A deficiency in this critical nutrient, magnesium, makes you
twice as likely to die as other people,
according to a study published in the journal
"Critical Care."
I remember using magnesium when I worked in the
emergency room. It was a critical "medication"
on the crash cart. If someone was dying of a
life-threatening arrhythmia (or irregular heart
beat), we used intravenous magnesium.
If someone was constipated or needed to prepare
for colonoscopy, we gave them milk of magnesia
or a green bottle of liquid magnesium citrate,
which emptied their bowels.
If pregnant women came in with pre-term labor,
or high blood pressure of pregnancy (pre-
eclampsia) or seizures, we gave them continuous
high doses of intravenous magnesium.
Anything that is tight, irritable, crampy, and
stiff -- whether it is a body part or an even a
mood -- is a sign of magnesium deficiency.
Why?
Well, this critical mineral is responsible for
over 300 enzyme reactions and is found in all of
your tissues -- but mainly, bone, muscle, and brain.
The list of conditions that are found related to
magnesium deficiency is very long.
In fact, there are over 3,500 medical references
on magnesium deficiency!
You might be magnesium deficient if you have any
of the following symptoms:
By conservative standards of measurement (blood,
or serum, magnesium levels), 65 percent of
people admitted to the intensive care unit --
and about 15 percent of the general population -
- have magnesium deficiency.
Why are we so deficient?
The answer is simple: Many of us eat a diet that
contains practically no magnesium -- a highly
processed, refined diet that is based mostly on
white flour, meat, and dairy (all of which have
no magnesium).
When was the last time you had a good dose of
sea vegetables (seaweed), nuts, greens, and
beans? If you are like most Americans, your nut
consumption mostly comes from peanut butter, and
mostly in chocolate peanut butter cups.
Our processed diet contains almost no magnesium.
It is also often poorly absorbed and easily lost
from our bodies.
To absorb magnesium we need a lot of it in our
diet, plus enough vitamins B6 and D and selenium
to get the job done.
Moreover, much of modern life conspires to help
us lose whatever magnesium we get in our diet.
Magnesium levels are decreased by excess
alcohol, salt, coffee, phosphoric acid in colas,
profuse sweating, prolonged or intense stress,
chronic diarrhea, excessive menstruation,
diuretics (water pills), antibiotics and other
drugs, and some intestinal parasites.
In fact, in one study in Kosovo, people under
chronic war stress lost large amounts of
magnesium in their urine.
So if you suffer from any of the symptoms I
mentioned or have any of the diseases I noted,
don't worry -- it is an easy fix!!
Here's how.
* Limit coffee, colas, salt, sugar and alcohol
* Learn how to practice active relaxation
* Check with your doctor if your medication is
causing magnesium loss (many high blood pressure
drugs or diuretics cause loss of magnesium)
Eat foods high in magnesium.
* These include kelp, wheat bran, wheat germ,
almonds, cashews, buckwheat, brazil nuts, dulse,
filberts, millet, pecans, walnuts, rye, tofu,
soy beans, brown rice, figs, dates, collard
greens, shrimp, avocado, parsley, beans, barley,
dandelion greens, and garlic
Take magnesium supplements.
* The RDA (the minimum amount needed) for
magnesium is about 300 mg a day. Most of us get
far less than 200 mg
* Some may need much more depending on their
condition
* Most people benefit from 400 to 1,000 mg a day
* The most absorbable forms are magnesium
citrate, glycinate taurate, or aspartate,
although magnesium bound to Kreb cycle chelates
(malate, succinate, fumarate) are also good
* Avoid magnesium carbonate, sulfate, gluconate,
and oxide. They are poorly absorbed (and the
cheapest and most common forms found in
supplements)
* Side effects from too much magnesium include
diarrhea, which can be avoided if you switch to
magnesium glycinate
* Most minerals are best taken as a team with
other minerals in a multi-mineral formula
* Taking a hot bath with Epsom salts (magnesium
sulfate) is a good way to absorb and get much
needed magnesium
* People with kidney disease or severe heart
disease should take magnesium only under a
doctor's supervision
Great article Xania. It's going on the blog. Do you have a link for it?
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I'm a big believer in Magnesium, and the article is right-- most people take too much Calcium and not enough Magnesium. I always recommend a 1 to 1 ratio of Calcium/ Magnesium from citrate (best) 500- 600mg A.M. and another 500- 600mg P.M.
(As we age, we absorb less). If older,with health issues or not a good diet, another 500- 600mg midday).
__________________
Let Food Be Your Medicine And Medicine Be Your Food.(Hippocrates)
Magnesium is a highly flammable metal, but while it is easy to ignite when powdered or shaved into thin strips, it is difficult to ignite in mass or bulk. Once ignited it is difficult to extinguish, being able to burn in both nitrogen (forming magnesium nitride), and carbon dioxide (forming magnesium oxide and carbon).
Magnesium, when it burns in air, produces a brilliant white light (images of burning magnesium). This was used in the early days of photography when magnesium powder was used as a source of illumination (flash powder). Later, magnesium ribbon was used in electrically ignited flash bulbs. Magnesium powder is still used in the manufacture of fireworks and marine flares where a brilliant white light is required.
Magnesium also reacts with hydrochloric acid and produces heat and hydrogen when added to it. The magnesium will begin to bubble and become hot � too hot to touch comfortably. The reaction will occur faster with higher temperatures (see precautions). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium
Hmmm.....I wonder what happens when magnesium contacts stomach acid?
I don't know how to put a quote in a "quote box" on this forum.
__________________
For now we see through a glass, darkly.... 1st Corinthians 13:12
Magnesium is a highly flammable metal, but while it is easy to ignite when powdered or shaved into thin strips, it is difficult to ignite in mass or bulk. Once ignited it is difficult to extinguish, being able to burn in both nitrogen (forming magnesium nitride), and carbon dioxide (forming magnesium oxide and carbon).
Magnesium, when it burns in air, produces a brilliant white light (images of burning magnesium). This was used in the early days of photography when magnesium powder was used as a source of illumination (flash powder). Later, magnesium ribbon was used in electrically ignited flash bulbs. Magnesium powder is still used in the manufacture of fireworks and marine flares where a brilliant white light is required.
Magnesium also reacts with hydrochloric acid and produces heat and hydrogen when added to it. The magnesium will begin to bubble and become hot – too hot to touch comfortably. The reaction will occur faster with higher temperatures (see precautions). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium
Hmmm.....I wonder what happens when magnesium contacts stomach acid?
I don't know how to put a quote in a "quote box" on this forum.
Iggy - to do this, I clicked on the Quote button at the bottom of the post. In that box, add your text above or below the quote. You can edit the quote, too, if you don't want all of it.
Iggy - to do this, I clicked on the Quote button at the bottom of the post. In that box, add your text above or below the quote. You can edit the quote, too, if you don't want all of it.
But you don't get a "quote button" until you've already posted, right?
Are you saying that I should post, then edit with the quote button?
Yes, there is a quote button under each post, you can quote any post no matter you have posted on this thread or not.
I'm not talking about quoting posts. I want to be able to quote "SOURCES". To put a "SOURCE" inside a "quote box", I must submit the post, then click the "quote button", then delete "written by Iggy Dalrymple" and then click "save".
If I don't put my cut & paste inside a "quote box", viewers will think I wrote it.
There are some small buttons just above the edit box, the last one is for quoting. To quote some text, you don't have to make a post first, just select the text and click the button.
The fourth most abundant mineral in the body, magnesium is a co-factor in more than 300 life-sustaining enzymatic reactions, which is more than any other metal. From the heart to the bones, many of the body’s fundamental systems and structures depend on this mineral.
According to Bernard Altura, magnesium helps maintain strong bones; helps control the heart’s neuromuscular activity and is needed for a regular heartbeat; reduces the risk of angina; helps regulate blood sugar levels and blood pressure within normal ranges; and maintains normal nervous system function.
Despite magnesium’s role in maintaining proper health, data from the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey suggest that many Americans fail to consume recommended amounts of magnesium (420 mg for men, 320 mg for women).37
Magnesium deficits have been linked to diverse ailments such as asthma, anxiety, and heart disease. Interestingly, while many Americans do not get enough magnesium, symptoms of magnesium deficiency are not often seen in the United States.
“Magnesium is needed for so many different physiological processes that the body has a way of regulating its stores. So, while it is true that most Americans do not get the [recommended daily intake], it doesn’t show up immediately as magnesium deficiency,” explains Katherine L. Tucker, PhD, professor of nutritional epidemiology at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
Dr. Tucker cautions that while outward signs of magnesium are rare, there are consequences when magnesium is found at sub optimal levels. “It causes deficiencies in the body that only show up over time. When the cells are not getting enough [magnesium] to function optimally they wear down, which can lead to several different disease states in the body.”
“Those of us working in the field [of magnesium research] feel there are harmful consequences [that result] from a shortage of magnesium including high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and atherosclerosis,” says Robert Rude, MD of the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine.
Magnesium
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