Hey, I hope you had a good weekend and are getting your week started off alright so far! Last, week we dove into what I believe is the central “why” behind the issues with much of our medical system’s approach to migraine management and my personal “why” for dropping everything to focus exclusively on helping people overcome their migraines.
This week, I want to delve a little bit more deeply into the ways that we can address many of these systemic short comings.
If your migraine system easily “overflows,” that sensitivity can feel frustrating, lonely, and often very misunderstood. (If you haven’t read my previous newsletter and the word “overflow” here doesn’t make much sense, click here to learn about The Migraine-Bucket Framework).
Over time, as your brain adapts to repeated migraine activity, it can start to “learn” the migraine process, making the pattern more frequent and feel even harder to escape.
That growing feeling of futility and frustration often deepens when people around you don’t fully grasp the gravity of what you’re facing, leaving you without clear guidance or companionship on the road to recovery.
The good news is that brains can change. With the right inputs, a steady plan, and tactful support, your migraine systems can become less reactive, more resilient, and a lot more forgiving of real life.
The first step is to recognize this: No, you’re not broken. You’re sensitized. This means that your system is just tuned a little bit differently than is ideal right now.
Sure you might have a genetic predisposition or an injury history that makes you more likely to get migraines than the next person, but that does NOT mean that you have to just lay back and accept that high frequency debilitating migraines will be a part of your life forever.
Today we’re connecting the dots between migraine science, several parts of the 7-Pillars of the Migraine Renaissance, and why sustainable behavior change is the foundation that makes all of it work. Then I’ll show you a brief example of what worked for my client “John,” and how coaching and community support can make the harder parts more doable, so this actually sticks.
From “why it hurts” to “what actually helps”
Let’s start with a quick recap tour of what’s happening behind the scenes during the migraine cascade:
Certain areas of the brain develop a sort of instability and they have a hard time regulating their activity for a variety of reasons. When they’re in this state, they have a lower threshold of reactivity and they can get stimulated by triggers. This can cause them erupt into a slow, wave-like storm of neurological activity called cortical spreading depression (or subcortical spreading depression if it’s deeper inside the brain).
This can sweep across different parts of the migraine-susceptible brain, disrupting normal brain communication, increasing sensitivity in some areas, and decreasing activity in others. When this hits the brain stem it can kick off the trigeminovascular system.
The trigeminal nerve is the main sensory nerve of the face and much of the head and is the center of a lot of the migraine process.
That switch getting flipped in this nerve causes it to releases inflammatory messengers (like CGRP/PACAP-38), dilates the blood vessels in the protective coating around your brain (the dura mater/meninges), and winds up the nerve sensitivity here as well as in the brain and brainstem.
Repetition of this sequence of events kind of primes the system to fire sooner next time (sensitization) and rewires the system to get better at having migraines (through neuroplasticity). That’s why “small stuff” can start to feel big and more problematic.
So what’s at the core of unwinding this process?
* Supporting stability in the brain’s cellular energy production
* Managing chronic low-grade inflammation
* Improving heart and blood vessel health
* Managing “allostatic load” (or the various stressors we face on a daily basis, more on this coming soon)
* Re-connect brain regions that need to work better together (yes, also through neuroplasticity)
* Promote “top-down” neurological pain control
Delivered consistently enough, this allows our brains to create new defaults and enhance the ability of the brain to regulate itself and reduce susceptibility to these migraine processes.
Those inputs live inside the 7-Pillars: movement, sleep, nutrition, stress regulation, neck/jaw/shoulder care, smarter trigger tracking, and, holding it all together, sustainable behavior change & community.
We use The Migraine-Bucket Framework to simplify and organize our migraine fighting efforts even further.
Think of your trigeminal system as a bucket. Triggers pour water in, the size represents your resilience, and overflow represents the migraine kicking off. Trigger management prevents water from getting into your bucket and resilience building practices make the bucket bigger.
The secret here is that really effective migraine recovery isn’t just about avoiding all of the potential triggers of life forever and it definitely isn’t just managing migraine pain when it’s already hit you full force in the face.
The magic of Migraine Renaissance is found in the strategic process of rebuilding resilience.
How the 7-Pillars plug into the science (in plain English)
* Pillar 1: Efficient, Effective Exercise
* Right-dose movement boosts BDNF (your brain’s primary “grow & connect” signaling protein), boosts mitochondrial health (the parts of our cells that produce energy), steadies blood sugar swings, improves blood vessel health, and raises the threshold for that migraine triggering cascade over time.
* We program brain-friendly, individualized progressions so that exercise prevents attacks instead of triggering them.
* Pillar 2: Sleep Optimization
* Sleep sits at the center of most human health systems. The areas of the brain responsible for your sleep patterns are also critically integrated into the migraine process.
* Consistent circadian rhythm patterns promote improved brain stability and fully body health.
* Strategic support systems stabilize the ways that you are able to make the most of your sleep and turn it into a migraine fighting tool instead of a migraine triggering burden.
* Pillar 3: Nutrition & Hydration
* We’re aiming for steady energy production (brain cells love this). We need adequate protein, fiber, healthy fats (like omega-3s), complex carbohydrates, and evidence-backed supplements, while keeping an eye out for your personal food tolerances.
* Some foods are extra special and come with substances called phytochemicals, which are often the colorful stuff like the blue in blueberries. These can help a ton with fighting oxidative stress, which plays a major role in disrupting brain energy production and provoking the migraine processes.
* Pillar 4: Stress & Nervous System Resilience
* Stress or allostatic load management play a major role in stabilizing the migraine susceptible brain.
* Not all stress is bad, but poor regulation of all of life’s stressors can be one of the most prominent triggers for migraines.
* Self-regulation strategies such as breath work and mindfulness practices, increase vagal tone (basically increase the activity of our rest and digest systems), manage stress hormone levels, and calm the “always on” threat circuitry that lowers migraine triggering thresholds.
* Pillar 5: Neck, Jaw & Shoulder Management
* Because of the neurological connection between the trigeminal nerve and the upper parts of the neck (aka cervicotrigeminal convergence), local irritation can frequently directly provoke the already sensitized trigeminovascular system.
* We create personalized strategies for managing pain, then we rebuild load tolerance, mobility, and resilience, so daily life stops poking the bear all the time.
* Pillar 6: Trigger Tracking and Navigation (with the MigraineMetrix System)
* Effectively identifying triggers is a critical first step for helping to manage your exposure to them.
* We move beyond vague diaries to strategic, efficient pattern recognition that guides decisions (what to remove, what to add, and when).
* Pillar 7: Sustainable Behavior Change & Community
* This is the foundation and the glue that holds it all together.
* Without a system to install and maintain habits, even the best plans with all the right intentions fail.
* We use neuroscience and behavioral science-backed tools, personal preferences, accountability, and group support, so changes actually stick.
Remember: Information alone won’t change your brain! Repeated, right-sized actions do. The 7-Pillar’s provide the structure to figure out the “what”; the Migraine-Bucket Framework provides the “why”; behavior science backed expert coaching and proven systems provide the “how” it actually shows up in your week.
Client Snapshot: From Yo-Yo Efforts to Steady Wins
John had 12–15 migraine days/month, felt scared of exercise, and had tried “all the things” for 2–3 weeks at a time. Nothing ever seemed to stick.
We started with four main levers for 8 weeks:
* A 10–20 minute Zone-2 walk most days (Pillar 1 + 4)
* A simple meal focus (protein + fiber + color goals for 2 of 3 meals; Pillar 3)
* A 5-minute “long exhale” practice after lunch (for a stress down-shift; Pillar 4)
* 1 gentle neck routine for pain (Pillar 5).
We eventually found that his MigraineMetrix flagged poor sleep after late-night screens, so we added in a 60-minute wind-down reminder (Pillar 2).
At 10 weeks, John averaged about 6 migraine days/month, faster recovery, and felt confident enough to begin light strength work. The magic wasn’t one hack; it was fewer, high-value things, done consistently, with my support along the way (Pillar 7).
Actionable Steps for This Week
* Breath + Walk Habit Anchor (daily)After lunch, 5 minutes of slow breathing (inhale easy, longer exhale), then a 10–15 minute brisk walk. Connects Pillars 1, 3, and 4 in one micro-routine.
* Plate-Check (each meal)Protein? Fiber? Color? (The first 3 of the big 5) If one is missing, add a small fix—e.g., berries, beans, a pack of frozen veg, or a protein add-on. (Pillar 3)
* Sleep Boundary (nightly)Pick one: no screens 60 minutes before bed, or same wake-time every day. (Pillar 2)
Sometimes small boundaries = big payouts.
Listen/Watch With Me: New podcast Out Today!
This newsletter pairs up with my newest episode breaking down some of the science above in an approachable way a little deeper and starts to uncover the remarkably impactful connections between several of the 7-Pillars of Migraine Renaissance.
Ranging from exercise to weight loss to oral health there’s a lot of valuable nuggets in this one!Click the link below to watch the deeper dive into the remarkable world of building your migraine bucket.
Why coaching/community makes this easier (and faster)
Change is a skill, not a personality trait. It simply takes clarity on the most valuable steps to take, deep connection to your “why,” the right supportive systems, and intentional repetition over time.
In studies investigating effective behavior change interventions, we see that across the board, people do better with structured, personalized guidance and community support rather than going at it alone. On my side I operationalize that with a consistent Monday cadence, a predictable format, approachable language, and clear actionable information, so you always have as much clarity and evidence-backed direction as you need.
How You Can Work With Me
If you’re ready for more support and an expert guide who has been through this and that will actually walk the path to recovery with you, I have two routs you can take: the 8-Week MoveWells Migraine Foundations Program (group; coming soon) and MoveWells Migraine Unlimited 1:1 Coaching for deeper, highly personalized work.
Whatever you choose, I’m here to support you.
Don’t let this condition rule your life. One day is a wish. Day one is a decision. When you take action, it likely won’t be perfect, but that’s ok. It doesn’t need to be. The progress you want to see takes the accumulation actions that build over time.
Before you go—one quick question…
Which single pillar will you emphasize this week and what’s the smallest action that supports it? Hit reply, I really do read every message.
Until next time,Dr. Dylan Wells, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCSFounder of MoveWells LLC | Creator of Migraine Renaissance Weekly and Podcast
P.S. If you haven’t already, don’t forget to download my free 7-Pillars of Migraine Renaissance Starter Guide. It’s packed full of ways you can start approaching the 7-Pillars. Click here and scroll to the bottom to download it!
