The Headache Doctor Podcast

Dr. Jonathan Taves
  • 4.7 (85)
  • Alternative Health
  • Weekly

Even after trying medication, lifestyle changes, and other “research-backed treatments” for migraine symptoms, does nothing feel like it’s really solving the issue? The Headache Doctor Podcast is on a mission to provide education and empower everyone with headaches and migraines to break FREE from a life of fear and dependence so that they can THRIVE in everything they do. Dr. Taves, founder of the podcast and owner of Novera: Headache Center believes you deserve to feel in control of your health again — with more symptom-free days and less worry over when the next migraine will hit. Physical therapy for the neck at his clinic has decreased headache and migraine symptoms for hundreds of people. Each week he dives into a topic related to headaches and migraines, or interviews experts to help you be informed as you manage your headaches and migraines. Hit “subscribe” to be the first to know about new episodes! P.S. – Outside of this podcast, Dr. Taves has provided superb education in the form of a detailed masterclass with videos which can be found on his website (www.noveraheadachecenter.com). His clinic also provides health coaching for patients out of state, and of course - in person care if you’re in Colorado! *Disclaimer: This advice is not meant to be a substitute for advice from a medical professional regarding diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment. Always seek advice from your physician, physical therapist, or other qualified healthcare provider with questions you may have regarding a healthcare condition. Reliance on the information provided within this podcast is done solely at your own risk.

  1. 1d ago

    Medication Overuse Headaches: Are Your Migraine Meds Making Things Worse?

    What if the medication you're taking to relieve your headaches is actually making them worse? In this episode of the Headache Doctor Podcast, Dr. Taves explores medication overuse headaches, sometimes called rebound headaches, and how frequent use of certain headache medications can contribute to a cycle of recurring pain. He explains the different medication categories, the frequency thresholds associated with medication overuse headaches, and the warning signs that may indicate your headache pattern is changing. You'll learn: What medication overuse headaches are and how they developWhich medications carry a greater risk of rebound headachesWhy taking medication on 10 or 15 days per month can be an important warning sign, depending on the medicationHow occasional migraines can develop into more frequent or persistent headachesWhy changes in pain location, frequency, and intensity deserve attentionHow Novera approaches identifying potential contributors to chronic headaches and migrainesDr. Taves also discusses why he believes looking beyond symptom relief is important when developing a long-term headache treatment plan. Important: Never stop, reduce, or change prescribed medication without consulting your prescribing healthcare provider. 👉 Get your questions about medication overuse headaches and migraines answered inside our FREE Virtual Headache & Migraine Community: https://www.skool.com/headache-freedom/about 👉 Novera: Headache Center

  2. Oct 26

    Exercise & Migraines: Is Your Workout Making Them Worse?

    You're exercising, staying healthy, and doing everything you're supposed to do—so why are you still getting headaches and migraines? What if your workout is contributing to your headaches, even when you feel great immediately afterward? In this episode of the Headache Doctor Podcast, Dr. Taves explores the often-overlooked connection between exercise, neck and shoulder tension, and migraines. He explains why exercise-related headaches don't always happen during a workout. Sometimes symptoms appear hours later or even the next morning, making it difficult to recognize the connection. You'll learn: Why exercise can be both beneficial and a potential headache triggerHow shoulder workouts, overhead presses, and core exercises can strain your neckWhy headaches may appear 24–48 hours after exercisingHow workout intensity, heavy weights, and muscle fatigue can contribute to symptomsWhy improving neck stability, shoulder function, and exercise tolerance may help you return to working outDr. Taves also shares how gradually adjusting your workouts and rebuilding strength may help you stay active without repeatedly triggering symptoms. The goal isn't to stop exercising—it's to find a way to exercise that works for your body. 👉 Get your questions about exercise-induced headaches and migraines answered inside our FREE Virtual Headache & Migraine Community: https://www.skool.com/headache-freedom/about 👉 Novera: Headache Center

  3. Oct 19

    Migraines & Neck Pain: Which One Comes First?

    Is your neck causing your migraines—or are your migraines causing your neck pain? It's a question that sparks plenty of debate, especially among people who've found relief from migraines after receiving treatment for their neck. In this episode of the Headache Doctor Podcast, Dr. Taves challenges the common “chicken or the egg” explanation and explores why the neck may play a bigger role in migraines than many people realize. He explains the connection between the upper cervical spine, trigeminal nerve pathways, and the brain's interpretation of pain. You'll learn why neck dysfunction may contribute to headaches and migraines, even when MRIs or X-rays appear normal. Dr. Taves also discusses the limitations of focusing exclusively on symptom management and why he believes evaluating neck movement, joint restrictions, and muscle tension can reveal important pieces of the migraine puzzle. If you've been told your neck pain is simply another symptom of your migraines, this episode offers a different perspective—and questions worth asking about your treatment. 👉 Get your questions about migraines, neck pain, and potential contributing factors answered inside our FREE Virtual Headache & Migraine Community: https://www.skool.com/headache-freedom/about Novera: Headache Center

  4. Oct 13

    Could Your Home Be Triggering Migraines?

    Have you ever noticed your headache appears when you get home—or disappears while you're away, only to return a day or two after you come back? In this episode of the Headache Doctor Podcast, Dr. Taves explores how your home environment may be contributing to headaches and migraines and the small, everyday factors that are easy to overlook. Pasted markdown Rather than searching for one single trigger, Dr. Taves explains how multiple environmental factors can add up and gradually push you over your headache or migraine threshold. You'll learn what to consider in your: Bedroom: sleep position, pillow, temperature, light, noise, ventilation, and air qualityDaily environment: screens, lighting, fragrances, cleaning products, dust, allergens, and potential mold or moistureHome office: desk setup, prolonged sitting, neck position, movement, hydration, and eating habits Pasted markdown Pasted markdown Pasted markdownDr. Taves also introduces a simple “100-point” threshold analogy to explain how poor sleep, stress, neck tension, skipped meals, screens, and other seemingly small factors can combine until your body crosses into headache or migraine territory. Pasted markdown Plus, in Ask the Headache Doctor, he answers questions about headaches triggered by barometric pressure and persistent one-sided pain above the ear. 👉 Get your questions about migraine triggers and your environment answered inside our FREE Virtual Headache & Migraine Community: https://www.skool.com/headache-freedom/about  Novera: Headache Center

  5. Oct 5

    Breathing & Headaches: The Missing Connection

    Could the way you breathe be making it harder for your body to recover from headaches and migraines? In this episode of the Headache Doctor Podcast, Dr. Taves explores an often-overlooked piece of the headache puzzle: breathing. Not as the root cause of headaches, but as a factor that can influence your nervous system, sleep, muscle tension, stress response, and overall threshold for pain.  He breaks down why nasal breathing matters, how mouth breathing and poor sleep can create a cycle of increased pain sensitivity, and how breathing patterns can influence the body's fight-or-flight and rest-and-digest responses. You'll also learn about overbreathing and CO₂ tolerance, how breathing can recruit muscles in the neck and shoulders thousands of times throughout the day, and simple strategies Dr. Taves recommends trying—including box breathing and a CO₂ tolerance step test.  The goal isn't to claim that changing your breathing will eliminate migraines. It's to identify another factor you can work on to help your body recover, regulate stress, and potentially raise its tolerance for pain.  👉 Get your questions about headaches, migraines, and the factors that may be affecting your pain threshold answered inside our FREE Virtual Headache & Migraine Community: https://www.skool.com/headache-freedom/about 👉 Novera: Headache Center

  6. Sep 28

    Daily Headaches: Why They Start, Why They Stick Around & How to Break the Cycle

    Do you have a headache every day that never seems to fully go away? It may feel like it started out of nowhere—but there may have been signs building long before your headaches became constant. In this episode of the Headache Doctor Podcast, Dr. Taves explains why daily headaches start, why they can become so persistent, and what it takes to begin breaking the cycle. He breaks down how occasional headaches or migraines can progress into daily pain and explores factors that may push the system past its threshold—including neck, jaw, and shoulder dysfunction, stress, poor sleep, illness, inflammation, and changes in general health. You'll also learn about central sensitization—when the brain becomes increasingly sensitive to pain signals—and why recovering from long-standing daily headaches often requires addressing both the underlying source of pain and the brain's heightened response to it. Dr. Taves also discusses the role of medication, lifestyle, movement, sleep, nutrition, stress, and why a comprehensive plan may be necessary when headaches have been present for months or years. 👉 Get your questions about daily headaches and chronic migraines answered inside our FREE Virtual Headache & Migraine Community: https://www.skool.com/headache-freedom/about  Novera: Headache Center

  7. Sep 21

    Occipital or Trigeminal Neuralgia: Nerve Problem or Neck Problem?

    Sharp, burning, stabbing, or electrical pain in the back of your head, scalp, or behind your eye may lead to a diagnosis of occipital neuralgia or trigeminal neuralgia. But does that mean the nerve itself is the underlying problem? In this episode of the Headache Doctor Podcast, Dr. Taves explains how to tell whether your symptoms may involve more than the nerve—and why your neck could be an important part of the picture. He breaks down the anatomy behind occipital and trigeminal nerve pain, referred pain, and the trigeminal cervical complex. He also shares clues that may point toward neck involvement, including restricted neck movement, symptoms triggered by posture or prolonged sitting, tenderness at the base of the skull, and pain that begins in the neck and travels upward. You’ll also learn why Dr. Taves cautions against assuming that relief from a nerve block, injection, medication, or ablation proves the nerve itself was the original source of the problem—and what he recommends looking at instead. Plus, in Ask the Headache Doctor, Dr. Taves responds to people who spent years trying to get providers to recognize the connection between their neck pain and headaches or migraines. 👉 Get your questions about occipital neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, and neck-related headaches answered inside our FREE Virtual Headache & Migraine Community: https://www.skool.com/headache-freedom/about 👉 Novera: Headache Center

  8. Sep 14

    Vestibular Migraine: Why the Real Cause Is Often Missed

    If you’ve been diagnosed with vestibular migraine—or you live with ongoing dizziness, vertigo, or that constant “on a ship” feeling—there may be an important part of the picture that hasn’t been fully evaluated. In this episode of The Headache Doctor Podcast, Dr. Taves explains why our healthcare system can miss the underlying cause of vestibular migraine—and what to look for instead. He breaks down the three systems your brain relies on for balance and orientation: The visual systemThe vestibular systemThe neck and proprioceptive systemWhile the inner ear is often evaluated thoroughly, and vision is sometimes considered, Dr. Taves explains why neck function is frequently overlooked—even though your brain depends on information from the neck to understand where your head and body are in space. You’ll also learn: How BPPV differs from other types of dizzinessWhy visual coordination mattersHow neck tension and altered proprioception may contribute to dizzinessWhy vestibular migraine is often multifactorialWhat to look for when testing has not given you a clear answerPlus, in Ask the Headache Doctor, Dr. Taves answers questions about food triggers and migraine threshold, and explains how Novera’s neck treatment approach differs from chiropractic manipulation. 👉 Get your questions about vestibular migraine, dizziness, and neck-related headaches answered inside our FREE Virtual Headache & Migraine Community: https://www.skool.com/headache-freedom/about  Novera: Headache Center

See All (317)

4.7
out of 5
85 Ratings

About

Even after trying medication, lifestyle changes, and other “research-backed treatments” for migraine symptoms, does nothing feel like it’s really solving the issue? The Headache Doctor Podcast is on a mission to provide education and empower everyone with headaches and migraines to break FREE from a life of fear and dependence so that they can THRIVE in everything they do. Dr. Taves, founder of the podcast and owner of Novera: Headache Center believes you deserve to feel in control of your health again — with more symptom-free days and less worry over when the next migraine will hit. Physical therapy for the neck at his clinic has decreased headache and migraine symptoms for hundreds of people. Each week he dives into a topic related to headaches and migraines, or interviews experts to help you be informed as you manage your headaches and migraines. Hit “subscribe” to be the first to know about new episodes! P.S. – Outside of this podcast, Dr. Taves has provided superb education in the form of a detailed masterclass with videos which can be found on his website (www.noveraheadachecenter.com). His clinic also provides health coaching for patients out of state, and of course - in person care if you’re in Colorado! *Disclaimer: This advice is not meant to be a substitute for advice from a medical professional regarding diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment. Always seek advice from your physician, physical therapist, or other qualified healthcare provider with questions you may have regarding a healthcare condition. Reliance on the information provided within this podcast is done solely at your own risk.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Jonathan Taves
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    317
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Headache Doctor Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Headache Doctor Podcast

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