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

Mark Hyman

May 4, 2026

Episode description

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

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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

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Prioritize gut health to boost serotonin production

About 90% of your serotonin, a key neurotransmitter for mood and pain, is produced in your gut, not your brain.

#gut

#serotonin

Test over 160 biomarkers annually for optimal health insights

Function Health offers a membership for $365 a year that provides access to over 160 lab tests to identify nutrient deficiencies and other root causes.

#blood-test

#deficiency

Utilize genetic testing to understand stress resilience and migraine triggers

Genetic testing can reveal variations, like in the HTR1A gene, that make you more prone to the effects of stress, a major migraine trigger.

#genetics

#stress

Manage estrogen levels to prevent hormonal migraines

It's the sharp drop in estrogen levels before a period, not the absolute level, that increases inflammation and triggers hormonal migraines.

#estrogen

#migraine

Manage stress and triggers to prevent migraine overflow

Migraines happen when your 'bucket' overflows from the cumulative load of stress, poor sleep, food triggers, and hormonal changes.

#migraine

#stress

Manage caffeine intake to prevent withdrawal migraines

Caffeine withdrawal can trigger migraines, even though caffeine is also used in medications to treat them.

#migraine

Avoid medication overuse to prevent rebound headaches

Overusing certain migraine medications can ironically lead to rebound headaches, where the drug itself becomes the cause of the next headache.

#migraine

Address histamine detox issues to prevent migraines from food allergies

Developing new food allergies or sensitivities, like to eggs or bananas, can indicate a histamine detoxification problem that triggers migraines.

#allergy

#migraine

Mark Hyman

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