This episode was inspired by a woman on a free consult who told me she tries to stop a migraine by putting on upbeat music and raising her mood and energy.

I’m so glad she asked, because this is a common misunderstanding of what I mean when I talk about the third principle: resilience and vitality.

In this episode, I explain the difference between “positive mindset” and the actual organizing energy of the body (what some traditions call chi or the vital force).

If your vitality is low, your “internal compass needle” gets pushed into your migraine zone by stressors, sometimes big ones like illness, and sometimes subtle ones like sunlight or barometric pressure.

The goal isn’t to psych yourself up.

The goal is to restore the strength of your vitality and identify what’s draining it (including habits, symptoms like insomnia/anxiety, and deeper mental-emotional patterns that keep you out of alignment).

If you’ve been doing supplements and “detoxes” but still getting knocked into migraines, this episode will help you understand the missing piece.

And if you want to talk about your current migraine situation and get clarity on the next steps of your healing process, you can schedule your consultation below, let's talk!

https://www.drlesliecisar.com/apply

Free Training: 5 Proven Steps to Being Migraine Free (Even if you think you've already tried everything.)

https://www.drlesliecisar.com/5SHMN

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/

Free Facebook Group: Healing Migraines Naturally, with Leslie Cisar, ND

Ready to try something radically different that actually works? Read more about my approach here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/map

My client “Emily” ate brownies on her birthday.

If you’ve had chronic migraines, you know why that’s a big deal.

When we started working together three months ago, Emily had daily head pain, migraines flaring on top of it, and she was following the GAPS diet (one of the most restrictive elimination diets out there).

She had been on it for two years.

And despite all that effort, she still had major digestive symptoms… and she still had daily head pain.

In this episode, I explain why eliminating foods doesn’t heal your digestion.

It often does the opposite. When you eliminate real foods like eggs, dairy, and grains, you also eliminate nutrient intake.

Over time, that can leave your body more depleted and more reactive.

What actually works is restoring function first: gently stimulating the digestive organs so you can break down food, absorb nutrients, and tolerate normal life again.

With Emily, we used gentle support to rebuild digestion, then reintroduced foods strategically (including wheat… and yes, eventually, brownies).

Three months later her digestion is about 90% improved, she has head-pain-free days, and her overall severity is dramatically better.

This is the goal: not a lifetime of fear, restriction, and “badge of honor” dieting.

It’s getting healthy enough to enjoy your life again.

Schedule your free consultation below:

https://www.drlesliecisar.com/apply

Free Training: 5 Proven Steps to Being Migraine Free (Even if you think you've already tried everything.)

https://www.drlesliecisar.com/5SHMN

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/

Free Facebook Group:  Healing Migraines Naturally, with Leslie Cisar, ND

Ready to try something radically different that actually works? Read more about my approach here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/map

My client Linda lives in the Midwest.

The big temperature swings and storms guaranteed a severe, bedridden migraine every single time.

Here's what's happening:

Barometric pressure changes and temperature fluctuations are physical stressors on your body. Everyone experiences them, but not everyone gets migraines.

Why?

It's not the stressor alone, it's the interplay between the stressor and your resilience and vitality.

Think of your body like a compass needle. When you're healthy, the needle points north. Environmental stressors push it toward the migraine zone. Your resilience and vitality push it back.

If your vitality is strong enough, the needle doesn't enter the migraine zone—even when the weather changes.

You can't control the weather. But you can restore your resilience and vitality.

Linda and I have been working together for three months. She's had daily head pain for decades. Last week, a massive storm hit, the kind that used to leave her bedridden for days.

She never went to bed. She felt it a little, but stayed upright the entire time.

That's what happens when you restore your body's resilience instead of just tracking triggers.

If you want to stop being at the mercy of the weather, schedule your free consultation below. 

https://www.drlesliecisar.com/apply

Free Training: 5 Proven Steps to Being Migraine Free (Even if you think you've already tried everything.)

https://www.drlesliecisar.com/5SHMN

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/

Free Facebook Group:  Healing Migraines Naturally, with Leslie Cisar, ND

Ready to try something radically different that actually works? Read more about my approach here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/map

You leave your neurologist's office with another prescription.

You thought they'd finally dig into why you're getting migraines. Instead? Another medication to try.

Here's what most people don't understand:

Medical doctors aren't looking for root causes. They're confirming a diagnosis and following a checklist called "standard of care."

Once the diagnosis is made, the doctor follows an algorithm: Try this medication. If that doesn't work, try this one. Keep moving down the list.

They're not trained to believe your body can heal.

Allopathic medicine operates from the belief that once you develop a chronic condition, it's broken and defective. You can only suppress the symptoms.

But you know intuitively that if you could figure out what your body needs, it would heal. And you're right.

Your body needs three things to stop generating migraines: nutrient delivery, waste clearance, and cellular resilience.

The mismatch happens when you expect a root-cause investigation and get a prescription instead.

If you believe your migraines can be healed, work with someone who shares that understanding.

Schedule your free consultation here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/apply

Free Training: 5 Proven Steps to Being Migraine Free (Even if you think you've already tried everything.)

https://www.drlesliecisar.com/5SHMN

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/

Free Facebook Group:  Healing Migraines Naturally, with Leslie Cisar, ND

Ready to try something radically different that actually works? Read more about my approach here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/map

You went 10 days without a migraine. You were so excited. You thought you finally figured it out.

Then boom....migraine. Day 10.

And your mind spirals: What did I do wrong? I'm doomed. Nothing works for me. My husband eats Doritos by the bag and doesn't get migraines. I'm being so careful and I still got one.

Sound familiar?

In this episode, I'm breaking down why you're not actually failing, and why that migraine on Day 10 doesn't mean you're back at square one.

Here's what we think will happen when our body starts healing: Every day gets a little better. Every week is better than the last. A nice, smooth 45-degree line straight up to 100%.

That's not what actually happens.

We zigzag our way back to health. You feel better, then you dip. Then better again, then another dip. But each dip doesn't take you back to zero, you're still ahead of where you started.

I just had this conversation with my client Shannon. She had daily head pain and 3-4 migraines per week when we started. She was taking Excedrin nearly every day (which puts you into rebound—more on that in the free training linked below).

This week, she went 10 days without a migraine. Her baseline head pain dropped from a 3-4 to a 1. She was thrilled.

Then I told her something she didn't want to hear: "You're going to get another migraine."

Because healing doesn't happen in a straight line. And when that next migraine hits, she's already won. She went from 12 migraines a month to 3. That's a massive improvement—even if Day 11 brings another flare.

There are four areas of improvement I look for with every client:

If you see improvement in these areas, you're healing—even if you still get migraines.

Your mind won't tell you this. When you dip, your mind says: "I'm doomed. I'm defective. Nothing works."

But the data tells a different story. And if you don't understand this, you'll throw in the towel right when you're making progress.

Want to understand why your medications stop working? I dive deep into this phenomenon in my episode "How To Get Off Your Migraine Meds" 

Schedule your free consultation here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/apply

Free Training: 5 Proven Steps to Being Migraine Free (Even if you think you've already tried everything.)

https://www.drlesliecisar.com/5SHMN

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/

Free Facebook Group:  Healing Migraines Naturally, with Leslie Cisar, ND

Ready to try something radically different that actually works? Read more about my approach here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/map

You walk into Home Goods and the candle aisle knocks you out. Your coworker lights a pumpkin spice candle. Someone cooks ground beef. 

Instant migraine.

Or maybe you're the one smelling everything, and no one else does.

This is odor sensitivity, and it's one of the most disruptive migraine symptoms.

Here's what's happening: When you breathe in an odor, you're breathing in molecules that your liver has to detoxify and eliminate.

Why does this happen?

Think of your body like a toxin bucket. Your liver drains it by processing metabolic waste and environmental toxins.

But if your liver doesn't have the nutrients it needs or the cellular voltage to run optimally, it slows down. The bucket fills up.

When your bucket is full to the brim, even small exposures like laundry detergent, perfume, a candle, for example, tip you over into a migraine.

You're hypersensitive because your toxin bucket is overflowing.

When we drain that bucket by addressing blockers in the first and third principles, your liver runs faster. The bucket level drops. And suddenly, you can tolerate your friend's fabric softener, your husband's legendary cooking, and browsing Home Goods without fleeing.

I've seen clients go from fleeing candle aisles to browsing for 30 minutes without noticing any smell.

This isn't genetic as many migrainers think it is. It's an overflowing toxin bucket, and it can be turned around.

Schedule your free consultation here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/apply

Free Training: 5 Proven Steps to Being Migraine Free (Even if you think you've already tried everything.)

https://www.drlesliecisar.com/5SHMN

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/

Free Facebook Group:  Healing Migraines Naturally, with Leslie Cisar, ND

Ready to try something radically different that actually works? Read more about my approach here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/map

Mary Jo had migraines for 35 years.

She tried everything: tricyclics, beta blockers, anti-seizure meds, steroids, antidepressants, birth control pills, Botox, acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, physical therapy.

Nothing worked.

Over the past year and a half, her migraines got so bad that she was waking up in the middle of the night, unable to function. She went back to the first medication she tried 20 years ago, Imitrex injections, because it was the only thing that would take the edge off.

She was getting Toradol injections at her doctor's office. Missing work. Canceling on friends. She could only plan one social activity per week, and even then, she often couldn't go.

She was 47 years old and felt like she'd missed out on 30 years of life.

In this episode, Mary Jo shares what happened when she joined my 12-week Healing Migraines Naturally program.

Within 11 weeks:

She said it felt like she took 10 years off her migraine symptoms.

This is what happens when you stop treating symptoms and start addressing root causes.

If you're ready to stop suffering and start healing, let's talk.

Book your free consultation: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/apply

Free Training: 5 Proven Steps to Being Migraine Free (Even if you think you've already tried everything.)

https://www.drlesliecisar.com/5SHMN

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/

Free Facebook Group:  Healing Migraines Naturally, with Leslie Cisar, ND

Ready to try something radically different that actually works? Read more about my approach here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/map

Have you seen this TikTok hack? It goes something like this:

"Instant migraine relief! Put your feet in hot water and an ice pack on your neck!"

Does it work? Maybe.

For 15 minutes.

Here's the physiology: Hot water dilates blood vessels in your feet, pulling blood down. Ice on your neck constricts vessels, pushing blood away from your head. You temporarily reduce blood flow to your brain, which might ease throbbing.

But your body won't let this last.

Within 15 minutes, it pushes blood back up to restore balance. You might even get a rebound effect with more blood rushing to your head.

And the practicality?

You're in the middle of a migraine, when moving makes the pain worse, and you're supposed to fill a bathtub, find an ice pack, and perch on the edge of the tub?

When I was getting chronic migraines, they'd hit while I was driving home on I-90. I wasn't near a bathtub. I was trying not to vomit at a toll booth.

I don't focus on migraine hacks because I'm not interested in 15 minutes of relief before the pain comes back.

I'm focused on getting you from four migraines a week to one a week in 4-6 weeks. From chronic migraines to canceling Botox, weaning off preventatives, and forgetting where you put your Imitrex.

You can go from four migraines a week to being off medication in six months. But you'll never get there by just putting your feet in a bathtub.

You'll get there by addressing root causes.

Schedule your free consultation here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/apply

Free Training: 5 Proven Steps to Being Migraine Free (Even if you think you've already tried everything.)

https://www.drlesliecisar.com/5SHMN

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/

Free Facebook Group:  Healing Migraines Naturally, with Leslie Cisar, ND

Ready to try something radically different that actually works? Read more about my approach here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/map

You've been taking Prilosec for years. Your doctor prescribed it for heartburn, or you bought it over-the-counter.

It helped at first. But now you're also taking Tums multiple times a week. You feel bloated after eating. You can't finish a sandwich without discomfort.

And your migraines? Still there.

Here's what nobody tells you:

Your heartburn medication is making your migraines worse.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) like Prilosec and Nexium suppress your stomach acid. Your stomach is supposed to be pH 1. Strong enough to take paint off a car. That's how you absorb minerals from food.

When your stomach acid is suppressed, a sphincter at the top of your stomach doesn't get the signal to close. It stays open and weakens over time. Meanwhile, you can't absorb the minerals every cell in your body needs.

The box says: "Do not take longer than 14 days."

I've had clients on Prilosec for 20 years.

I just worked with two clients, both with daily head pain, both on PPIs for decades, both still experiencing heartburn even on the medication. We restored their digestive function, reduced their migraines significantly, and weaned them off Prilosec without rebound.

Your heartburn and migraines are connected because both signal blockers in your body's ability to get nutrients to cells, clear waste, and restore vitality.

If you're on a PPI and struggling with migraines, let's talk.

Schedule your free consultation here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/apply

Free Training: 5 Proven Steps to Being Migraine Free (Even if you think you've already tried everything.)

https://www.drlesliecisar.com/5SHMN

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/

Free Facebook Group:  Healing Migraines Naturally, with Leslie Cisar, ND

Ready to try something radically different that actually works? Read more about my approach here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/map

"Just take 400mg of vitamin B2 every day, it might be the missing piece for your migraines!"

If you've been on social media lately, you've probably heard this advice. Maybe from a doctor. Maybe multiple times. Vitamin B2, CoQ10, magnesium, the miracle nutrient parade never ends.

In this episode, I'm explaining about why this drives me crazy.

Here's the thing: People have been getting the B2 recommendation for decades. Even conventional neurologists are recommending it now. And yet, chronic migraines keep getting worse.

If you have an occasional headache and happen to have a tiny B2 deficiency, and your digestion is working perfectly, and you don't have metabolic waste buildup, sure, B2 might help.

But if you have chronic migraines? It's not a B2 issue.

By the time you're experiencing chronic migraines, you have blockers and deficiencies across all three principles your body needs to maintain health.

You're not just missing one vitamin. It goes deeper than that.

I also address the anxiety around "genetic migraines."

Yes, there's a hereditary component, the ancient Greeks wrote about this. But you're not genetically doomed. You have to fall out of health first before you express those hereditary tendencies.

Chasing silver bullet supplements will only frustrate you. Start addressing the root causes.

Schedule your free consultation here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/apply

Free Training: 5 Proven Steps to Being Migraine Free (Even if you think you've already tried everything.)

https://www.drlesliecisar.com/5SHMN

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/

Free Facebook Group:  Healing Migraines Naturally, with Leslie Cisar, ND

Ready to try something radically different that actually works? Read more about my approach here: https://www.drlesliecisar.com/map