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What if one of the most celebrated wellness drinks today could either soothe your migraine brain or quietly make it worse?
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Welcome to Migraine Heroes, a podcast for people living with chronic migraines with years of pain,
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misunderstanding and lack of answers.
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I'm Diane Ducarme. I've helped more than a thousand people reduce the burden of migraines and feel more in control.
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My mission in life? To help a million people.
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Each episode brings you grounded insight into what your body might be asking for and what can truly help.
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Just to keep you fully supported, this podcast is educational.
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For diagnosis or medication, always work with your doctor.
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Now, take a breath and let's dive in.
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In this episode, you will learn why a famous powder drink praised for calm energy may either stabilize or over-stimulate a migraine brain.
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How certain compounds inside it influence brain excitability, blood vessels and inflammation linked to migraines.
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And how to actually know whether your body experiences it as a support or as a pernicious trigger.
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Stay with me till the end, because at the end of this episode,
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you will discover the identity of the drink that we're talking about.
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And I will cut to the chase and tell you for whom it can be a migraine support and relief, and for whom it is a slow trigger.
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If you live with migraines, you probably know that uneasy feeling around food and drinks.
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Something that can feel nourishing or energizing a day,
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and then the next time it seems to trigger a migraine. And the unpredictability can be exhausting. And
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at times, it may feel like you're doing everything right.
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You eat carefully, you pay attention to your body, you try to live gently and responsibly, and yet the pain still comes.
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And meanwhile, some close to you might indulge freely in food, drinks, late nights and other pleasures and feel perfectly fine.
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It can leave you feeling misunderstood or even questioned, as if you're overthinking things, when in reality,
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you're simply trying to make sense
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of your body and the world around you.
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Today, we're exploring a powdered beverage that has exploded in popularity in the wellness world.
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It is often praised for providing steady focus, calm, alertness and powerful antioxidant benefits.
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But when it comes to migraines, the picture is much more complex.
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Unlike most traditional brewed drinks,
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with this one, you consume the entire plant material rather than just an infusion.
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Let me say that again, because that nuance matters. You consume the entire plant rather than just an infusion of it.
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As a result, the concentration of bioactive compounds can be significantly higher.
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Among the compounds found in this beverage are caffeine,
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catechins and polyphenols.
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Each of these compounds interact with the nervous system in ways that can potentially influence migraine activity.
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One of the most interesting components is l-theanine, an amino acid known for promoting a state of relaxed alertness.
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A study published in Biological Psychology
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found that l-theanine can increase alpha brain wave activity, which is associated with a calm but focused mental state.
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For people living with migraines, this is particularly relevant because migraine brain often display heightened cortical excitability.
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Compounds that gently encourage neutral stability may help reduce the likelihood of overstimulation.
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Another benefit may come from the drink's high concentration of polyphenols. Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation
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are increasingly recognized as contributing factors in migraine pathophysiology. Research published in Nutrients
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suggests that certain plants' polyphenols may help reduce inflammatory signaling and oxidative stress in the brain.
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there's the question of caffeine.
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Caffeine, as you probably know, is a double-edged sword in migraine medicine.
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In moderate amounts, it can constrict dilated blood vessels and improve absorption of pain medication.
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A review in the Journal of Headache and Pain explains that small amounts of caffeine can sometimes reduce migraine symptoms in certain
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individuals. Because this powdered drink contains both caffeine and l-theanine, many people experience what is often described as smooth,
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sustained alertness rather than a sharp stimulant effect. For some migraine sufferers, this combination may feel stabilizing.
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However, there's another side to the story.
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Caffeine is also one of the most frequently reported migraine triggers when consumed in excess or inconsistently.
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A prospective cohort study published in the American Journal of Medicine found that consuming three or more caffeinated beverages in a day
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increased the likelihood of experiencing a migraine that same day. Because this drink involves consuming the entire powdered material
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rather than a diluted brew,
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its caffeine and stimulant content can sometimes be stronger than expected. Another potential issue involves vascular signaling.
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Certain plant compounds can influence nitric oxide pathways, which regulates blood vessel dilation.
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Since migraine attacks involve complex changes in vascular tone and neural signaling,
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individuals with sensitive systems may react unpredictably.
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There's also the issue of digestive sensitivity and blood sugar stability. When consumed on an empty stomach,
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concentrated caffeinated beverages can lead to jitters, nausea, and energy crashes, which may destabilize the migraine-prone brain.
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So from a western scientific perspective,
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the answer is not that simple. For some people, the combination of L-thelanine,
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antioxidants, and moderate caffeine can support mental clarity and reduce inflammatory stress. For others,
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caffeine concentration and vascular responses may increase migraine risk. The key factor is individual sensitivity and dosage.
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And here I want to make something clear. It's not because you drink that beverage that instantly you know on which side you are.
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Hence the clarity I'm trying to instill in this podcast. In eastern traditions,
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this beverage is far more than a drink. It's a ritual, a philosophy, and a moment of presence.
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For centuries, it's been prepared through a slow and intentional process, often associated with meditation,
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focus, and balance of the mind. Traditional Chinese medicine views many plant-based drinks through the lens of energetic qualities,
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rather than chemical compounds. In this framework,
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beverages like this one are often described as cooling, slightly bitter, and
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clearing. And these qualities are believed to help reduce internal heat,
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which in traditional Chinese medicine is often associated with symptoms such as
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throbbing headaches, irritability,
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sensitivity to light. And many migraine patterns in traditional Chinese medicine involve the liver yang rising upward toward the head. And when energy rises
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symptoms can appear in the temples, eyes, and crown of the head.
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Drinks with cooling and clearing properties are sometimes used to help settle this energy and calm the mind. And so it can tackle
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high-grade migraines, the ones that spike real high in pain level. Now this plant
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also helps to clear dampness and heavy fluids. Think brain fog,
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feeling sad, having long migraine post-stroke, longer one and longer ones for some of you,
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feeling meh. And so from that perspective, it can also address low-grade migraines.
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But Eastern medicine, of course, also emphasizes something extremely important, your body's
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constitution. There's a traditional saying that says
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medicine for one person may be poison for another. And that is so so true.
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While cooling drinks may calm excess heat, they can also weaken digestion if consumed excessively.
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And so in traditional Chinese medicine, the spleen system
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governs digestion and energy production. And when it becomes weakened, adding this beverage makes it even weaker,
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leading to other forms of migraines. For migraine sufferers who already struggle with low energy or digestive
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sensitivity, too much of this beverage may actually worsen the headaches. And for someone with very dry
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constitution already, the fact of removing excessive fluids can make the rare and precious ones
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faulty, leading to more migraines, low-grade dizziness. That is especially true for women, for example, in perimenopause.
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That is why traditional preparation
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emphasizes mindfulness and moderation. It is rarely consumed hurried or in large quantities. Instead, the preparation itself becomes a
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meditative practice, whisking the powder,
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holding the bowl, posing before drinking. The philosophy behind this ritual helps to be more intuitive as to whether this beverage is good for you.
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Now, the big reveal. This beverage is matcha, the vibrant green powder made from
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finely ground tea leaves whisked into a smooth, frothy cup.
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Now, let's find your answer for you today in your home and let me cut to the chase.
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Matcha is excellent for you if you experience migraines on the top of the head, the crown of the head, on your temples,
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across your eyebrows. It's really good if you tend to have PMS migraines, so migraines just before your menstruation.
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It tends to be good if you are often frustrated or angry inside, that you have repressed anger.
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Matcha is not good for you if you are in perimenopause, if you feel dizzy often, if you're
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constipated or have diarrhea often, one of the two or both, and if you feel cold most of the time.
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Every single day, we work for people across the globe who suffer from migraine disease with foods.
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So it is not likely that I share these findings there,
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both in Western science and in Eastern traditions, and really validate it through our database days in and days out.
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And remember, every small step you take moves you closer to freedom. You are powerful,
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you are resilient, and you are not alone. Keep rising, migraine hero.
