Beat Headaches with Dr. Meg Mill
May 11, 2022 - Episode #96 - Beat Headaches with Dr. Meg Mill
You've got a million things to do yet. You can't do anything because you have a headache or a migraine... again!! It seems like this happens all the time. Nothing helps except popping a pill. Wouldn't you like to really know what's going on? Get to the root of the issue? Find out what's causing those headaches? Well, that's our topic today on Healthy Harmony as we are joined by Dr. Meg Mill. Dr. Meg Mill is a Functional Medicine Practitioner and a Doctor of Pharmacy. She is also the mom of three. Her practice is focused on helping people end headaches and migraines, heal the gut, reduce inflammation, balance hormones, increase energy, reduce anxiety, and restore immune systems. You can find out more about Dr. Mill at www.megmill.com **Just wanted to say a special thank you for leaving those reviews! This is your way to let me know what you like and what you want to hear more of on the Healthy Harmony podcast! If you haven't left one already, please leave a rating and review. I love bringing value to you! Read Full Transcript below Where else to listen: (note: Google is only available on android devices)
FULL TRANSCRIPT May 11, 2022 - Episode #96 - Beat Headaches with Dr. Meg Mill Speaker 1: You've got a million things to do yet. You can't do anything because you have a headache or a migraine. Again, it seems like this happens all the time. Nothing helps except popping a pill. Wouldn't you like to really know what's going on? Get to the root of the issue? Find out what's causing those headaches? Well, that's our topic today on Healthy Harmony. Speaker 1: Welcome. This is the Healthy Harmony podcast. I'm Jennifer Pickett Dietitian turned Functional Medicine, health coach. I help spiraling moms overcome the overwhelm through functional wellness coaching for the body, mind, and soul so they can transform their health and live a deeply fulfilled life of freedom and harmony. Okay, let's get real. When it comes to your health, you know what to do. I help you make this shift from knowing to actually doing the last 25 years of experience have taught me that the absolute last thing a woman needs is a lecture about self-care and another unrealistic diet plan. I recognize the importance of compassionate and intentional health practices. So you can feel good because guess what? When you feel good, you are more likely to make better decisions for your health. If you're ready to take control of your complete health, address, the obstacles standing in your way and live a life of freedom and harmony. My friend, you're in the right place. Speaker 1: Today's guest is Dr. Meg Mill. She's a functional medicine practitioner and a doctor of pharmacy. And the mom of three, her practice is focused on helping people end headaches and migraines heal the gut, reduce inflammation, balance hormones, increase energy, reduce anxiety, and restore immune systems. She has always been passionate about a healthy lifestyle in preventive care. She started as a pharm D but after almost two decades in conventional medicine and seeing people survive rather than thrive in our current system, she knew there was another way for that reason. She embarked on a journey to gain knowledge in the field of functional medicine and become a functional medicine practitioner. She sees clients both locally and internationally. Please welcome Dr. Meg Mill. Another day, another hot topic, and today is a good one. I am excited to welcome Dr. Meg mill. How are you Dr. Mill? Speaker 2: Hi. Good. Thank you so much for having me. Speaker 1: I'm so excited. You're here because you're, we're talking about something that affects all of us and that's headaches and it's such a pain cuz we have so much to do. And I know you're really passionate about this subject, so let's just get right into it. Why are you so passionate about working with people that have headaches? Speaker 2: Yeah, well when I started my functional medicine practice, I started to notice this pattern. And I just kept seeing particularly women, you know, women and men both get headaches, but I, but particularly women that started it around their teens or just as long as they could remember would come to me and whether they were coming to me for headaches or for something else, I see people for all different reasons, but I just, we do a very detailed intake questionnaire whenever we start working together. And I just started noting that this pattern where people would say like, oh I have headaches or, oh, I'm coming, you know, I've had headaches my whole lives or, or I suffer from migraines that are debilitating. And then whenever we would dig into their health history, even if they're coming from something else. So it'd be like just okay, chronic headaches. Speaker 2: And it was just this pattern over and over that I was seeing. And it made me realize that how many people suffer from headaches and are just living with it because once we would work together, then I, they would say, oh my gosh, my headaches are gone. I never thought it was possible to not suffer from these. I just thought it was a part of who I am and, and that they have to just live in this pattern. So I just started noticing these amazing changes for people. And I got passionate about wanting to more people to know you don't have to live with headaches or use medication. That's really just band aid the pain and causing other side effects. Speaker 1: Yeah. And you know, something like this, you know, sometimes it seems kind of simple. It's just a headache, but you know that when you're suffering with that on a daily basis and that is really impacting your quality of life and you know, it can impact your productivity and as women man, when we, when that impacts our productivity, I think that makes us feel very guilty and ashamed. And so we get stuck in this spiral with our health. And so I love how you've been able to help people and how you notice that kind of common denominator. So as we start to unpack headaches, what is the, what's the conventional treatment for headaches? Like what are we, what do we typically use first for headaches? Speaker 2: So conventionally, you're gonna just, usually we use a, I think in a lot of things in conventional medicine, we use a watch and weight method. So, you know, hopefully if there you've had severe headaches that you have had some sort of evaluation from a neurologist, but then you're also often just gonna get either put on an over the campaign medication, which like an Advil or a Tylenol or something would be the, the most common treatment or they're gonna actually take a step further and give you a prescription medication. But really you're just putting a bandaid on the pain. So you're treating it as if you're treating the pain to relieve the pain from the headache, but we're really not looking as why you're getting the headache. So what we do in functional medicine is we flip it upside down and we say, instead of treating the pain, we're going to look at all of the different things. Almost become, like I say, we're, we're like detectives of our own body and look at all the different factors because we are one person we're not, you know, our head and our gut and you know, our hormones. And sometimes they're treated in buckets and they really all connect with each other. So once we start taking a look at you as a whole person and all the things that could be contributing, we, we find those common denominators that actually clear the headaches. Speaker 1: It's just so important. And you and I are both, you know, in functional medicine in this world of functional medicine. And I think the key thing is instead of just treating somebody with a band aid solution, okay, you have a headache. Well here take this. It's really asking the question. Why, why are you having headaches and trying to address that root issue? And so you've seen the differences. You, you practice conventional medicine for a long time as a pharm D and so what is the difference now that you are in functional medicine? How would you treat that person? What questions would you ask if they're suffering from headaches? Speaker 2: So what I do is I, I have a, actually a method I used called the “eat” method. So we look to, we look at three things and we look at first is enlightened. So we need to look at all the triggers that you have in your life and they can come from all over. So one thing actually for listeners that you can do right now is actually print out a calendar and you don't have to, I know some people can feel overwhelmed by doing a food diary and it doesn't have to be anything complicated, but you can print out a blank calendar. And anytime you have a headache, I want you to write down like the headache day and then write down what you ate that day and the day before, because sometimes food reactions can be delayed. So we wanna look at things like food reactions to food. Speaker 2: We wanna look at if your stress level is different. If you slept a different amount of time that night, how was your hydration? Look at all those things on that day and see if you can find any common denominator. So we start really digging deep into what our triggers would be and enlighten ourselves. And then we, after that, we look and we align. So we work on hormones and stress and, and making sure that our bodies aligned. And then the last section is thrive. And it's really building up those, the correct nutrients, the right movement, the right structure, and, and going forward to thrive. So it it's a process that we go through. But it can really make such a tremendous difference when you start to get in touch. And some of those little steps like that calendar can be a good first place to start. Speaker 1: It's just so very practical. And one thing that I'm emphasizing to my clients every single day is just that aspect of mindfulness, listening to your body being self-aware. And so I love this very, very practical step of printing off a calendar, starting to track when you have the headaches, what you ate that day, what you ate the day before, what's your stress, your hydration, your sleep, your elimination, like all the above, because all of that plays a key role. And that's something as a, as a functional medicine practitioner, you know, you only know so much, they have to be very mindful first, right? Speaker 2: Yes. Correct. And sometimes it's also tricky because you can ha sometimes with headaches, there's a threshold. So sometimes people can eat a certain food and they're, and they're saying, I'm gonna just use a glass of wine, for example, cause that can be a common trigger. So sometimes people can have a glass of wine and they're, they don't have a headache. So they say, okay, well it's not wine because I had a glass of wine this time and I didn't have a headache. Even though last time I had a glass of wine, I did get one, but it must not be the wine, but there can be a threshold. So sometimes it can be the wine with some aged cheese that has Tarin in it. That, that really just put you over that pain threshold. So looking at combinations can be important too. Speaker 1: So very important. So let's dive a little bit deeper. Are there different types of headaches? Speaker 2: Yes. So the most common types of headaches that there are, there are several different types of headaches, but the most common types of headaches we see are, would be attention, headache or migraine headache and attention. Headache would be more of that steady band, dull pain across the forehead or the back of the neck. It doesn't typically include nausea and vomiting and it generally does not get worse as a result of movement. And doesn't have an actual pattern. It usually lasts a few minutes to a few hours where a migraine is more of that throbbing, intense really debilitating pain. And that, that can either affect like one half of the head or the entire head. You often will get a visual aura and that can range, you know, anywhere from really four to 48 hours. But up to 72 hours, some people can keep those migraines. They also have light sensitivity and noise and, and sound and movement. So sometimes, really when you get a migraine being in that dark place just laying in a dark room can be helpful and you can also get those auras and some nausea and vomiting. They, they follow more of a pattern. Speaker 1: So the migraine, the migraines are just hugely debilitating. You know, I mean, I know I have suffered with those before and just, it wipes me out, you know, just the, no, the nausea that kind of comes with that, the light sensitivity. I mean, it just, it knocks me out. So, and I'm so glad that those are not, that's not really an issue for me anymore, but I know with migraines, it is so important for us to address or any headache to, to address the root issue. So what are the, the key root issues we're seeing, that's really driving headaches, but especially migraines. Speaker 2: Well, the first one that's very simple is hydration. So we know that dehydration is, is a independent trigger for headaches and migraines. And I don't know that a lot of people are conscious about how much water they have all day and how much and how they're drinking the water. So that's another component when it comes to headaches. So you want to make sure that you're staying hydrated and you also wanna make sure that you're sipping water throughout the day instead of drinking large amounts at one time, because when you drink those large amounts at one time, you can often just pass it through your body rather than having the water absorbed at the cellular level that we need. So that, you know, just keeping that water bottle right by your desk, you know, or wherever you are is, is really a good tip to start. Speaker 2: I say the first, those are two places, the, the water, the hydration and the, the next free easy step is sleep because we also know that particular migraines and have an association with the amount of REM sleep we can get. And really, I think just holding that mirror up and looking, you know, what kind of sleep, how, how much are you prioritizing sleep and what quality of sleep are you getting? And I think sometimes when we put the mirror up and realize that we're not maybe prioritizing sleep as much as we could, because it is attractive to, you know, if you have little, I hear people say all the time, like, well, I have little kids and I just want a few more hours after, you know, everyone's asleep to have my time, or, you know, I'd like even I like to work out. So I wake up at four o'clock in the morning because I have a full day and I wanna work out before. And those are all good things, but if you're not prioritizing the sleep, you could be back, you know, causing your health to backfire. Speaker 1: You know, I often say you're shooting yourself in the foot. I mean, I think we have this, this productivity mentality and we're not prioritizing sleep as a, as a culture. And it's, it's really, really harming our health. I know I've certainly seen that with myself and man, it makes all the difference in the world when you get that sleep, that your body desperately needs. We've kind of underestimated everything that happens when we sleep. So it, it, you know, it makes sense to me that this would be a huge clue that we need to uncover if we're trying to investigate while we're having headaches while we're having migraines. So sleep is so vitally important that has to be looked at for overall health, not just a headache prevention. What is another factor? Let's talk about stress because obviously sleep and stress. Those are often tied together, poor stress management during the day, poor sleep at night. So how does stress play a role in headaches? Speaker 2: Yeah, I call this actually the chain of pain because pain is a stressor on your body. And I think sometimes when we're thinking about stress, we're thinking about our to-do list, how busy we are, but we also can have biological stresses. And so the pain from a headache in itself can be stress like, cause your cortisol to go up. So one, we get that high cortisol increase. We also release another hormone called prolactin and prolactin can actually increase pain sensitivity, so that can increase the severity and the incidence of your headaches, which can cause more stress. So we really have to work on intentionally getting our body back into the parasympathetic nervous system to really calm down, you know, the calm down that sympathetic nervous system to really balance our adrenal health. And so I work on, you know, just as a part of it, we work on all the different things like the meditation and yoga and journaling and deep breathing and anything that you can do to bring yourself back into that parasympathetic nervous system. I mean, I even tell people, people say, what should I do? And there are things we know help, but also find something that resonates with you because what resonates with me may be different than what resonates with you for calming. Yes. And people can really be individual. So just really something that brings you back into that place of calm and you know, where you're in that parasympathetic where you're in that rest and digest system is very important. Speaker 1: And that's something, you know, it's interesting in our world of functional medicine is discussed a lot, but you know, elsewhere, this, this concept of the sympathetic nervous system, the fight or flight mode, that stress response versus the parasympathetic state that rest and digest mode that it's just not talked about as much. And at some point we have to realize how much stress is devastating our health, and we have to do something about it and be very intentional in those efforts. I would say that is probably the biggest mistake that I've made in my health over the years is ignoring the role that stress plays. So I recently had that question when I was a guest on a podcast, you know, what do you wish you knew then that, you know, now? And so I, I would say stress management is one of those things. I really like how you refer to, you know, what is it that helps you relax? This is highly individualized. And I think we need to give ourselves permission to have downtime, to do something for stress management, for rest and relaxation. And not just every once in a while, but on a very frequent daily basis. It's just so critical. So what are the, some of the ways that you like to relieve stress? What are some of your personal practices for, to get yourself in that parasympathetic state? Speaker 2: Yeah. You know, it's interesting that you, I was just listening to what you say <laugh> said, and I, I have been busy, you know, as, as entrepreneurs and as health practitioners, we are really have things going on all the time and at families. And I have even, I just wanna even mention to people that I wish I knew, but it, even now, I just did a, my own test my own cortisol test recently because I thought I'm running myself to the ground and I know everything that I need to do and I have to do it. So it, it's not always easy, even when you know exactly what to do, you just have to really prioritize it. Cause I was reminding myself like practice what you preach and, and really just taking that time for yourself. So we're in that same boat right there, right there with you. Speaker 2: Yes <laugh>. But for me, I like, so I like meditation and I have learned to practice meditation. I think that's such a valuable tool once you can get started and really get into a good meditation practice. I see a lot of people struggle getting into where they can really, you know, meditate well and get the value of it. So I often recommend for people when they're starting to do guided meditations, that seems to help you get it the, the in the cadence. But I do think once you can really practice getting those thoughts cleared, it can help you in every aspect of your life really to bring it back and clear your thoughts at other times. Speaker 1: So good. So good. Something I've done recently. Well, I I'm just so glad spring is here. I'm so grateful. And we've put up we have, you know, just some, some beautiful nature around our home and we have a huge pecan on our back deck and I we've got lots of birds and so I have kicked up our efforts with bird feeders. And so I, I enjoy just pausing for a few minutes to watch those birds. And I find just how relaxing that is. And it sounds so silly, but Hey, that relaxes me. And it just kinda gets me out of this, you know, stressed out, oh my goodness, I've gotta be productive mode. So I think just finding what it is that helps your body relax going back a little bit, you mentioned, you know, using a calendar, trying to track your headaches. So for those women who notice, you know, what my headache is related to my cycle, and they have a feeling that tho those are those hormonal headaches, what would you what advice would you give those women who are struggling with hormonal headaches? Speaker 2: So the most common dynamic for hormonal headaches is estrogen dominance and the rapid change of hormones. So that's why we often see them. We often see the headache coming around ovulation time, or usually the week before the period when you're getting those cyclical migraines. So what we really wanna do is make sure that we're getting a good balance from between your estrogen and progesterone. So hormones are all about balance. And sometimes, you know, when we're getting that estrogen dominance effect, it can, is it because we have too much estrogen or is it because we have low progesterone? So we really want to look, you know, if we do te often we can do testing to see where your hormones are and then really get them all back in the balance. We want them. But if you, if you know, you're starting out and you're, don't have access to testing right now, just doing things that can reduce your estrogen exposure. Speaker 2: So I think starting with decreasing the Xeno estrogens in your environment, which are endocrine disruptors, and those can be found in things like BPA and plastics and, you know, the GLYC, fate and Roundup. So getting some, you know, ditching the plastics in your kitchen, if you can switch to glass you know, getting organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible, you know, really prioritizing those dirty dozen on the E w G website. And then even looking at personal care product, cause our skin is like a giant mouth. So we're absorbing all these things that we put on our skin that could be increasing our estrogen load. So I really work on, you know, being selective with products. I do tell people it can be expensive. So just do one at a time. You know, when you're done with something, just replace it with a bottle of something natural. And, and just doing that over time, it can really help switch up your whole routine. Speaker 1: It's so important and it's such a good reminder. We cannot change everything with our health at one time, but we can make these very small, intentional efforts. And I think just first of all, being aware, okay, wait a minute. If we're talking hormone balance, then we've gotta look at what we're putting on our skin, what we're using in our home, what we're putting in our mouth. And so you know, using some of those things. So guys, I will give you the, the links to EWG, which is environmental working group. They have a list of the dirty dozen. Those are the dirtiest, fruits and vegetables that you always always need to buy organic. And then they have the clean 15, those are the ones that are not heavily sprayed. So that's very helpful. The app is EWG, healthy living. That's very helpful. And then if you're looking at your personal care products, some products you use in your home you can look at that on the EWG, healthy living app, but also on the think dirty app, which I have found to be very, very helpful, very, very eye opening, right? Speaker 2: Yes, absolutely. So I, I remember just my children are, are teenagers now, but I remember when they were babies going into that, you know, so this is 16 years ago, you know, comparing every sunscreen like which sunscreen do I buy? <Laugh> that's gonna be safe for these little bodies. So you it's really a valuable website. They give you a lot of information. You can take products. You already have, you can use that to buy new products. It's a, it's a very good resource. Speaker 1: It's so helpful. I've even gotten my teenagers. They've started using that think dirty app. And, you know, they're putting things in there that they use and they're like, oh my goodness, I can't believe this is so dirty. So again, just trying to teach them so there's no advice for like headaches and teenagers. Like we have a headache just because we have teenagers, right. <Laugh> Speaker 2: Yes. Speaker 1: We're not here to talk about that today. Yes. I'm just kidding. We've got good teenagers that's for sure. Yes. Okay. So we've talked about, you know, the, the role that environment and toxins play. I'm so glad you brought that up, especially with regard to hormone balance, you know, what we, you know, even what we store our food in is so very important. So let's talk about food itself. What role does diet play in in developing headaches? Speaker 2: So we have two different components when it comes to diet, you can, you have food sensitivities and that is unique to your own body. So you're getting an IgG antibody reaction that is released. It can release an inflammatory response that is then triggering your headache. And so what really, what you wanna do for that situation is either do some food sensitivity testing to see what are your unique food sensitivities, or try to look up something like an elimination diet. So like gluten dairy, corn, eggs, peanut sugar, those are the most common, although they, I do have to say, they're not the same for everyone, but those are the most common places to start when you're looking at a food sensitivity with regards to headaches, the other aspect then is we know from research and experience that there are also other foods that can cause headaches for some people that are more the, where you're getting that immune response with the IgG. Speaker 2: These are, these are different type of responses based on different functions in your body. So we look at foods that contain tyramine. We look at foods that have nitrates, MSG, aspartame, caffeine is another one that's complicated because caffeine actually treats headaches and, and is used in some over the counter headache medication. But you can in fact get rebound headaches from caffeine. So if that's a food that you're, if that's something like if you're seeing your headaches come more actually on a weekend or on vacation, or when you're, when you're out of your regular routine, think caffeine because you're not having potentially your same cup of coffee in the same routine. And that, and sometimes then we get people into getting rebound headaches from caffeine. So that's a, that's another one. We also see a lot of people with histamine issues. So we look at foods that ha contain histamine because histamine itself can trigger blood vessel dilation. So we're really looking at all of these foods and determining which it, it can feel restrictive if you say, oh my gosh, I'm taking all of these foods away. So we really look at you individually and what are your unique triggers? So, you know, everyone and everyone is different. I'm gonna be honest and say, it's not, yes. You know, it is not a one size fits all. And that's why we look at N of one for each patient Speaker 1: Most definitely. And, you know, and that's where this can feel very, very overwhelming. So we, we definitely wanna encourage you to seek help. This is very hard to do on your own. And I know I have, I have certainly sought help. And I, it was just so very rewarding to help have someone help me on my health journey. And I love doing that for others. Dr. Mill loves doing that for others. This is her area of expertise. As she can take an in-depth look and treat you as an individual and not give you a bandaid approach, but truly help you get to the root of the issue. And that's what it's all about so that you can overcome some of these obstacles and truly live life to the fullest. So I, this has been such a, just a good conversation, just a really practical conversation, because there's a lot of things that can be driving those conversations at those, those headaches. So thank you so much for this conversation today. I really appreciate it. Speaker 2: No, thank you so much for having me. Speaker 1: So do you have a final, like word of encouragement to our listeners out there who might be struggling with their health? Speaker 2: Well, yeah, I think just really knowing that you don't have to struggle with headaches that there, you know, that there are options that is this, it isn't, it isn't just something that's genetic that just runs in your family. There's so many things we can do for you and not have to suffer from side effects from the medication cuz that's the other thing I see. So commonly as people having other issues from medications, they've had to take to treat headaches if you want to have, I do have a if you go to www.help, my headaches.com, I have a guide that has eight steps just to get started. They're just eight simple things you can do to add in your life if you wanna, you know, get started right now, if you're like, what are some things that are just easy for me to add it to get my headaches, you know, on the, to start the journey, to get rid of your headaches. Speaker 1: Oh, that's awesome. Okay. So that's www help my headaches.com. That's such an awesome resource. So y'all be sure and take advantage of that. And will you let everyone know where they can find you? Speaker 2: Yes. my website is www dot Meg mill, M E G M I L l.com. And I'm over on Instagram and it's at Dr. D R Meg mill, M E G M I L L <laugh>. And so someone said, is it like the whole word or so it's just Dr. And then I also have a program specifically for that I work with specifically for headaches and that we are not running right now. I just wrapped up with a group, but we'll be running in that again this summer. So you can find information to get on a wait list there, and that is at happiness beyond headaches. So it's www.happinessbeyondheadaches.com. Speaker 1: Oh, awesome. This has been so very helpful today and just so very practical and that's what I think that's what means the most. We just need simple, practical advice so that we can get started in avoiding these headaches that, that impact our quality of life. Dr. Mill, thank you so much for joining me today. I really appreciate it. Speaker 2: Thank you for having me. Speaker 1: I'm curious. Have you noticed a theme throughout these podcasts? The theme is this get to the root of your issue? Yes, it is not normal to have headaches all the time. It's not normal to not have energy, to not be able to sleep, to not be able to lose weight. That should not be your norm, but you really have to ask the question why that's what I love about functional medicine. We ask the question, why, why is this happening? So that is why I bring all of these guests on to help you be mindful so that you can help address what is at the root of your issues. Okay. So hope you enjoyed that podcast. And I wanna say thank you. Number one. Thank you for listening. I hope this is bringing value to you. That's why I do this. And number two, thank you. Thank you for leaving those reviews. It is so very helpful. And let me tell you why. So podcasting is just different because you don't have that direct like audience engagement. So I love speaking in front of others because I love seeing people. I can read their face and, and I can speak to them afterwards. And you know, I hear their stories and I get their feedback and, and I learn more about what they need to hear and where they struggle. And so with the podcast, y'all, it's just me and I've got this microphone and these headphones and, and my computer. And so I'm speaking to you, but I don't get to see you. I don't get to hear from you necessarily. And so I was reminded of this, this past weekend I was out and about in our small town, saw someone in our community and he was commenting about how much he enjoyed the podcast. Speaker 1: And that was so good to hear. So I wanna encourage you to do something. If you haven't already done it, leave a review, leave a rating. This lets me know, Hey, I like the podcast. Here's what else it does. It lets me know what you want to hear more of. I am doing this to bring value to you, to help you. I like to bring information to you. That is simple. That is realistic, that you can easily implement. So I would love to get a review from you and a rating. And Hey, while you're there, click the subscribe button. I don't have a cool way to say it. I know everybody, all the influencers and the kids have like the cool way of saying hit the subscribe button. That's all I know how to say it, but subscribe while you're there. That way you don't miss an episode, cuz let me tell you, I've got some amazing podcast coming up. I don't want you to miss speaking of, the next podcast, our schedule is every other week and you can always expect a podcast on Wednesday morning and our next podcast is gonna get your attention. It is how to get free healthcare. That's right. How to get free healthcare. So that's what we're talking about next time on the healthy harmony podcast until then have a healthy and happy day. Bye ya’ll! |