09/27/2025
The 6 migraine levers. In my last video, I talked about six primary mechanisms, or levers, that I see in my chronic migraine sufferers.
I mention stress and emotional regulation first because this can impact any chronic health condition. When we’re stressed, the nervous system ramps up. Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline make the brain more excitable, blood vessels more reactive, and pain pathways more sensitive. That lowers your migraine threshold, so attacks are more likely to occur.
When I make a migraine formula, I almost always include 3 primary herbs for the stress response. First, Chai Hu and Bai Shao—these help balance cortisol release and calm overactive nerves. And Huang Qin, because it reduces inflammatory signaling and supports GABA, a calming neurotransmitter. Together, these herbs help raise the migraine threshold so stress doesn’t tip you into an attack.
To help retrain the nervous system, I frequently have people regularly use tools like gratitude practice, meditation and box breathing because these can give both immediate and long term effects.
When stress or emotional issues are a major or primary factor, I often utilize therapies like brain spotting, EMDR, or cognitive behavioral therapy.
The key here is that stress regulation isn’t just about relaxing—it’s about adjusting how we react when new stressors arise. With the right tools, you can raise your resilience and make migraines less frequent. Be sure to like, comment, and follow so you can catch the rest of the videos in this series on the migraine levers.
