's everybody or 100% or anything like that.
362
00:23:44.601 --> 00:23:49.023
Obviously, individual people vary, and we don't know all the science yet.
363
00:23:49.843 --> 00:23:57.188
Um, so I think that, you know, in the next decade in particular, we're going to see some just absolutely phenomenal advances in this field.
364
00:23:58.008 --> 00:24:01.810
Um, but that, yeah, people do get amazing results.
365
00:24:02.150 --> 00:24:05.272
And I think in some level, we all know that lifestyle matters.
366
00:24:05.312 --> 00:24:06.513
Like, of course it does.
367
00:24:06.613 --> 00:24:08.134
It's not just all about finding a pill.
368
00:24:08.154 --> 00:24:10.515
We all know that, you know, you've got to get a good night's sleep.
369
00:24:10.535 --> 00:24:11.856
You can't out medicate that.
370
00:24:11.876 --> 00:24:16.339
You can't, you know, eat Cheetos all day long and take a multivitamin and think everything's okay.
371
00:24:16.399 --> 00:24:17.960
You know, we all know lifestyle matters.
372
00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:22.922
I think what frustrates people is just that they work so hard on lifestyle and don't get any results.
373
00:24:22.962 --> 00:24:25.444
But that's just because they're not doing what their biology needs.
374
00:24:25.964 --> 00:24:28.946
You know, again, like we've got people saying eat keto and eat carbs.
375
00:24:28.986 --> 00:24:35.249
Like you've got to know which one your body needs you to do before you're going to see results.
376
00:24:35.918 --> 00:24:44.942
Because what I hear you saying is like, okay, the ancestral kind of pillars, you know, movements, low stress, sleep, what you eat are important.
377
00:24:45.162 --> 00:24:48.864
And of course, they're going to be drivers and support your longevity.
378
00:24:49.644 --> 00:25:03.130
But the modern technique of like DNA and understanding, like being able to know how your body responds to these stimuluses, that's the power of where we are at in the technology and in the awareness around this now.
379
00:25:03.450 --> 00:25:05.774
You see a lot of the people who have tried everything.
380
00:25:06.074 --> 00:25:11.863
So for someone who is in that place where they've tried everything, where should they start or where do they start?
381
00:25:12.857 --> 00:25:14.758
go to theheadachequiz.com.
382
00:25:15.238 --> 00:25:16.518
Super simple, free quiz.
383
00:25:16.578 --> 00:25:21.839
It will connect you with a ton of resources based on your biology that you can start with.
384
00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:26.501
And if you wanna take it a step further, go read my book, Decode Your Migraine.
385
00:25:26.521 --> 00:25:28.141
It's on Amazon, everywhere.
386
00:25:29.362 --> 00:25:36.764
And that will really give you even more tools and help deepen your understanding of this biology and how you take action.
387
00:25:37.284 --> 00:25:41.585
And then if you wanna jump in and get some testing done, we've got several different programs
388
00:25:42.505 --> 00:25:47.567
to help you through that, you know, very budget friendly, all the way up to one to one guidance.
389
00:25:47.947 --> 00:25:54.469
I think that, you know, when you're in the place to be ready to get more data, that's definitely where we see the biggest impact.
390
00:25:54.509 --> 00:26:02.051
The other steps are kind of just, you know, first level DIY stuff, not gonna necessarily take you down to, you know, one migraine a year.
391
00:26:03.111 --> 00:26:06.872
But you do need data for that level of a specialization.
392
00:26:06.892 --> 00:26:09.453
But there's truly something for everybody out there.
393
00:26:10.228 --> 00:26:23.261
And for the people that aren't ready to just commit to working with you, are there just some practical tips that you have that people can just apply to their everyday lives, their homes, their relationships that will support them in feeling better?
394
00:26:23.502 --> 00:26:24.823
Yeah, absolutely.
395
00:26:25.203 --> 00:26:31.710
One thing I'll mention, there are nearly 200 different studies showing that magnesium helps for migraine.
396
00:26:32.050 --> 00:26:36.071
So I think if you're going to take just one supplement, that's a really good place to start.
397
00:26:36.471 --> 00:26:44.732
I think it's so important that I put it into the migraine multivitamin that I developed because I think everybody needs a little bit more every day.
398
00:26:44.772 --> 00:26:55.354
I mean, you probably encounter this in your work that we're low on minerals and magnesium is uniquely positioned to help with some of the brain chemistry abnormalities that happen with migraine.
399
00:26:55.754 --> 00:26:57.454
So I think that's a good place to start.
400
00:26:57.815 --> 00:26:59.835
And I love just the multivitamin supplements.
401
00:27:00.495 --> 00:27:01.437
approach.
402
00:27:01.617 --> 00:27:03.760
You need something to support inflammation.
403
00:27:03.800 --> 00:27:06.444
You need a low histamine probiotic.
404
00:27:06.464 --> 00:27:07.846
You need omegas.
405
00:27:08.287 --> 00:27:15.458
Lots of people with migraine have troubles with histamine, so you need the low histamine type of probiotics, so I put both of those in my multi-
406
00:27:16.979 --> 00:27:19.420
You know, they need help with energy production.
407
00:27:19.560 --> 00:27:23.462
So they need methylated B vitamins.
408
00:27:23.502 --> 00:27:27.884
They need a little bit of NAC and acetylcysteine to help clear out toxins.
409
00:27:28.284 --> 00:27:31.505
They need some antioxidants to help stabilize everything.
410
00:27:32.045 --> 00:27:40.769
To me, this approach makes a lot more sense to really support specific pathways in your biology with your multivitamin, as opposed to some of the
411
00:27:44.050 --> 00:27:49.555
You know, one of the most studied supplements in migraine is vitamin B2 or riboflavin.
412
00:27:50.136 --> 00:27:59.625
But in order to make those results happen in those randomized controlled trials, they had to give people an entire year's worth of riboflavin every single day.
413
00:28:00.146 --> 00:28:03.389
I get it that the data is there, but does that make sense biologically?
414
00:28:03.409 --> 00:28:04.130
I would say no.
415
00:28:04.150 --> 00:28:04.330
No.
416
00:28:05.671 --> 00:28:13.336
Instead of supporting one step of our B vitamin pathways in the body, maybe we just give them all a little bit of support.
417
00:28:13.376 --> 00:28:15.798
Let's study that and see if that works better.
418
00:28:15.818 --> 00:28:20.541
I kind of come back to it based on what's biologically plausible.
419
00:28:21.341 --> 00:28:22.382
I think that matters too.
420
00:28:23.096 --> 00:28:27.979
Do you find there are certain foods that just either pulling them out of the diet seem to help?
421
00:28:28.099 --> 00:28:30.760
I heard you mention gluten earlier for some people.
422
00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:34.982
And then are there certain foods that you find help to ensure they're in their diet?
423
00:28:35.683 --> 00:28:36.363
Absolutely.
424
00:28:36.603 --> 00:28:42.086
So I think for so many years, migraine food recommendations have been about what not to eat.
425
00:28:42.466 --> 00:28:47.969
And I'll tell you what bothers me about that is the very high incidence of eating disorders in migraine.
426
00:28:49.092 --> 00:28:51.134
Oh, specifically with people that have migraines.
427
00:28:51.575 --> 00:28:51.755
Yep.
428
00:28:52.395 --> 00:28:52.976
They're working.
429
00:28:53.016 --> 00:28:54.958
I mean, I just feel terrible for these people.
430
00:28:55.058 --> 00:29:03.206
They're working so hard to get their pain gone that they get themselves into what is honestly a very deadly mental health disorder.
431
00:29:03.506 --> 00:29:07.050
More people die from anorexia than any other mental health condition.
432
00:29:07.070 --> 00:29:07.170
Yeah.
433
00:29:07.810 --> 00:29:11.554
And so I am not a fan of avoid all the foods.
434
00:29:11.795 --> 00:29:16.099
So I instead think we should eat to nourish our brain.
435
00:29:16.660 --> 00:29:23.887
And so I recommend what I call the food triangle, which is sort of gently poking fun at the food pyramid.
436
00:29:23.907 --> 00:29:29.353
And then the three corners of the triangle are protein, fiber, protein.
437
00:29:29.987 --> 00:29:32.848
and phytonutrients from colorful plants and vegetables.
438
00:29:32.948 --> 00:29:41.330
So I think it's helpful to focus on, all right, how do I give my body all the tools it needs to do its job really, really well and make me feel amazing?
439
00:29:42.270 --> 00:29:47.452
We mentioned at the top of this that migraines have been around for a very long time, thousands and thousands of years.
440
00:29:48.532 --> 00:29:52.913
You've been in this industry for a few decades now.
441
00:29:53.033 --> 00:29:58.315
So do you find even just during your lifetime with it, is it getting better or is it getting worse?
442
00:29:58.335 --> 00:29:58.535
Yeah.
443
00:29:59.814 --> 00:30:04.698
I mean, in mainstream medicine, 100% the medications are better, no doubt.
444
00:30:04.918 --> 00:30:07.080
You know, the first drugs to be developed were triptans.
445
00:30:07.100 --> 00:30:08.582
Those helped a lot of people.
446
00:30:08.682 --> 00:30:13.446
The newer drugs, the G-pants, the CGRP monoclonal antibodies, they help a lot, absolutely.
447
00:30:14.867 --> 00:30:18.290
But, you know, there are the limitations of that mask the pain approach.
448
00:30:19.191 --> 00:30:20.933
So certainly life is better.
449
00:30:21.385 --> 00:30:26.631
But I guess I'm more referring to are more and more people getting migraines?
450
00:30:26.671 --> 00:30:36.982
Like, do we see just kind of migraine issues increasing or is it just it just is part of humanity and it's just always there and we're not we don't know?
451
00:30:38.323 --> 00:30:38.903
I see.
452
00:30:39.243 --> 00:30:42.746
And unfortunately, yeah, it is getting worse.
453
00:30:42.766 --> 00:30:44.368
So here's what we know.
454
00:30:45.429 --> 00:30:49.632
Migraine is actually the leading cause of disability in women under 50.
455
00:30:49.872 --> 00:30:52.675
That's according to the Global Burden of Disease Report.
456
00:30:52.695 --> 00:30:54.616
So this is multiple parts of the world.
457
00:30:54.696 --> 00:30:56.638
It's not just our crazy American culture.
458
00:30:56.718 --> 00:30:58.259
This is happening to a lot of people.
459
00:30:58.279 --> 00:31:02.143
28 million American women have migraine.
460
00:31:02.663 --> 00:31:03.403
That's a lot.
461
00:31:03.964 --> 00:31:16.590
And even more disturbingly, the American Migraine Foundation estimates that only about 5% of people who really do have migraine have, you know, been to a doctor, been diagnosed and gotten meds.
462
00:31:16.710 --> 00:31:19.432
Now, part of that's access to care, right?
463
00:31:19.492 --> 00:31:22.093
You know, that could be part of the reason that it's such a small percent.
464
00:31:22.713 --> 00:31:28.215
Still, that's a lot of people listening right now who have migraine and don't know it.
465
00:31:28.395 --> 00:31:34.316
And their bad headaches, their sinus headaches or, you know, tension headaches, whatever it is that they're calling them.
466
00:31:34.516 --> 00:31:35.557
Those are actually migraines.
467
00:31:36.937 --> 00:31:37.197
Yeah.
468
00:31:37.217 --> 00:31:37.857
So that's interesting.
469
00:31:37.877 --> 00:31:50.081
You're bringing up the point of like, can you be with something for long enough or have it be so systemic that you don't even realize that there's help out there beyond, you know, just popping a pill?
470
00:31:50.675 --> 00:31:54.956
That's why in so much of my work, I refer to migraines and other chronic headaches.
471
00:31:55.096 --> 00:32:03.337
And I know that sometimes people with migraines get upset by that because migraine is its own diagnostic category and it is a separate deal.
472
00:32:03.837 --> 00:32:12.279
But we have to understand that those lines do blur when you look at the big picture of headaches in general and understand how many people are undiagnosed.
473
00:32:12.499 --> 00:32:15.359
And there are certainly tools available to help them, too.
474
00:32:16.660 --> 00:32:19.020
Now, why do you think it's increasing, though?
475
00:32:19.060 --> 00:32:19.160
Yeah.
476
00:32:19.650 --> 00:32:26.356
Crazy modern life, staying up too late, not sleeping, more fragmented social connections.
477
00:32:26.416 --> 00:32:30.920
I mean, we don't sit around the fire with the people we love in the evening anymore.
478
00:32:32.501 --> 00:32:34.323
So I think those are part of it.
479
00:32:34.403 --> 00:32:42.830
And unfortunately, I think toxins are a much, much bigger issue than most people realize because of their effect on mitochondria and because toxins.
480
00:32:43.090 --> 00:32:49.073
So many people with migraine have trouble clearing out those toxins and also managing oxidative stress.
481
00:32:49.093 --> 00:32:49.733
I mean, that's me.
482
00:32:49.753 --> 00:32:50.953
That's my migraine type.
483
00:32:51.333 --> 00:32:52.394
I have the energy type.
484
00:32:53.314 --> 00:33:00.217
It takes a lot of work in terms of lifestyle change to address that issue.
485
00:33:00.457 --> 00:33:05.079
And I think that we're going to be hearing a lot more about that in the next decade.
486
00:33:05.099 --> 00:33:07.080
I think that's a bigger issue than people realize.
487
00:33:07.891 --> 00:33:12.136
Is that why you move towards neurology and why migraines are our focus?
488
00:33:12.196 --> 00:33:16.722
Is it something you've suffered with in your lifetime or is it something a parent did?
489
00:33:17.551 --> 00:33:18.792
Yeah, no, absolutely.
490
00:33:19.652 --> 00:33:22.274
All the women in my family have migraine.
491
00:33:22.354 --> 00:33:23.815
That's definitely true.
492
00:33:24.115 --> 00:33:26.876
But on the other hand, I was always interested in the brain.
493
00:33:26.936 --> 00:33:29.218
So it's not necessarily why I chose it.
494
00:33:29.638 --> 00:33:34.101
I mean, I was a very geeky little kid sitting around playing with clay and making human brains.
495
00:33:34.121 --> 00:33:36.542
I think I made my parents nervous.
496
00:33:36.602 --> 00:33:38.063
You know, like, why is she playing?
497
00:33:38.543 --> 00:33:39.684
Why is she making brains?
498
00:33:39.724 --> 00:33:40.184
That's weird.
499
00:33:40.464 --> 00:33:44.246
But anyway, I did end up being a neurologist.
500
00:33:44.286 --> 00:33:46.508
So, you know, there was something there that was meant to be.
501
00:33:46.528 --> 00:33:46.628
Yeah.
502
00:33:47.561 --> 00:33:50.082
Neurology isn't necessarily the study of migraines.
503
00:33:50.682 --> 00:33:52.763
That just became your focus over time.
504
00:33:53.423 --> 00:33:54.383
Right, right, yeah.
505
00:33:54.643 --> 00:33:56.744
Lots of other stuff within the field as a whole.
506
00:33:57.284 --> 00:33:59.205
Thank you so much for being on the podcast.
507
00:33:59.285 --> 00:34:00.946
Where can people get your book?
508
00:34:01.126 --> 00:34:04.647
Where can they start working with you if they're inclined?
509
00:34:05.767 --> 00:34:09.149
Everything is on my website, ameliaskottbarrettmd.com.
510
00:34:10.249 --> 00:34:10.669
Excellent.
511
00:34:10.769 --> 00:34:13.230
And if they want to find you on socials, are you on socials?
512
00:34:13.973 --> 00:34:16.374
Same, same name everywhere, no matter the platform.
513
00:34:16.674 --> 00:34:17.255
Yep.
514
00:34:17.355 --> 00:34:17.615
Nice.
515
00:34:17.715 --> 00:34:18.515
I just made it easy.
516
00:34:18.535 --> 00:34:19.396
Yeah.
517
00:34:20.036 --> 00:34:20.316
Okay.
518
00:34:20.336 --> 00:34:21.177
So final question.
519
00:34:21.217 --> 00:34:22.177
I asked this of everyone.
520
00:34:22.217 --> 00:34:28.260
If you could wave a magic wand, bring back one ancestral practice, what would that be and why?
521
00:34:28.941 --> 00:34:30.741
That's a really good question.
522
00:34:30.761 --> 00:34:33.543
Oh, I want to take a minute to answer this carefully.
523
00:34:35.307 --> 00:34:40.993
I think tribal human communities with no technology.
524
00:34:41.754 --> 00:34:45.918
Like there's nowhere you can go to find that in our modern world.
525
00:34:46.258 --> 00:34:47.780
I don't think anyway.
526
00:34:47.800 --> 00:34:48.741
I haven't discovered any.
527
00:34:49.802 --> 00:34:54.507
But if there were some way where people could go to choose to live in
528
00:34:54.987 --> 00:35:01.732
technology free for, I don't know, even a month or a week or six months or a year and live with a community of people.
529
00:35:01.792 --> 00:35:06.995
I mean, I know it's not the same as like the community you were born and raised and you're going to die with.
530
00:35:07.055 --> 00:35:11.358
But I just I just love maybe I over romanticize it.
531
00:35:11.378 --> 00:35:11.738
I don't know.
532
00:35:11.798 --> 00:35:18.423
But that just sounds amazingly nourishing and just like something that would just really hold our souls.
533
00:35:18.443 --> 00:35:19.904
Yeah.
534
00:35:20.583 --> 00:35:27.848
Yeah, it's tough because those of us that remember life before we had these supercomputers in our pockets, we have that contrast.
535
00:35:27.908 --> 00:35:32.191
But many people in these younger generations don't.
536
00:35:32.231 --> 00:35:34.052
They've been living with it since day one.
537
00:35:34.832 --> 00:35:35.153
Yeah.
538
00:35:35.493 --> 00:35:36.854
Well, thank you so much, Amelia.
539
00:35:36.874 --> 00:35:38.275
I appreciate your time.
540
00:35:38.815 --> 00:35:41.796
This is something, as you mentioned, so many people are living with.
541
00:35:42.156 --> 00:35:51.439
And I am so happy that you are bringing some solutions and some different perspectives and hope to those people that are chronically experiencing migraines.
542
00:35:52.179 --> 00:35:53.020
So thank you for that.
543
00:35:53.620 --> 00:35:54.080
Yeah.
544
00:35:54.200 --> 00:36:03.823
And thank you so much for letting me be here, for letting me help your community understand that, you know, there really are new solutions that are changing people's lives.
545
00:36:05.378 --> 00:36:05.779
Thank you.
546
00:36:06.259 --> 00:36:08.682
And thank you all for coming with us on this ride.
547
00:36:09.303 --> 00:36:12.366
As usual, remember, stay curious and be well.
548
00:36:13.433 --> 00:36:16.855
Thank you so much for joining me on Everyday Ancestral.
549
00:36:17.696 --> 00:36:21.898
If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe so you don't miss the next one.
550
00:36:22.279 --> 00:36:27.202
You can find the show notes, links, and resources mentioned at eatpluck.com.
551
00:36:27.242 --> 00:36:32.365
That's E-A-T-P-L-U-C-K dot com.
552
00:36:33.086 --> 00:36:37.949
And hey, if you know someone who'd get something out of this, share it with them too.
553
00:36:38.469 --> 00:36:42.532
Stay curious, live well, and keep it ancestral.
554
00:36:42.552 --> 00:36:42.872
Thank you.
