Parsley Health

US · parsleyhealth.com

Getting to the root of chronic migraines

How Parsley clinicians approach treatment of chronic migraines.

This email was sent

August 16, 2026 4:00pm EDT

Is this your brand on Milled? Claim it.

Matte tone:

FROM DR. BERZIN:

Chronic migraine flares? They’re often a signal that something’s out of balance.

Researchers consistently come back to two common factors: inflammation and blood sugar regulation. Both can lower your migraine threshold, making an attack more likely. But fortunately, both are measurable and modifiable. Find out how.

— Robin Berzin, MD, Founder & CEO, Parsley Health

Guessing at triggers only gets you so far. With a Clinical Lab Review you can meet with a board-certified clinician to better understand your blood test results — and uncover patterns in the data worth acting on.

Book a Clinical Lab Review

HSA/FSA eligible

BIOMARKER SPOTLIGHT

The biomarkers behind
chronic migraines

Conventional medicine takes two approaches to migraine: drugs that stop an attack in progress, and drugs that reduce how often they happen. Both can bring real relief, but they don't typically resolve the underlying problem.

Functional medicine starts from the premise that migraine may be a downstream symptom of upstream dysregulation. So we start by looking at what your bloodwork tells us about the pattern driving it.

Inflammatory markers:

CRP (C-reactive protein) — flags systemic inflammation, often elevated in people with frequent migraines
IL-6 — a signaling molecule that ramps up during inflammatory flares. It has been linked to migraine activity
CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide) — released during an attack itself; it's central to the migraine process and targeted by newer migraine medications

Blood sugar markers:

Fasting insulin — elevated levels (even with "normal" glucose) may point to insulin resistance, associated with migraine frequency
Glucose stability — sharp drops in blood sugar a few hours after eating (reactive hypoglycemia) are one of the most commonly reported migraine triggers
HbA1c — a longer-term view of blood sugar control that can flag patterns worth investigating

Ask the Clinician:

Why do I keep hearing about magnesium
for migraines?

"Magnesium touches nearly every mechanism we associate with migraine, inflammation, blood sugar regulation, and the neurological activity behind an attack itself. Magnesium is a cofactor in insulin signaling, helps calm inflammatory pathways, and a magnesium deficiency specifically has been linked to the neurological activity behind migraine aura.

While correcting a deficiency won't necessarily cure migraine altogether, it can meaningfully reduce how often it occurs."

Dr. Nisha Chellam, MD
Parsley Health

What We're Taking (and Why):

Magnesium Glycinate

Longtime readers know, we love Mag Glycinate over here. This supplement pairs magnesium with glycine, an amino acid with its own calming effect on the nervous system — and one of the more bioavailable, gentler-on-the-gut forms available.

For migraine specifically, this combination may offer a dual benefit: magnesium supporting the inflammatory and blood-sugar pathways covered above, and glycine contributing to the nervous system regulation tied to migraine threshold.

Get Magnesium Glycinate

“I've been taking this supplement every night as part of my nightly routine, and I absolutely love it! I feel more relaxed and ready for a restful sleep. I also take this to support my migraines.” - Jennifer S.

What members are saying:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Before finding Parsley, I had been suffering from migraines and chronic stomach pains. I had gone to a variety of doctors to find root causes, and most of them wrote me off. Parsley has been amazing because I’m seen as a whole human and not just a pile of symptoms.”

- Kate, Parsley Health Member

See more reviews on Google or Trustpilot.

If you’re experiencing 8+ migraine days per month, it’s time to find the root cause.

Our Complete Care program pairs you with a board-certified clinician and a functional nutrition coach for ongoing care throughout the year. So instead of managing flares as they come, together you can work towards a solution for the root cause.

Explore Complete Care

Insurance accepted | Board-certified clinicians | Nationwide telehealth

unsubscribe

126 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10011