HISTAMINE AND MIGRAINE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Summary

In this informative discussion, Dr. B and Dr. P address common questions about the relationship between histamine, food, and migraines, especially during allergy season. They caution against avoiding high-histamine foods without understanding the role of probiotics in gut health, which is crucial for reducing inflammation linked to migraines. The doctors suggest trying an elimination diet to identify histamine sensitivity and discuss the use of DAO enzyme supplements to break down histamine. They also touch on the importance of genetic factors, the right probiotics, and lifestyle adjustments to manage both allergies and migraines effectively.

Takeaways

• 🌸 Springtime allergies can cause confusion between environmental allergies and histamine reactions in food.
• 🚫 Dr. B is concerned that avoiding high-histamine foods might lead to the avoidance of probiotic-rich foods, which are essential for gut health.
• 💊 Medications for migraines in the past five years have targeted inflammation, highlighting its significant role in migraines.
• 🛑 Dr. B suggests trying to stop inflammation at the source rather than just treating the pain it causes.
• 🍽️ A trial elimination diet can help determine if histamine-containing foods are a problem for an individual.
• 🤔 Dr. P agrees that food restrictions can be problematic and suggests using supplements like DAO enzyme to help break down histamine.
• 🧬 Genetic factors can influence how the body handles histamine, which might affect an individual's tolerance to certain foods.
• 🛑 Some probiotics can promote histamine release, while others like Bifidobacterium can help reduce it.
• 🚫 People with histamine issues might not tolerate probiotics well and could benefit from DAO enzyme supplementation.
• 🌿 Dr. P suggests that during allergy seasons, a temporary low-histamine diet can help reduce the body's histamine burden.
• 🛠️ Both doctors agree on the importance of addressing the underlying issues causing histamine reactions and migraines, rather than long-term food restriction.

Q & A

Why are people often confused about whether their migraines are due to environmental allergies or histamine in food?

People are often confused because both environmental allergies and histamine reactions can lead to similar symptoms, making it difficult to distinguish between the two without proper knowledge or testing.

What is the concern with avoiding high histamine foods to improve migraines?

The concern is that by avoiding high histamine foods, people might also be avoiding foods high in probiotics, which are essential for gut health and can help reduce inflammation, a significant factor in migraines.

How do probiotics help with gut health and migraines?

Probiotics provide good bacteria that produce mucus to seal the gut lining, reducing the likelihood of inflammatory reactions from leaky gut, which is a significant contributor to migraines.

What is the role of inflammation in migraines and how do new medications target this?

Inflammation plays a huge role in migraines, causing not just headaches but also other issues like joint pain and brain fog. New medications for migraine treatment in the past five years all target inflammation, reflecting a better understanding of its role.

How can one determine if histamine-containing foods are a problem for their migraines?

One can try eliminating histamine-containing foods for a couple of weeks and observe if there's a clear improvement. If not, histamine may not be a significant part of the problem.

What are some symptoms that might indicate a histamine issue in the body?

Symptoms like rashes, immediate type food allergies, anaphylactic reactions, and allergic reactions to multiple medications can indicate a histamine issue, as these processes involve histamine.

What is DAO enzyme and how can it help with histamine intolerance?

DAO (diamine oxidase) is an enzyme that helps break down histamine in the body. A DAO supplement can be taken with higher histamine foods to help break down histamine in the gut, preventing its absorption and reducing histamine response.

Why might some people experience migraines when taking probiotics?

Some probiotics, particularly strains like lactobacillus and some streptococcus, promote histamine release. If someone has a histamine issue, these probiotics can trigger migraines.

What is a better probiotic option for people with histamine issues?

Bifidobacterium strains are often better tolerated and can help reduce histamine in the gut, making them a preferable probiotic choice for those with histamine issues.

Why is it important to not just eliminate histamine foods but also address the underlying issue?

Eliminating histamine foods without addressing the underlying issue can lead to nutrient deficiencies and does not provide a long-term solution. Addressing the root cause allows for the reintroduction of these foods without triggering migraines.

How can someone reduce their body's histamine burden, especially during allergy season?

During allergy season, taking measures like a short-term histamine-restricted diet, using DAO supplements, and addressing genetic factors can help reduce the body's histamine burden and improve allergy and migraine symptoms.

What are some lifestyle tips to manage seasonal allergies and their impact on migraines?

Lifestyle tips include using nasal washes and steroids, taking showers at night to reduce pollen exposure, using a HEPA filter, and keeping doors and windows closed during allergy season.

Outlines

00:00

🌸 Histamine and Allergies in Springtime

Dr. B and Dr. P discuss the confusion surrounding histamine and allergies, especially during spring. They address the difficulty in distinguishing between environmental allergies and histamine reactions in food, and the potential link to migraines. Dr. B expresses concern over the widespread recommendation to avoid high-histamine foods, as this may lead to the avoidance of probiotic-rich foods essential for gut health. Probiotics are highlighted as crucial for preventing inflammation, a significant factor in migraines. The conversation emphasizes the importance of tackling inflammation at its source rather than just treating the symptoms with medication.

05:01

🛡️ The Role of Probiotics and Gut Health in Migraine Management

The doctors delve into the importance of probiotics in maintaining gut health and their indirect impact on migraine prevention. They discuss the potential negative consequences of avoiding high-histamine foods, which are often rich in probiotics. Dr. P suggests that only a small percentage of people may suffer from headaches due to histamine exposure, whereas inflammation is a more common cause. A trial elimination diet is proposed as a method to determine if histamine-containing foods are problematic. Additionally, Dr. P introduces DAO enzyme supplements as a means to break down histamine, allowing for the consumption of probiotic-rich foods without adverse effects.

10:02

🧬 Genetic Factors and Histamine Intolerance

The conversation turns to genetic factors that may influence an individual's ability to process histamine, with a focus on the DAO enzyme. Dr. P explains that genetic reasons or gut issues might lead to insufficient breakdown of histamine, causing reactions. The role of certain probiotic strains that promote histamine release is contrasted with others, like bifidobacterium, that can reduce histamine in the gut. Dr. P also advises against methyl B12 for those with histamine issues, recommending hydroxy or adenosylcobalamin forms of B12 instead.

15:02

🌳 Environmental Allergies vs. Histamine Reactions

Dr. B and Dr. P differentiate between environmental allergies and histamine reactions, explaining that symptoms like a runny nose and itchy eyes are common during allergy season but do not necessarily indicate a problem with histamine-rich foods. They discuss the trigeminal nerve's role in triggering migraines due to environmental irritants and stress the importance of not automatically avoiding histamine-containing foods based solely on seasonal allergies.

20:03

🛑 Temporary Histamine Restriction and Genetic Considerations

The doctors agree on the potential benefits of a temporary histamine-restricted diet for individuals with severe seasonal allergies or a family history of allergy-related issues. They emphasize the importance of addressing the underlying genetic factors and supporting the body's histamine processing with specific nutrients. The goal is to reintroduce histamine-containing foods within 6 to 12 weeks, ensuring they no longer trigger adverse reactions.

🌿 Seasonal Allergy Management and Additional Resources

The conversation concludes with practical advice for managing seasonal allergies, including nasal washes, nasal steroids, and lifestyle changes. Dr. B recommends switching to nighttime showers to reduce pollen exposure and emphasizes the importance of addressing sleep disturbances caused by allergies. Both doctors provide resources for further learning about migraines and genetic factors that may contribute to them, directing viewers to migraineclass.com and migrainemastery.org for more information.

Keywords

💡Histamine

Histamine is a compound involved in local immune responses in the body. In the context of the video, it is discussed as a potential trigger for allergies and migraines, especially during springtime when allergies are more common. The video emphasizes the confusion between environmental allergies and histamine reactions in food, and how this can affect dietary choices for those trying to manage migraines.

💡Probiotics

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for health, especially the digestive system. They are mentioned in the video as essential for gut health, as they provide beneficial bacteria that help seal the gut lining and prevent inflammation, which is a significant factor in migraines. The concern is that avoiding high-histamine foods, which are often probiotic-rich, could negatively impact gut health.

💡Migraines

Migraines are a type of severe headache characterized by intense pain, often on one side of the head. The video discusses migraines as a common issue that can be exacerbated by histamine reactions and inflammation. It also highlights the importance of addressing the root causes of migraines, such as inflammation, rather than just treating the symptoms.

💡Inflammation

Inflammation is the body's response to harmful stimuli and can lead to pain and swelling. In the video, inflammation is identified as a key player in migraines, with many new migraine treatments targeting inflammation. The speakers suggest that reducing inflammation in the body can be more beneficial than just treating the pain caused by it.

💡Leaky Gut

Leaky gut, or increased intestinal permeability, is a condition where the lining of the small intestine becomes damaged, allowing toxins and undigested food particles to pass through the gut wall. In the video, it is mentioned as a cause of inflammatory reactions that can contribute to migraines, emphasizing the importance of gut health in overall well-being.

💡Diamine Oxidase (DAO)

Diamine oxidase (DAO) is an enzyme that breaks down histamine in the body. The video discusses DAO as a supplement that can help individuals with histamine intolerance by aiding in the breakdown of histamine in the gut, thus preventing its absorption and reducing histamine-related symptoms.

💡Genetics

Genetics refers to the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in living organisms. In the context of the video, genetics plays a role in how the body processes histamine, with certain genetic factors potentially leading to histamine intolerance. The video suggests that understanding one's genetic makeup can help in managing histamine-related issues.

💡MTHFR

MTHFR (Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) is an enzyme involved in the metabolism of folate and has genetic variations that can affect its function. The video mentions MTHFR as one of the genes that can influence how the body processes histamine, with genetic variations potentially leading to increased histamine levels and contributing to migraines.

💡Bifidobacterium

Bifidobacterium is a genus of bacteria that is commonly found in the human gut and is known for its probiotic properties. The video suggests that certain strains of Bifidobacterium can help reduce histamine in the gut and are better tolerated as probiotics for those with histamine intolerance.

💡Methyl B12

Methyl B12 refers to the active form of vitamin B12, which is important for various bodily functions. However, the video points out that for individuals with histamine issues, methyl B12 can exacerbate their condition by increasing histamine levels. Instead, hydroxy B12 or adenosyl B12 is recommended for such individuals.

💡Seasonal Allergies

Seasonal allergies are hypersensitivity reactions to airborne substances like pollen during certain times of the year. The video discusses how seasonal allergies can trigger migraines and suggests that managing these allergies through diet, supplements, and lifestyle changes can help reduce their impact on migraine sufferers.

Highlights

Dr. B and Dr. P discuss the confusion around histamine and allergies during springtime and their relation to migraines.

Concern raised about people avoiding high histamine foods, which may also be high in probiotics essential for gut health.

Gut health is crucial for reducing inflammation, a significant factor in migraines.

Recent migraine medications target inflammation, emphasizing its role in the condition.

Dr. B suggests that addressing inflammation directly may be more effective than just treating pain.

A small percentage of people may experience headaches due to histamine exposure, while most migraines are inflammation-related.

Advice on how to determine if histamine-containing foods are problematic by eliminating them temporarily.

People with histamine issues may also have rashes, food allergies, or reactions to medications.

Dr. P offers insights on managing histamine reactions and the importance of not restricting nutrients.

Introducing DAO enzyme as a supplement to help break down histamine in the gut.

Some probiotics may trigger migraines due to histamine release, while others like Bifidobacterium can reduce it.

Dr. B emphasizes the importance of not overreacting to histamine issues and maintaining a balanced diet.

Histamine reactions can overlap with seasonal allergies, causing confusion about dietary needs.

Dr. P suggests temporary histamine restriction during allergy season to reduce inflammation.

Importance of addressing genetic factors and supplement intake to manage histamine levels effectively.

Methyl B12 can exacerbate histamine issues, and alternative forms like hydroxy or adenosylcobalamin are recommended.

Strategies for managing seasonal allergies, such as nasal washes and HEPA filters, to reduce migraine triggers.

Resources provided for further understanding of migraines, including a video on migraineclass.com and a genetic guide on migrainemastery.org.

Transcripts

hello everybody it's Dr B I am here with

Dr P and I have been getting a ton of

questions about histamine I think just

because it's springtime and a lot of

people are having trouble with allergies

and so this question sort of tends to

come up because it's very confusing to

figure out right if you're having

environmental allergies or are you

reacting to histamine in your food and

then if your migraines are worse what's

the link there do you need to avoid High

histamine Foods

so many questions so we're just going to

kind of talk about that a little bit

today try to give you some clarity and

some useful takeaways that might be

helpful for you so my concern about all

of this emphasis that I see out there

about avoiding histamines is that what

happens is that a lot of people who are

avoiding High histamine Foods in an

attempt to approve improve their

migraines actually end up also avoiding

foods that are high in probiotics

and probiotics are essential for gut

health probiotics give you more of the

good bacteria that make the mucous

lining that helps seal up your gut

and when your gut is sealed up then you

are not uh you are less likely to get

that inflammatory reaction

from leaky gut and inflammation of

course is a huge player in migraine all

of the medications that are new for the

treatment of migraine in the past five

years all target inflammation so we are

coming to understand the role of

inflammation and migraine much better

and you know we sort of have two choices

here right we can take a pill that

treats the pain which is a result of the

inflammation or we can go to the source

and really try to stop the inflammation

and the inflammatory response from

happening in our body in the first place

and of course to my thinking it makes a

whole lot more sense to try to stop the

inflammation from happening inflammation

does multiple different things in your

body it doesn't just cause headaches it

can cause joint pain it can cause brain

fog all sorts of other things and so I

think it makes a lot more sense to just

try to cut down the inflammation than

you are healthier as a whole

so

I feel like in my experience people who

truly have headaches as a result of

histamine exposure is a pretty small

percentage of the population whereas

people who have headaches are the result

of that are the result of inflammation

is a huge percentage of the migraine

population and so I hate to see you know

people trying to work on this tiny tiny

percent when they are sacrificing you

know something that is absolutely an

issue for most people if that makes

sense so I don't I guess what I'm trying

to say is I don't I don't want to feel

like people are overreacting to the

histamine issue and sacrificing their

gut health when that is so much of a

bigger issue so how do you know

and you know if the histamine-containing

foods are a problem for you well I think

one of the easy ways to do it is to try

eliminating eliminating those foods for

a couple of weeks and if you don't see a

clear-cut Improvement then that is

probably not uh part of the problem now

one of the things that can happen if you

do have histamine issues a lot of these

people also tend to have problems with

rashes on their body that can be related

to Too Much histamine going on in the

body they may have other immediate type

of food allergies as well peanut

allergies other anaphylactic type of

reactions maybe they have allergic

reactions to multiple medications these

are all processes within the body that

involve histamine so if you have all of

those symptoms then it may make more

sense to try avoiding High histamine

Foods as part of your attempts to reduce

your migraine so if you're one of those

people it may make sense

um and Dr P I know that you have some

interesting things that you offer for

people as well who are pretty sure that

histamine is a component of their

migraines how do you handle that tell us

a little bit about that

yeah well I uh first of all I do very

much agree you know we've talked

multiple times that the Restriction of

foods that happen in people's attempts

to control their migraines becomes

problematic in the fact that then

they're missing a lot of nutrients that

their body needs to be able to heal

properly and this is a perfect example

and so when we have somebody who has a

lot of histamine reactions and we know

that histamine is a problem they've

challenged it they add it back in they

definitely have a migraine trigger as a

result then yes we do want to do a

short-term elimination but there are

some tools that we can use to try to

help them still be able to eat some of

the foods that are really healthy like

the fermented products specifically that

have a ton of those good healthy

probiotics for the gut and

um you can actually take a supplemental

Support called Dao

Dao enzyme which it stands for diamine

oxidase it's one of the enzymes that our

body is supposed to produce to break

down histamine and so a lot of times

what happens is is there can be genetic

reasons why we don't produce enough or

if we have some ongoing issue with

histamine in our gut that's caused kind

of a leaky gut situation then the

histamine can move through into the gut

itself and create more of a histamine

response that way so the Dao enzyme is a

supplement that you can take with higher

histamine Foods or known histamine foods

and that will help to break down

histamine in the gut so that it cannot

be absorbed and that's a way that you

can maintain a you know a wider range of

foods and not be quite so restrictive

while still getting the benefits of some

of the probiotics so that can be one

really helpful tip there's another

um another common

um issue that I hear a lot and I don't

know if you've heard this but I have a

lot of people that come to me and

they're like I can't take probiotics

because they trigger a migraine no

matter what I take and that always is a

dead giveaway for me that there is a

histamine issue going on for them from a

gut standpoint so if that's if anyone

listening has that issue that they

cannot tolerate any probiotics without

it triggering a migraine look very

closely at histamine containing foods

and consider that Dao enzyme to help

break down those histamines because most

of the common over-the-counter

probiotics have histamine promoting

probiotics so things like lactobacillus

a lot of the lactobacillus strains and

some of the streptococcus streptococcus

strains they all promote

um they promote histamine release

whereas there are certain strains that

you can actually focus on on such as the

bifidobacterium which might be just

across the board the better option to go

with because that can actually help to

reduce histamine in the gut as well so

those are often much better tolerated

probiotics and can help to work on

healing the gut up if this is a major

issue for somebody that they can't

tolerate probiotics so that would be

something for them to to look into a

little bit further

thanks that that is super cool that's

really useful information for people to

have about how to handle this issue

so I feel like

I I don't do you see that a lot really

you see that a lot where I was thinking

about what you said about people not

tolerating probiotics because it'll

trigger a migraine imagine I was trying

to like reach back through my memory

banks

um I need to ask that question more

often I feel like I haven't encountered

that too terribly much I feel like what

I am always hearing is um people like

avocados so for example I recommend for

people to eat avocados as a source of

fat the brain needs fat it's a healthy

source of fat if we're going to have

some in our diets we might as well get

it from healthy sources and I know that

there are many

um you know how to eat for migraine

books out there that tell you don't eat

avocados no matter what and so I am sort

of in direct opposition to to that

because I think that the benefits far

outweigh the risks but a lot of people

get get very skeptical about that so I

feel like I hear I hear that one a lot

do you hear that one a lot do yep and

fermented foods are another one they

can't tolerate fermented foods and

that's where that enzyme can be really

helpful so you can still get the

benefits of those healthy brain healthy

foods and it helps to break down that

histamine so that you can actually eat

those foods and get the nutrients from

it there's actually a couple of genes

that are involved in breakdown of

histamine that can be a problem so

especially if somebody has a family

history of allergies or you know being

allergic to a lot of different things

this can be an issue for them and um

interestingly not a lot of people know

this everybody knows well in order to

get like the most effective B12 you

should be taking methyl B12 most people

are aware of that and are taking it

however if you have a histamine issue

beat methyl B12 is actually a problem

for most of them they that will actually

make their histamine worse it it's I

think of it like the Superman histamine

right it kind of is histamine on

steroids so they'll they'll actually

make that reaction worse by taking

methyl B12 so in those cases it's really

important for them to be getting either

hydroxy or adenosil cabalamine or

hydroxy B12 or adenosil B12 because

those are not going to cause that kind

of steroidal histamine if you will and

will help your body to process the

histamine a little bit more effectively

so it's not building up quite so much so

um just thought I'd throw that in there

as another little tip yeah yeah good

that's a good one absolutely and and

then I think another thing to

distinguish here is that there's a lot

of overlap between a true histamine

reaction in your body and just simple

seasonal allergies right because that

can trigger your migraines as well so

you know allergies can be like runny

nose itchy nose itchy throat watery eyes

red eyes you know where you're just

having a simple allergic reaction to all

the stuff in the air I was oh my gosh I

was in uh near Lake Tahoe over the

weekend for my birthday and my son's

birthday and the cotton from the

cottonwood trees was so thick in the air

it looked like it was snowing it was not

snowing it was all cotton it was insane

so I was just like I mean unfortunately

I'm not allergic to that stuff but I

feel my uh family who I was there with

you know a lot of those people were and

I was just like oh man that is the worst

so you know you got the red eyes you

know watering runny nose all day law and

my son was reacting to it and so you

know there's a lot of stuff in the air

right now and the simple process of

having an environmental allergy isn't

truly you know any kind of a genetic

abnormality in how your body handles

histamine yes antihistamines do help

with those environmental allergies but

that doesn't mean like you're not going

to tolerate avocados or sauerkraut or

yogurt right you know that just means

you have allergies and it's irritating

the trigeminal nerve ending so the

trigeminal nerve has a branch that comes

here and a branch that comes over here

and it takes in the sensory information

from your face if this stuff is

irritated you can see how that nerve is

going to be firing firing firing and

when that nerve fires too much it sends

a signal directly back to the brain stem

saying uh generate a migraine and then

it initiates that whole Cascade of

events in the body that are involved

with the migraine so I think that's an

important distinction to make too like

just be because you react to an

allergens in the environment which can

be super common this time of year that

doesn't mean you have a fundamental

histamine problem in your body that says

you should avoid histamine containing

foods which happen to be very good for

gut health any thoughts on that yeah I I

might disagree with you just a little

bit

um I usually what I find is that people

who do have seasonal allergies because

of the histamine burden already at play

in their body going on a short term like

one month during their really bad season

like for example if they had Cottonwood

allergies going on a histamine

restricted diet and doing some of the

Dao and some of those things can

actually help the body to process the

histamine being released much faster so

it becomes less inflammatory overall and

so a lot of times seasonally for my

patients who would come in with the main

complaint of seasonal allergies you know

we do all of the things like quercetin

and nettles and high-dose vitamin C and

all the stuff that helps to kind of

stabilize that histamine release but

then also going on a temporary low

histamine diet and and then working on

some of those underlying genetic things

that can help to improve how their body

is processing the histamine can all go a

long way to take their allergy response

from a 10 to a two and becomes much more

bearable for them in the short term so

if we if we extend that towards somebody

with migraine and these the histamine

responses triggering their migraine they

can still do a lot of these things and

help to bring their body burden of

histamine down especially during allergy

season but again you know keeping in

mind that restriction we don't want to

restrict foods for too long a month sure

six weeks that's reasonable but after

that then we start looking at

are we doing the things we need to do to

allow our bodies to enjoy these foods

and get the nutrition from them and if

we're not we're just staying away from

them because we don't want that to be a

problem or a trigger then that's where

we start to to come into the issue so

usually our our goal is to not have a

food restriction for any longer than 6

to 12 weeks depending on the severity of

you know the underlying issue and

working on healing things up whether

that be genetics like in the histamine

case and I'm not saying everybody with

allergies does have that but there are

ways that we can improve how the body is

processing histamine with certain

nutrients and things like that and

that's where some of the genetics can

come in play especially if they have a

family history of seasonal allergies or

really strong allergies or you know

family diagnosis of MCAS or somebody has

a family history of MCAS which is uh

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome

um those things can all go a long ways

towards helping to reduce the body

burden of histamine which then can

improve that as a trigger for migraine

so

um

yeah so just a little bit of a different

view yeah but I love that about our

Point Counterpoint like you can bring

all of the perspectives of being a

naturopath I bring all the perspectives

of you know traditional conventional MD

neurology so that you know we can really

bring more resources for um for the

people who are out here trying to learn

and do everything they can to reduce

their migraines yeah I agree yeah

exactly that's why we call it point

counterpoints right well and the thing

too like if someone's hearing us and

they're like okay well she says that we

should avoid it and she says we

shouldn't avoid it what do I do like I

think it's important to just really

consider your situation right so if you

do have a ton of seasonal allergies

you've got a family history or maybe

you've been diagnosed with Mast Cell

Activation Syndrome or some other Mast

Cell problem then sure you know

especially during allergy season it

might be very helpful for you to go off

of histamine foods for six or eight

weeks but if you're just you know like

well I heard that I was supposed to

because if I have migraine then a low

histamine diet is is appropriate I see

that all over the place I don't know

like it's something that you could

definitely try for a couple of weeks and

then add it back in and you can see if

it's something that seems to trigger you

and if it is again not just eliminating

those histamine foods but then saying

all right a piece of my migraine puzzle

is histamine now what do I have to do

about it right and so that's where we

kind of circle back to all right let's

look at some of the genetics the Dao

Gene the maoag or the Mao Gene MTHFR are

the supplement forms that I'm taking

like the methyl B12 a problem am I

taking things that will help to support

my body processing and getting rid of

this histamine those are the things that

we want to make sure that you're doing

so that within 12 uh 12 weeks or so

you're able to start adding those Foods

back in and not having it trigger you

again right so that's I think we're both

in 100 agreement on that that even if

you do want to try a limited time

histamine restricted diet great see what

happens but then that's not the last

step it's not just eliminate and be done

it is now let's work on that underlying

issue so we can add those Foods back in

and tolerate them again yeah yeah that

makes sense and just another resource to

think about if you are having trouble

with seasonal allergies

um nasal washes are incredibly effective

I would do those in the morning because

it does kind of you do tend to drain for

a couple hours afterwards

um nasal steroids like Flonase they're

over the counter these days they're

super cheap do a little nasal rinse you

know the sinus rinse I don't just mean

squirting and saline that doesn't do

much you have to do the full-on Neil Med

Sinus Rinse or a Neti Pot where the

water literally goes up one nostril and

drains out the other I mean it has to

really clean that stuff out and then a

little nasal steroid you can add on some

Claritin kind of as a last resort I

always like the nasal washes and Flonase

first but you know there are many many

tools that are available to help keep

you help keep you with as minimal

symptoms as you can because of you know

if you could start getting a stuffy nose

runny nose that's keeping you up at

night then you're not sleeping then of

course your headaches are going to get

worse so yeah and we don't want that to

happen so yeah some of those lifestyle

things are the most foundational stuff

getting a HEPA filter for your bedroom

and just having it run yeah most people

know keep your doors shut your Windows

shut during allergy season so you don't

get it all the dust and pollen in your

house making sure you're vacuuming and

dusting regularly or maybe having a

friend or somebody else who's not

allergic do it for you maybe not your

friend but your husband or your husband

there we go

um but another thing another trick that

I actually find works really well for a

lot of people too is after like most a

lot of people take their showers in the

morning if you switch that to nighttime

showering and you make sure you wash

your hair you wash your face because if

you think about all the pollen that gets

on your hair and then you lay your head

down on a pillow and then you're

breathing that pollen in all night long

so if you do a nice hair wash take a

nice shower rinse off right before bed

and you get into bed then you won't be

breathing that having that exposure and

it will allow your body a chance to kind

of lower its inflammatory responses it

does its healing through the night so

that's another little trick that seems

to work well for a lot of people

yeah yeah that's a good one

all right folks so if you are interested

in learning more about root causes of

migraines and other types of headaches

then go to migraineclass.com you'll see

a 10 to 15 minute video it's got

captions you don't even have to play it

out loud

um and that will kind of get you started

fill in your knowledge based on other

things that can be going on to

contribute to headaches

um because of course the path to

recovery isn't to just keep taking a

medication to suppress the pain that's

fine if you have one or two headaches a

month but if you're having more

headaches than that you need to really

figure out what's going on under the

surface and fix that problem because

migraine can become a chronic disease

and I don't want that to happen to you

so we've got to really start getting to

those underlying root causes of

headaches and you can do that at

migraineclass.com and how about you Dr P

you got any resources for people who

want to learn more I do so I uh you know

a lot of people ask me about the genetic

aspect of things so we have a free guide

on migraine mastery.org forward slash

resources and there is a genetic guide

of kind of the top seven or eight genes

that are correlated with increased

migraine and so the ones that I

mentioned today Dao MTHFR Mao those are

all in there so that you can kind of

take a look and see if that might be

something of use to you

awesome all right thank you so much for

being here appreciate your wisdom and

insights and uh best of luck enduring

allergy season to all of you

all right take care everybody bye-bye