The Migraine Heroes Podcast

About The Migraine Heroes Podcast

Are you doing everything right - avoiding triggers, taking your medication - and still experiencing migraine episodes that steal your day? You're not alone, and you're not broken. Deep dives into the science behind migraine, from food and hormones to sleep, stress, and the unexpected triggers few people talk about. Every topic holds a tension: is ginger a trigger or a remedy? Is stress the cause or the symptom? What does perimenopause actually change? There's rarely a simple answer, so each episode looks at the knowledge and science from different angles, East and West, and turns it into practical advice rooted in context. Migraine Heroes started when Diane Ducarme began helping her sister, then friends, then increasingly more people living with migraine. That work became a method, now used by over 3,000 people, to identify your own unique patterns and find real solutions. This podcast is where that thinking happens out loud. Curious what your own starting pattern looks like? Find out with the Migraine Heroes app: migraineheroes.com/app

Publisher

Diane Ducarme

Category

health & fitness · health & fitness · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Aug 2023

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

216 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Should You Tell Your Employer About Your Migraine? Who to Tell, When, and How Much to Share

   Should you tell your employer about your migraine or keep it private? In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores how to approach migraine disclosure at work in a way that protects your privacy while helping you get the support you need. In this episode, you will learn: How to decide whether telling your employer about migraine is right for you. Who may actually need to know, from your manager or HR to occupational health or a trusted colleague. How to explain your migraine, decide how much to share, and ask for practical workplace support. The goal is not to justify your illness, but to create the conditions that help you work well. 🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday 🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.com (http://migraineheroes.com) References: Identification of Work Accommodations and Interventions Associated With Work Productivity in Adults With Migraine: A Scoping Review (Begasse de Dhaem et al., 2021): This review identifies workplace factors and accommodations associated with better productivity in migraine. Read more here. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33302697/) Migraine in the Workplace (Begasse de Dhaem & Sakai, 2022): This review examines presenteeism, stigma, productivity loss, and workplace migraine programs. Read more here. (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9237352/) Migraine in the Workplace: Work Productivity Impact in a Large US-Based Healthcare System Using a Cross-Sectional Employee Survey (Begasse de Dhaem et al., 2025): This study documents substantial migraine-related productivity loss, particularly from presenteeism. Read more here. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40922394/) Migraine Stigma and General Knowledge of Migraine: A Cross-Sectional European Survey (Goadsby et al., 2025): This survey examines migraine stigma and public understanding across multiple countries. Read more here. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40891742/) Migraine and Work – Beyond Absenteeism: Migraine Severity and Occupational Burnout – A Cohort Study (Peles et al., 2024): This study links migraine and greater migraine severity with occupational burnout. Read more here. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39421886/) Legal Aspects of Migraine in the Workplace (Riggins & Paris, 2022): This review discusses workplace accommodation, disability protections, leave, and US employment law for migraine. Read more here. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11916-022-01095-x) Reasonable Accommodation at Work: Guidelines and Good Practices (European Commission, 2024): These guidelines provide practical guidance for creating individualized and inclusive workplace accommodations. Read more here (https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/reasonable-accommodation-work-guidelines-and-good-practices_en). This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.

2. 

   5 Oct 2026

   Silent Migraine & Visual Aura Without Headache: Kaleidoscope Vision, Zigzag Lines & Blind Spots

   Can you have a migraine without a headache? In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores silent migraine, visual aura without headache, and symptoms such as kaleidoscope vision, zigzag lines and blind spots, helping you understand what may be happening in the brain and why these symptoms can feel so unsettling. In this episode, you will learn: Why migraine aura can happen without headache pain. How to recognize zigzag lines, blind spots, kaleidoscope vision and other visual aura symptoms. How Western science and Traditional Chinese Medicine interpret these sudden neurological changes. Understand what these visual changes may be telling you, and when they deserve closer attention. 🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday 🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.com (http://migraineheroes.com) References: The International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd Edition (International Headache Society, 2018): The official classification defines migraine aura and typical aura without headache. Read more here. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29368949/) What Does a Migraine Aura Look Like?A Systematic Review (Joppeková et al., 2025): This review summarizes aura symptoms, mechanisms, diagnosis, and differential diagnoses. Read more here. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40597581/) Spreading Depolarization as a Therapeutic Target in Migraine (Harriott & Ayata, 2025): This review examines spreading depolarization as the biological basis of migraine aura and a potential treatment target. Read more here (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41582-025-01128-0). Migraine Aura Symptoms: Duration, Succession and Temporal Relationship to Headache (Viana et al., 2016): This diary study examines the timing and sequence of aura symptoms and headache. Read more here (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26156076/). Clinical Features of Migraine Aura: Results From a Prospective Diary-Aided Study (Viana et al., 2017): This study describes the variety and variability of visual, sensory, and language aura symptoms. Read more here (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27573009/). Cortical Spreading Depression and Migraine (Charles & Baca, 2013): This review examines cortical spreading depression and its proposed relationship to migraine aura. Read more here (https://www.nature.com/articles/nrneurol.2013.192). Neuroimaging in the Pre-Ictal or Premonitory Phase of Migraine: A Narrative Review (Karsan & Goadsby, 2023): This review examines brain changes occurring before migraine headache begins. Read more here. (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10416375/) Migraine Aura Without Headache (Shah, Dilwali & Friedman, 2018): This review covers aura without headache, its diagnosis, physiology, and differential diagnosis. Read more here (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30225597/). Migraine Aura Without Headache: Transient Ischaemic Attack or Not? (Dennis & Warlow, 1992): This study compares aura without headache with transient ischemic attacks. Read more here. (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1014896/) Aura Phenomenon: A Proposal for an Etiology-Based Clinical Classification (Pensato et al., 2025): This review proposes distinguishing migrainous aura from aura caused by other neurological conditions. Read more here (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11727431/). This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.

3. 

   2 Oct 2026

   20 Years of Looking in the Wrong Place: Susanne's Migraine Story

   For years, Susanne thought her headaches might be a dental problem. By the time she found herself crying in her GP's office, saying "I can't manage this," migraines were coming weekly, and the fear of the next one was shaping her work, her weekends, and her plans. In this episode, she shares how she started to understand her own migraine patterns, what changed when she stopped bracing for the next attack, and why her biggest lesson was learning to trust the process, and herself. Her story comes from our practitioner-guided work, which shaped the method behind the Migraine Heroes app. Today, you can start that same method in the app and see your own migraine patterns. Getting started is free. This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.

Who has been a guest on The Migraine Heroes Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Cassie
• Janelle
• Jane Wake

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

13 ratings

Spotify

4.7 / 5

39 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 60 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

90

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

77

Contact The Migraine Heroes Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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Questions about The Migraine Heroes Podcast