The TENDing:
Essays on migraine, nervous systems, and learning your body's language
Migraine vs. Headache, Properly Differentiated
"I have a migraine" often just means a bad headache. Dr. Brenna Erickson breaks down what actually separates migraine from headache — the criteria, the common mixups, and why the distinction changes your treatment.
Can You Change Your Genetic Expression? What Epigenetics Means for Migraine
Your migraine genes aren't a life sentence. Dr. Brenna Erickson explains what epigenetics is, how it works at the cellular level, and why it's the mechanism behind raising your threshold.
Naming It: How to Tell If What You Have Is Migraine
If you've ever canceled plans because of a headache that came with a side of nausea and the sudden, urgent need for total darkness — or spent a full day dizzy and foggy and strangely unable to find your words, with no headache at all — or lost a day to feeling wrung out and unlike yourself for reasons you couldn't explain — this is for you.
There's a strong chance you've been living with migraine for years without anyone ever giving it that name.
Why Migraine Isn't Just a Headache
Migraine isn't just a bad headache — it's a genetic brain condition rooted in your hypothalamus. Learn the real mechanism behind why attacks happen.
Wildfire Smoke and Migraine: The Connection (And What to Do About It)
Wildfire smoke is a real physiological load on a migraine nervous system — not just an eye and throat irritant. Dr. Brenna Erickson walks through the research, how to tell a smoke headache from a migraine attack, and the practical tools (air quality apps, filters, masks) to get through a smoke event.
The Five Practices That Actually Change Your Migraine Pattern
Most migraine protocols fail not because the science is wrong but because they skip the foundation — a nervous system regulated enough to absorb change. In Part 3 of this series, Dr. Brenna Erickson walks through the five practices that create that foundation, plus a step-by-step prodrome guide for what to do the moment you feel a migraine coming. This is the how behind the framework.
Why Your Migraines Aren't Going Away — And What Changes Them
If you've been told your migraines are genetic and quietly accepted that as a ceiling, this post is for you. Dr. Brenna Erickson explains what's actually driving your migraine pattern — from threshold theory to the nine physiological systems most practitioners never investigate together. This is the framework that bridges your diagnosis and a life you can actually live.
Why Traditional Migraine Approaches Fail (And What to Do Instead)
If you've tried elimination diets, supplements, and sleep optimization and nothing stuck — it's not you. Your nervous system has three territories, and protocols only work in one of them. This post explains why traditional approaches skip the most important step, and what the TENDing Method does differently.
Why You Keep 'Failing' at Migraine Protocols (And What to Do Instead)
You've tried everything. Elimination diets. Supplement stacks. Sleep overhauls. And by week three, they're always abandoned. The supplements gather dust. The tracking app sends notifications into the void. And the shame spiral starts again: "What's wrong with me? Why can't I stick to anything?" Here's what I know after 10 years in clinical practice: You're not failing. Your brain learned that trying = disappointment. Your amygdala is protecting you from hoping again. And traditional protocols assume you're standing in a fertile valley—when you're actually on frozen tundra. This is the neuroscience of why you keep "failing" at migraine protocols. And what actually works when you break up the concrete first. 18-minute read →
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