6 Root Causes of Migraines (And How to Fix Them)

The Dr. Hyman Show

Dr. Mark Hyman

Medicine, Health & Fitness, Nutrition

4.5 • 9.1K Ratings

🗓️ 4 May 2026

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Migraines aren’t just headaches and if you’ve ever had one, you know how debilitating they can be. But they’re not random, and they’re not just genetic. Migraines are a signal that something deeper is out of balance in your body and if you only treat the symptoms, you miss the real opportunity to prevent them. In this episode, I break down what’s really driving migraines, including: • The root causes most people miss—from inflammation and blood sugar swings to hormones, gut health, and nutrient deficiencies • Why migraines are a full-body neurological event, not just a head issue, and what that means for treatment • How your cycle, stress levels, and nervous system can lower your threshold and make migraines more likely • A functional medicine approach to prevention—simple shifts in diet, lifestyle, and nutrients that can reduce frequency and severity Migraines don’t come out of nowhere—they happen when your body hits a threshold. When you lower the load and support your biology, you don’t just manage migraines—you can actually start to prevent them. To go deeper on this topic, check out my past episode with Dr. Todd LePine: https://youtu.be/hnmCIGNko64. Visit ⁠functionhealth.com for 160+ lab tests at just $365 a year. Have a question you’d love answered on Office Hours? Submit it here **The waitlist is open** Sign up for Dr. Hyman’s Brainshaping Academy to learn how to nourish the biological systems that support your mental, emotional, and cognitive health Click here to sign up. (0:12) Introduction and overview of migraines (0:58) Understanding migraines and functional medicine approach (2:08) Root causes of migraines: hormones, gut health, nutritional deficiencies, nervous system (7:00) Practical steps for migraine prevention (12:35) Regulating the nervous system (14:44) Case study with Dr. Todd Lapine (22:49) Introduction to Brain Shaping Academy and mental health

Transcript

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0:00.0	What if brain fog, anxiety, and mood swings aren't simply all in your head?
0:04.7	What if the health of your mind actually starts deeper in your body, in your gut,
0:09.7	and your hormones, metabolism, and your immune system?
0:12.3	Well, let me tell you, the connection is real, and it affects how you think and you feel
0:16.4	every single day.
0:17.3	And that's why I created Brain Shaping Academy, a six-week program that shows you how
0:22.1	healing your body can help you heal your mind. Brain Shaping Academy relies on the same targeted
0:27.6	nutrition and lifestyle strategies that I've used for 30 years to help my patients improve their
0:31.9	mental, emotional, and cognitive health. So if you want to feel calmer, clear, and more in control,
0:38.3	and stay sharp and protect your brain as you age, check out Brain Shaping Academy at Dr.hyman.com for slash brain shaping.
0:45.0	That's Dr.heimen.com or slash brain shaping. Welcome to office hours.
1:02.3	This is our dedicated one-on-one space to go deeper, get clear, and explore what truly moves the needle for your health.
1:07.7	I'm Dr. Mark Hyman, and each week we're going to pull back the curtain and share the insights, the research, the lessons that don't always make it into our conversations
1:14.5	with guests. Because at the end of the day, you are the CEO of your own health. And for many of you,
1:19.7	your family's health too. And you might not feel it all the time, but you have far more power
1:24.3	in agency than you realize. I'm glad you're here.
1:33.8	This episode is brought to you by Function Health, empowering you to live 100 healthy years with over 160 lab tests for just $365 a year and use the code Mark 2026 to get $50 off
1:41.7	your membership.
1:42.7	If you've ever had a migraine, you know this isn't just a headache.
1:46.6	It's the pounding pain, the nausea, the sensitivity to light and sound. Sometimes it's so severe,
1:52.0	you can't function at all. And for many people, the messages they get is simple. Take medication,
1:56.5	avoid your triggers, learn to live with it. But here's the problem. That approach may help manage
	...

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