Hey Migraine Mentees 👋 

Today’s newsletter takes another 5 minutes to read—so if you’ve only got 60 seconds, here’s what you need to know:

• Magnesium supports over 600 vital processes in your brain and body, helping with everything from muscle and brain function to energy production...

• Research links higher magnesium intake to larger brain volume and fewer white matter lesions...

• Around 15–20% of the global population still isn’t getting enough magnesium, with those numbers being even higher in migraine and chronic headache populations…

• If you can't get it through food, supplementation is an easy way to increase your levels and get your RDA...

Either you get it or you don’t… We suggest you get it 💁‍♂️ 

Your brain and body will thank you later!

🧠 The Migraine Mentors

First time reading?! Sign up HERE.

👉️ In This Week’s Edition…

• 📰 Nerdy Migraine News & Research

  • The Latest Updates in the Migraine/Health & Wellness Community

• 🥡 Weekly “Take-Meme-Out”

  • Where Are Our T. Swift Fans At…? 🎙️ 

• 🗒️ Read This Now!

  • The Importance of Magnesium for Migraine Attacks

• 🎧️ Migraine Mentors Minicast Podcast Episode

  • Why Metabolic Health Matters for Migraine

• 🍴 Migraine-Friendly Recipe of the Week

  • Millet Pancakes with Coconut Yogurt & Fresh Fruit

📰 NEWS AND RESEARCH

Hot Off The Press…

• 🧠 Behavioral therapies are performing on par with many medications. A randomized trial plus a 2025 review found that migraine‑specific CBT, relaxation training, and mindfulness approaches improve self‑efficacy and meaningfully lower attack frequency and impairment compared with usual OTC care and controls.

• 💊 Magnesium is emerging as a foundational nutrient for migraine. Recent reviews and trials report that many patients have functional magnesium deficits and that oral and IV magnesium can reduce attack frequency, severity, and acute symptoms, especially as an adjunct in emergency care.

• 🏃 Exercise has a therapeutic dose for migraine. A 2025 analysis found that about 70–135 minutes of moderate-intensity or 45–90 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week optimally reduced migraine frequency, with yoga best for pain intensity, high‑intensity aerobic exercise for attack duration, and moderate exercise for disability.​

🥡 WEEKLY TAKE-OUT

Meme of The Week…

🗒️ READ THIS NOW!

The Importance of Magnesium for Migraine Attacks

Magnesium is a powerful mineral that plays a critical role in many bodily functions, especially when it comes to migraine prevention and relief.

It supports over 600 vital processes in your brain and body, helping with everything from muscle and brain function to energy production…

Recent research has even linked higher magnesium intake to larger brain volume and fewer white matter lesions in the aging brain!

And of course, this one should come as no surprise - Studies continue to show that low magnesium levels are linked to an increased risk and frequency of migraine attacks.

So if you’ve been looking for ways to better manage your migraine symptoms, here’s why magnesium deserves a spot on your radar…

🗣️ Why Magnesium Matters

Magnesium is involved in hundreds of chemical reactions within our brain and body…

And there are two key processes that are particularly important for migraine management: Regulating nerve signal transmission and stabilizing blood vessel activity. 

When magnesium levels drop, blood vessels can constrict, and nerve pathways can become more reactive—both of which can trigger or exacerbate migraine symptoms.

Magnesium plays an important role in “calming the nervous system” and making sure neurons fire appropriately…

So when you’re deficient in it, you’re essentially setting yourself up for a neurological meltdown.

📉 The Deficiency Connection

Stress, poor dietary habits, inflammation, poor sleep, and certain health conditions can deplete magnesium stores… And of course, these factors are also implicated with migraine.

Common signs of magnesium deficiency include muscle cramps, fatigue, blood sugar instability (“being hangry”), and mood changes.

Migraine sufferers often have lower-than-optimal magnesium levels, which may leave the brain and blood vessels more vulnerable to these factors that lead to migraine episodes.

Even more important is adequate gut function, which is needed for the absorption of magnesium, regardless of how you get it.

❤️‍🩹 Here’s How Magnesium Helps

1. Reduces Inflammation: Magnesium helps reduce gut and brain inflammation that can make you more prone to migraine symptoms and potentially make them more severe in nature.

2. Helps Relax Muscles: Muscle tension can contribute to migraine pain. Adequate magnesium supports muscle relaxation, proper muscle tone, and neuromuscular integration.

3. Supports Healthy Brain Function: Magnesium assists in global brain function by balancing neurotransmitters involved in pain signaling and mood regulation, along with long term memory formation and stabilization of neurons.

4. Improves Sleep Quality: Poor sleep is a common migraine trigger. Because magnesium has a calming effect, it can help improve sleep quality, indirectly reducing migraine frequency.

🧪 Finding the Right Sources of Magnesium

You can increase your magnesium intake through dietary choices and supplements (we will always prefer diet > supplements, but they’re there for a reason…).

Foods rich in magnesium include leafy greens like spinach and kale, nuts such as almonds and cashews, seeds (pumpkin and sunflower), whole grains, and legumes. 

If you’re considering a magnesium supplement, it’s a good idea to consult with a healthcare professional to find the right form—such as magnesium threonate (which crosses the blood-brain barrier), citrate, glycinate, or oxide—and proper dosage to meet your needs.

🤔 Things to Keep in Mind

• Dosage: While safe for most people, high doses of magnesium can cause gastrointestinal upset and have a laxative effect. Always start slowly and follow the recommended guidelines and/or your provider’s recommendations.

• Synergy with Other Nutrients: Nutrients like Vitamin D and calcium can influence magnesium absorption, so it’s important to maintain a balanced diet or supplement regimen containing these nutrients.

• Individual Response: Each person’s experience with migraine attacks are unique… And while magnesium helps many sufferers, it works best when combined with other healthy practices we’ve mentioned in the past—proper hydration, exercise, stress management, and adequate sleep.

With that being said, adding magnesium to your migraine-management toolkit might just be the missing link in your quest to find solutions…

As we’ve suggested in the past, it’s best to talk with your healthcare provider about testing your magnesium levels and whether adding more of this essential mineral—through diet, supplements, or both—could help you feel and function at your best.

🧠 The Migraine Mentors

🗞️ MIGRAINE MINICAST

Why Metabolic Health Matters for Migraine

We’ve seen this happen a thousand times…

🥼 Patient experiences migraine, patient goes to see medical doctor, medical doctor prescribes migraine medication, migraine medication doesn’t work, medical doctor prescribes several medications that don’t work, medical doctor doesn’t know what else to do and patient eventually gives up…

Don’t let this be YOU!

There is SO much more to the story, and if you haven’t responded to medications like you had hoped, there’s usually reason for it…

⛽️ Underlying metabolic issues are often the root cause of migraine symptoms, which is why we’re so keen on treating them from the beginning.

Here’s why you need to take a look under the hood and treat underlying metabolic issues…

👇️ Click the link below to check it out! 👇️

🍴MIGRAINE-FRIENDLY RECIPE 

🥞 Millet Pancakes with Coconut Yogurt & Fresh Fruit

📝 Ingredients (Serves 2)

• 1 cup millet flour

• 1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder

• 1 tbsp olive oil (or avocado oil)

• 1 large egg (optional — leave out for egg-free version)

• ¾ cup unsweetened rice milk (or other tolerated low-histamine milk)

• Pinch of sea salt

• ½ tsp cinnamon (optional and based on tolerance)

Toppings (Optional)

• ½ cup unsweetened coconut yogurt

• ½ fresh pear, sliced thin

• ¼ fresh mango, diced

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine millet flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon (if using).

2. Whisk in the egg (or skip), milk, and oil until the batter is smooth but not too runny.

3. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and lightly grease with oil.

4. Pour ¼ cup of batter for each pancake. Cook 2–3 minutes per side or until golden and cooked through.

5. Serve warm, topped with a dollop of coconut yogurt and sliced fruit.