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Are everyday foods secretly fueling your migraines?
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This episode unpacks the hidden chemicals
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that may be behind your worst attacks
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and what to do about them.
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Migraine Heroes is a podcast for chronic migraine sufferers
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who've seen countless doctors with no results.
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Learn how to reduce your migraine attacks
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without endless medications or constant sacrifices.
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Hello, I'm Diane Ducarme.
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I've helped over 500 people break free from migraine,
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even after suffering for up to 60 years.
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My mission in life?
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To bring this relief to a million people
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using a unique blend of Eastern medicine
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and Western science.
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In this episode, you will learn
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the top three food chemicals
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most commonly linked to migraine attacks,
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why your favorite healthy foods
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might be setting off your symptoms
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and how to identify and safely eliminate these chemicals
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from your diet starting today.
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Stay with me until the end
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because we'll also explore
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what traditional Chinese medicine says about food chemicals
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and it's surprisingly empowering.
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Now let's begin with the Western perspective
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on food chemicals and migraines.
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So food chemicals are substances
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either naturally occurring or adding during processing
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that can have psychological effects.
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While many are safe for the general population
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or at least considered to be safe,
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for migraine sufferers, they may act as potent triggers.
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A study published in Neurology
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reported that up to 30% of migraine sufferers
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identified food as a significant trigger,
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but what exactly in the food?
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It's not always the food itself.
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It's often what is in the food, inside the food.
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So chemical culprits number one, nitrates and nitrates.
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These are commonly added to processed meats
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to preserve color and prevent bacterial growth.
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A groundbreaking 2017 study in M Systems
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found that people who suffer from migraine
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have a higher level of nitrate-reducing bacteria
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This suggests a metabolic compound
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where nitrates may be more readily converted
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into nitric oxide, a known migraine trigger.
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Nitric oxide is a vasodilator.
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It causes blood vessels to widen.
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While this can improve circulation,
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in migraine-prone individuals,
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the sudden dilation can activate pain pathways in the brain,
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especially around the trigeminal nerve,
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which is central to migraine attacks.
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And what's more, nitric oxide can trigger
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the release of inflammatory molecules like the CGRP,
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the calcitonin gene-related peptides.
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CGRP plays a major role in migraines
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by widening blood vessels even more,
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increasing inflammation, heightening pain sensitivity.
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Nitric oxide can also raise the excitability
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of neurons of your brain cells.
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In people with migraine,
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the brain is already more sensitive or hyper-excitable,
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so too much nitric oxide can cause a kind of chain reaction
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leading to the start of a migraine aura or pain phase.
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Chemical culprit number two, monosodium glutamate, or MSG.
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You've probably heard of MSG,
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the flavor enhancer found in many savory or processed foods.
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But did you know it could be triggering your migraines?
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MSG is often blamed
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for the so-called Chinese restaurant syndrome.
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MSG is a form of glutamate, a natural chemical in your brain
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that excites neurons and helps them communicate.
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But for those of us with migraine-prone brains,
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which are already more sensitive,
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too much glutamate can overstimulate the nervous system.
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This surge can cause neurons to fire excessively,
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setting off a cascade of symptoms like throbbing pain,
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dizziness, nausea, or even aura.
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excess glutamate can spark inflammation
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and disrupt blood flow,
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two major things that can make migraine worse.
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So if you feel off after a takeout meal or a salty snack,
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MSG might be part of that story.
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A 2018 review in Nutrients
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confirms that MSG can cause headache
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in susceptible individuals,
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possibly by exciting certain neurons in the brain
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and altering the glutamate's pathway.
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Now, I have lived for five years in Shanghai
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and I lived in Beijing and Xi'an as well.
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I love Asian foods.
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I really, really, really do.
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However, over the last years,
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I have personally developed an intolerance to MSG.
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MSG in the food, I know it within the hour.
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The weight manifests for me is just really intense thirst.
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I'm gonna be due to bedtime and compulsively drinking water.
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And then I know I'm gonna wake up
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and just suddenly from one to 3 a.m.
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when my liver is detoxing.
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And so basically I'm on a sort of no MSG couple of months
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to desensitize myself
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because I can really feel it's getting at me.
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Chemical culprit number three, tyramine.
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Tyramine is a naturally-occurring compound
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found in aged, fermented, or cured foods
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like aged cheeses, smoked meats, and soy products.
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And according to a 2016 article
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in the Journal of Headache and Pain,
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tyramine can influence blood vessel dilation
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and affect neurotransmitter balance,
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both key factors in migraine onset.
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So the overarching hypothesis is that these chemicals
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either directly affect the brain's pathways,
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alter vascular function, visodilation,
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cause inflammatory responses,
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or influence or end influence the gut-brain axis.
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Now let's turn east for a minute
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and go to traditional Chinese medicine.
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Traditional Chinese medicine views food
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not just as a collection of chemicals,
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but it looks at food the way it enters the body,
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and it looks at it as energetic medicine.
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And so for them, nitrates and nitrates
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would be seen as toxic dampness contributors.
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Processed meats are damp-producing
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and difficult to digest,
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clouding clarity of the shen, the spirit,
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and disturbing some of the stomach's pain axis.
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If we take MSG, it's gonna excite the nervous system.
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In traditional Chinese medicine,
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this could be interpreted as creating internal wind
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and disturbing the harmony of the heart and of the liver,
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leading to agitation and headache.
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And the tyramine-rich foods
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are often characterized as yang excess food.
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They create internal heat, disturb the liver,
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which in traditional Chinese medicine
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governs the free flow of qi and blood,
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and so liver-qi stagnation can lead
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to what is called liver yang rising,
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which is frequently implicated in migraine headaches.
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Now, additionally, Ayurveda emphasizes the concept of ama,
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or toxic buildup due to improper digestion.
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All three chemicals mentioned are seen to create ama,
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leading to blockages and disease.
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In traditional Chinese medicine, that term is called tan.
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So your brain is right to complain about them.
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They should be avoided by all,
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not just by people suffering from migraine.
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In the Migraine Heroes app,
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we put your triggers in a customized way,
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not because you should not have them.
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You can always have them,
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but because having them too frequently
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or not knowing that they actually harm you
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can slow down your recovery process.
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You should only have them
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if you're craving them at all costs,
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or if you really like them,
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but you shouldn't have them
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because they're part of your routine, is what I'm saying.
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So that's why it's so important to cook your own foods
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and know what you're eating.
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If your brain is highly sensitive,
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as it often is with migraines,
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then what you put in your body matters deeply.
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Substances like MSG might be invisible to your eyes,
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but they're definitely not invisible to your brain.
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So support your nervous system
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by making intentional choices.
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Cook from scratch when you can,
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choose whole foods,
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and treat your brain like the powerhouse it is.
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It's listening to everything you feed it.
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And remember, every small step you take
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moves you closer to freedom.
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You are powerful, you are resilient,
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and you are no longer alone.
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Keep rising, migraine hero.
