Magnesium DeficiencyMagnesium is one of the most important
minerals in the body.
And yet, magnesium deficiency
is relatively
common.
It has been suggested that the majority
of Americans are deficient in
magnesium, and this possibly explains some of the reasons why the
country has
chronic health problems. This page will address some of the issues, and
the
benefits of addressing magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is nothing short of a miracle
mineral in its healing effect on
a wide range of diseases as well as in its ability to rejuvenate the
aging
body. We know that it is essential for many enzyme reactions,
especially in regard
to cellular energy production, for the health of the brain and nervous
system
and also for healthy teeth and bones. However, it may come as a
surprise that
in the form of magnesium chloride it is also an impressive infection
fighter. The
first symptoms of
magnesium deficiency can be subtle. Most magnesium is stored in the
tissues, so
leg cramps, foot pain or muscle ‘twitches’ are
usually the first signs.
Insomnia, migraine headaches are also very common magnesium deficiency
symptoms. And if ignored, some of the other more serious symptoms of
Magnesium
deficiency (mentioned below) can develop.
In
fact, Magnesium is
the fourth most abundant mineral in the body—it can be found
in human bones,
teeth and red blood cells, and activates more enzyme systems than both
Iron and
Zinc combined. It was as far back as 1971, that Dr Edmund B. Fink (a
magnesium
researcher at West Virginia University School of Medicine in
Morgantown),
recorded in ‘The Executive Health’ that:
Infections The first prominent researcher to
investigate and promote the antibiotic
effects of magnesium was a French surgeon, Prof. Pierre Delbet MD. In
1915 he
was looking for a solution to cleanse wounds of soldiers, because he
found that
traditionally used antiseptics actually damaged tissues and encouraged
infections instead of preventing them. In all his tests magnesium
chloride
solution was by far the best. Not only was it harmless for tissues, but
it also
greatly increased leucocyte activity and phagocytises, the destruction
of
microbes. Later Prof. Delbet also performed
experiments with the internal applications
of magnesium chloride and found it to be a powerful immune-stimulant.
In his
experiments phagocytises increased by up to 333%. This means after
magnesium
chloride intake the same number of white blood cells destroyed up to
three
times more microbes than beforehand. Gradually Prof. Delbet found magnesium
chloride to be beneficial in a
wide range of diseases. These included diseases of the digestive tract
such as
colitis and gall bladder problems, Parkinson's disease, tremors and
muscle
cramps; acne, eczema, psoriasis, warts and itching skin; impotence,
prostatic
hypertrophy, cerebral and circulatory problems; asthma, hay fever,
urticaria
and anaphylactic reactions. Hair and nails became stronger and
healthier and
patients had more energy. Prof. Delbet also found a very good
preventative effect on cancer and
cured precancerous conditions such as leukoplasia, hyperkeratosis and
chronic
mastitis. Epidemiological studies confirmed that regions with
magnesium-rich
soil had less cancer than those with low magnesium levels. Another French doctor, A. Neveu, cured
several diphtheria patients with
magnesium chloride within two days. He also published 15 cases of
poliomyelitis
that were cured within days if treatment was started immediately or
within
months if paralysis had already progressed. Neveu also found magnesium
chloride
effective with asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and emphysema;
pharyngitis,
tonsillitis, hoarseness, common cold, influenza, whooping cough,
measles,
rubella, mumps, scarlet fever; poisoning, gastro-enteritis, boils,
abscesses,
whitlow, infected wounds and osteomyelitis. In more recent years Dr Vergini and
others have confirmed these earlier
results and have added more diseases to the list of successful uses:
acute
asthma attacks, shock, tetanus, herpes zoster, acute and chronic
conjunctivitis, optic neuritis, rheumatic diseases, many allergic
diseases,
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and beneficial effects in cancer therapy. In
all of
these cases magnesium chloride had been used and gave much better
results than
other magnesium compounds. Magnesium
plays a key
role in regulating how well the human body converts food into energy.
Metabolism of carbohydrates and fats requires numerous
magnesium-dependent
chemical reactions. In 2002, Physiologist Henry Lukaski of the
Department of
Agriculture’s Human Nutrition Research Center in North Dakota
(USA),
established that during moderate activity, individuals with low
magnesium
levels use more energy—and therefore tire more
quickly—than those have adequate
levels. In this study (published in the May 2002 issue of The Journal
of
Nutrition) he elaborates that in the first phase, 10 postmenopausal
women were
provided with a diet adequate in magnesium for 35 days, followed by a
phase of
a low-magnesium diet for 93 days, and in the last phase once again,
they were
provided a diet adequate in magnesium for 49 days. It was found that
during the
low-magnesium-status phase, the volunteers used more oxygen during
physical
activity and their heart rates increased by about 10 beats per minute.
“When
the volunteers were low in magnesium, they needed more energy and more
oxygen
to do low-level activities than when they were in adequate-magnesium
status,”
says Lukaski. These findings are consistent with other studies showing
that
inadequate magnesium is often associated with a need for increased
oxygen
during exercise and people who routinely complain of low energy can
benefit
from magnesium supplementation. Cancer The initial interest in magnesium as an aid
to bodily health was aroused in
1939 by the work of Dr.
P. Schrumpf-Pierron in the field
of cancer research. The researches of Professor P.
Schrumpf-Pierron are written up in the Bulletin
de L'Institut D'Egypte
(Vol. XIV, February 15, 1932) and others. He talks about the rarity of
cancer
in Egypt where the rate of malignant cases is only about one-tenth that
of
Europe. What is the cause? After exhaustive studies and research the
doctor
came to the conclusion that it was due to too much potassium and too
little
magnesium in the foods of Europeans. On the other hand, in the soils of
Egypt
the conditions are reversed; that is, more magnesium in relation to the
potassium. It is because of the processing and
refining of foods that the world is
being robbed of magnesium. Whereas
the Egyptian fellah's
ratio is 2.5 to 3 grams of magnesium against 4 to 5 grams of potash a
day, in
Europe and America it is only 0.5 gram of magnesium against 2 to 4
grams of
potash per day. It is absence of
magnesium
that permits
potash to become toxic and cancerogenic. Potash is useful and
indispensable to
the plant as to man, but only if it is in a favorable ratio with
magnesium and
calcium. Magnesium
acts as a brake for cancer as much as an
antitoxic of potash. This is why the predisposition to cancer
accompanies the
deficit of magnesium reserves. Aging Dr Seeger and Dr Budwig in Germany have
shown that cancer is mainly the
result of a faulty energy metabolism in the powerhouses of the cells,
the
mitochondria. A similar decline in energy production takes place when
we age.
The great majority of enzymes involved in the production of energy
require
magnesium. A healthy cell has high magnesium and low calcium levels. Up
to 30%
of the energy of cells is used to pump calcium out of the cells. The
higher the
calcium level and the lower the magnesium level in the extra-cellular
fluid,
the harder is it for cells to pump the calcium out. The result is that
with low
magnesium levels the mitochondria gradually calcify and energy
production
decreases. We may say that our biochemical age is determined by the
ratio of
magnesium to calcium within our cells. Test with Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome
showed that magnesium supplementation resulted in better energy levels. We use our muscles by selectively
contracting them. On the biochemical
level muscle contraction is triggered by calcium ions flowing into
muscle
cells. To relax the muscle calcium is pumped out again. However, as we
age,
more and more calcium remains trapped in the muscles and these become
more or
less permanently contracted, leading to increasing muscle tension and
spasms.
Together with calcification of the joints, this is the typical rigidity
and
inflexibility of old age. The higher our intake of calcium relative to
magnesium, the faster do we calcify and age. Most of the excess calcium
in our
diet ends up in our soft tissues and around joints leading to
calcification
with arthritic deformations, arteriosclerosis, cataracts, kidney stones
and
senility. Dr Seyle proved experimentally that biochemical stress can
lead to
the pathological calcification of almost any organ. The more stress,
the more
calcification, the more rapid the aging. In addition to its anti-microbial and
immune-stimulating properties,
both magnesium as well as chloride has other important functions in
keeping us
young and healthy. Chloride, of course, is required to produce a large
quantity
of gastric acid each day and is also needed to stimulate
starch-digesting
enzymes. Magnesium is the mineral of rejuvenation and prevents the
calcification of our organs and tissues that is characteristic of the
old-age
related degeneration of our body. Using other magnesium salts is less
advantageous because these have to
be converted into chlorides in the body anyway. We may use magnesium as
oxide
or carbonate but then we need to produce additional hydrochloric acid
to absorb
them. Many aging individuals, especially with chronic diseases who
desperately
need more magnesium cannot produce sufficient hydrochloric acid and
then cannot
absorb the oxide or carbonate. Epsom salt is magnesium sulphate. It is
soluble
but not well absorbed and acts mainly as a laxative. Chelated magnesium
is well
absorbed but much more expensive and lacks the beneficial contribution
of the
chloride ions. Orotates are good but very expensive for the amount of
magnesium
that they provide and both orotates and chelates seem to lack the
infection-fighting potential of the magnesium chloride. Calcium and magnesium are opposites in
their effects on our body structure.
As a general rule, the softer our body structure the more we need
calcium,
while the more rigid and inflexible it is, the less calcium and the
more
magnesium we need. Magnesium can reverse the age-related degenerative
calcification of our body structure and with this help us to rejuvenate. Young women, children and most of all
babies have soft body structures
and smooth skin with low calcium and high magnesium levels in their
cells and
soft tissues. They generally need high calcium intakes. This is the
biochemistry of youth. As we age and most pronounced in old men and
post-menopausal women, we become more and more inflexible. The arteries
harden
to cause arteriosclerosis, the skeletal system calcifies to cause
rigidity with
fusion of the spine and joints, kidneys and other organs and glands
increasingly calcify and harden with stone formation, calcification in
the eyes
causes cataracts and even the skin hardens, becoming tough and
wrinkled. In
this way calcium is in the same league as oxygen and free radicals,
while
magnesium works together with hydrogen and the antioxidants to keep our
body
structure soft. A gynaecologist reported that one of the
first organs to calcify is the
ovaries, leading to pre-menstrual tension. When he put his patients on
a high
magnesium intake their PMT vanished and they felt and looked much
younger. Most
of these women said that they lost weight, increased their energy, felt
less
depressed and enjoyed sex again much more than before. For men it is
equally
beneficial for problems arising from an enlarged prostate gland.
Symptoms
commonly improve after a period of supplementation with magnesium
chloride. Increased magnesium intake has also been
shown to be an effective way to
prevent or dissolve kidney stones and gall bladder stones, the latter
best in
combination with a high lecithin intake. Activation of digestive
enzymes and
bile production as well as helping to restore a healthy intestinal
flora may be
the factors that make magnesium chloride so beneficial in normalising
our
digestive processes, reducing any digestive discomfort, bloating and
offensive
stool odours. This is in line with a reduction of all offensive body
odours,
including underarm and foot odour. Prof. Delbet used to give magnesium
chloride solution routinely to his
patients with infections and for several days before any planned
surgery and
was surprised by many of these patients experiencing euphoria and
bursts of
energy. Magnesium chloride supposedly has a specific action on the
tetanus
virus and its effects on the body. It even seems to be protective
against
snakebites. Guinea pigs did not die after normally lethal injections of
snake
venom and a rabbit survived a poisonous snakebite when given magnesium
chloride
solution. In addition to being the most essential
mineral in our cellular energy
production, magnesium is also needed for the ingested B-vitamins to
become
metabolically active. Magnesium is also essential for the synthesis of
nucleic
acids, for cell division to occur, for DNA and RNA synthesis of our
genetic
material, for protein as well as fatty acid synthesis. Unfortunately
magnesium
deficiency at a cellular level where it counts is not easy to diagnose,
as
serum magnesium levels do not correlate to muscle or cellular magnesium
levels.
Instead of trying difficult tissue magnesium analysis to find out if
your
health problems may be due to low magnesium levels, it is much easier
and more
effective just to take more magnesium and see what happens. Researchers
at the
Lille Pasteur Institute found in a prospective study with over 4,000
men over
an 18-year follow up period that high levels of magnesium were
associated with
a 50 percent decrease in cancer mortality, and a 40 percent decrease in
cardiovascular and all-cause mortality ("Zinc, Copper and Magnesium and
Risks for All-Cause Cancer, and Cardiovascular Mortality" Epidemiology,
Vol. 17, No. 3, May 2006, epidem.com). Rejuvenation by ingesting more magnesium
is a slow process, especially
as the amount of magnesium that we can take is limited by its laxative
effect
and the need to keep it in a reasonable balance with the calcium and
phosphorus
intake. The other problem is that spastic muscles have a poor blood and
lymph
circulation, which makes it difficult for the ingested magnesium to
dissolve and
flush out the tissue and joint calcifications. Therefore, we can
greatly speed
up the rejuvenation process by increasing the circulation through
permanently
contracted muscles as with deep tissue massage, hot and cold water
applications, relaxation exercises, lymphasizing as well as packs and
rubs with
magnesium chloride or Epsom salts. Magnesium increases the efficiency of the white
blood cells. There is, on the average, only one white
blood cell for
each 150 of the red blood cells. But to increase the number of such cells
circulating in
the bloodstream would be a very dangerous thing. Leukemia, cancer of
the blood,
is marked by precisely such an increase. The destructive capacity of
these
cells is so great that their numbers must be kept at normal proportions
for
fear of the damage they might do our own systems if they got out of
hand. But on the other hand, think what it could
mean if we
could induce the white cells in our blood to double their protective
activity
without any increase in numbers. It would reduce sharply the
possibility that
invaders of the bloodstream could get by these defenders and do
consequent
damage to our systems. This is what magnesium chloride has proved
to do. "A solution of magnesium chloride at 12.1
parts per 1,000 gave
extraordinary results. It increased the proportion of phagocytosis
[killing
microbes] by 75 per cent as compared with the solution of sodium
chloride at 8
parts per 1,000 which itself gave 63 per cent more than the
Locke-Ringer's
solution. The increase is based on the number of polynucleates [white
cells] as
well as the phagocytic [germ-destroying] power of each of
them”. (Pierre Delbet,
called Politique
Préventif du Cancer). Fatigue Research
has
suggested that persistent magnesium deficiency may lead to chronic
fatigue
syndrome (CFS). When we are magnesium deficient, our bodily functions
slow down
at the cellular level causing the body to become sluggish until,
eventually
fatigue sets in. A path-breaking study (The Lancet, March 1991) by Cox,
Campbell and Dowson of the Centre for the Study of Complementary
Medicine in
Southampton, England, recorded that many patients with CFS have low red
blood
cell magnesium levels—a more accurate measure of magnesium
status than routine
blood analysis—and their condition may improve with magnesium
supplements. They
injected magnesium sulfate in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study
of 32
patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Fifteen patients, randomly
chosen,
received magnesium sulfate intramuscularly once a week for six weeks
while the
remaining 17 received injected water. Patients treated with magnesium
showed
better energy levels and better handling of emotions. Weakness Between
1965 and 1990
various studies were conducted in New Zealand, Australia, England,
France and
the Netherlands to investigate the relationship between prone sleeping
position
and the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS ). A review published in
1991
concluded that magnesium deficiency (muscle strength is seriously
impaired in
the young magnesium deficient subject) is at least one major unifying
factor
that explains increased SIDS in prone sleeping infants. In rats,
marginal
deprivation in dietary magnesium reduces exercise capacity and induces
muscle
weakness, an effect that can be rapidly reversed by consuming
magnesium. PMS
and Hormonal
Imbalances Premenstrual
Symptoms
or PMS is a name given to varied physical and psychological symptoms
like
abdominal bloating, breast tenderness, headache, fatigue, irritability,
anxiety
and depression that occur two to seven days before the onset of
menstruation.
According to Dr Guy Abraham, former professor of obstetrics and
gynecologic
endocrinology at the UCLA School of Medicine, in most cases of PMS
there are
patterns of hormone imbalance that can be uncovered through testing.
Carolyn
Dean, MD, North Dakota, states that one of the 22 conditions magnesium
deficiency may trigger or cause, is hormonal imbalance leading to
premenstrual
syndrome (PMS); dysmenorrhoea (cramping pain during menses);
infertility;
premature contractions, preeclampsia and eclampsia in pregnancy. The
fact that
cellular magnesium levels in women with PMS are found to be
significantly lower
than in women who do not suffer PMS resonates the inferences of these
studies.
Susan Johnson, a gynecologist at the University of Iowa who helped
develop the
new ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist) standards
advices
that if you are in search of supplements that alleviate symptoms of
PMS, you
may benefit from calcium, magnesium and vitamins D and E. Inability
to Sleep Insomnia
or inability
to sleep is another symptom of magnesium deficiency. If you find it
difficult
to sleep or find yourself waking up in the night with muscle spasms,
cramps and
stuffiness, you may benefit from magnesium supplementation. In a study
of more than
200 patients, Dr W.H Davis of the University of Pretoria tested
magnesium as a
possible means of combating insomnia. 99 percent of the patients on
magnesium
supplementation reported that sleep was induced rapidly and was
uninterrupted.
Waking tiredness disappeared, and anxiety and tension diminished during
the
day. No ill effects were noted on the patients participating in this
12-month
long study in which before retiring they daily took eight tablets of
250 mgs
each of magnesium chloride (W.H. Davis and F. Ziady, “The
Role of Magnesium in
Sleep”, Montreal Symposium, 1976) In the elderly, magnesium
supplements were
found to improve sleep by decreasing the release of cortisol, the
stress
hormone that causes sleep disruption. Bones
and Teeth For
long calcium was
considered the key mineral in the prevention of Osteoporosis, but new
research
has proved that magnesium supplementation is equally important in the
treatment
and prevention of osteoporosis. Magnesium comprises about 1 percent of
the
human bone mineral. It influences both bone matrix and bone mineral
metabolism
and helps our body assimilate calcium. Says Dr Barnett, an orthopedic
surgeon
who has published the effects of different soil and water mineral
composition
levels in two US Counties on bone health: “Magnesium is
perhaps, the most
important single element-in bone health.” Magnesium
deficiency may also be a
risk factor for postmenopausal osteoporosis, as it alters calcium
metabolism
and affects the hormone that regulates calcium balance in the body. As
the
magnesium content of bone mineral decreases, bone crystals become
larger and
more brittle. In their study ‘Magnesium supplementation and
osteoporosis’,
researchers Sojka JE, Weaver CM (published in Nutrition Reviews, 1995.)
found
lower magnesium content and larger bone crystals in osteoporotic women
and
suggest that magnesium supplementation may improve bone mineral
density. Medical authorities claim that the
widespread incidence of osteoporosis
and tooth decay in western countries can be prevented with a high
calcium
intake. However, published evidence reveals that the opposite is true.
Asian
and African populations with a very low intake of about 300 mg of
calcium daily
have very little osteoporosis. Bantu women with an intake of 200 to 300
mg of
calcium daily have the lowest incidence of osteoporosis in the world.
In
western countries with a high intake of dairy products the average
calcium
intake is about 1000 mg. The higher the calcium intake, especially in
the form
of cows' milk products (except butter) the higher the incidence of
osteoporosis. Calcium, magnesium and phosphorus levels
are kept in a seesaw balance by
the parathyroid hormones. If calcium goes up, magnesium goes down and
vice versa.
With a low magnesium intake, calcium goes out of the bones to increase
tissue
levels, while a high magnesium intake causes calcium to go out of the
tissues
into the bones. A high phosphorus intake without a high calcium or
magnesium
intake causes calcium to leach from the bones and leave the body with
the
urine. A high phosphorus intake with high calcium and magnesium leads
to bone
mineralisation. Dr Barnett, an orthopaedic surgeon
practised in two different U.S.
Counties with very different soil and water mineral levels. In Dallas
County
with a high calcium and low magnesium concentration osteoporosis and
hip
fractures were very common, while in Hereford with high magnesium and
low
calcium these were nearly absent. In Dallas County the magnesium
content of
bones was 0.5% while in Hereford it was 1.76%. In another comparison
the
magnesium content in bones of osteoporosis sufferers was 0.62% while in
healthy
individuals it was 1.26%. The same applies for healthy teeth. In a
New Zealand study it was found
that caries-resistant teeth had on average twice the amount of
magnesium as
caries-prone teeth. The average concentration of magnesium phosphate in
bones
is given as about 1%, in teeth about 1.5%, in elephant tusks 2% and in
the
teeth of carnivorous animals made to crush bones it is 5%. In regard to
the
strength of bones and teeth think of calcium as chalk and of magnesium
as
superglue. The magnesium superglue binds and transforms the chalk into
superior
bones and teeth. Muscle
Tension,
Spasms and Cramps Irritating
little
twitches in the eyelid or painful muscle cramping that wakes you up in
the
night are usually the first sign of magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is
needed
for proper muscle relaxation and contraction, and excessive muscle
tension
(resulting in spasms, tics and restlessness) could mean that you are
magnesium
deficient. As this mineral is lost through bodily fluids, athletes who
sweat
heavily while training or are prone to loose stools may experience
cramping due
to magnesium deficiency. Muscle cramping and other signs of low
magnesium
levels respond quickly and positively to magnesium supplements and
changes in
diet patterns to include foods high in the mineral. Heart
Abnormalities Magnesium
has a
beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system. Due to its natural
muscle
relaxant ability, it also plays an important role in regulating blood
pressure.
When blood vessels are relaxed there is less resistance to the flow of
blood
and as a result, blood pressure is lower. Dr. Winifred Nayler of the Baker
Medical Research Institute describes the
process in Heart
Journal (March, 1967) as an
electrochemical process that takes places within each cell of the
heart. On the
outer surface of each heart tissue cell, there is a thin filament known
as actin.
The actin reaches with a kind of magnetic attraction
toward the center of the cell shortening its length. The result of many
cells
shortening at one time is contraction of the muscle. And it is calcium,
fed to
the actin by the bloodstream that provides both the stimulus and the
means by
which the actin does its work. A shortage of calcium must inevitably
result in
a weakened heartbeat, which can be speeded up by drug stimulants but
cannot be
strengthened, as long as the calcium is deficient. Even this simple
explanation, we believe, points out the folly of treating a weak
heartbeat with
drugs, at least until the ability to absorb calcium and the quantity of
calcium
in the diet have been checked and corrected. As an analogy, however, when you understand
that it takes
a spark plug to ignite your gasoline, that isn't the end of the story.
It also
takes ignition points to direct electrical energy to the right spark-
plug at
the right time. And
as Dr. Nayler tells us, while calcium is
fundamentally necessary to the heartbeat, the calcium will not do what
it is
supposed to do unless it is controlled in its turn by a sufficient
quantity of
magnesium in the system. The reason for this, Dr. Nayler tells us,
is that it is
necessary for the actin alternately to absorb and release calcium. If
it could
not do both, the heart would either contract and stay contracted or
else refuse
to contract at all. For the heart to keep contracting and relaxing
alternately
requires that it be a very busy living chemical laboratory. And it is
magnesium
that seems to be the key element that actually regulates the heartbeat.
How
does it do it? By providing the tiny positive electrical
charge that repels calcium, pushing it to the opposite side of the
individual
cell and reversing the contraction that has just taken place.
Throughout the
body, magnesium seems to be the mineral of basic importance in
controlling the
manner in which electrical charges are utilized to induce the passage
of
materials in and out of cells. In
1998, Liao F,
Folsom AR and Brancati of School of Public Health, University of
Minnesota
conducted a large prospective study (almost 14,000 men and women) and
found
that increasing serum magnesium levels are associated with decreased
risk of
coronary heart disease in women. The Joint National Committee on
Prevention,
Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure recommends
maintaining an adequate magnesium intake as a positive lifestyle
modification
for preventing and managing high blood pressure. The DASH study
(Dietary
Approaches to Stop Hypertension) suggests that high blood pressure can
be
significantly lowered by consuming a diet high in magnesium, potassium
and
calcium. Adequate levels of magnesium are
essential for the heart muscle. Those
who die from heart attacks have very low magnesium but high calcium
levels in
their heart muscles. Patients with coronary heart disease who have been
treated
with large amounts of magnesium survived better than those with drug
treatment.
Magnesium dilates the arteries of the heart and lowers cholesterol and
fat
levels. High calcium levels, on the other hand,
constrict the heart arteries and
increase the risk of heart attacks. Calcium deposits in the walls of
the
arteries contribute to the development of arteriosclerosis. The
arteries become
hard and rigid, thereby restricting the blood flow and causing high
blood
pressure. In addition, such inelastic blood vessels may easily rapture
and
cause strokes. Countries with the highest calcium to magnesium ratios
(high
calcium and low magnesium levels) in soil and water have the highest
incidence
of cardiovascular disease. At the top of the list is Australia. Worldwide the intake of magnesium has
been lowered and that of calcium
increased because of the heavy use of fertilisers high in calcium and
low in
magnesium. With this, the intake of magnesium from our food has
steadily
declined in the last fifty years, while the uses of calcium-rich
fertilisers
and cardiovascular disease have greatly increased at the same time. Diabetics are prone to atherosclerosis,
fatty degeneration of the liver
and heart disease. Diabetics have low magnesium tissue levels. They
often
develop eye problems - retinopathy. Diabetics with the lowest magnesium
levels
had the most severe retinopathy. The lower the magnesium content of
their
water, the higher is the death rate of diabetics from cardiovascular
disease.
In an American study the death rate due to diabetes was four times
higher in
areas with low magnesium water levels as compared to areas with high
levels of
magnesium in the water. Headaches
Anxiousness Magnesium
supplementation enjoys a broad reputation as having a calming effect on
anxiety
symptoms and stress levels. Mildred Seeling, who started the Journal of
the
American College of Nutrition in 1982 had noted an association between
magnesium deficiency and anxiety symptoms in her paper
“Latent tetany and
anxiety, marginal Mg deficit, and normocalcemia”. A different
investigation by
Kara H, Sahin N, Ulusan V and Aydogdu T in 2002, studied the impact of
magnesium in post-surgical patients. Patients were infused with
magnesium both
during and following surgery and were evaluated for anxiety levels.
Patients
receiving the magnesium infusion required significantly less pain
medication
and reported less anxiety in comparison to the control group that
received no
magnesium. Nervousness Magnesium
regulates
nerve cell function and is essential for the proper functioning of the
nervous
system. Its presence in adequate amounts in the synaptic gap between
nerve
cells controls the rate of neuron firing. Without sufficient magnesium,
the
nerve cells cannot give or receive messages, and sensitivity to
stimulation of
all kinds is heightened. Noises seem excessively loud, lights can
appear to be
too bright, emotional reactions will be exaggerated, and the affected
person
will generally be on edge. The brain may also be too stimulated to
sleep.
Magnesium supplements have a sedative effect on the nervous system and
provide
relief. Magnesium has a calming effect on the
nervous system. With this, it is
frequently used to promote good sleep. But more importantly, it can be
used to
calm irritated and over-excited nerves. This is especially useful with
epileptic seizures, convulsions in pregnant women and the 'shakes' in
alcoholism. Magnesium levels are generally low in alcoholics,
contributing or
causing many of their health problems. If magnesium levels are low, the
nerves
lose control over muscle activity, respiration and mental processes.
Nervous
fatigue, tics and twitches, tremors, irritability, hypersensitivity,
muscle
spasms, restlessness, anxiety, confusion, disorientation and irregular
heartbeat all respond to increased magnesium levels. A common
phenomenon of
magnesium deficiency is a sharp muscle reaction to an unexpected loud
noise.
'Memory pills' have been marketed that consist mainly of magnesium. Many of the symptoms of Parkinson's
disease can be overcome with high
magnesium supplementation, shaking can be prevented and rigidity eased.
With
preeclampsia pregnant women may develop convulsions, nausea, dizziness
and
headaches. In hospitals this is treated with magnesium infusions.
Because of
its strong relaxing effect, magnesium helps not only to have a better
sleep but
is also useful in overcoming headaches and migraines. Even the number
of
suicides is linked to magnesium deficiency. The lower the magnesium
content in
soil and water in a given region, the higher are the rates of suicides. Epilepsy is marked by abnormally low
magnesium levels in the blood, spinal
fluid and brain, causing hyper-excitability in regions of the brain.
There are
many reported causes of epilepsy greatly improving or disappearing with
magnesium supplementation. In a trial with 30 epileptics 450 mg of
magnesium
supplied daily successfully controlled seizures. Another study found
that the
lower the magnesium blood levels the more severe was the epilepsy. In
most
cases magnesium works best in combination with vitamin B6 and zinc. In
sufficient concentrations, magnesium inhibits convulsions by limiting
or
slowing the spread of the electric discharge from an isolated group of
brain
cells to the rest of the brain. Animal studies show that even the
initial burst
of firing nerve cells that starts an epileptic attack can be suppressed
with magnesium. Irritability A
deficiency of
magnesium can also present psychiatric symptoms like depression,
restlessness
and irritability. Depressed patients have been found to have lower
levels of
magnesium. Oral supplementation of magnesium is used as an adjunct
treatment in
psychiatric patients and has also been found successful in rapidly
cycling
bipolar affective-disorders. Nuytten D, Van Hees J, Meulemans A, Carton
H of
the Department of Neurology, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven,
Belgium
found that magnesium depletion causes a marked irritability of the
nervous
system, eventually resulting in epileptic seizures. Clinical and
experimental
investigations have shown that, although magnesium deficiency as a
cause of
epilepsy is uncommon, its recognition and correction may prove
life-saving. Kidney
Stones Research
as far back
as in the 1960s had established a link between magnesium and kidney
stones. In
the Rodale Press publication Health Bulletin (June 13, 1964) Dr H E
Sauberlich
of the Army’s Fitzsimons General Hospital, Denver, quotes:
“Magnesium oxide
‘looks very promising’ as a preventive of kidney
stones”. Subsequent studies
have found that magnesium indeed helps prevent recurrence of calcium
oxalate
kidney stones, by increasing the solubility of calcium in urine.
Magnesium
supplements and foods rich in magnesium have also been found effective
in the
prevention and treatment of kidney stones. WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR
MAGNESIUM INTAKE: 1)
Consume Green
Vegetables and Whole Grains. Eating a wide variety of
legumes, nuts, whole
grains and vegetables will help you meet your daily dietary need for
magnesium.
Some of the foods rich in magnesium are: Buckwheat, baking chocolate,
cottonseed, tea, tofu, legumes, soybean flour, almonds, cashews, pine
nuts
whole wheat and leafy green vegetables including collard greens and
parsley. 2)Take
Magnesium
Supplements. Even if you are particular about eating a very well
balanced diet
comprising seafood, nuts and whole grains, chances are that you might
still
need to supplement your daily requirement. Our foods, today, have fewer
nutrients than 50 years ago. As soils get depleted, fewer nutrients are
available to our food. Recommended Reading
|
Magnesium
is one of
the most important minerals in the human body and is essential to good
health.
It is critical in over 350 essential biochemical reactions in the body
including digestion, energy production, muscle function, bone
formation,
creation of new cells, activation of B vitamins, relaxation of muscles,
and
also assists in the proper functioning of the heart, kidneys, adrenals,
brain
and nervous system. 
These white corpuscles have a unique
power.
When the bloodstream is invaded by harmful bacteria or any other
foreign
matter, these white cells are somehow attracted to the source of the
invasion,
such as a wound, and go to work actually swallowing, and digesting the
foreign
matter and thus rendering it harmless. They do the same with any
foreign bodies
that infiltrate the bloodstream. They are the body's first and most
important
defense against all types of infection.
Evidence
suggests that low
body
stores of magnesium increase the risk of abnormal heart rhythms, which
in turn
may increase the risk of complications associated with a heart attack. 
