Migraine Heroes

Have you ever noticed that a cold makes your migraine worse or strangely seems to make it disappear?

In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores what illness may reveal about your own migraine pattern, from changes in the immune and nervous systems to shifts in sleep, routine, and medication.

You’ll learn:

💡 Why a cold can trigger migraine in one person but seem to switch it off in another

💡 What changes when you are sick and which of those changes may matter for migraine

💡 How to investigate unusual migraine patterns instead of dismissing them

Sometimes, the strangest change in your migraine is also the clue worth paying attention to.

🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday

🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.com

References:

• The Role of Cytokines in Migraine: A Systematic Review (Thuraiaiyah et al., 2022): This review examines evidence linking inflammatory cytokines with migraine. Read more here.
• Distinct Inflammatory Profiles Across Migraine States: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Stuchfield-Denby et al., 2025): This review compares inflammatory markers across different migraine states. Read more here.
• Cytokines in Primary Headache Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Musubire et al., 2023): This analysis examines cytokine differences in migraine and other primary headaches. Read more here.
• Immunological Mechanisms of Sickness Behavior in Viral Infection (Krapić et al., 2021): This review explains how immune signaling produces fatigue, sleepiness, and other sickness behaviors during infection. Read more here.
• Twenty Years of Research on Cytokine-Induced Sickness Behavior (Dantzer & Kelley, 2007): This review describes how inflammatory cytokines signal the brain to produce sickness behavior. Read more here.
• Dural Immune Cells, CGRP, and Migraine (Balcziak & Russo, 2022): This review explores interactions between CGRP, immune cells in the dura, and migraine mechanisms. Read more here
• CGRP: The Immune System’s Double Agent — Context-Dependent Roles in Inflammation, Resolution and Cancer (Assas, 2026): This review examines CGRP’s contrasting pro- and anti-inflammatory immune effects. Read more here.
• Cytokine Storm Divergence in Viral Infections of the Upper Respiratory Tract (Chen et al., 2026): This review compares cytokine responses across respiratory viral infections. Read more here.
• Aberrations in Peripheral Inflammatory Cytokine Levels in Migraine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Geng et al., 2022): This analysis found higher levels of several inflammatory markers in people with migraine. Read more here.
• Migraine and Autonomic Dysfunction: Which Is the Horse and Which Is the Jockey? (Miglis, 2018): This review examines sympathetic and parasympathetic dysfunction in migraine. Read more here.
• Association Between Raynaud’s Phenomenon and Migraine in a Random Population of Hospital Employees (O’Keeffe et al., 1993): This study found migraine was more common among people with Raynaud’s phenomenon. Read more here.
• Kranools. “I Never Get a Migraine When I’m Sick With a Cold. There Must Be Some Way to Take Advantage of This.” Reddit, r/migraine: This patient anecdote describes migraine disappearing temporarily during a cold. Read more here.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.

Autumn can bring more than cooler weather, it can quietly change several factors that influence your migraine threshold.

In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores five fall-season triggers, from atmospheric pressure and shorter days to indoor heating, allergies, and shifting routines.

You’ll learn:

💡 Why changing weather and barometric pressure may matter more than cold itself

💡 How shorter days, heating, allergies, and routine changes can lower your migraine threshold

💡 How to identify which autumn triggers actually matter for your body

The goal is not to avoid the season, but to understand what your system may need as autumn changes around you.

🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday

🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.com

References:

• Association Between Weather Conditions and Migraine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Li et al., 2025): This meta-analysis found associations between migraine attacks, temperature, atmospheric pressure, and several air pollutants. Read more here.
• Migraine and Sleep Disorders: A Systematic Review (Tiseo et al., 2020): This review examines the close relationship between migraine, sleep disorders, and circadian regulation. Read more here.
• Understanding Fall Headaches (Maryland Pain & Wellness Center): This patient-focused article discusses seasonal headache factors including weather changes, allergies, reduced sunlight, stress, and sleep disruption. Read more here.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.

After nearly 20 years of pushing through migraine, Jaya’s attacks began affecting her work, energy, and life as a mother. She had tried medication, scans, massage, acupuncture, and more but the migraines kept coming.

By looking more closely at the small details of her daily routine, Jaya began uncovering clues that had been missed for years. Today, she has far fewer migraines and much more capacity to work, exercise, and enjoy everyday life with her daughter.

🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday

🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.com

This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.

For some people, COVID ends, but the headache does not. Long COVID can bring a new headache pattern or make an existing migraine condition feel very different.

In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores why migraine, fatigue, poor sleep, dizziness and brain fog can sometimes appear together after COVID and why it may help to look beyond the head alone.

You’ll learn:

💡 Why Long COVID may trigger new headaches or worsen an existing migraine pattern

💡 Why fatigue, sleep problems, dizziness, brain fog and exercise intolerance may sometimes travel alongside migraine

💡 Why recognizing your new post-COVID migraine pattern can be more useful than assuming your old triggers still explain everything

When the pattern changes, understanding what has changed can be the first step toward making sense of your symptoms.

🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday

🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.com

References:

Long COVID Headache (Tana et al., 2022): This review describes persistent and new headaches after COVID-19, including migraine-like presentations. Read more here.

Headache in COVID-19 and Long COVID: To Know Facts for Clinical Practice (Gómez-Dabó et al., 2023): This review covers the clinical features and management of headache during and after COVID-19. Read more here.

Post-COVID Dysautonomias: What We Know and (Mainly) What We Don’t Know (Goldstein, 2024): This review examines autonomic dysfunction associated with post-COVID conditions. Read more here.

Long-Term Neurological and Cognitive Impact of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis in Over 4 Million Patients (Elboraay et al., 2025): This analysis examines persistent neurological symptoms, including headache, fatigue, and cognitive problems. Read more here.

Post COVID-19 Condition (World Health Organization): This WHO resource defines long COVID and summarizes its common persistent symptoms. Read more here.

Migraine and Other Headache Disorders (World Health Organization, 2025): This fact sheet summarizes migraine, other headache disorders, and their global burden. Read more here.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.

What if one of your biggest migraine triggers is something you have never thought to notice?

In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme takes you through a practical “trigger scan”: from sleep, hormones and food to weather, sensory overload, posture and more without turning migraine management into a life of avoidance.

You’ll learn:

💡 How to spot less obvious migraine triggers across your everyday routines, environment and body

💡 How to observe patterns without obsessing or eliminating everything and identify the few things that may actually matter for you

The goal is not a smaller life built around avoiding triggers, but greater awareness of what helps your body become more stable.

🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday

🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.com

Few of the trigger episodes mentioned:

Indulgence or Insight? What Chocolate, Cheese & Wine Reveal About Your Brain

The Fasting Paradox: Why Skipping Meals Can Spark Migraine and Stress

Why Red Wine Triggers Migraines for Some People And What Science Reveals

Kombucha for Migraine: Healing Tonic or Hidden Trigger?

5 Reasons Why Fragrance & Perfume Smells Are Triggering Your Migraines & What To Do About It

When Light Hurts: The Hidden Link Between Screens, Stress, and Migraine

Hidden Sugar and Blood Sugar Spikes: The Silent Migraine Trigger

This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.

Seeing flashing lights or strange visual changes on one side does not always mean the problem is coming from one eye.

In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explains the important difference between migraine aura and true retinal migraine and why knowing whether your symptoms affect one eye or both can matter.

You’ll learn:

💡 Why migraine aura comes from the brain, even when the visual change seems to be on just one side

💡 What makes true retinal migraine different, why it is so rare, and why other causes of temporary vision loss need to be ruled out

💡 A simple one-eye-at-a-time test that can help you describe your visual symptoms more clearly to your doctor

When it comes to visual migraine symptoms, one eye versus both eyes can be a very important clue.

🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday

🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.com

References:

• Spreading Depolarization as a Therapeutic Target in Migraine (Harriott & Ayata, 2025): This review examines spreading depolarization as the mechanism of migraine aura and a potential treatment target. Read more here.
• Current Perspective on Retinal Migraine (Chong et al., 2021): This review covers the diagnosis, mechanisms, and management of retinal migraine. Read more here
• Retinal Migraine: Evaluation and Management (Maher & Kingston, 2021): This review emphasizes that retinal migraine is rare and a diagnosis of exclusion. Read more here.
• Transient Monocular Visual Loss (Amaurosis Fugax): How Does Age Impact Diagnosis? (Douglas et al., 2024): This review explains causes and evaluation of temporary vision loss in one eye. Read more here.
• Retinal Migraine (International Headache Society): These criteria define fully reversible monocular visual symptoms associated with retinal migraine. Read more here
• Migraine With Aura (International Headache Society): These criteria define reversible visual, sensory, language, motor, brainstem, or retinal aura symptoms. Read more here.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.

Have a migraine question you wish you could ask Diane directly? Every other Thursday, Diane opens the door for a small, informal live Q&A, bring your question or simply come and listen.

The next sessions are October 22 and November 5, 2026. They are not recorded, so the conversation stays with the people in the room.

👉 To join, register at migraineheroes.com/live

Could your jaw be quietly adding fuel to your migraine attacks?

In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores how jaw tension, clenching, and TMJ dysfunction may interact with migraine, especially if you wake with headaches or feel pain around your temples.

You’ll learn:

💡 How to recognize signs that jaw tension or clenching may be contributing to your migraine

💡 Why teeth and tongue position at rest matter and why a mouth guard may not solve the clenching itself

💡 A simple jaw-reset routine you can try at home to release tension and calm the system

Sometimes, a small change in how you hold your jaw can make a surprisingly meaningful difference.

🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday

🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.com

References:

• Temporomandibular Disorders in Migraine and Tension-Type Headache Patients: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis (Bizzarri et al., 2024): This review found painful TMDs are more common in people with migraine and tension-type headache. Read more here.
• Exploring the Bidirectional Association Between Migraine and Temporomandibular Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Dias et al., 2026): This review found a substantial association between migraine and TMD in both directions. Read more here.
• International Consensus on the Assessment of Bruxism: Report of a Work in Progress (Lobbezoo et al., 2018): This consensus distinguishes awake and sleep bruxism and describes bruxism primarily as a behavior. Read more here.
• Association Between Primary Headache and Bruxism: An Updated Systematic Review (Réus et al., 2021): This review found limited migraine evidence, with a clearer association between awake bruxism and tension-type headache. Read more here.
• Evidence for Central Sensitization in Patients With Temporomandibular Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies (La Touche et al., 2018): This analysis found evidence of increased pain sensitivity in people with TMD. Read more here.
• Diagnostic Criteria for Headache Attributed to Temporomandibular Disorders (Schiffman et al., 2012): This study developed clinical criteria for identifying headaches attributable to TMD.Read more here.
• Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders for Clinical and Research Applications (Schiffman et al., 2014): This work established validated diagnostic criteria for common temporomandibular disorders. Read more here.
• Associations Between Sleep Bruxism and Other Sleep-Related Disorders in Adults: A Systematic Review (Kuang et al., 2022): This review found sleep bruxism more common in several sleep disorders and highlighted sleep arousal as a possible link. Read more here.
• Influence of Occlusal Appliances on the Masticatory Muscle Function in Individuals With Sleep Bruxism (Ferreira et al., 2024): This review found oral appliances did not consistently reduce muscle activity or bite force. Read more here.
• Efficacy of Conservative Interventions Targeting Temporomandibular Disorders for Adults With Headache Disorders (Demont et al., 2025): This review found limited-certainty evidence for headache improvement from TMD-focused conservative treatments. Read more here.
• The Efficacy of Manual Therapy Approaches on Pain, Maximum Mouth Opening and Disability in Temporomandibular Disorders (Vieira et al., 2023): This review found manual therapy may improve TMD pain, mouth opening, and disability. Read more here.
• TMD (Temporomandibular Disorders) (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research): This guidance recommends conservative care first and cautions against unnecessarily irreversible treatments. Read more here.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.

Should you tell your employer about your migraine or keep it private?

In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores how to approach migraine disclosure at work in a way that protects your privacy while helping you get the support you need.

In this episode, you will learn:

• How to decide whether telling your employer about migraine is right for you.
• Who may actually need to know, from your manager or HR to occupational health or a trusted colleague.
• How to explain your migraine, decide how much to share, and ask for practical workplace support.

The goal is not to justify your illness, but to create the conditions that help you work well.

🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday

🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.com

References:

Identification of Work Accommodations and Interventions Associated With Work Productivity in Adults With Migraine: A Scoping Review (Begasse de Dhaem et al., 2021): This review identifies workplace factors and accommodations associated with better productivity in migraine. Read more here.

Migraine in the Workplace (Begasse de Dhaem & Sakai, 2022): This review examines presenteeism, stigma, productivity loss, and workplace migraine programs. Read more here.

Migraine in the Workplace: Work Productivity Impact in a Large US-Based Healthcare System Using a Cross-Sectional Employee Survey (Begasse de Dhaem et al., 2025): This study documents substantial migraine-related productivity loss, particularly from presenteeism. Read more here.

Migraine Stigma and General Knowledge of Migraine: A Cross-Sectional European Survey (Goadsby et al., 2025): This survey examines migraine stigma and public understanding across multiple countries. Read more here.

Migraine and Work – Beyond Absenteeism: Migraine Severity and Occupational Burnout – A Cohort Study (Peles et al., 2024): This study links migraine and greater migraine severity with occupational burnout. Read more here.

Legal Aspects of Migraine in the Workplace (Riggins & Paris, 2022): This review discusses workplace accommodation, disability protections, leave, and US employment law for migraine. Read more here.

Reasonable Accommodation at Work: Guidelines and Good Practices (European Commission, 2024): These guidelines provide practical guidance for creating individualized and inclusive workplace accommodations. Read more here.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.

Can you have a migraine without a headache?

In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores silent migraine, visual aura without headache, and symptoms such as kaleidoscope vision, zigzag lines and blind spots, helping you understand what may be happening in the brain and why these symptoms can feel so unsettling.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why migraine aura can happen without headache pain.
• How to recognize zigzag lines, blind spots, kaleidoscope vision and other visual aura symptoms.
• How Western science and Traditional Chinese Medicine interpret these sudden neurological changes.

Understand what these visual changes may be telling you, and when they deserve closer attention.

🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday

🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.com

References:

• The International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd Edition (International Headache Society, 2018): The official classification defines migraine aura and typical aura without headache. Read more here.
• What Does a Migraine Aura Look Like?A Systematic Review (Joppeková et al., 2025): This review summarizes aura symptoms, mechanisms, diagnosis, and differential diagnoses. Read more here.
• Spreading Depolarization as a Therapeutic Target in Migraine (Harriott & Ayata, 2025): This review examines spreading depolarization as the biological basis of migraine aura and a potential treatment target. Read more here.
• Migraine Aura Symptoms: Duration, Succession and Temporal Relationship to Headache (Viana et al., 2016): This diary study examines the timing and sequence of aura symptoms and headache. Read more here.
• Clinical Features of Migraine Aura: Results From a Prospective Diary-Aided Study (Viana et al., 2017): This study describes the variety and variability of visual, sensory, and language aura symptoms. Read more here.
• Cortical Spreading Depression and Migraine (Charles & Baca, 2013): This review examines cortical spreading depression and its proposed relationship to migraine aura. Read more here.
• Neuroimaging in the Pre-Ictal or Premonitory Phase of Migraine: A Narrative Review (Karsan & Goadsby, 2023): This review examines brain changes occurring before migraine headache begins. Read more here.
• Migraine Aura Without Headache (Shah, Dilwali & Friedman, 2018): This review covers aura without headache, its diagnosis, physiology, and differential diagnosis. Read more here.
• Migraine Aura Without Headache: Transient Ischaemic Attack or Not? (Dennis & Warlow, 1992): This study compares aura without headache with transient ischemic attacks. Read more here.
• Aura Phenomenon: A Proposal for an Etiology-Based Clinical Classification (Pensato et al., 2025): This review proposes distinguishing migrainous aura from aura caused by other neurological conditions. Read more here.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.