"I've been in remission for 10 months now." This statement marks a profound turnaround for Natalie Mead, a former software engineer whose life was once dominated by debilitating chronic migraines. Her journey from constant pain to recovery offers a compelling narrative that challenges established medical beliefs about this disabling condition.
A Descent into Chronic Pain
Seven years ago, at the age of 27, Natalie experienced her first migraine. What began as an isolated incident rapidly escalated into a relentless health crisis. Within ten months, the migraine became persistent, and even after it subsided, she was plagued by frequent weeks-long attacks and sharp "icepick" headaches. The pain was so severe that it forced her to take leave from her job at Facebook, as staring at a computer screen became unbearable.
Over the next six years, Natalie was hospitalised four times due to chronic migraine disorder, recognised as the most disabling form of migraine disease and the second leading cause of disability worldwide. This condition involves experiencing headaches on 15 or more days per month, a threshold she consistently met. In her search for relief, she tried every available medication, despite their often harsh side-effects, and adopted a restrictive lifestyle, avoiding bright lights, loud noises, and a long list of foods including gluten, tomatoes, dairy, and aged products.
The Prevailing Medical View: Acceptance Over Cure
Early in her ordeal, Natalie consulted a top-ranked neurology practice, where tests like MRI, CT scans, and bloodwork all returned normal results. The neurologist she saw delivered a disheartening diagnosis: her chronic migraine was likened to an opened Pandora's box, implying it was irreversible. This perspective, she later discovered, is widespread within the medical establishment, particularly in the United States.
While episodic migraines can often be managed into remission, chronic migraine is frequently viewed as incurable due to a theory centred on central sensitisation. This phenomenon occurs when the nervous system becomes stuck in an overactivated state, creating a "pain doom loop" where migraines feed into further sensitivity. Consequently, many chronic migraineurs, including Natalie, are advised by doctors and therapists to simply accept their condition, as emotions like anger and fear can exacerbate the pain.
For Natalie, being told to accept her fate felt like being instructed to give up on life. She questioned whether she was expected to endure this suffering indefinitely, with no hope of improvement.
A Groundbreaking Discovery: Blood Sugar Dysregulation
Hope emerged nearly a year ago when Natalie met Dr Kyle Bills, a neuroscientist and founder of the Migraine and Neuro Rehab Center in Provo, Utah. After analysing data from a continuous glucose monitor she had worn for a month, Dr Bills identified a critical link: her migraines correlated with dramatic spikes and dips in blood sugar. The underlying condition was postprandial hypoglycemia, a form of blood sugar dysregulation, not central sensitisation.
This revelation was both stunning and frustrating for Natalie. She had seen numerous specialists over the years, including a renowned headache expert, yet none had investigated non-neurological causes. Dr Bills' peer-reviewed research, published in Frontiers in Neurology, supports this finding, showing similar blood sugar issues in most chronic migraine participants. He argues that chronic migraine begins when ongoing blood sugar dysregulation overwhelms the hypothalamus, challenging the notion that it stems solely from a glitching nervous system.
The Ketogenic Diet as a Turning Point
Dr Bills recommended a ketogenic diet to address Natalie's postprandial hypoglycemia. This approach is not entirely novel, as keto is already used to treat epilepsy, which shares similarities with migraines in involving brain inflammation and electrical disturbances. Although Dr Bills' recent study focuses on identifying the condition rather than treatment, he plans future work on using keto for migraine management.
Following a three-month medical keto diet to reset her metabolism, Natalie experienced a dramatic improvement. Her migraines ceased to be chronic; while she still has occasional episodes, they are infrequent and far less severe. Many of the triggers she once meticulously avoided no longer affect her, and she has returned to a relatively normal diet, even enjoying foods like pizza occasionally, without relapsing into hypoglycemia.
Implications and Ongoing Questions
It would be inaccurate to claim that Natalie is completely cured of migraines, as she still qualifies as having episodic migraines. However, Dr Bills' discovery represents a significant medical breakthrough, demonstrating that chronic migraine—affecting about 2% of the global population—can be reversed in some cases. This challenges long-held beliefs and could shift the entire conversation around treatment.
Natalie's recovery has not been without scepticism. When she shared her story with a pain-scientist friend who adheres to the central sensitisation theory, the friend initially dismissed her experience as impossible. They ultimately agreed to disagree, highlighting the tension between new findings and established medical paradigms.
Now in remission for ten months, Natalie acknowledges the uncertainty of potential relapse. Dr Bills' research raises more questions than answers at this stage, but for her, regaining her life has provided something invaluable: hope. As she reflects, this hope mirrors what remained in Pandora's box after all else was lost—a symbol of resilience and possibility in the face of chronic illness.
Natalie Mead continues to share her insights through her Substack, "Oops, My Brain," which explores life with chronic illness and recovery, and she is working on a memoir delving into the complexities of love and caregiving in such contexts.
