Why Migraines Keep Coming Back (Even After Meds, Diets, and Quick Fixes)

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve tried it all when it comes to your migraines. Maybe you’ve done medications, Botox, elimination diets, chiropractors, naturopaths—you name it. Some of those things may have given you a little relief, but nothing stuck.

Here’s the truth:
It’s not that you haven’t tried hard enough.
It’s that you’ve never had all three areas of your inflammation network addressed at the same time. That’s the missing piece.

What Is the Inflammation Network?

Your inflammation network is like your body’s alarm system. When it’s stuck in dysfunction—overreacting, misfiring, or never shutting off—you live in a constant state of inflammation.

It’s like running from a saber-tooth tiger all day. Your body stays in survival mode and can’t do its normal jobs: repairing cells, digesting food, balancing hormones, calming nerve pathways.

Migraines are one of the loudest alarm bells that system rings.
So the real question becomes: which parts of your system are stuck in overdrive?

That’s where my 3-step process comes in.

Step 1: Find Your Inducers — The 6 Keys of Inflammation

This is the foundation. Every single woman in the Freedom From Migraines Method® starts here, because if we skip it, nothing else will stick.

Most women I meet have touched one or two of these areas before. Some have even tried all six. But real change doesn’t happen just because you “checked the box.” It happens when the Six Keys are addressed in the right order, stacked together, and tailored to you.

The Six Keys Explained:

Electrolyte Symmetry → Not just “drink more water.” Your cells need sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium balanced properly.
Nutrition Integration → Eating “healthy” isn’t always enough. Food has to match your current healing stage.
Mindset Modulation → Stress itself isn’t the problem. It’s how your brain reacts to stress that fuels inflammation.
Toxicity Mitigation → Meds, plastics, mold, and alcohol overload your detox systems and keep inflammation switched on.
Circadian Responsivity → Poor sleep blocks your brain’s cleaning system, leaving behind toxic buildup.
Movement Stabilization → Too much or too little exercise spikes inflammation. The right kind calms your nervous system.

👉 For most women, aligning all six Keys properly is enough to achieve migraine freedom.

But for those who consider themselves “difficult cases,” we need to dig deeper.

Step 2: Address Chronic Inflammation Drivers

Even if you nail the Six Keys, there may still be underlying conditions feeding the fire:

Infections or injuries
Autoimmune conditions
Gut imbalances (constipation is a big one for migraine women)
Hidden food allergies
Medication overuse headaches

If these aren’t addressed, they keep your inflammation network in overdrive.

Think of Step 2 like putting up the walls and structure of a house. Once the foundation is set, this is where we zoom in on your current symptoms, your medications, and what you're working on—then give your body the extra support it needs to begin true healing.

Step 3: Decode Your Genetics

Every house has its own blueprint. In your body, that blueprint is your genetics.

This isn’t about saying, “My mom had migraines, so I do too.” Genetics shape how your body processes nutrients, balances hormones, and clears toxins.

Key Genetic Examples:

MTHFR gene → impacts how you use folate & B vitamins.
Electrolyte-regulating genes → affect nerve stability.
Genes tied to celiac, histamine intolerance, seizure disorders → all raise migraine risk.
Direct migraine genes → like those for hemiplegic migraines.

But here’s the good news: genes aren’t destiny. Lifestyle and environment can turn them on or off. By targeting the right areas, we can calm down the ones fueling migraines.

Real Stories, Real Freedom

Jenn came to me convinced she’d “done it all”—Botox, meds, multiple diets. But she’d only ever been addressing one slice of her inflammation network. Once we worked all three steps together, her migraines dropped from daily to rare.
Lisa told me, “Debbie, I thought I had already fixed my inflammation—I was eating clean, I was sleeping better—but I still had migraines.” What we found was that her electrolytes and genetics were keeping her system on edge. Once we balanced those, things finally clicked.

This is why so many women feel like they’ve failed. In reality, they just haven’t had all three areas working together.

The Bottom Line

If you’ve only tried meds, or only diet, or only stress management—you’ve only been tackling one slice of the puzzle. Migraines persist because all three areas—Inducers, Chronic Drivers, and Genetics—feed into your inflammation network.

When we calm all three together, the system quiets down. And when the system quiets down? Migraines lose their grip.

Ready to Go Deeper?

This week, I’m hosting a free live training:

Why Every Pill, Diet, and Gadget Stops Working—And The #1 Root Cause No One Told You About
📅 October 8th at 6:30 pm ET
🔗 Sign up through the link here

In this training, I’ll break down why the things you’ve tried gave you temporary relief but didn’t last—and how to finally get to the root cause of migraines for good.

Don’t give up hope. Migraine freedom is possible—and I’ll show you how.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debbie Waidl is the Owner of In The Balance Health Coaching LLC, and Founder of The Freedom From Migraines Method™ & The Migraine Freedom Protocol™
She supports busy moms living with Migraines.

Debbie will uncover what is holding them back from migraine freedom so they can live their life pain and symptom free, work productively, spend the time they want with family and friends, and stop missing out on the things they enjoy.

A message from Debbie:
"I was once right where you are now. 100% believing there was NO WAY to end migraines and my only option was to learn how to live with them or find that magic pill that maybe would work for a while. If anyone told me back then that I could end my pain once and for all, I would have called BS and popped another pill!

Skeptical times 10 was my middle name for sure because when you try it all and everyone tells you they can help you and they don’t. You stop believing… you lose HOPE!

I now realize I was approaching my migraines all backward.

I was trying to cover up symptoms versus trying to end my pain."

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