Magnesium is possibly THE most underrated yet the most important mineral that is lacking from our diets. Magnesium has been stripped from our soil due to industrial farming methods, pollution and many other factors.
Here are some of the many benefits of this miracle mineral:
Frequently referred to as the “beauty mineral” and “nature’s chill pill”, magnesium is required to give the spark of life to metabolic functions involving the creation of energy and its transport, the creation and synthesis of proteins, and is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body.
Magnesium Deficiency causes a multitude of issues that are often medicated when the true solution is so simple.
A small selection of issues from Magnesium deficiency are as follows:
- Depression
- Unable to sleep
- Heart Issues
- Blood Clotting
- "High cholesterol" (Actually calcification of arteries)
- Arthritis
Keep reading to see another 31 common ailments that you maybe medicating for that can be simply rectified by taking magnesium. Be sure to read to the end to ensure you are buying the right type of magnesium and taking the right dosage.
Strong Bones and Teeth
Roughly half of the body’s magnesium is stored in the bones where it acts as a cofactor with calcium and vitamin D to maintain and strengthen the bone structure and teeth. Teeth can only form hard enamel from calcium if magnesium is available. Magnesium stimulates the hormone calcitonin, which helps to preserve bone structure by drawing calcium out of the blood and soft tissues back into the bones.
It is important to note that many people suffer from excess calcium intake and a deficiency in magnesium. It is the balance that is important between these two essential minerals, allowing them to work together to promote healthy bones and teeth.
Cellular Health
Magnesium works with calcium to regulate electrical impulses in the cells. Cellular calcium channels allow calcium to enter the cell for only as long as it is needed to conduct an impulse, it is ushered out immediately by magnesium once its task is fulfilled. Operating as a natural calcium channel blocker and responsible for relaxation, magnesium is pivotally important to the functioning of the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system.
Magnesium is a key mineral required for production of the energy molecule ATP in every single cell of the body. Without energy, cells cannot divide efficiently, and the genetic material may be compromised. It activates the enzymes that make copies of DNA and RNA, making it essential in the process of cell division.
Heart Healthy
Magnesium helps to regulate heart rhythm, co-ordinating the activity of the heart muscle and the nerves that initiate heartbeat. Low magnesium levels can cause heart palpitations and arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats). It also helps to keep the coronary arteries from having spasms that can cause the intense chest pains known as angina. It is relatively well known that a deficiency in magnesium is the most common cause of these spasms.
Also keeping blood pressure in check, magnesium relaxes the muscles that control blood vessels, allowing the blood to flow more freely. This can help to reduce high blood pressure – an important factor in decreasing the risk of a heart attack of stroke. Magnesium’s effect on high blood pressure is further enhanced because it helps equalize the levels of potassium and sodium in the blood.
Brain Boosting
If magnesium is severely deficient, the brain is particularly affected as magnesium is crucial to the production of neurotransmitters and the integrity of the blood brain barrier. Sufficient levels of magnesium are fundamental to maintaining normal psychological function.
Muscle Function
Both magnesium and calcium are intimately involved with muscle function (magnesium relaxes, calcium contracts). Frequent muscle cramps, eye tics, hiccups and restless leg syndrome are common symptoms of a deficiency in magnesium.
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Before visiting a doctor, check the list beow to see if you are in fact Magnesium deficient
When you or your doctor don’t realize that the following 37 conditions can be due to magnesium deficiency and are treatable with magnesium, you may be prescribed drugs.
Unfortunately, drugs such as painkillers, diuretics, antibiotics, and cortisone, many of which are inappropriately used for the aforementioned conditions, further deplete magnesium and other minerals.
This allows symptoms to get completely out of control.
Acid reflux
Spasm of the lower oesophageal sphincter at the juncture of the stomach can cause acid reflux. Magnesium relieves oesophageal spasms.
Adrenal fatigue
Adrenal fatigue follows after a time of chronic stress, anxiety, and panic attacks and it seems to be occurring in epidemic proportions.
Adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol (elevated in chronic stress) deplete magnesium.
Stress causes excess elimination of magnesium through the urine, further compounding magnesium deficiency. Stress is such an overworked word, but we all suffer physical, emotional, and mental stress every day, and every bit of it drains magnesium.
Alzheimer’s disease
Magnesium blocks the neuro-inflammation caused by the too much calcium and other heavy metals in brain cells. Magnesium is at work even before the inflammation appears, guarding cell ion channels and not allowing heavy metals to enter.
Angina
The pain of angina is caused by severe muscle spasm in heart muscles, which in turn is caused by magnesium deficiency. The heart ventricles have the highest levels of magnesium in the whole body, which is why magnesium is so important for the pumping function of the heart.
Anxiety and panic attacks.
When the adrenals are no longer protected by sufficient magnesium, the fight-or-flight hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline become more easily triggered and when they surge erratically, they cause a rapid pulse, high blood pressure, and heart palpitations. In fact, the more magnesium deficient you are, the more exaggerated is the adrenaline release.
Magnesium calms the nervous system and relaxes muscle tension, helping reduce anxiety and panic attacks.
Arthritis
Pain and inflammation are two major symptoms of arthritis that are amenable to treatment with magnesium.
Asthma
Histamine production and bronchial spasms (in the smooth muscles of the bronchial tract) both increase simply as a result of magnesium deficiency.
Atherosclerosis with calcium deposits
Magnesium is necessary to dissolve calcium and keep it soluble in the bloodstream.
Magnesium helps direct calcium to the bones, where it belongs.
Blood clots
Magnesium does not act like blood-thinning drugs but instead helps prevent blood clots by preventing excess calcium from triggering them and it naturally balances the blood clotting in the blood.
Bowel disease
Magnesium deficiency slows down bowel peristalsis, causing constipation, which could lead to toxicity as well as symptoms of colitis, diverticulitis, and Crohn’s disease.
Brain dysfunction
The highest concentrations of magnesium in the body are in the heart and brain cells. It is no wonder that the major symptoms of magnesium deficiency affect the heart and brain.
An important study in 1995 showed that even marginal magnesium deficiency could induce the brain to become hyper excitable, as shown by EEG measurements. Magnesium-deficient brain will be more vulnerable to the effects of the excitotoxins. Many diseases of the nervous system are being associated with excitotoxin build-up in the brain, including migraines, seizures, strokes, and brain injury.
Cholesterol
Magnesium does the same thing as statins. But without the side-effects. It is a natural regulator of cholesterol. And studies are now showing that unhealthy cholesterol levels are a result of a magnesium deficiency. To make matters worse, cholesterol drugs deplete the body of magnesium, therefore creating a worsening cholesterol problem.
Cystitis
Magnesium deficiency causes bladder spasms during an infection. But a spastic bladder can cause urinary frequency at any time.
Depression
Serotonin, which elevates mood, is dependent on magnesium. A magnesium-deficient brain is also more susceptible to allergens and foreign substances, which in some instances can cause symptoms similar to mental illness.
Detoxification
Magnesium is crucial for the removal of toxic substances and heavy metals such as mercury, aluminium, and lead from the body. Magnesium is a cofactor in the production of glutathione and the detoxification systems in the liver.
Diabetes
Magnesium enhances insulin secretion, facilitates carbohydrate metabolism, and allows insulin to transfer glucose into cells. Otherwise, glucose and insulin build up in the blood causing various types of tissue damage.
Tyrosine kinase, the enzyme that allows insulin entry into the cell, is magnesium-dependent. Seven of the ten enzymes needed to metabolize glucose are also magnesium-dependent. You cannot make or secrete insulin without magnesium.
Fatigue
Magnesium-deficient patients commonly experience fatigue because dozens of energy producing systems of the body cannot work properly.
Headaches
The muscle tension and spasm in neck and head muscles can be alleviated with magnesium therapy, which can be both applied locally and taken orally.
Heart disease
As noted, the heart, specifically the left ventricle, has the highest amount of magnesium in the whole body. Magnesium deficiency is common in people with heart disease, and taking magnesium can reduce that risk.
IV magnesium can prevent myocardial infarction damage and cardiac arrhythmia if given at the onset of a heart attack. Unfortunately, most of the drugs used in treating heart disease drain magnesium from the body. The statins are especially damaging because they are mostly fluoride compounds that bind magnesium, making it unavailable in the body.
Hypertension
With insufficient magnesium and too much calcium, the muscles in blood vessels can go into spasm and cause high blood pressure.
If cholesterol also rises, due to magnesium deficiency, it can bind to calcium in the blood vessels, worsening high blood pressure.
Hypoglycaemia
Magnesium balances the release of insulin so that inappropriately large amounts don’t cause the blood sugar to drop suddenly. This results in symptoms of low blood sugar.
Indigestion
The “pump” that acidifies the contents of the stomach is dependent on magnesium. Without this, food does not get liquefied and remains solid through the digestive tract. This places extra strain and drains energy from you.
Inflammation
The February 2004 issue of Time warned the public about “The Secret Killer: The Surprising Link between Inflammation and Heart Attacks, Cancer, Alzheimer’s and Other Diseases.” Most drug companies are now embracing inflammation and not cholesterol as the cause of heart disease. They claim they don’t know what’s really causing the inflammation, but that doesn’t stop them from producing drugs to suppress it.
What they don’t acknowledge is that calcium is extremely pro inflammatory and magnesium is very anti-inflammatory. I have grave concerns that researchers are trying to create drugs that cause inflammation.
They need to acknowledge the research of William Weglicki and Terry Phillips, who proved that the inflammation escalates when magnesium is deficient.
The bottom line is that inflammation is triggered by magnesium deficiency and the relative calcium excess.
Insomnia
Magnesium prevents muscle tension that can prevent restful sleep. Also, sleep-regulating melatonin pathway production is disturbed without sufficient magnesium.
Irritable bowel syndrome
Magnesium can be used to treat the pain and spasm of IBS. The more laxative forms of magnesium can also treat IBS-related constipation.
Kidney disease
Magnesium deficiency contributes to atherosclerotic kidney failure. Magnesium deficiency creates abnormal lipid levels and worsening blood sugar control in kidney transplant patients.
It’s important for kidney patients to receive magnesium that is absorbed directly into cells.
Kidney stones
Magnesium is needed to dissolve calcium. When calcium is not dissolved, it can turn into kidney stones.
Migraine
Serotonin balance is magnesium-dependent. Deficiency of serotonin can result in migraine headaches and depression.
Blood clots are said to clog up tiny brain blood vessels, leading to migraines. Magnesium prevents calcium from causing excessive blood clotting.
Musculoskeletal conditions
Insufficient magnesium and the relative excess of calcium will cause sustained muscle contraction in any muscle of the body.
All of the following musculoskeletal conditions are relieved with magnesium:
- Muscle cramps
- Fibrositis
- Fibromyalgia
- GI spasms, gallbladder spasms can lead to surgery
- Tension headaches
- Muscle spasms, muscle contractions in any muscle of the body
- Chronic neck and back pain
- Nerve problems
Insufficient magnesium and the relative excess of calcium will cause sustained nerve excitation in any nerve cells of the body.
Magnesium alleviates the following nerve disturbances that can occur throughout the body:
- Burning
- Muscle weakness
- Numbness
- Paralysis and sensitivity
- Pins-and-needles sensations
- Seizures and convulsions
- Twitching
- Vertigo and confusion
- Obstetrical and gynaecological problems
Magnesium helps prevent and treat the following:
- Premenstrual syndrome
- Dysmenorrhea (cramping pain during menses)
- Female infertility (by relieving fallopian tube spasm)
- Premature contractions (which can be triggered by magnesium deficiency muscle spasms)
- Preeclampsia and eclampsia in pregnancy (treating fluid retention, high blood pressure, and seizures)
- Cerebral palsy
- Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
- Male infertility (magnesium and zinc are present in significant quantities in healthy semen)
- Osteoporosis
High-dose calcium with or without vitamin D without a balancing amount of magnesium triggers a cascade of events leading to bone loss.
- Parkinson’s disease
Magnesium blocks the neuro-inflammation caused by calcium deposits in the brain.
Raynaud’s syndrome
Magnesium helps relax the spastic blood vessels that cause pain and numbness of the fingers.
Sports injuries
Pain, inflammation, muscle spasm, muscle tension, and scarring can all be treated with magnesium.
Sports recovery
Magnesium reduces lactic acid build-up that can result in post-exercise pain.
Tooth decay
Magnesium deficiency causes an unhealthy balance of phosphorus and calcium in saliva, which damages teeth.
Recommended Dosage is Never Enough!
People often say "it doesn't work". this is because they are not taking enough to make a difference, and often the wrong type of magnesium is consumed.
If you have any of the above it is recommended by health expert Clive de Carle that you take 12 tablets a day for the first three days then 4 there after. If you experience loose bowels as a result of taking magnesium reduce the amount. This is simply your body's way of removing the excess.
When taken correctly magnesium can be life changing for those who use it.
It is important to take the correct type of magnesium and a high quality natural brand. Like these ones
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A quick note for purchasing magnesium:
Never buy magnesium oxide as it does not get absorbed well. If you do not wish to buy the recommended brands here the next best option is to buy a good quality Magnesium Citrate or Threonate or Bisglycinate.
Other options are to take regular Epsom Salt baths, or buy some magnesium oil to rub into your skin. (I recommend mixing 50/50 with DMSO to stop any irritation). DMSO also carries the magnesium through your skin more efficiently.