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How to Stop Headaches Using Science-Based Approaches | Huberman Lab Podcast
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How to Stop Headaches Using Science-Based Approaches | Huberman Lab Podcast

Understanding and Treating Headaches

In this podcast, Andrew Huberman, a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine, discusses the different types of headaches, their underlying biology, and various treatment options.

Types of Headaches

  • There are many different types of headaches including migraine headaches, tension headaches, cluster headaches, and sinus headaches.
  • Understanding the underlying biology of each type can help in selecting the best treatment options.
  • Treatments for each type range from prescription drug treatments to natural treatments that appear to be as effective or more effective than typical drug treatments.

Natural Treatments for Headaches

  • Many natural treatments are grounded in solid biological understanding.
  • Natural treatments can address muscular pain issues or excessive vasodilation issues without carrying side effects like drug treatments.
  • By the end of the podcast, listeners will have an array of excellent treatment options to choose from in order to provide relief from any type of headache.

Sponsorship and Conclusion

  • The podcast is separate from Huberman's teaching and research roles at Stanford but is part of his effort to bring science-related tools to the general public.
  • Thesis is one sponsor that makes custom nootropics designed to bring cognitive benefits.

Personalized Nootropic Starter Kit

In this section, the speaker talks about a personalized nootropic starter kit that can be customized based on individual preferences.

Thesis Nootropics

  • Thesis is a company that offers personalized nootropic starter kits.
  • The starter kit includes four different formulas to try in the first month.
  • The ingredients in each formula are customized based on individual preferences.
  • To get started, take a brief three-minute quiz online at takethesis.com/huberman.

Importance of Electrolytes and Hydration

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of electrolytes and hydration for optimal bodily function.

Element Electrolyte Drink

  • Element is an electrolyte drink that contains sodium, magnesium, and potassium in the proper ratios.
  • Proper hydration and electrolyte balance are critical for nerve cell function, hormone regulation, physical performance, and overall health.
  • Drinking Element can help optimize bodily systems by ensuring proper hydration and electrolyte balance.
  • To try Element, go to drinklmnt.com/huberman to receive a free sample pack with purchase.

Nutrient-Dense Red Meat

In this section, the speaker talks about Maui Nui venison as a nutrient-dense red meat option.

Maui Nui Venison

  • Maui Nui is a company that offers USDA certified wild-harvested venison from invasive deer populations on the island of Maui.
  • Quality protein is critical for muscle repair, protein synthesis, and tissue repair, including brain tissue.
  • Maui Nui venison is high-quality and delicious, providing a lean protein source without excess calories.
  • To try Maui Nui venison, go to mauinuivenison.com/huberman to receive 20% off your first order.

Momentous Supplements

In this section, the speaker talks about Momentous supplements as a resource for finding supplements discussed on the Huberman Lab podcast.

Momentous Supplements

  • Momentous is a company that offers a variety of supplements discussed on the Huberman Lab podcast.
  • The library of supplements is constantly expanding.
  • To find the supplements discussed on the podcast, go to livemomentous.com/huberman.

Understanding Headaches

In this section, the speaker discusses different types of headaches and their underlying causes.

Types of Headaches

  • Tension headaches are mainly caused by muscular tension in the head and neck area.
  • Other types of headaches can arise from changes in different tissues in the head and neck area.
  • Understanding which tissue system is involved in creating a headache is key to finding relief.

Muscles and Meninges in Headaches

This section discusses the role of muscles and meninges in generating headaches.

Muscular Issues as a Source of Headache

  • The muscles are a key player in the formation of tension headaches.
  • Other types of headaches can also involve muscle tension.

Meninges as a Source of Headache

  • The meninges are tissues that line the outside of the brain and reside between the brain and the skull.
  • The dura is a very thick, durable sac that encases the brain tightly like Saran wrap.
  • The proximity of the dura and meninges to the brain, along with their tight wrapping, creates pressure when blood vessels or arteries become dilated.
  • Vasodilation causes expansion or widening of arteries, blood vessels, and capillaries which gives rise to headache because there isn't much space for that expansion to go.

Brain Tissue Sensitivity

  • The brain itself doesn't have pain receptors but surrounding tissues such as dura, meninges, vasculature do have nociceptors (pain receptors).
  • Any increase in size of portals that allow movement of blood within skull can cause pain due to presence of nociceptors.

Understanding Different Types of Headaches

In this section, the speaker discusses the different types of headaches and their origins.

Muscular and Meningeal Origins of Headaches

  • The ache in a headache can arise from muscular tension, as is the case with Tension Headache.
  • The pain that arises from vasodilation (widening of vascular portals) is different than muscular tension.
  • Meningeal headaches are caused by inflammation or irritation of the meninges, which are the protective membranes surrounding the brain.

Neural Origins of Headaches

  • Cluster headaches arise from deep within the head and feel like they are coming from behind one or both eyes.
  • Cluster headaches are neural in origin and arise from activation or inflammation of the trigeminal nerve.
  • Trigeminal nerve has three branches: ophthalmic branch extends to the eye, mandibular branch extends to lip, and maxillary branch extends to nasal area.

Inflammatory Origins of Headaches

  • Inflammation is a form of signaling in which cytokines signal that there's something going on in a particular tissue.
  • Inflammation can be caused by an intrusive object, local toxin presence, or systemic inflammation.

Introduction to the Skull and Sinuses

In this section, the speaker introduces the skull and sinuses, explaining that the skull is not one solid piece of bone but has small holes and canals. The sinuses allow for the passage of fluids through the skull.

The Skull and Sinuses

  • The skull is not one big piece of solid bone but has small fenestrations or holes.
  • The sinuses are located above your lips, on either side of your nose, and in your mandible. They allow for the passage of different fluids through the skull.
  • The skull is a living tissue that needs to be nourished with blood, cerebral spinal fluid, and other important things.
  • Sinus headaches can occur when sinuses become clogged due to inflammation.

Inflammation-Based Origins of Headaches

In this section, the speaker explains how inflammation can trigger pain mechanisms in different parts of the body, including headaches. He discusses how inflammation responses tend to be broad signals that are not very specific.

Inflammation-Based Origins of Headaches

  • Inflammation sends out a broad signal that something is wrong and needs to be dealt with.
  • Inflammatory responses tend to be far more widespread than the actual site of infection or foreign object.
  • Any inflammation or infection encroaching on the face or head area can easily spill over into activation of nerve cells causing neural-based headaches or meningeal headaches.
  • All pain experiences are neural in origin as it's nerve cells carrying the signal perceived as pain.

Different Sources of Headaches

In this section, the speaker explains that headaches can have different sources of origin, including muscular, meningeal, neural, and inflammation-based. He emphasizes that sometimes these sources exist alone and sometimes in combination.

Different Sources of Headaches

  • Headaches can have muscular origins or come from the muscles.
  • Meningeal headaches originate from the meninges.
  • Neural headaches arise from nerve cells.
  • Inflammation-based headaches are caused by inflammation responses in different parts of the body.

Conclusion

In this section, the speaker concludes by emphasizing that all pain experiences are neural in origin. He also mentions that he will discuss different treatments for headaches in future discussions.

Conclusion

  • All pain experiences are neural in origin.
  • The speaker will discuss different treatments for headaches in future discussions.

Understanding Headaches

In this section, the speaker explains the different types of headaches and how to identify them.

Types of Headaches

  • Migraine: starts in one area and spreads across the head. Often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light.
  • Cluster headache: starts deep below the eye and feels like it's emerging from deep in the brain.
  • Tension headache: feels like a band around the head.
  • By understanding these different types of headaches, you can quickly pinpoint what type of headache you have and what type of treatment will be most effective.

How Pain Arises at the Level of Nerve Cells

In this section, the speaker explains how pain arises at the level of nerve cells.

Three Types of Neurons

  • Motor neurons: control muscle contractions for walking or moving limbs.
  • Sensory neurons: respond to events in the environment or within the body but do not generate muscular contractions. They sense touch, pressure, pain, etc.
  • Modulatory neurons: adjust the relationship between sensory neurons and motor neurons to determine whether or not we respond to a sensory input.

Example of Modulatory Neurons

  • When something touches us without us being aware of where it's coming from, we typically move away from that thing. However, we can decide not to move away by modulating that reflex.

Introduction to Headaches

In this section, the speaker introduces the three types of neurons: motor neurons, sensory neurons, and modulatory neurons. These are important because they play a role in how headaches are perceived and treated.

Types of Headaches

  • Tension headaches are common and can arise from sleep deprivation, excessive caffeine intake, stress, or low-level infections. They are associated with muscular tension in the head, jaw, and neck.
  • Headache is not just one thing; there are different types such as migraine or cluster headache that require different treatments.

Approaches to Treating Headaches

  • To treat tension headaches, you can turn off the neurons that contract muscles causing tension by taking muscle relaxers or relaxedants.
  • Alternatively, you could shut off the sensory part of it by changing the way you sense it.
  • Adjusting modulatory neurons allows you to adjust the relationship between sensory and motor neurons so that muscles relax.
  • Painkillers have other issues such as sedation or addiction. Some people prefer behavioral approaches where they deliberately turn off communication between Sensory neurons and motor neurons.

Conclusion

Headaches are a complex phenomenon with different types requiring different treatments. Understanding how pain is sensed through various types of neurons can help identify effective treatment options.

Tension Type Headaches

This section discusses tension type headaches, their symptoms, and causes.

Symptoms of Tension Type Headaches

  • Tension type headaches start as a headband around the forehead and can extend to the jaw, neck muscles, and upper back.
  • Chronic psychological stress combined with lack of sleep is the main cause of tension type headaches.
  • Lack of sleep leads to excessive stress which can cause tension type headaches.

Causes of Tension Type Headaches

  • Tension within muscles of the neck can bias the ache towards one side of the head.

Migraine Headaches

This section discusses migraine headaches, their prevalence, and possible causes.

Prevalence of Migraine Headaches

  • Females suffer from migraine headaches at a rate at least threefold higher than males.
  • The prevalence of migraine is still debated but it is known that migraines are very common.

Possible Causes of Migraine Headaches

  • The reason why migraines occur more frequently in females even independently of hormonal changes is still unknown.

Headaches and Migraines

This section discusses the prevalence of headaches, migraines, and their differences. It also touches on the hormonal aspect of migraines and how pregnancy can affect them.

Prevalence and Neural Origin

  • Headaches are common, with a higher prevalence in females.
  • Migraine headaches are neural in origin and more prevalent in females.
  • Migraines tend to be recurring and can be extremely debilitating.

Aura and Photophobia

  • Aura is a feeling that something is about to happen before the onset of a migraine headache.
  • Photophobia or sensitivity to light is common in migraines.
  • Photophobia can be a prominent feature of the experience that a migraine is coming on.

Understanding Headaches

In this section, the speaker discusses different types of headaches and their underlying biologies.

Tension Type Headaches

  • Tension type headaches are the most common type of headache.
  • They are caused by muscle tension in the head and neck region.
  • Stress is a common trigger for tension headaches.

Migraine Headaches

  • Migraine headaches are caused by hyper dilation of blood vessels in the brain.
  • Knowing what kind of headache you have is essential for selecting the best treatment.
  • Caffeine can be a potent treatment for migraine, but it's important to know which type of headache you're experiencing before using caffeine as a treatment.

Cluster Headaches

  • Cluster headaches arise from deep within the head and tend to be unilateral (on one side).
  • The trigeminal nerve completely explains cluster headaches and what to do about them.
  • Herpes one virus lives on the trigeminal nerve and can inflame it, causing cold sores on the mouth.

Photophobia and Aura

  • Adjusting sensitivity to light may help short-circuit some onset and subsequent pathology of migraines.
  • Photophobia is not just a symptom of migraine, but preventing it can offset a lot of the ache of the migraine.
  • Aura is a visual disturbance that can occur before or during a migraine.

Conclusion

  • Different types of headaches have different underlying biologies and require different treatments.
  • Knowing what kind of headache you're experiencing is essential for selecting the best treatment.
Video description

In this episode, I discuss the causes and treatments of different types of headaches, including tension headaches, migraines, sinus and cluster headaches, as well as menstrual and other hormone-based headaches. I describe how to distinguish between the different headache types and how to select the right treatment, including prescription-based and non-prescription-based treatments, behavioral and nutrition-based approaches. I also explain the evidence and mechanisms supporting the use of omega-3 fatty acids, high dose creatine, peppermint oil, turmeric, acupuncture and more. Additionally, I touch on traumatic brain injury, the causes of photophobia, aura, and the link between spicy foods and thunderclap headaches. By the end of this episode, listeners and viewers will have a comprehensive understanding of headaches, their types and the best way to prevent and stop them. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Maui Nui Venison: https://mauinuivenison.com/huberman InsideTracker: https://www.insidetracker.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Huberman Lab Premium https://hubermanlab.com/premium Social & Website Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network Articles Prevention of traumatic headache, dizziness and fatigue with creatine administration. A pilot study: https://bit.ly/3Y8lKLU Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and headache in the U.S. population: https://bit.ly/3X5lRXw Dietary alteration of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids for headache reduction in adults with migraine: randomized controlled trial: https://bit.ly/3Y4SXaZ Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on premenstrual syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis: https://bit.ly/40uX5Tu Effect of Peppermint and Eucalyptus Oil Preparations on Neurophysiological and Experimental Algesimetric Headache Parameters: https://bit.ly/3wZegiu Herbal treatments for migraine: A systematic review of randomised-controlled studies: https://bit.ly/40uXbuk Timestamps 00:00:00 Headache 00:03:51 Sponsors: Thesis, LMNT, Maui Nui, Momentous 00:07:47 Headache Sources: Muscle Tension; Blood Flow & Meninges 00:14:06 Headache Sources: Neurons; Inflammation & Sinus Headache 00:23:21 3 Neuron Types, Pain, Tension Headaches 00:31:05 Tension Headaches 00:33:25 AG1 (Athletic Greens) 00:34:29 Migraine Headaches, Aura, Photophobia 00:43:10 Cluster Headaches 00:47:47 Hormone-Based Headaches, Menstrual Cycle & Menopause 00:53:38 Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) & Headache, Baseline Health 01:02:08 Tool: Headache Treatment, Creatine Monohydrate & TBI 01:12:22 InsideTracker 01:13:55 Headache Treatment, Omega-3 & Omega-6 Fatty Acids (Linolic Acid) 01:22:14 Tool: Omega-3 Supplementation, Omega-6 Fatty Acids & Inflammation 01:28:11 Hormone Headache Treatment & Omega-3s 01:31:24 Tool: Aura, Photophobia & Offsetting with Red Light 01:44:15 Tool: Tension Headache & Botox Treatment 01:49:43 Tool: Alternative Headache Treatments, Peppermint Oil, Menthol 02:01:35 Tool: Tension Headaches Treatment & Acupuncture 02:05:41 Tool: Migraine & Herbal Treatment, Caffeine Timing 02:13:26 Tool: Migraine Treatments & Curcumin (Turmeric) 02:18:00 Carolina Reaper Pepper & Thunderclap Headache 02:24:21 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Social Media, Momentous, Neural Network Newsletter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com The Huberman Lab podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.