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Ever boarded a plane feeling fine, only to fly and land with a pounding headache?
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Let's uncover why flying can be a migraine minefield.
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Migraine Heroes is a podcast for chronic migraine sufferers who've seen countless doctors with no
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results. Learn how to reduce your migraine attacks without endless medications or constant sacrifices.
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Hello, I'm Diane Ducarme. I've helped over 500 people break free from migraine,
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even after suffering for up to 60 years. My mission in life? To bring this relief
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to a million people using a unique blend of eastern medicine and western science.
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In this episode, you will learn why cabin pressure changes during flights can ignite
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migraine attacks and how to anticipate them, the surprising role of dehydration,
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air conditioning, and even airplane lighting in triggering migraines,
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how traditional Chinese medicine views flying-induced migraines, and what you can do to
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stay balanced. Tomorrow, I'm flying to Washington DC to meet one of our board members. When I
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studied Migraine Heroes, I received a lot of bad, very bad advice. I think the worst of all was,
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you solve migraines. Can you make them sick longer? There was also, you work with 60 foods?
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Oh, make that 10 a nice placebo box with a nice logo. That will work. And then the worst of all
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was from a neurologist whose daughter I had helped, who was saying, pharma pays me a lot
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to recommend medications. How much will you pay me to recommend your service? Don't start.
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It will never work. I was always listening politely, staying composed, thanking people
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for their time, and moving on. But then in the middle of that absurd profit-choosing chaos,
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there were some good souls who would get the importance of standing for migraines
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and who would give us very sound advice. And one of those is Wolf. Wolf is from Germany and
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is based in Washington DC in the US. He has written a bestseller on artificial intelligence.
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He's on the board of 12 companies and has a company of his own. I'm meeting with him literally
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tomorrow. And given your summer or school holidays are approaching, I thought I would
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tackle a topic of importance, flying and migraines. Did you know there's something called an airplane
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headache? Airplane headaches are intense, sudden onset headaches that typically occur during
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takeoff or landing. They are now recognized by the International Classification of Headache
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Disorders as a distinct condition, headache attributed to airplane travel. Now if this is
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for the wide population, for those who suffer from migraine disease, this can be a lot worse
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and at different times of the flight. Before, due to the stress of the departure and anxiety of the
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migraine upcoming, during the whole flight, or even worse once you arrive and are about to start
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your very much needed holiday. And indeed, research indicates that individuals with a
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history of migraines are much more susceptible to airplane headaches. So what triggers migraines in
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the air from a western science perspective? Number one, cabin pressure fluctuations. During ascent
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and descent, the cabin pressure changes rapidly and this can lead to sinus barotrauma or vascular
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changes in the brain, both as we know, migraine triggers. Number two, hypoxia or low oxygen levels.
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Cabin air is pressurized to about 6,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level, leading to lower oxygen
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levels. This hypoxia can cause cerebral vasodilation, a known migraine trigger. Number three, dehydration.
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Airplane cabins have low humidity, leading to dehydration. Dehydration is a common and very
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well-known migraine trigger. Number four, stress and anxiety. The stress of travel, including security
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checks, flight delays, all contribute to migraine onset. And number five, sensory overload, bright
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lights, loud noses, changes in temperature and strong odors in the cabin can overstimulate the
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senses, triggering migraines. Now, what does the East see? Traditional Chinese medicine does not
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disagree with anything that the West says, but goes probably a level deeper in the blockages that
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can be created in the body resulting from these external sources and disturbances, and how those
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can translate into migraines. So flying is going to disrupt the body's balance due to, number one,
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yin deficiency. So dry cabin air is going to deplete the body's yin, leading to symptoms like
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dizziness and headaches. This is huge and incredibly important and needs to be addressed before,
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during and after the flight. We're going to talk about that in a minute. The second deep imbalance
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is wind invasion. Exposure to air conditioning and drafts can allow winds to invade the body,
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a common cause of headaches in traditional Chinese medicine. A huge migraine trigger here again, and
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this one is completely missing by Western science, yet super important. I will tell you how to address
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it specifically in a minute. The third one is Qi stagnation. So prolonged sitting and stress can
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impede the flow of Qi, of energy, leading to blockages and therefore headaches and migraines.
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And the last one, blood stasis. So if you have a few blood clots resulting from surgeries or excess
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medications or other impurities in your veins, those will create a bit more pain as your blood
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vessel will have a tendency to constrict. So what can you do? Of course it's important to tackle
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your migraines more holistically, to avoid this altogether. But meanwhile, I want to be pragmatic
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with two very concrete advice today. Number one, I want you to hydrate in a smart way.
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In the West, we just say, just drink water. It doesn't work quite that simple. Essentially,
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your goal is to not get constipated. That's how you know you need lubrication of your brain,
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and therefore lubrication of your gut brain axis is what's going to give away if your brain is
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lubricated. In the West, we say that to be hydrated, we just need to drink water. Now,
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first of all, I want you to make that water warm. So have a warm bottle with you on the plane.
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Neurons grow faster when drinking more. This is a scientific fact proven by something called
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the Nernst equation, a topic for another podcast. So here's the trick. You can add a slice of lemon
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in there. The only contraindication here is if you have acid reflux or GERD or a few goji berries.
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Contraindication here is if you have IBS and are on a FODMAP diet, so an Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
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And you have that warm water with any of those two. And that will increase your yin and hydrate
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you very deeply. Now, if you have your menstruation while on flight, please avoid any of those two.
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Just have the warm water. Otherwise, it is going to make you bleed more and then trigger migraines
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after menstruation, which we don't want. The second advice is the following. I want you to
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protect your neck. Your neck is a place of vulnerability when you fly. While your vagus
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nerve is hidden in most parts of your body, inside your brain and your thorax, it is super exposed to
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the external world in your neck. And air conditioning and fans in airplanes can be an absolute
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trigger for migraines, especially if you're susceptible to the ones moving from the back
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to the front of the brain and those changing location from one day to the next. While the
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best way is to achieve balance from inside, meanwhile, a good hack is to protect your neck.
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So think a hoodie or a scarf. And so with those two simple hacks, you will reduce already a lot
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of the potential for migraines. If we work together, the Migraine Heroes app with Dulcie, Hélène,
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Julie and I will help you navigate the rest. Now enjoy starting to plan your holidays.
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And remember, every small step you take moves you closer to freedom.
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You are powerful, you are resilient and you are never alone. Keep rising, Migraine Hero.
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Found this episode helpful? Hit subscribe so you never miss an episode with the powerful insights
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and practical tips for real migraine relief.
