In this podcast episode, Dr. Taves from Novera Headache Center speaks with owner and founder of Upstream Functional Medicine in Colorado Springs, Jeff Hunter, about the importance of a healthy gut microbiome for your overall health and eliminating contributing causes of migraines. 

When looking at headaches and migraines, it is important to consider the aspect of inflammation. Having a buildup of inflammation reduces our threshold to maintain balance in our body’s systems. Several factors contribute to inflammation including trauma, mechanical imbalance, but also nutritional habits, insulin resistance, viral activations, overgrowths and imbalances in the gut microbiome, and more. 

When we look to address inflammation using functional medicine, the gut microbiome is central and at the root of many chronic diseases in our modern society today.

Gut health can be explored using a comprehensive stool study, which serves as a keyhole into the entire microbiome. The key information involves knowing what kind of population of good microbes versus dysbiotic (bad for the microbiome) bacteria/virus/yeasts/parasites that an individual has in their gut. The overgrowths from yeasts and bacteria produce endotoxins, which are inflammatory and can lead to symptoms like sugar cravings. Chronic inflammation in the gut leads to a leaky gut, where people get food sensitivities, headaches and migraines and potentially multiple autoimmune diseases. Each person’s gut microbiome is unique and so individualization of targeted treatments based on the data is key to success. 

There is a communication network between the gut, the immune system, and our brain. Any imbalances through our lifestyle choices like changes in the blood sugar levels, consuming processed foods, having a lack of sleep or acute stress may contribute to the development of migraines.

These are some practical quick tips to rebalance your microbiome and heal it in order to reduce migraines triggers:

• Rethink your consumption of sugar (begin tracking your food and sugar consumption) to avoid feeding the yeasts and other bad bacteria
• Feed the healthy microbiome through high fiber vegetables
• Eating live active cultured foods and bone broth to help heal the gut barrier and add diversity to your gut. You can also opt to make your own fermented foods at home. Bone broth contains collagen and l-glutamine which are key nutrients to support and soothe the gut mucosal lining.
• Look at some awesome resources to start learning about Functional Medicine if you are new to this approach: Chris Kresser, Andrew Huberman, Mark Hyman

Dr Taves will be a guest speaker at our in person biohacking on Sep 12 here in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Dr Taves specializes in relieving headaches, migraines, jaw pain, and neck pain using specialized physical therapy techniques aligned with looking at one’s mechanics more holistically. Come learn more about this topic and what you can do for your structural health. Sign up here.

Contact us in the office if you have further questions on migraines and the gut microbiome.