Okay, we need to talk about some basic health problems – these health issues only bother us occasionally but they’re not usually life threatening in most cases. They are: constipation, headaches, muscle pain, ADHD, migraines and anxiety to name a few. What if I told you that these and several other health issues can be caused by, and/or made worse by the lack of one mineral? That very important mineral necessary to maintain good health is Magnesium. So we’re going to discuss magnesium and what it means to our bodies.
You ask – what is magnesium? Magnesium is the 4th most abundant mineral in the body and is an electrolyte. Electrolytes are found in sports drinks because athletes need magnesium when they work out to prevent muscle cramps. However; magnesium can do so much more than just prevent muscle cramps. We are electrical beings and electrolytes such as magnesium, potassium and sodium are responsible for all electrical activity and brain conductivity in our bodies. Without electrolytes such as magnesium, muscles can’t fire, our hearts cannot beat and our brains don’t receive the signals they need for us to live.
Point blank, we need magnesium to stay alive. When our body’s supply of magnesium gets depleted, we start to lose the energy and conductivity that keeps us going. Technically, as soon as we become deficient, we slowly begin to die – getting more aches and pains day by day and feeling worse year after year.
Magnesium is a co-factor in over three hundred reactions in the body necessary for transmission of nerve impulses, temperature regulations, detoxification in the liver and formation of bones and teeth. However; magnesium shows its’ true power in cardiovascular health. Magnesium alone can fulfill the role of many common cardiac medications: magnesium inhibits blood clots, thins the blood, blocks calcium uptake and relaxes blood vessels. Keep in mind that no matter how healthy we are we can still exhibit symptoms of magnesium deficiency. Some of the symptoms are as follows – constipation, high blood pressure, depression, lethargy, seizures, fatigue, chronic back pain, brain fog, headaches, migraines, muscular pain, impaired memory, and others.
Basically, anything that makes you tense and tight could potentially be due to magnesium deficiency. If you can’t relax, are depressed or can’t think clearly – think magnesium. Most people with chronic diseases or other health issues benefit greatly from magnesium supplementation therapy. This is because chronic illness = stress, and stress depletes magnesium. Some of the following diseases could have their roots in magnesium deficiency – Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Osteoporosis, Diabetes, Parkinson, autoimmune diseases and others.
So why don’t doctors realize we are magnesium deficient and address this issue? Why doesn’t it show up in any test? Well – maybe it’s because blood tests DO NOT yield ANY information about magnesium levels! Why you ask? Because our body controls the levels of magnesium in our blood very tightly; if the magnesium in our blood drops just a little bit, we will have a heart attack. To prevent this, the body will rob all of its cells, tissues, and bones of magnesium in order to keep the blood levels constant.
If they do a blood test for magnesium, the cells could be completely empty while our blood levels remain constant. What’s worse is that magnesium is not even in your blood! 99% of the magnesium in the body is stored in the cells where it can get robbed; while a mere 1% of our body’s total magnesium is in our blood. So blood tests for magnesium level readings are a complete waste of time and most doctors are not even aware of this fact.
So why are we deficient? The list can be long –
- Processed foods – They’re stripped of their vitamin, mineral and fiber content, which actually steals magnesium from the body in order to be metabolized.
- Stress – The stress hormone cortisol requires high levels of magnesium production and stressful experiences lead to depletion of magnesium stores.
- We eat TOO MUCH SUGAR – sugar uses 50 times the amount of magnesium to metabolize.
- Our soil has been depleted of magnesium because of the pesticides and toxins used to grow our food.
- Pharmaceutical drugs destroy magnesium levels in our bodies.
- Flouride competes with magnesium for absorption.
- So, what are the best ways or things we can do to raise magnesium levels?
- Change your diet – Remove all processed foods and sugar; eat magnesium rich foods – nuts, seeds, broccoli, brown rice, spinach, bananas, avocado, etc.
- Take a magnesium supplement that can be easily and quickly absorbed – the brand I use is ‘Isotonic’ and is easily and quickly absorbed in the body.
- Apply magnesium oil to the skin.
- Take baths with Epson Salt.
There are many different forms of magnesium – some are easily and quickly absorbed in the body, and others are not. For instance – Magnesium Oxide – unless it’s bound with an amino acid (chelated) it’s not easily absorbed. Most magnesium in pill format is not easily absorbed. The following are the most bioavailable – glycinate, citrate, and malate. Each of these types of magnesium has its own purpose in the body, so you must always ask questions when choosing a type of magnesium to take.
As always, ask me if you have any questions – keep in mind that I am here to help you with your health, and that is the most important thing to me.