Natural Migraine Relief: 5 Steps That WORKED

Author's Bio: Ashley Oswald, RDN, IFNCP, CLT, LD

If you struggle with severe migraines, you probably feel like you're never going to be able to live a completely normal life again.

Like my client, Nick, who for 10 years was experiencing migraines that were so bad, he regularly had to miss work.

And the most frustrating part was, these migraines had only started in his early 20s, and he couldn't explain how they started or why they were only getting worse. But that's when he came to see me.

I'm Ashley Oswald, a Harvard teaching hospital-trained gut health dietitian and founder of Oswald Digestive Clinic. I've worked with some of the most complicated patients imaginable - and I know how frustrating it can be to feel like your body is working against you.

So in this blog, I'm going to reveal the unexpected link we discovered between Nick's migraines and his gut, and how a Natural Migraine Relief approach through nutrition and gut health led to the exact advice we gave him that finally fixed his migraines, even after numerous medications had never made a difference.

This case is based upon a true story, with only necessary changes to protect the privacy of my client.

So now, let’s play a game.

What do you think it was?

Drop your guess in the comments below — no cheating – and let’s get started.

[Video Transcript Below Video - it is the same information]

Nick’s Medical History and Failed Treatments

Upon meeting Nick, I started by asking about his medical history.  

Nick had seen a few doctors, who ultimately, ran out of options.

They ran many labs, he tried many medications, and he even had imaging to rule out anything more severe.

Then, he turned to Dr. Google.

Dr. ChatGPT wasn’t around at the time, but Dr. Google had some options for him.

One of which, he jumped on.

Intermittent Fasting. A Clue That Made Things Worse

At the time, intermittent fasting was really popular, and his friends were excited about it.

So he decided to give it a try.

Did it work? No. It made his migraines WORSE!

Which, is a CLUE for us. But more on that later.

A Key Clue from Nick’s Lifestyle

What I DID notice in his medical history, was something more insightful.

Nick briefly mentioned to me, as if a bit embarrassed, that he partied a lot in his late teens to early 20s.

“Aha!”

Another clue.

So I asked Nick… as a part of this partying, did you drink a lot of alcohol?

He told me yes.

Do you know why this matters?

Drinking alcohol can deplete the body of micronutrients.

Macronutrients are the larger components of food, including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. While the micronutrients are the smaller, or more micro, vitamins and minerals. Just take a look at this chart from a 2025 research review  

As you can see, alcohol abuse can cause magnesium deficiency

And magnesium deficiency is linked to migraines

Other nutrients include some B vitamins like Thiamine, Folate, B6, and minerals like zinc

All of which could also contribute to migraines

Further, to pour gasoline on the fire, the body also uses up more of these nutrients, like magnesium and the B vitamins, during stress.

I told this to Nick, and suggested we run a full micronutrient blood test, including 12 vitamins and 5 minerals.

However, Nick’s insurance was not willing to cover this full panel and Nick just did not want to spend the money in cash.

So when weighing benefit vs. risk — like we always do in medicine —
I felt confident recommending a quality magnesium supplement and a comprehensive multivitamin.

The body needs 400 mg daily to maintain stores, so we started at 800 mg to help with replacement, and we used a combination magnesium supplement that contained magnesium citrate and magnesium L-threonate.

Magnesium L-threonate is ideal for migraines as it crosses the blood-brain barrier more effectively than other forms.
But the citrate form? That’s the one that will help his gut.

Which makes me wonder…

How is your gut?

Curious what kind of gut you have?
Take our free quiz — “What Type of Gut Do You Have?” Just click the link to take the quiz and learn more about your gut.

Now to talk about Nick’s gut

Nick was struggling with excessive gas, bloating, constipation, pain, and brain fog.

It had been getting worse for years just like the migraines

Now, I know from my training as a dietitian, that Migraines can be a main symptom of Celiac Disease,

As you can see in this research article here.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease where eating gluten damages the small intestine, and this can cause a variety of symptoms, including migraines

Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley, and sometimes oats, due to cross contamination.

Nick’s other symptoms could very well be caused by a gluten sensitivity or wheat intolerance as well, especially brain fog. This is very common.

So I recommended Nick go back to his doctor and ask for Celiac Disease testing, which is typically covered by insurance if ordered by a doctor.

I recommended Nick to do this now, before cutting out gluten, because to have an accurate lab result, he needs to be eating the equivalent of 2 slices of wheat bread, for 2 weeks

Then, after the testing is done, he can cut out gluten right away.

And by cutting out gluten, his intake of fructans will be significantly reduced as well, which should help with the excessive gas, bloating, constipation and pain

Fructans are chains of fructose molecules, that humans have a hard time digesting, so they end up in the large intestine and act like a type of fermentable fiber,

Which, for some people can be a great thing. They can produce short chain fatty acids like butyrate, which are powerful autoinflammatory molecules to support healing of the gut lining. But for people with a sensitive gut like Nick, they can cause frustrating symptoms

It is possible that we can improve Nick’s gut in the future so that he can tolerate fructans better again, since they are also in healthy foods like onions, garlic, asparagus, and more, but for now, we want Nick to have some relief, so we cut them out.

Nick was on board with this plan!

And remember that magnesium citrate we added earlier?

This was added to help the constipation, which would further helping the gas and bloating

So upon follow-up, Nick did not go get celiac disease testing, but he did cut out gluten 80% of the time.

Therefore, I made a note in the chart to swing back to celiac testing later on, since we can’t do it now, as Nick isn’t eating enough gluten for it to be accurate,

And we moved on to the next thing.

Which is hormones

Today, we’re going to focus on two key hormones: insulin and cortisol.

Let’s start with insulin — and you really can’t talk about insulin without talking about blood sugar.

You’ve probably seen those continuous glucose monitors that have become popular lately…

They are popular, because they allow people to see in real time, how their food is affecting their blood sugar, and thus, their insulin.

And they can then change the foods they eat day to day, to make sure their blood sugars stay in a healthy range, and this can prevent a host of diseases, including diabetes.

For us, this was important, because blood sugar crashes can trigger migraines!

Blood sugar crashes are caused by meals without enough protein and healthy fat, too many sugars and refined carbohydrates, and after long gaps between eating,

Remember how intermittent fasting made things worse for Nick?
That was a clue — did you catch it?

I showed Nick this photo of a balanced plate, and explained the importance of making a few swaps to the meals he told me he typically eats, to look more like the plate on the screen here.

Two big swaps that Nick could make include

1). Swapping the juice for non-sugar drinks — I gave him plenty of ideas

2). And instead of his morning wheat cereal, I suggested eggs with frozen vegetables — which he was happy to hear! He’d thought the cereal was healthy.

Nick told me that he could do both swaps!

Perfect.  

Next up: Cortisol

Cortisol is known as the stress hormone. Its levels can go up with poor sleep, blood sugar swings like we talked about, and chronic stress, of course

And chronic stress is one of the most common migraine triggers people report

Well, Nick LOVED to stay up late

And what he loved even more?
A big morning coffee.
Oh boy.

If there’s anything I’ve learned in my almost 20 years of working in healthcare, it’s to never take away someone’s coffee, unless you have a very good reason for it.

Well, this, I felt like, was a good reason.

So I decided to see if Nick agrees.

At first Nick gave me that “why did I hire you” stare.

Which told me how much I could push.

Okay, so ideally, you’d taper down and cut it out,

BUT, we have a middle option.

Which is to STOP drinking coffee after 9 am and only have 2 cups a day.

Caffeine has a half-life of 3–7 hours, and by 4–5 half-lives, most is gone, but that timeline depends on the person.

Everyone’s different.

Thus, my go-to conservative recommendation is either to

A: Taper down coffee and cut it out completely for 2 weeks. Take a caffeine holiday.

You can try coffee alternatives like the company Teeccino sells (and no, this is not sponsored, I’ve just had clients who like this brand)

Or

B: Limit yourself to 2 cups of coffee each morning, And stop drinking it before 9am

Even with that limit, slow metabolizers can still have 30% of the caffeine in their system by 9pm — fast ones, around 6%.

That’s why, really, the best option is a caffeine holiday.

Because better sleep can lower the stress hormone cortisol, and decrease inflammation in the body,

Both of which can improve migraines.

Nick chose option B to start with

Now, before I tell you a list of other possible root causes to migraines, I bet you’re wondering…

Did this work for Nick or was there anything else!?

Amazingly, after 10 years of dealing with debilitating migraines, this plan did the trick.

Finally, Nick was migraine-free.

What a life changing relief.

How possibly you might ask?

This is so simple.

Yes. It is.

As I always say – the body has an amazing ability to heal, when given the right tools and support.

And it’s so common for us at our clinic, to see clients like Nick. Who were never properly referred to a dietitian to explore how nutrition could help.

I suppose, after trying all the expensive testing and fancy medications, it seems too easy that nutrition would work.

But it can. And I see it all the time.

So what else should you consider if you are dealing with debilitating migraines like Nick?

Make sure to rule out actual neurological mechanisms with a doctor

Other nutrient deficiencies

Hormone fluctuations, like during perimenopause or menopause

Dental causes including TMJ

Medication side effects

Environment – like flickering lights or chemical exposure

Other food triggers such as histamine-rich foods, MSG, tyramine, or artificial sweeteners

Other gut causes

Sinus congestion

Pet allergies

Structural or muscle causes

Sleep apnea

Psychological components

And more.

Natural Migraine Relief Through Gut Health and Nutrition

I hope this gives you hope, that despite feeling like you’ve hit a dead end, you likely have not.

So if you’re wondering whether gut health might be a cause of your migraines, there are some clues that your body is giving already, to know if your gut is or is not healthy.

One of those clues, can be floating stool.

If you’re curious to know whether floating stool is healthy, then it’s your lucky day! Because our clinician Marcie made a popular video all about what your stool can reveal about your gut. Including whether floating stool is normal or a sign of something deeper.

Check it out.

And as always, stay curious.

If you'd like to explore any of this information further or obtain an individualized nutrition plan, you can schedule an initial appointment at our clinic.  We also take insurance and some of our clients get full coverage, which is great.

Or you can just start by downloading our FREE GUIDE: 5 WAYS TO IMPROVE GUT HEALTH  

Curious about what type of gut you have? Take our Free Quiz now!