For Natalie Mead, 27, it all started seven years ago when she first got her migraines. At first, they were sporadic but within ten months, they had become a regular occurrence. Her life as a software engineer at Facebook was put on hold due to the debilitating pain that made even looking at her laptop screen unbearable. The condition worsened, and Mead was hospitalized four times for chronic migraine disorder, a condition deemed disabling globally.
Her medical team initially attributed her migraines to central sensitization - a nervous system gone awry - which led to an overactivated state that caused frequent headaches. According to the theory, this created a pain loop where the more she suffered, the more sensitive her nervous system became. The advice from doctors and therapists was clear: accept your fate and give up.
However, for Mead, acceptance wasn't enough. She yearned for answers, and it was then that she met Dr Kyle Bills, a neuroscientist who ran the Migraine and Neuro Rehab Center in Utah. Bills pointed out sawtooth zigzags on her blood sugar readings graph, suggesting metabolic irregularities as the cause of Mead's migraines.
Bills's research revealed that postprandial hypoglycemia - a blood sugar dysregulation condition - was responsible for Mead's chronic migraines. Instead of being stuck in an overactivated nervous system, her problem stemmed from metabolic imbalances. Bills proposed a three-month medical keto diet to reset her metabolism.
Mead took the leap and followed Bills's advice. To her astonishment, her migraines stopped becoming chronic after just three months on the diet. Although she still experiences occasional migraine episodes, they are no longer debilitating. The triggers that had haunted her for years lost their power as well.
While Bills has not yet cured migraines in general, his groundbreaking discovery has provided new hope for millions of people worldwide living with this disabling condition. For Mead, regaining control over her life and finding relief from chronic pain is the greatest gift she could have asked for. Despite disagreement with a fellow pain scientist about the underlying causes of her condition, Mead's experience serves as a powerful reminder that there is often more to our ailments than meets the eye.
Mead's journey has sparked renewed interest in exploring alternative approaches to treating chronic migraines. As researchers continue to unravel the mysteries behind this debilitating condition, one thing is certain: the path forward will be paved with a better understanding of what makes us tick - and how diet can play a pivotal role in our overall well-being.
The road to recovery may still be long for Mead, but her story offers a beacon of hope for those struggling with chronic migraines. As she once said about the aftermath of losing herself in pain, "Hope is exactly what remained behind in Pandora's otherwise-emptied box."
Her medical team initially attributed her migraines to central sensitization - a nervous system gone awry - which led to an overactivated state that caused frequent headaches. According to the theory, this created a pain loop where the more she suffered, the more sensitive her nervous system became. The advice from doctors and therapists was clear: accept your fate and give up.
However, for Mead, acceptance wasn't enough. She yearned for answers, and it was then that she met Dr Kyle Bills, a neuroscientist who ran the Migraine and Neuro Rehab Center in Utah. Bills pointed out sawtooth zigzags on her blood sugar readings graph, suggesting metabolic irregularities as the cause of Mead's migraines.
Bills's research revealed that postprandial hypoglycemia - a blood sugar dysregulation condition - was responsible for Mead's chronic migraines. Instead of being stuck in an overactivated nervous system, her problem stemmed from metabolic imbalances. Bills proposed a three-month medical keto diet to reset her metabolism.
Mead took the leap and followed Bills's advice. To her astonishment, her migraines stopped becoming chronic after just three months on the diet. Although she still experiences occasional migraine episodes, they are no longer debilitating. The triggers that had haunted her for years lost their power as well.
While Bills has not yet cured migraines in general, his groundbreaking discovery has provided new hope for millions of people worldwide living with this disabling condition. For Mead, regaining control over her life and finding relief from chronic pain is the greatest gift she could have asked for. Despite disagreement with a fellow pain scientist about the underlying causes of her condition, Mead's experience serves as a powerful reminder that there is often more to our ailments than meets the eye.
Mead's journey has sparked renewed interest in exploring alternative approaches to treating chronic migraines. As researchers continue to unravel the mysteries behind this debilitating condition, one thing is certain: the path forward will be paved with a better understanding of what makes us tick - and how diet can play a pivotal role in our overall well-being.
The road to recovery may still be long for Mead, but her story offers a beacon of hope for those struggling with chronic migraines. As she once said about the aftermath of losing herself in pain, "Hope is exactly what remained behind in Pandora's otherwise-emptied box."
- metabolic imbalances being the root cause of her migraines is a game-changer! It just goes to show that there's often more to these debilitating conditions than what our initial diagnosis suggests. The keto diet worked like a charm for her, and it's awesome to see researchers taking an alternative approach to treating chronic migraines. For people who've tried every treatment under the sun without getting any relief, Mead's story is a breath of fresh air 
- hope is indeed a powerful tool when we start looking beyond conventional wisdom!
, you know how some flavors are just so addictive? Like, have you tried that spicy stuff at the cinema? Gives me the jitters but in a good way 
. Anyway, what's up with migraines though? I feel like we should be exploring more holistic approaches to health, not just medication 
. Did you know there's this amazing new plant-based protein powder that's supposed to help with inflammation? 
. I'm so glad she found someone like Dr. Bills who was willing to dig deeper and explore alternative approaches.
. I'm not saying it's a magic cure-all or anything, but if there's even a tiny chance that diet can help alleviate symptoms, I'm all for it 
.
. And the fact that she still experiences occasional episodes but they're no longer debilitating? That's like a miracle in my eyes 
.
. I mean, her experience is a perfect example of how our conventional thinking might be holding us back from finding new solutions for chronic conditions. And let's be real, the fact that she was initially told by her doctors that acceptance was the only way to deal with her migraines is just infuriating 
! 
.
) to find the solution to what's been holding you back. 
natalie mead's story is like a beacon of hope for anyone who's ever felt like they're living in constant pain. seven years of debilitating migraines and hospitalizations can be SO mentally draining 
i mean, that's like a dream come true for people suffering from chronic migraines.