Dr. Emily Kostelnik

Dr. Emily Kostelnik I am a Vestibular Psychologist and fellow vestibular warrior here to teach you about all things dizziness and vertigo!

For Migraine and Headache Awareness Month I’m sharing some migraine symptoms that people find surprising. Perhaps the mo...
06/10/2026

For Migraine and Headache Awareness Month I’m sharing some migraine symptoms that people find surprising. Perhaps the most surprising of all is that you do not have to have head pain to have migraine!

I personally have vestibular migraine. My weirdest migraine symptom is vertigo when I lie on my left side during an attack.

What’s your weirdest migraine symptom? Share below!

06/08/2026

You all wanted me to show you my favorite clean snacks (and a few other things) at Costco - here they are! These are my fav - yes, some of them have sugar, but we have to live a little :). Of the sweet treats here, my favorite are Heavenly Hunks.

Here is the line-up:

🍪Chocolate Chip cookies from

🥔Chips from

🧀Burrata from

🫐Wild blueberries from

🧅Organic sheet pan veggies from

🫒Olive oil from

❤️Granola from

🍯Manuka honey from

🍎Apple cider vinegar from

🥣Chia seeds from

☑️Cashews from

➡️Hemp hearts from

💝Heavenly hunks from

🥥Coconut crisps from Tropical Fields

💚Pistachios from

What did I miss? Any other Costco favs?

06/07/2026

I love Costco as much as the next person, but there are definitely things I would never buy there, keeping migraine in mind.

🧠Remember that what you put IN and ON your body matters for your overall health (including for things like migraine and dizziness).

Things I generally avoid:

🍩Too much sugar: contributes to blood sugar instability which is pro-inflammatory

🩸Synthetic food color: can irritate the central nervous system and be problematic for things like ADHD (we know many of us are neurodivergent)

💣Anything that’s actually MSG in disguise: acts as a stimulant in the brain, which for me = migraine (no thanks!)

➡️Anything heated in plastic: the plastic will be in your food, and thus your body

👃Synthetic fragrance: huge migraine trigger for many people as well as an endocrine disruptor

Come back tomorrow for my fav clean Costco swaps!

***

P.S. I’m Dr. Emily Kostelnik, Ph.D., both a Vestibular Warrior and a Vestibular Psychologist. If you want educational, expert insights or easy-to-digest discussions about the vestibular system, dizziness, migraine, and anything that comes with vestibular disorders, follow along !

Disclaimer: This is not therapy and does not replace therapy. Interacting through this medium does not constitute entering into a therapeutic relationship. This is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice nor to diagnose or treat any medical condition.

dizzy
vestibular psychologist
dr emily kostelnik
vestibular system
vestibular warrior
dizziness relief
vestibular rehabilitation
vestibularawareness
vestibular migraine
vestibular migraines
vestibular migraine
migraine awareness
pppd
persistent postural perceptual dizziness
chronic dizziness
vertigo
neuroplasticity
inflammation

06/06/2026

Thank you to of for using your platform to build awareness around the massive impact of chronic illness and mold as a trigger.

Environmental triggers for chronic illness are one of the most misunderstood topics in medicine, and I believe the future of medicine as we continue to see numbers of chronic illness, and specifically mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), rise.

What questions do you have about your environment and how it relates to your chronic illness? I’ll answer them below ⬇️

***

P.S. I’m Dr. Emily Kostelnik, Ph.D., both a Vestibular Warrior and a Vestibular Psychologist. If you want educational, expert insights or easy-to-digest discussions about the vestibular system, dizziness, migraine, and anything that comes with vestibular disorders, follow along !

Disclaimer: This is not therapy and does not replace therapy. Interacting through this medium does not constitute entering into a therapeutic relationship. This is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice nor to diagnose or treat any medical condition.

dizzy vestibular psychologist
dr emily kostelnik
vestibular system
vestibular warrior
dizziness relief
vestibular rehabilitation
vestibularawareness
vestibular migraine
vestibular migraines
vestibular migraine
migraine awareness
pppd
persistent postural perceptual dizziness
chronic dizziness
vertigo
neuroplasticity
inflammation

06/02/2026

👀You’ve probably seen the “McDonald’s Migraine Hack” all over the internet (large Coke and fries) as well as experts weighing in on the science behind why it works.

💡Let’s talk about the science behind why it’s actually a terrible idea and will make your migraine worse long term. In a pinch, yes, by all means. But, this should not be your go-to (especially if you have chronic migraine).

⭐️There are much cleaner ways to get the caffeine, salt, and glucose that your body might crave during an attack.

➡️The issues with this “migraine hack” lies in all of the extra ingredients and huge amount of sugar:

Coke:

🍪100g of sugar (double what you’re supposed to have in a day): this is a recipe for a huge blood sugar spike and dip which causes inflammation. More inflammation➡️more migraine attacks

🧪Caramel coloring: synthetic colors have been linked to cancer and are known to be irritating to the central nervous system; there is data that this is especially problematic with ADHD, and we know many with migraine are neurodivergent. Everything in the body is related, so your neurodivergence is directly related to migraine, it isn’t a coincidence.

Fries:

🩸Trans fat: pro-inflammatory and associated with vascular issues

😑Natural beef flavor: MSG

Let’s talk about some easy alternatives!

☕️Clean caffeine from if you want some added sweetness, add honey or maple syrup

🥔Salt and carbs from

🥜Pair with fiber to slower the blood glucose hit

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