Essence of Life
Magnesium Oil & Gel
Magnesium Gel with Lawang Oil

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Magnesium for Hot Flashes?
Recently I saw two patients with breast cancer who volunteered that when they began magnesium supplements for reasons other than hot flashes, the hot flashes diminished within 24 hours and had not returned. In each case, the person was not expecting any relief from magnesium, so placebo effect is unlikely.

J.K. is a 68-year-old woman diagnosed with stage II estrogen receptor- and progesterone receptor-negative breast cancer in July 2007. She was treated with mastectomy, chemotherapy, and trastuzamab. Her hot flashes worsened to hourly (24 per day) of moderate severity that interfered with sleep and drenched her nightclothes. Venlafaxine and citalopram were minimally helpful. She prepared for a routine colonoscopy with 300 mls of magnesium citrate and that night had no hot flashes at all. Subsequently, she used over- the-counter magnesium 250 mg, and then 400 mg, with reduction in her hot flashes to three or four a day of mild severity that did not interrupt her life or sleep or cause drenching sweats. She categorized her hot flashes as very bothersome before magnesium and not bothersome after. Her sleep and overall well-being improved.

G.F. is a 54-year-old woman who went into natural menopause at age 52, referred for early-stage breast cancer. She had hot flashes each night (three or four per night, less common during the day) that interfered with her sleep. She watched "Dr. Phil" on TV, and the guest suggested a combination of Vitamin D at 400 U, calcium at 1,200 mg and magnesium at 600 mg for reducing weight (the purported mechanism was to turn fats into soaps that would not be absorbed). She began these supplements and overnight her hot flashes diminished to half their frequency and severity. She also described her prior hot flashes as very bothersome and nonexistent after beginning the regimen.

Magnesium has been used for years to treat hypertension, eclampsia and other cardiovascular and nerve disorders. It has been reported to help with hot flashes on many websites; however, there are no reports in the medical literature that show effectiveness. Magnesium is the fourth most common mineral in the human body. Only approximately 1% of total body stores is in the blood, and serum levels are tightly regulated through uptake, then renal and fecal excretion.

Recommended daily oral intake is 310 to 350 mg of magnesium. In general, magnesium is a safe supplement. There are no known reported cases of excess dietary magnesium causing harm. Excess (oral) supplemental magnesium can cause diarrhea and cramping. There is one case report of a young woman with severe hypermagnesemia due to excess antacid therapy after a bone marrow transplant (with five times the normal serum levels) that caused unresponsiveness.

The signs of excess magnesium can be similar to magnesium deficiency and include changes in mental status, nausea, diarrhea, appetite loss, muscle weakness, difficulty breathing, extremely low blood pressure and irregular heartbeat. The upper levels of supplemental magnesium for men and women are 350 mg/day. Physicians may prescribe higher doses for treatment of osteoporosis, diabetes, cardiac conditions and various neurologic conditions. Since magnesium levels are tightly controlled by the body, excess is excreted in the urine and stool.

A natural, inexpensive, readily available treatment would be helpful to many women and men undergoing hot flashes.
- Thomas J. Smith, The Massey Cancer Center
Virginia Commonwealth University

The article that follows, Dr. Keith Scott-Mumby talks about osteoporosis, bone fractures, over-abundance of calcium and good nutrition. So often we hear of an older female who has fallen and broken a hip, thinking the fall caused the broken hip when, in actuality, the broken hip caused the fall and not because of a lack of calcium in the diet. After reading this, you may want to view the comments and 'Professor Keith's' responses. Use the link provided at the end of the article.

This Bone Disease Kills More Women than Breast Cancer
You may be surprised to learn that in the USA more women die from fracture of the femur than die of cancer of the breast, cervix and uterus combined. It is a similar story in other developed countries.

A fracture of the femur is dangerous for an elderly man or woman because it leads to immobility. That in turn increases the risk of pneumonia, which is the usual cause of death in these sad cases. The femur fractures easily in older people because of bone thinning or osteoporosis, which in turn is caused by gross ignorance of nutritional essentials.

I have said often that osteoporosis is a whole body disease; it is NOT a lack of calcium. We're awash with calcium! (Calcium is hardening the arteries, and causing brain plaques, crusty joints and other aging deposits --- who needs calcium?)

The trouble with aging is that, as we grow older, the calcium ends up in the wrong place which is caused by faulty nutritional dynamics. Bone is a living tissue; it is built up and broken down constantly. Doctors and drug companies who try to portray bone as a static vessel, filled with a certain amount of calcium -- like a full, half-full or quarter-full cup -- are just plain idiots.

Your entire skeleton replaces and remodels itself every few months -- and I mean every molecule! If you help your bones by feeding them well, they will support you into your ninth, tenth, even twelfth decade.
 
The Chinese Bone Story
It's widely held that calcium deficiency is the cause of osteoporosis and that if you consume plenty of milk, you will get all the calcium you need and never experience osteoporosis. That's pure bunk. A myth that sticks and sticks . . .

In China, where the traditional diet included no dairy products whatever, osteoporosis was completely unknown until westernization.

Next consider the USA, which has the highest consumption of dairy products in the world and yet also has the highest incidence of osteoporosis.

What does that tell you about the value of milk? In fact I'll shock you by saying that a handful of doctors like me have been arguing for 40 years that milk is mainly what causes osteoporosis through malabsorption due to gut inflammation from milk.

Hip Fractures and Bone Strength
Hip fractures are the most serious consequence of osteoporosis. About 20 percent result in death, and those who survive often have disability and loss of independence. The cost is an estimated $12.8 billion to $17.8 billion per year for medical care, extended treatment facilities, and the value of lost productivity.

Yet this important antiaging factor is often overlooked. Hormones and super nutrients may be more glamorous. But basic nutrition is, and always will be, the number one factor in bone health.

There is no reason to suffer this infirmity or risk a disastrous fracture.
 
It's true that bone loss is a natural part of the aging process. Starting around the fourth or fifth decade of life, both men and women lose bone mass at a rate of 0.3 to 0.5 percent per year. Moreover, after the onset of menopause, the rate of bone loss in women can increase as much as 10-fold due to the reduced production of estrogen. In fact, women can lose up to 20 percent of their total bone mass in the first 5 to 7 years following menopause.

By age 70 or 80, women have typically lost about 30 to 50 percent of their bone mass, compared with a loss of only 20 to 30 percent among men.

Bone Densitometry
Probably the single biggest deciding factor in the development of osteoporosis is whether a woman starts out with thin bones or not! Those with dense bones at the age of 35 are unlikely to reach severe osteoporotic levels even during the seventh and eight decades.

Those whose bones are thin even before menopause are likely to end up with difficulties no matter what treatment is attempted. So it is important to find out where you stand. Bone densitometry, a simple screening, should tell you where you stand. It is to be hoped that routine bone densitometry screening will be available to all women, even pre-menopausally.

Use your doctor to obtain a densitometry test, but don't pay too much attention to what he says to do because he is likely only repeating what the drug reps have told him.

Treatment
The best treatment by far is avoidance. That comes from wise nutrition, as I'll explain later.

The trouble is, existing therapy is largely unsuccessful because it's based on the obsession to find patented and expensive 'cures' instead of correcting basic nutritional factors. The current approach focuses mainly on estrogen, supposedly to retard the advance of the menopause, and calcium supplementation. However, estrogen therapy really only defers the inevitable and therefore its 'success' as a treatment is debatable. Moreover, some doctors would see the risk of hormone replacement therapy as wholly unacceptable when used for this purely prophylactic reason.

Calcium supplements (around 800 to 1500 mg a day) are usually recommended but it must be said that studies on the effectiveness of this dosage are confused and contradictory. Calcium supplementation will not restore lost bone tissue.

The paradox is, as I said, that calcium deposition is a factor in many aging conditions -- such as hardening of the arteries, arthritis, kidney stones, gallstones and cataracts -- so, for some patients who are taking calcium supplements, it may be a question of aging one way or decaying another!

The really important nutrients, as we shall see, do not include calcium.
 
Hormone Supplements
These do have a beneficial effect but at what price? We all know the inherent dangers of taking estrogen replacement therapy. Most women in the Western world today are already estrogen dominant and the risk of hormone-related breast cancer simply goes up, the more estrogen the woman takes.

Actually, progesterone supplementation makes more sense. This brings the estrogen dominance into more of a balance.

Estrogen does inhibit the osteoclast cells that function to reabsorb bone and, as a result, can slow the rate of bone loss.

But estrogen cannot rebuild bone. Progesterone rebuilds bone by stimulating the osteoblast cells which remineralize and restore bone mass.

Estrogen without the balance of progesterone is fraught with side effects, hypertension being one example. Also, salt and water retention, increase in blood clotting, promotion of fat synthesis, hypothyroidism, fibrocystic breast disease, increased risk of gallbladder disease and gallstones, liver dysfunction, increased risk of endometrial cancer of the uterus, pituitary prolactinoma tumor and probably breast cancer are also possible.
 
Bisphosphonates
Marketing this class of drugs has been a triumph of marketing spin over science and common sense. They don't work as described and the "science" is very hazy. Not enough to justify the risk. Yes, risk. Everybody knows now about jaw necrosis and that bisphosphonates can increase the risk of certain fractures of the femur.

Other detrimental effects such as the destruction of healthy metabolism will certainly come to light as time goes by.

Brands include: Actonel, Atelvia, Boniva, and Fosamax. As soon as the patents run out, all the science about their dangers and ineffectiveness will surface. Until then, Big Pharma is keeping the lid on problems.

What about Exercise?
Exercise has been shown to have a positive effect on bone density; thus, those who lead sedentary lives are more likely to develop osteoporosis. Animal studies show that lack of use leads to rapid bone re-absorption (breakdown by cells.) Therefore, it is likely that regular gentle exercise will benefit all women at or beyond the menopausal years.

However, no study I know of has shown that older women are able to replace lost bone through exercise.

Moreover, if you overdo it, excessive exercise causes cessation of menstrual periods due to lack of estrogen. Well, for reasons already explained, lack of estrogen is a prime factor in osteoporosis, so you do NOT want to over-exercise.

What Does Work?

Nutrition
The truth is that osteoporosis is a holistic condition and needs treating holistically. It is doubtful that single nutrient supplements, even such obvious ones as calcium and vitamin D, would be effective in the absence of good whole-body nutrition. Bone, remember, is more than just a collection of calcium apatite crystals. It is an active living tissue, constantly remodeling itself through deposition and absorption and continually participating in a wide range of biochemical reactions -- reactions that will be compromised by any degree of under-nutrition.

We can consider several of these. As usual, all play a part and you can't get much benefit from just concentrating on one.

Magnesium
Without doubt, the number one deficient nutrient and the KEY to this problem is magnesium.

The critical bone enzyme alkaline phosphatase (involved in forming new calcium crystals) is activated by magnesium. Its relative lack, therefore, could be expected to block the deposition of new bone tissue. Whole-body concentrations of magnesium were found to be below normal in 16 out of 19 osteoporotic women.

Vitamin D
We all know that vitamin D prevents rickets, which is softening of the bones. It does this by making calcium more available to the bones (where it should be.) It must make sense to take vitamin D. We know now that it is a good antioxidant, immune modulator and antimicrobial. It even lowers the risk of cancer. So don't hesitate to take vitamin D in large amounts. Take only vitamin D3 (cholecacliferol.) Forget the pathetic RDA recommendations.

Vitamin K
This may surprise some people. Vitamin K is known to be important primarily for its effects on blood clotting. However, it is also required for synthesizing osteocalcin, a protein found uniquely in bone and on which the calcium crystallizes.

It is usually assumed that vitamin K deficiency is rare, but in one study (of only 16 patients) with osteoporosis, their mean serum vitamin K levels were only 35% of those of age-matched controls. Take vitamin K2 (not K1),

Manganese
This is also required for bone mineralization. Rats fed a manganese-deficient diet had smaller and less dense bones. In one study of osteoporotic women, blood manganese levels were found to be only 25 per cent of those of controls!

Folic Acid
The interest in this vitamin co-factor stems from the fact that homocysteine metabolism seems to be at least partially folic acid-dependent, and patients with a genetic failure in the metabolism of homocysteine are known to develop severe osteoporosis at an early age. Folic acid deficiency is relatively common, particularly in those who do not follow a hunter-gatherer type diet.

Supplementation would therefore seem to be prudent. Try to get 500 mcg daily. Some countries have a legal upper limit. You really need 3 mg. You'll need a script for those levels (it may expose vitamin B12 deficiency, which is dangerous.)

Boron
Previously thought to be important only for plants, we now know that boron plays a role in human nutrition, particularly in relation to bone health.

Supplementing the diet with boron was shown to reduce urinary calcium excretion by 44%. Interestingly, it also increased the serum concentration of the hormone 17-beta-oestradiol, which may be the most biologically active form of naturally-occurring human estrogen.

Strontium
Strontium has been shown to prevent chemical irritations of the skin, and it plays an important role in building strong bones, reducing dental cavities, and alleviating bone pain.

In the largest published clinical trial, 1,649 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis received 680 mg per day of strontium or a placebo for three years. Compared to the placebo group, strontium reduced the incidence of vertebral fractures by 49% in just one year.

We used to get adequate strontium through our drinking water and through foods since it is naturally present in water and soil. However, these days it's almost impossible to get strontium this way because water treatment processes kill strontium, and our soil has lost most of its nutritional value because of overuse.

Other Important Nutrients
Attention has also been focused on a number of other nutrients including silicon, vitamin B6, zinc, copper, and vitamin C.  In other words, we are working toward the conclusion that any important nutrient could lead to as yet undiscovered deficiencies in bone metabolism; therefore, good holistic nutrition is vital.

Things to Avoid

Some drugs accelerate bone loss. Particularly important are steroids such as prednisolone, though it appears that the type of osteoporosis that this can lead to is quite different biochemically from post-menopausal osteoporosis. Certain anticonvulsants (phenytoin, for example) may also lead to increased bone reabsorption.

The science for bisphosphonates is beginning to fall apart. Women who took bisphosphonates for five years or longer were found to have a 2.7-fold greater risk for certain thigh fractures than women who took them for less than 100 days.

The researchers concluded that some long-term bisphosphonate users may benefit from a "drug holiday" --  stopping the drugs for a while and then restarting. But Park-Wyllie, quick to protect its profits, says this has not been studied.

Smoking is said to hasten the onset of menopause by about five years and reduces estrogen levels thereafter. Other evidence suggests that smoking may alter osteoblast function (osteoblasts are the cells that 'build' bone.)

There are also racial and genetic factors that can't be avoided. However, remember there are epigenetic factors which can switch off bad genes and switch on good ones.

In any clinical evaluation of osteoporosis, a number of disease states need to be considered. All are rightly the preserve of a qualified physician, and are not for self-medication. They include anorexia nervosa, testicular failure, thyrotoxicosis, bone cancer disease, and immobilization after surgery.

This article was edited from Dr. Keith Scott-Mumby's blog at www.alternative-doctor.com 

Magnesium Oil vs Epsom Salts
Occasionally people have asked the difference between soaking in a bath of Magnesium Oil or Epsom Salt. Maybe this will explain . . .
 
Essence of Life Magnesium is magnesium chloride from the sea. Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate) is also natural to the sea. Both are used in emergency rooms to save lives, but it is known that sulfate is more toxic, and in transdermal application it's less absorbable and retainable in the body.
 
The best form of magnesium supplementation obviously would be the most natural and that would be found where life began, in the sea. Magnesium chloride, though highly bioavaliable when taken orally, is ideal when applied transdermally, either directly to the skin or when used in baths or foot baths.
 
The difference is remarkable between the two forms and is almost instantly noticeable.
 
Magnesium chloride is easily assimilated and metabolized in the human body. According to Daniel Reid, author of The Tao of Detox, magnesium sulfate, commonly known as Epsom salts, is rapidly excreted through the kidneys and therefore difficult to assimilate. This would explain in part why the effects from Epsom salt baths do not last long and why you need more magnesium sulfate in a bath than magnesium chloride to get similar results. 
 
Essence of Life Magnesium was one of the very first transdermal magnesium supplements on the market eight years ago. Now there are many imitations and derivations. Some are even Essence of Life relabeled. What is most important to your health is that your transdermal magnesium is a high quality, natural product that gives you benefits and the company from which you order stands by their product. We stand by ours with a 100% money back guarantee.


Dr. Carolyn Dean's Blog 

- "A reader wanted me to know that she thinks magnesium is going big-time because she heard a local talk radio advertising MagOx and saw a TV ad for Phillips Caplets. Both are magnesium oxide products for constipation.

She knows I say magnesium oxide is only 4% absorbed so it's bound to cause the laxative effect yet not give you enough magnesium for other important functions, but we both agreed that at least some information about magnesium is getting out there." -Dr. Carolyn Dean, MD, ND

Dr. Dean also says that according to Dr. Norm Shealy, you can increase your blood levels of magnesium, using transdermal Magnesium Oil, faster than you can with IV magnesium. Wow!

Don't want the laxative effect that most oral magnesium supplements provide? Magnesium Oil, Gel and Bath Flakes or Nano Ionic Magnesium will fill the bill. These provide high absorption into the body and to the areas where magnesium is most needed.

- In August 2010, I wrote an article for the Huffington Post called Coffee Addiction: How to Naturally Kick the Habit.

Recently another Huffington Post article came out with the opposite view. 7 Health Benefits of Coffee

It's a review of the "so-called" scientific research that says coffee can lower cholesterol, prevent cancer, diabetes, depression . . . and make you a millionaire.

OK, that last benefit is not true, but let's look at what studies really say.

One study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that drinking 8 cups of coffee a day can raise your HDL cholesterol, allowing every coffee lover to feel vindicated even thought HDL was raised by a measly 7%. You can probably shift your HDL that much by holding your breath when having your blood taken. I'm kidding, but you get the point.

Some of these studies look at a few dozen people who are told to drink a certain amount of coffee and one or two types of blood tests are measured. In the above case they measure cholesterol and inflammatory markers.

But they are not looking at the underlying negative effects of too much coffee, such as magnesium deficiency caused by the diuretic effect of coffee. As your body loses magnesium, then your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar are going to rise. Any short-term gains created by coffee are soon lost, but that's after the study is closed and the erroneous findings are blasted through the media by the coffee industry.

When clients wrote and wanted to know how much coffee they could safely drink, here's what I told them:

It's all about moderation. I'd say that 200 mg a day of caffeine is "safe." Here is a website with a rough gauge of caffeine content.

And remember this: heavy daily caffeine use -- more than 500 to 600 mg a day -- may cause insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, stomach upset, fast heartbeat and muscle tremors.

Muscle tremors are a sure-fire indication that magnesium is being depleted from the body which then leads to many other magnesium-deficiency side effects. So these short-term studies just measuring one or two outcomes miss the whole picture.

Be sensible in your caffeine intake and don't use it to boost your flagging energy.

- This is my second magnesium blog this week, but I just couldn't help myself.

The arrhythmia post, Real Rhythm and Blues Without the Magnesium on Friday May 28, 2010 prompted a number of email responses.

One doctor wanted to make sure that my open-mindedness didn't mean that my brains were falling out. He was reassured and wanted to share his magnesium story.

He said: "You must have a million magnesium stories by now, but I cannot miss responding to your report about the meeting on arrhythmia disorders. I am an 82 year-old retired M.D. (psychiatry). Several years ago I had a bout of atrial fibrillation, which fortunately resolved, but I remained subject to constant extreme arrhythmia for a couple of years. My internist diagnosed premature ventricular contractions and said they were a nuisance but harmless. A cardiologist confirmed my condition with 24-hour monitoring and wanted to put me on Encainide, Flecainade or Amiodarone. After reading about these drugs I said I was not ready to take them, at which point he left the room. Never a word from him or my internist about magnesium. I vaguely remembered about electrolytes and arrhythmia and told my internist I would like to try magnesium. His entire response was "it will just give you diarrhea." But I put myself on magnesium oxide (250 mg at first, then more) and after a short while -- this was well over a year ago - the arrhythmia disappeared completely and has not returned. I have not had diarrhea. Both doctors are respected and experienced practitioners in a large city. So carry on!"

If my heart is palpitating (which it does if I don't take enough
magnesium) how can three or four medications possibly help? And, by the way, I don't have 100 years to wait until enough studies prove to allopathic medicine's satisfaction that magnesium is safe to take for heart palpitations!

The moral of this blog is for you to do your own research and take some responsibility for your own health and try to convince your doctor to work with you. I hope you don't run into one particular doctor who equated my "promotion" of magnesium with "snake venom, poison ivy, beef, ozone and radon." He definitely needs to read my magnesium book and realize that nutrients like magnesium are deficient in the diet and are never going to be found in prescription medication.

Watch for a future post on The Death of Hope, which is what drug companies seem to be teaching medical students and doctors these days! Carolyn Dean, MD

Magnesium - An Anti-Inflammatory Mineral

We've been talking forever about the great need in most people for more adequate magnesium levels and all the ways the body utilizes it. Here's a reason you might consider magnesium if you are post-menopausal.

A new study of 3,713 post-menopausal women shows that magnesium is a powerful anti-inflammatory nutrient. Each 100 mg of magnesium per day was associated with a significant reduction in various inflammatory markers.

Brain Power and Magnesium Professor Guosong Liu, Director of the Center for Learning and Memory at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, led a new study to see whether supplementing the diet with magnesium could boost brain power.   "Our findings suggest that elevating brain magnesium content via increasing magnesium intake might be a useful new strategy to enhance cognitive abilities," Dr. Liu concluded in the media statement. "Moreover, half the population of industrialized countries has a magnesium deficit, which increases with aging. This may very well contribute to age-dependent memory decline; increasing magnesium intake might prevent or reduce such decline."   These findings and results were published in the in the January 28th (2010) issue of the journal Neuron.

Nightcaps, Sleeping and Magnesium

Fifty years ago, when people couldn't sleep they would often resort to alcohol in one form or another to help them relax.

 

Today, most know that alcohol isn't the answer. Instead, they go to their doctor and become addicted to sleeping pills.

 

Did you know that benzodiazepine sleep drugs used to have a label that warned they were only to be taken for two weeks?

Ativan, one of the most common benzos was first approved in 1977. Yet Medscape admits that "The efficacy of lorazepam for long-term use (i.e., longer than 4 months) as an anxiolytic has not been evaluated."

 

Come on! They've had over three decades to do a long term-study.

 

Do you want to know the reason why they haven't done a study?

 

They don't want you to know that Ativan, Xanax, Valium and Librium are highly addictive. I've watched patients suffer benzo withdrawal -- it's a nightmare!

 

There are about 100 drugs approved for insomnia by the FDA. Probably none have been studied for long-term effects.

At least with the alcoholic nightcap, people knew what they were taking.

 

Of course, even better than drugs and alcohol is magnesium. Yes, it's my solution for everything! If you're suffering a deficiency of magnesium you can't expect your muscles to relax.
That's why, before any other sleeping remedy (natural or otherwise), I recommend you make sure you're getting as much magnesium as you need. Don't assume 500 mg is enough. You may need 1,000 mg!

Either way, try magnesium before anything else.

Dr. Carolyn Dean, MD, ND


Magnesium Insights From a Nutritionist

Magnesium deficiency can affect virtually every organ system of the body. With regard to skeletal muscle, one may experience twitches, cramps, muscle tension, muscle soreness, including back aches, neck pain, tension headaches and jaw joint (or TMJ) dysfunction. Also, one may  experience chest tightness or a peculiar sensation that he can't take a deep breath. Sometimes a person may sigh a lot. -Dr. Sidney Baker

I am not a physician, I am a clinical nutritionist and can not and do not prescribe. The information provided here is for educational purposes only.

If you are under the care of a physician for any of the conditions listed here, please conduct your own further research and fully inform your physician of your intention to alter your magnesium intake. If you are taking any medications, prescription or non-prescription, check with a health care professional before using magnesium supplements.

If you are currently experiencing any type of kidney condition or disease, do not use magnesium supplements without the full knowledge and approval of your physician.

 

Magnesium is necessary for life and can protect the kidney from disease, but if kidney damage has already occurred magnesium supplementation could be harmful, even life threatening.  

 

The current RDA, 350 mg. per day, is considered to be sufficient but there is mounting evidence that this figure is lower than optimal intake and that this low level of magnesium contributes to all of the listed degenerative diseases. Until a better way is devised to determine optimal total body magnesium (TBM) consider supplementation and watch for results.

 

Magnesium has been consistently depleted in our soils. It has been further depleted in plants by the use of potassium and phosphorus-laden fertilizers which alter the plant's ability to uptake magnesium. Water from deep wells supplies additional magnesium not found in food, but surface water, our common source of supply, lacks magnesium. Food processing removes magnesium. Broiling, steaming and boiling remove magnesium into the water or drippings. High carbohydrate and high fat diets increase the need for magnesium as does physical and mental stress. Diuretic medications and insulin further deplete total body magnesium. As we age, magnesium uptake may be impaired. Dieting reduces intake of already low levels of magnesium intake.

 

As you go through this list you will be amazed, as I was, at how many conditions and diseases are clinically tied to magnesium deficiency. Blood tests for magnesium deficiency are irrelevant and unusable. These levels do not reflect total body magnesium (TBM). Magnesium levels of bone and intracellular levels of magnesium are what tell the true status of TBM.

 

Doing your own research on Medline will bring fruitful results. Try a search like 'magnesium and osteoporosis' or 'magnesium and sleep' or 'magnesium and anxiety or stress'.

 

Magnesium is a critical element in 325+ biochemical reactions in the human body.

 

Research in France and several other European countries gives a clue concerning the role of magnesium plays in the transmission of hormones (such as insulin, thyroid, estrogen, testosterone, DHEA, etc.), neurotransmitters (such as dopamine, catecholamines, serotonin, GABA, etc.), and minerals and mineral electrolytes. 

 

This research concludes that it is magnesium status that controls cell membrane potential  and through this means controls uptake and release of many hormones, nutrients and neurotransmitters. It is magnesium that controls the fate of potassium and calcium in the body. If magnesium is insufficient, potassium and calcium will be lost in the urine and calcium will be deposited in the soft tissues (kidneys, arteries, joints, brain, etc.)

 

Magnesium protects the cell from aluminum, mercury, lead, cadmium, beryllium and nickel. Evidence is mounting that low levels of magnesium contribute to the heavy metal deposition in the brain that precedes Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's. It is probable that low total body magnesium contributes to heavy metal toxicity in children and is a participant in the etiology of learning disorders. 

 

Deficiency (from low dietary intake or excess loss) is clinically associated with:

 

ADD/ADHD

Alzheimer's

Angina

Anxiety disorders

Arrhythmia

Arthritis- Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis

Asthma

Autism

Auto immune disorders- all types

Cavities

Cerebral Palsy- in children from magnesium deficient mothers

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Congestive Heart Disease

Constipation

Crooked teeth- narrow jaw- in children from magnesium deficient mothers

Depression

Diabetes- Type I and II

Eating disorders- Bulimia, Anorexia

Fibromyalgia

Gut disorders- including peptic ulcer, Crohn's disease, colitis, food allergy

Heart Disease- Arteriosclerosis, high cholesterol, high triglycerides

Heart Disease- in infants born to magnesium deficient mothers

High Blood Pressure

Hypoglycemia

Impaired athletic performance

Infantile Seizure- in children from magnesium deficient mothers

Insomnia

Kidney Stones

Lou Gehrig's Disease

Migraines- including cluster type

Mitral Valve Prolapse

Multiple Sclerosis

Muscle cramps

Muscle weakness, fatigue

Myopia- in children from magnesium deficient mothers

Obesity- especially obesity associated with high carbohydrate diets

Osteoporosis- just adding magnesium reversed bone loss

Parkinson's Disease

PMS- including menstrual pain and irregularities

PPH- Primary Pulmonary Hypertension

Raynaud's

SIDS- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Stroke

Syndrome X- insulin resistance

Thyroid disorders- low, high and auto-immune; low magnesium reduces T4

 

Other conditions are also associated with chronic and acute low magnesium intake and further research is continuing to confirm relationships. 

 

The following substances and conditions reduce total body magnesium:

 

Alcohol- all forms cause significant losses

Amphetamines/Cocaine

Burns- with large surface area

Calcium- high levels block magnesium absorption

Carbohydrates- especially white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white flour

Chronic pain- any cause

Coffee- significant losses

Cyclosporin- extra magnesium can protect from side-effects

Diabetes- magnesium spills with sugar in the urine

Diarrhea- any cause

Dieting- stress plus lowered intake

Diuretics- even potassium sparing diuretics do not spare magnesium

Insulin- whether from using insulin or from hyperinsulinemia

Over-training- extreme athletic physical conditioning/training

Phentermine / Fenfluramine

Sodas- especially cola type sodas, both diet and regular

Sodium- high salt intake

Stress- physical and mental- anything that gets your fight or flight reaction

Surgery

Sweat

 

If your stool becomes loose it does not mean you have adequate magnesium. You may need to do a series of experiments with different types, timing (with and without food; 2,3 or 4 times a day) and/or amounts (100-200 mg. per dose, try the higher first and the lower if you encounter a problem.) You may need more than the daily requirement initially to get expected results.

 

Try to keep all doses at not more than 300-400 mg. each. 100-200 mg at a time work more efficiently. Some clients have experienced sleep difficulties when taking magnesium late in the day as magnesium can contribute to energy. If this happens to you confine your supplementation to earlier hours.
Is it worth the hassle? I am sorry if this seems too difficult. It is worth the energy.

 

In a recent study analyzing the diet of 564 adult Americans, both male and female, the average intake of magnesium was less than two-thirds of the RDA for men and less than 50% of the RDA for women. This means that men, on average, are getting under 200 mg. magnesium daily and women get under 150 mg. per day. When you take into consideration the current RDA is less than half of the probable adequate amount of magnesium you begin to see the scope of the deficiency problem. 

 

- Crispin Sullivan

Magnesium Chloride for Health & Rejuvenation

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 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 leukocyte activity and phagocytosis, 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 phagocytosis 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 preventive 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 for Nerves

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 are 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.

Magnesium for the Heart

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 rupture 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 use 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.

Magnesium for Healthy Bones & Teeth

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.

Cancer and Aging

Many studies have shown an increased cancer rate in regions with low magnesium levels in soil and drinking water. In Egypt the cancer rate was only about 10% of that in Europe and America. In the rural fellah it was practically non-existent. The main difference was an extremely high magnesium intake of 2.5 to 3 g in these cancer-free populations, ten times more than in most western countries.

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 Selye 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.

The Rejuvenation Mineral

In addition to its anti-microbial and immune-stimulating properties, both magnesium as well as chloride have 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 are 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, lymphasising as well as packs and rubs with magnesium chloride or Epsom salts.  

Deficiency Symptoms & Increased Requirements:

CIRCULATION: angina, arteriosclerosis/atherosclerosis, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart infarcts,  strokes, tachycardia (fast pulse), thrombosis. 

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM: colic, constipation, chronic diarrhoea, malabsorption, pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). 

MUSCLES: backache, convulsions, cramps, increased excitability/jumpiness, numbness, nystagmus (rapid eye movements), spasms, tense/tight muscles, tingling, tremors.

NERVOUS SYSTEM: apathy, confusion, depression, disorientation, epilepsy, hallucinations, irritability, mental illness, multiple sclerosis, nervousness, neuritis paranoia, Parkinson's disease, poor memory, senility.

GENERAL: alcoholism, arthritis, body odours, broken bones, calcification in any organ, cancer, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, diabetes, eclampsia, headaches, infections and inflammations, liver cirrhosis, lupus erythematosus, migraines, old age, prostate problems, rickets, rigidity - mental and physical, skin wrinkled and tough, stiffness, stone-formation in gall bladder or kidneys, thyroid overactive.  

Walter Last

Signifcant Magnesium Deficiency in Depression

Abstract

Magnesium levels were tested in a total of 457 patients suffering either chronic primary depression or chronic pain with depression. The magnesium load or tolerance test is considerably more reliable than serum, red blood cell, whole blood, or white blood cell magnesium levels. Virtually all significantly depressed patients are deficient in magnesium. Clinicians should consider the potential of therapeutic benefit from magnesium replacement therapy in chronic depression. Although magnesium deficiency has been reported in depression, this association is not widely recognized (1).

Over the past 7 years we have investigated magnesium levels extensively in patients with primary depression and chronic pain with depression. The current report summarizes the frequency of magnesium deficiency in depressed patients as well as the greater accuracy of the magnesium load test over various blood levels for measuring metabolic competency of this critical mineral.

Patients and Methods Testing Procedure

All depressed patients were diagnosed by a positive Zung Test for Depression (2) as well as the MMPI and clinical evaluations. The chronic pain patients labeled depressed were those who showed depression on the Zung test.

In 475 patients seen for either chronic depression or chronic pain with depression, magnesium levels were assessed. Three hundred fifty women and 107 men had blood drawn and sent by overnight mail to Meridian Valley Chemical Lab in Kent, Washington for cell magnesium levels. They ranged from 22 to 78 years of age. Twenty-six patients had whole blood magnesium levels done at another reference lab, and 26 patients had red blood cell magnesium levels done at a third reference lab.

One hundred of the depressed patients who had standard cell magnesium tests (Ref. 3) also underwent magnesium load testing to allow comparison of the cell magnesium test with the somewhat more commonly recommended magnesium load test (4).

Results

All 100 of these patients retained well over 50% of the magnesium load; indeed they commonly retained 85% to 100%. An additional 46 chronic pain patients with depression also underwent magnesium load testing. Thirty-one of these were deficient; 15 were not. 

The magnesium load or tolerance test (3) is apparently much more likely to detect deficiency of magnesium than any blood test. Although the white blood cell magnesium test is much simpler to perform, it picks up deficiency on only 60% of those who are demonstrated to be deficient by magnesium load testing.

The red blood cell magnesium test and the whole blood magnesium test may pick up only about 50% of those who are deficient. Others have reported the extreme lack of usefulness of serum magnesium levels which reflect only the most serious magnesium deficiencies (5). Over the past 2 years we have used the buccal intracellular test for magnesium by Intracellular Diagnostics, Inc. and find it as reliable as the load test. 

The most striking finding is that all 100 of those patients with significant primary depression were deficient in magnesium by magnesium loading testing, although the white blood cell magnesium picked this up only 60% of the time.

Interestingly, in 47 chronic pain patients who were depressed, only 31 patients (67%) were deficient by magnesium load testing. Obviously, there will be some depressed patients who are not deficient in magnesium, as seen in 15 chronic pain patients who were depressed but had normal magnesium load tests. Nevertheless, in those who suffer from significant depression, magnesium deficiency appears to be virtually universal. Even if the 46 chronic pain patients with depression are included, of 146 depressed patients who underwent magnesium load testing, 131 or over 89.7%, were magnesium deficient.

The finding of significant magnesium deficiency in depressed patients is of considerable interest, both scientifically and clinically. Magnesium is the natural calcium channel blocker. Clinically, magnesium deficiency has been associated with cardiac arrythymia, hypertension, myocardial infarction, strokes, anxiety, migraine, panic attacks, epilepsy, osteoporosis, immune dysfunction, as well as chronic fatigue, acute musculoskeletal pain and reflex sympathetic dystrophy; all illness with high incidence of concomitant depression. (6-14).

Magnesium is significantly affected by blood levels of lithium, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium. Intestinal absorption of magnesium is inhibited by high levels of intestinal calcium, fat, protein pr phosphorus. Urinary excretion of magnesium is increased by most diuretics as well as by stress, epinephrine, nonepinephrine and caffeine. All lead to urinary magnesium loss (15-18).

Major potential dietary sources of magnesium are hard water; dark green, leafy vegetables; carrots; beets; sesame seeds and legumes. Magnesium deficiency may result in inadequate intake of magnesium; high calcium intake; high intakes of sodium, protein, fat, potassium, wheat, alcohol, sugar, or caffeine; diarrhea; diuretics; laxative abuse; severe stress (11,8).

Interestingly, it has been demonstrated that 70% of men and 80% of women do not take in even the daily recommended allowance of magnesium (11). And, as would be expected, the nutrition of depressed patients is usually very inadequate.

The neurological and metabolic consequences of magnesium deficiency are widespread. Magnesium is a major regulator of all membrane potentials, as well as neuronal and muscular tone. Thus, magnesium deficiency prevents normal nerve cell stability.

Magnesium also plays a synergistic role with taurine, both of them assisting in stabilization of cellular membrane potential as well as being natural calcium channel blockers (19). The clinical use of calcium channel blockers in neurological disorders such as migraine may be obviated with far less side effects by administration of magnesium taurate.

Our personal clinical studies have indicated that at least 78% of chronically depressed patients are deficient in taurine (Ref.20). With an even higher incidence of magnesium deficiency, it is easy to understand some of the many symptoms accompanying depression.

Although intravenous magnesium, 2 grams per day for 5 days in 2 weeks, appears in our experience to assist significantly in the relief of depression, additional studies are needed in which depressed patients are treated only with magnesium taurate orally. It may well be that magnesium taurate alone will be as effective as the average antidepressant which helps no more than 50% of depressed patients (21). Magnesium taurate is less expensive and has virtually no risk, as long as renal function is normal.

Richard H. Cox, Ph.D.,C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D. Roger K. Cady, M.D., Diane Veehoff, R.N., M.S.W., Ph.D., Mariann Burnetti Awell, PsyD., Rita Houston, L.P.N.

References
1. Seelig MS: Magnesium Deficiency in the Pathogenesis of Disease, New York, Plenum Publishing Corporation, 1980.
2. Zung, W.K.K. A self-rating depression scale. Arch. Gen. Psychiat. 12:63-70, 1965.
3. Ryzen E, Elbaum N, Singer FR, et al: Parenteral Magnesium Tolerance Testing in the Evaluation of Magnesium Deficiency. Magnesium 4:137-147, 1985.
4. Seelig, MS: Magnesium Deficiency in Two Hypertensive Patient Groups. Southern Medical Journal 83:739-42, 1990.
5. Reinhart RA: Magnesium Metabolism. Arch Intern Med 148:2415-2420, 1988.
6. Seelig CB: Magnesium Deficiency in Two hypertensive Patient groups. Southern Medical Journal 83:739-742, 1990.
7. Schoenen J, et al: Blood magnesium levels in migraine. Cephalalgia 11:97-9, 1991.
8. Seelig MS, Berger AR, Spielholz N: Latent Tetany and Anxiety, Marginal Magnesium Deficit, And Normocalcemia. Disease of the Nervous System 36:461-465, 1975. 9. Seeling MS: Increased need for magnesium with the use of combined oestrogen and calcium for osteoporosis treatment. Magnesium Research 3:197-215, 1990.
10. Seelig MS: Magnesium Deficiency in the Pathogenesis of Disease. New York, Plenum Publishing Corporation, 1980.
11. Morgan KJ, et al: Magnesium and Calcium Dietary Intakes of the U.S. Population. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 4:195-206, 1985.
12. Altura Bt, Altura BM: The Role of Magnesium in Etiology of Strokes and Cerebrovasospasm. Magnesium 1:277-291, 1982.
13. Cox IM, Campbell MJ, Dowson D: Red blood cell magnesium and chronic fatigue syndrome. The Lancet337:757-760, 1991.
14. Turlapaty PDMV, Altura BM: Magnesium Deficiency Produces Spasms of Coronary Arteries: Relationship to Etiology of Sudden Death Ischemic Heart disease. Science 208:198-200, 1980.
15. Flatman PW: Magnesium Transport across Cell Membranes. J. Membrane Biol., 80:1-14, 1984.
16. Spencer H, Osis D: Studies of Magnesium Metabolism in Man: Original Data and a Review. Magnesium 7:271-280, 1988. 17. Rude RK: Physiology of Magnesium Metabolism and the Important Role of magnesium in Potassium Deficiency. The American Journal of Cardiology 63:31G-34G, 1989.
18. Levine BS, Coburn JW: Magnesium, the Mimic/Antagonist of Calcium. The New England Journal of Medicine 310:1255, 1984.
19. Durlach J et al., Taurine and magnesium homeostasis: New data and recent advances. In Durlach A, Seeling MS (eds.) Magnesium and cellular process and medicine. Karger Basel, 1987.
20. Shealy, C. Norman, Cady, Roger K., Veehoff, Diane, Houston, Rita, Burnetti, Mariann, Cox, Richard and Clossen, William. The Neurochemistry of Depression. American Journal of Pain Management. Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 13-16.
21. Weissman MM, Lieb J, Pursoff B, Bothwell S. A Double-Blind Trial of Maprotiline (Ludiomil®) and Amitriptyline in depressed Outpatients. Acta Psychiat Scand 52:225-236, 1975.

Sexual Potency, Immune Response, Cerebral Function and Longevity

“ . . . In Taoist health & longevity systems, there has always been a strong link between sexual potency, immune response, cerebral function, and longevity. Magnesium is the central and most basic nutrient mineral responsible for all of these issues and factors. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that we will live much healthier, happier and longer lives if we make sure we top off our body’s capacity to absorb magnesium. Not only do our cells need to be brimming with magnesium we need to absorb a sufficient amount each and every day. A magnesium saturated body will be more potent, will sport a tough immune system that will fight much more easily against infections and influenza. And this says nothing about our sharpness of mind gained and the extra energy levels possible because of ATP reactions set on afterburners.”
Quote from Dr. Mark Sircus' forthcoming book.


The Dance of Calcium and Magnesium

Calcium and magnesium share equal importance in our bodies. Newton's law says that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and calcium and magnesium dance within this law. Neither can act without eliciting reaction from the other.

At the biochemical level, magnesium and calcium are known to act antagonistically toward each other. Many enzymes whose activities critically depend on a sufficient amount of intracellular magnesium will be detrimentally affected by small increases in levels of cellular calcium. Growth of cells, cell division, and intermediary metabolism are also absolutely dependent on the availability of magnesium, which can be compromised if excess calcium is present.

To understand how you can create a calcium/magnesium imbalance in your own body, try this experiment in your kitchen. Crush a calcium pill and see how much dissolves in 1 oz. of water. Then crush a magnesium pill and slowly stir it into the calcium water. When you introduce the magnesium, the remaining calcium dissolves; it becomes more water-soluble. The same thing happens in your bloodstream, heart, brain, kidneys, and all the tissues in your body.

If you don't have enough magnesium to help keep calcium dissolved, you may end up with calcium-excess muscle spasms, fibromyalgia, hardening of the arteries, and even dental cavities. Another scenario plays out in the kidneys. If there is too much calcium in the kidneys and not enough magnesium to dissolve it, you can get kidney stones.

All muscles, including the heart and blood vessels, contain more magnesium than calcium. If magnesium is deficient, calcium floods the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels and therefore higher blood pressure, arterial spasm, angina and heart attack. A proper balance of magnesium in relation to calcium can prevent these symptoms. Calcium excess, stimulating the cells in the muscular layer of the temporal arteries over the temples, can cause migraine headaches.

 Excess calcium can constrict the smooth muscle surrounding the small airways of the lung, causing restricted breathing and asthma. Finally, too much calcium, without the protective effect of magnesium, can irritate delicate nerve cells of the brain. Cells that are irritated by calcium fire electrical impulses repeatedly, depleting their energy stores and causing cell death.

The Calcium Distraction

The irony of the calcium-magnesium story is that without magnesium, calcium will not work properly. Both our current diet and tendency to over supplement with calcium, however, make getting enough magnesium almost impossible. Research shows that the ratio of calcium to magnesium in the Paleolithic or caveman diet--the ancient diet that had evolved with our bodies--was 1:1, compared with a 5:1 to 15:1 ratio in present-day diets. With an average of ten times more calcium than magnesium in our current diet, there is no doubt about widespread magnesium deficiency in modern times.

The emphasis on calcium supplementation has diverted our attention from any other mineral, even though all minerals are crucial to the proper functioning of the body.

In our society we tend to look for the best, the most important, the star, and forget that it takes a team and teamwork to get anything accomplished, including body processes. Calcium, because it is the most abundant mineral into he body, therefore became the star. Even though research has accumulated on magnesium over the past four decades, it has never been adequately publicized and discussed. Dr. Mark Sircus, Ac., OMD

Is Magnesium Deficiency Putting Our Children at Risk?

Magnesium is a core nutrient of which most Americans probably do not get enough. Its status as an important nutrient with incredible benefits has long been recognized by myself and the other doctors associated with the Nutraceutical Sciences Institute (NSI), even though it has been understated or ignored by many medical doctors. Magnesium is an essential mineral in your body. It is needed for your bone, protein and fatty acid formation. Magnesium is crucial in creating new cells, activating your B vitamins, relaxing your muscles, clotting your blood and forming your adenosine triphosphate (ATP-the energy on which our bodies run). The secretion and action of insulin also require magnesium.

It is this association between magnesium and insulin that caught my attention again this week. The trigger was a recent study on childhood obesity, diabetes and magnesium's role concerning insulin. And since it happens to center on our children and grandchildren's welfare, it makes it particularly poignant for so many of us.

As most of us are painfully aware, childhood obesity in the United States is at epidemic proportions. Several months ago, a report was published indicating that the United States had the greatest percentage of obese adolescents in the world. What a dubious distinction! Along with exploding rates of childhood obesity, there is also the problem of an alarming rise of pediatric diabetes mellitus. In general, obesity-be it in childhood or adulthood-can lead to an increased risk of diabetes mellitus because of the problem of insulin resistance. Although the insulin remains present in your body, it does not seem to be as effective in the obese individual as compared to a leaner person.

A study just published in the prestigious journal, Diabetes Care, appears to shed some light on the issue of insulin resistance. Researchers primarily out of the University of Virginia studied 24 obese, non-diabetic children between the ages of eight to seventeen, comparing them to 24 similarly- matched lean children. It was found that serum magnesium concentrations were significantly lower in obese children, compared to the lean children. In studying dietary patterns, it appeared that the obese children had a lower dietary magnesium intake compared with the lean children. Further, it was found that serum magnesium and dietary magnesium levels were inversely associated with insulin resistance. While the findings were not clear on the mechanism by which magnesium deficiency may lead to insulin resistance, we do know that magnesium is an important co-factor for enzymes involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates. Also, magnesium deficiency is associated with increased intracellular calcium levels, which may be a factor leading to insulin resistance.

In a previous survey of food intake by individuals, it was found that one-third of our school-age children did not meet the estimated average requirement for magnesium. Adding to the risk factor, it was also found that obese children consumed a higher percentage of total calories from fat and a lower percentage of calories from carbohydrates. The fiber intake was lower in the obese group, as well. Subsequently, it is speculated that obese children could suffer a double-whammy of magnesium deficiency that puts them at particular risk for diabetes mellitus. First, they bear the general magnesium deficiencies that many children experience. Second, their higher fat, lower fiber intake can cause problems with absorption of the magnesium they do get in their diets. Additionally, low fiber intake alone was also clearly correlated with insulin sensitivity. The authors of the article indicated that this study provides the first evidence showing that magnesium deficiency is associated with insulin resistance in children.

Of course, this article got me thinking about the other important benefits of magnesium, not only for children but for adults as well. As it turns out, in the current edition of the Journal of Cardiac Surgery, intravenous magnesium was analyzed as a preventative for certain heart arrhythmias after coronary bypass surgery. Atrial fibrillation is an extremely common arrhythmia and one of the most common complications you can encounter after coronary bypass surgery. In a meta-analysis of eight randomized, controlled trials, it was found that intravenous magnesium was associated with a statistically significant reduction in the incident of atrial fibrillation after coronary bypass surgery.

In another study published in the current journal, Heart, a group of researchers analyzed 20 randomized trials utilizing magnesium after cardiac surgery. The study involved almost 2,500 patients. The conclusion was, again, magnesium administration was an effective prophylactic measure for the prevention of post-operative atrial fibrillation. As a practicing neurologist, I frequently see patients who have suffered strokes as a result of atrial fibrillation. It can be devastating, and therefore is an important condition to keep under control.

Magnesium has many other valuable uses as well. It is considered the treatment of choice in preventing eclampsia during and after delivery. It has become increasingly valuable in the emergency room in treating patients with acute asthmatic attacks. In a study published in the Archives of Disease of Children in January of this year, a meta-analysis involving five randomized placebo-controlled trials indicated that intravenous magnesium sulfate probably provides additional benefits in moderate to severe acute asthmatic attacks in children treated with bronchodilators and steroids. Magnesium appears to be even more effective for asthma in an inhaled form. Oral magnesium may have some modest benefit in possibly reducing the frequency of asthma attacks.

You should also know that magnesium can be an extremely effective nutrient in the treatment of migraines. There have been multiple studies in the medical literature indicating that migraine sufferers have a relative deficiency of total body magnesium. Intravenous magnesium has been used successfully to abort acute migraine attacks. It can also be very beneficial taken orally on a chronic basis to reduce the frequency of attacks, much the same as asthma.

On the flip side, magnesium deficiency commonly occurs in critically-ill patients, and generally correlates with a higher mortality and overall worse clinical outcome. In an article published earlier this year in the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine, Dr. Tong out of UCLA indicated that magnesium may play a role in acute coronary syndromes, acute cerebral ischemia and asthma. There is also a clear body of literature indicating that decreased magnesium intake leads to an increased risk of osteoporosis. The challenge is to truly diagnose the deficiency in the first place. Since magnesium is lost primarily through the gastrointestinal system (and through the kidneys), making a diagnosis of true magnesium deficiency can be difficult because of limitations in measuring serum magnesium.

Finally, there is ongoing research about the potential of magnesium as a neuro-protective agent. In a German journal published this month, rats that were pre-treated with intravenous magnesium and then subjected to 90 minutes of occlusion of a major blood vessel in the brain, significantly reduced the area of brain damage by 32% to 42%, as compared to controls. Again, as a neurologist, I take particular interest in this matter.

It is generally recommended that adults consume about 300 mg or 400 mg of magnesium daily. You should know that the average healthy adult in the United States typically consumes less than 200 mg a day of this important nutrient. For those with diabetes mellitus or a history of heart disease, 400 mg to 500 mg is recommended. I also usually recommend 400 mg to 500 mg of magnesium daily to my migraine sufferers whom I see in my practice. A child over five years old should consume at least 100 mg a day of magnesium, and by early teens, at least 200 mg a day. Magnesium is usually well tolerated, although it can cause loose bowel movements at higher doses. Individuals suffering with kidney disease should not take magnesium without consulting their doctor.

Allen S. Josephs, M.D., 5/2005

The Wonders of Magnesium
 
Dr. Carolyn Dean

When it comes to building healthy bones, magnesium is as important as calcium and vitamin D!

Knowing the vast benefits that magnesium confers on our bodies, I’ve always wanted to report on this remarkable mineral . . . and now the time has come!

I was first introduced to the wonders of magnesium during my obstetrical training where I saw, up close and personal, how effective magnesium sulfate was in preventing seizures and restoring normal blood pressure in pregnant women suffering from toxemia. 

Years later, I often gave my patients magnesium intravenously (IV) (along with a series of other vitamins) as part of an IV mix known as Meyer’s formula. I found that this mixture frequently relieved muscular pain and also promoted speedy healing from surgery, sprained ankles, and the like. It also appeared to boost immunity. My colleagues and I at Women to Women (a medical clinic founded more than 15 years ago by Dr. Northrup and several of her colleagues, which is devoted to health care for women, by women) sometimes gave it to each other when we were coming down with a cold or were feeling fatigued. It worked every time.

An astounding number of studies have documented the effectiveness of intravenous magnesium in helping prevent cardiac damage and even death following a hear attack –- roughly half of all sudden deaths from hear attack are the result of spasm in the arteries, not blockage from clots or arrhythmias! And magnesium allows coronary artery muscles (and all other muscles) to relax.

Most of us don’t require intravenous magnesium, of course. We can get all the benefits we need just by making sure that we get enough of it in our diets or through supplements. Here’s what everyone needs to know about getting optimal benefits from this essential (but often overlooked) mineral.

Why We Need Magnesium: Magnesium is essential for the functioning of hundreds of different enzymes in the body, particularly those that produce, transport, store and utilize energy. Magnesium is important for the following metabolic processes:

• Protein synthesis: DNA and RNA in our cells require magnesium for cell growth and development.

• Sparking the electrical signals that must travel throughout the miles of nerves in our bodies (including the impulses for our brain, heart and other organs).

• Normal blood pressure, vascular tone, transmission of nerve-cell signals, and blood flow.

• Functioning of all nerves and muscles.

• Release and binding of adequate amounts of serotonin in the brain. In short, living with sub-optimal levels of magnesium is like trying to operate a machine with the power off.

The Magnesium/Calcium Connection: Though there’s been an enormous amount of media hype about calcium, very few people realize that without its partner, magnesium, calcium doesn’t serve the body nearly as well as it should. In fact, too much calcium can actually impede the magnesium’s uptake and function, creating further imbalance. When it comes to building healthy bones, magnesium is as important as calcium and vitamin D.

Magnesium and calcium are designed to work together. For example, magnesium controls the entry of calcium into each and every cell –- a physiological event that happens every time a nerve cell fires. Without adequate magnesium (which is also a natural calcium-channel blocker), too much calcium gets inside the cell. This can result in muscle cramping, blood-vessel constriction, migraine headaches, and even feelings of anxiety.

Magnesium also keeps calcium dissolved in the blood so that it won’t produce kidney stones. In fact, taking calcium without magnesium for osteoporosis can actually promote kidney stone formation.

Magnesium Deficiency on the Rise: In 1997, the National academy of Sciences found that most Americans are deficient in magnesium. There are a number of reasons for this:

• Food processing depletes magnesium, and the vast majority of Americans eat mostly processed foods. When wheat is refined into white flour, 80 percent of the magnesium in the bran is lost; 98 percent is lost when molasses is refined into sugar. Similarly, magnesium is leached out of vegetables that are boiled in water or frozen. Additives such as aspartame and MSG, as well as alcohol, also deplete magnesium stores.

• Indigestion and antacid use: Insufficient stomach acid impedes magnesium absorption. Unfortunately, a refined-food diet is a potent recipe for indigestion. Antacids –- the number one over the counter drug in the U.S. –- further deplete hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

Farming practices: Magnesium and other minerals have been depleted from much of the soil that we grow today’s produce in.
Medications: Many drugs –- including common diuretics, birth-control pills, insulin, tetracycline and other antibiotics, and cortisone –- cause the body to waste magnesium.

Anxiety and Panic Attacks: Magnesium helps keep adrenal stress hormones under control and maintain normal brain function. in her book The Miracle of Magnesium (Balantine Books, 2003), Dr. Carolyn Dean points out that the rate of depression has gone up every decade since World War II. It’s quite possible that this is related to magnesium depletion.

Asthma: Magnesium helps relax the muscles of the bronchioles in the lungs.

Constipation: Magnesium helps keep bowels regular by maintaining normal bowel-muscle function. Milk of Magnesium as been used for decades to help.

Diabetes: Magnesium helps insulin transport glucose into the cell. Without this, glucose builds up in tissue causing glycemic stress and damage.

Heart Disease: Magnesium deficiency is common in those with heart disease. The mineral is an effective treatment for heart attacks and cardiac arrhythmias.

Hypertension: Without adequate magnesium, blood vessels constrict and blood pressure increases.

Insomnia: Magnesium helps regulate melatonin, a hormone that’s essential for normal sleep cycles.

Nerve Problems: Magnesium helps eliminate peripheral nerve disturbances that can lead to migraines, leg and foot cramps, gastrointestinal cramps, and so one.
 
Osteoporosis: Without magnesium, calcium may actually contribute to osteoporosis.

This article appeared in Dr. Christiane Northrup's newsletter. The Dr. Christine Northrup Newsletter: P.O. Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100 . . . 760-431-7695 or 800-654-5126 . . . 760-431-6948 (fax) or 800-650-5115 (fax). Dr. Carolyn Dean is the author of The Magnesium Miracle. It is also available if you contact GLN. (Note that she has changed the title slightly. It now has information about transdermal magnesium therapies and lists Global Light Network as a source for Magnesium Oil.)

Heavy Metals and Chelation in Cancer Treatments

Cancer and heart disease display spatial patterns that suggest the possible involvement of selenium deficiencies and mercury excess in their etiologies.[vii] Mercury directly interferes with DNA repair enzymes.

Major focuses during treatment are building the immune system, increasing supply of glutathione, protect the mitochondria, stimulate metabolism, clean the intestinal system and remove heavy metals from both sides of the blood brain barrier. During this past century the physical environment that surrounds us has gotten incredibly toxic and even the food most people eat acts to destroy rather than nourish. We and our children are being caught between a hammer and a hard place. On one side we are being poisoned by the water we drink, the air we breathe, the foods we eat, by the mercury amalgam fillings in our mouths, by the vaccines we have taken, and in general by the drugs we take.

None of the chemicals on its own appears to be toxic at minuscule doses. But what happens when a person is exposed to a whole cocktail of them? -Dr. Amy Perbeck

The emerging compounds of greatest concern to most scientists are the "endocrine disrupters." These are chemicals in the environment that mimic hormones when they get into the body. An astonishing array of chemicals fall into this category and they have detrimental effects at the lowest imaginable levels . . . chemicals in certain cosmetics, shampoos, shaving lotions, skin creams, dishwashing liquids, pesticides, flame retardants, plastics and antibacterial soaps. Like actual hormones, "they have effects at exceedingly low levels," says Dr. Herb Buxton. Because so many of them bind to a certain type of receptor in the body-whether for estrogens, androgens or thyroid hormones-the effects add up. Some of the basic symptoms that express the trap we have fallen into are: fatigue, lethargy, depression, headaches, allergies, chronic infection, frequent colds, nervousness, and sudden anger, sensitivity to perfume/odors, memory loss and joint pains. Thus in cancer treatment it is extremely important to detoxify and chelate out these endocrine disrupters.

Uranium oxide particles are DNA time bombs. Because of the affinity of a phosphate in human DNA towards uranium, these particles destroy the DNA so the disastrous effects of depleted uranium won't be limited to only one generation.

One type of contamination reinforces and strengthens the other so medical treatments need to simultaneously address both chemical toxicity and radiation poisoning without further poisoning the body. Exposure to radiation causes a cascade of free radicals that wreak havoc on the body. Radiation also decimates the body's supply of glutathione, which allows free radicals to run rampant through our tissues and organs. Sadly with the insane use of depleted uranium weapons, radiation levels are creeping up all over the world, especially in the northern hemisphere.

The first law of detoxification and chelation is to avoid exposure to toxins as much as possible. Check your exposure vulnerability by location at the following site. http://www.scorecard.org/env-releases/hap/rank- states.tcl

Though the material (depleted uranium) generally used by the U.S. Department of Defense is 40 percent less radioactive than natural uranium it is not something you want to be exposed to. The main cancer risk from inhaled depleted uranium would be from tiny insoluble particles lodged deep in the lungs. According to the inhalation-retention model constructed by the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP), 15 percent of an insoluble inhaled uranium oxide aerosol could be retained in the lungs for more than a year.

Toxic heavy metals that have been released into our environment have reached such high levels that everyone's health is now seriously threatened.

The fact that heavy metals cause chromosome damage makes it clear that genetic causes are acting powerfully in the spread of cancer. [viii] Also importantly we see that the effect of a single chemical exposure is very different from the effects of the same chemical in a mixture. Experiments with single chemicals can significantly underestimate effects of the same chemical in mixtures. All these heavy metals and hostile chemicals like pesticides can injure chromosomes, either by altering the chemistry of a single gene so that the gene conveys improper information, called point mutation, or by actually breaking the chromosomes, called deletion.

Rapid rises in disease are in part provoked on the genetic level.

Increasingly, the issue of heavy metals toxicity is being portrayed as a "genetic issue" rather than an environmental one when genetic deterioration is being driven by the huge rise in heavy metals in the environment. It's a clear case of putting the horse before the cart since without the presence of heavy metals there is no heavy metal poisoning. Unlike when a patient gets chemotherapy or radiation treatments, we build up the body as we destroy cancer cells and most importantly help the body detoxify by chelating out the heavy metals through natural means. We also have to facilitate the elimination of cancer waste.

Lack of selenium may lead to cancer, cardiovascular diseases and osteoarthritis.

Selenium helps stop damaged DNA molecules from reproducing. In other words, selenium acts to prevent tumors from developing. "It contributes towards the death of cancerous and pre-cancer cells. Their death appears to occur before they replicate, thus helping stop cancer before it gets started," says Dr. James Howenstine. Dr. W Kostler wrote, "The normal level of selenium should be 80 to 130 micrograms per litre of blood. We check the levels of selenium in different cancer patients at their first consultation in our office - most of them suffer from a big deficiency in selenium."

Data suggests that a diet rich in selenium protects against cancers of the stomach, breast, esophagus, lung, prostate, colon, and rectum. According to Dr. Harold Foster death rates in the USA for cancer are lower when blood selenium levels are high. One important study found that high blood levels of selenium are associated with a four-to-fivefold decrease in the risk of prostate cancer. Scientists at Stanford University studied 52 men who had prostate cancer and compared them to 96 men who didn't. [ix] One surprising finding was that blood levels of selenium generally decreased with age. It is well known that the risk of prostate cancer increases dramatically as one ages.
 
The nuclear core of our nutritional protocol also includes ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid). ALA is a naturally-occurring compound that is synthesized in small amounts by plants and animals, including humans. Alpha Lipoic Acid is a sulfurous fatty acid and was first discovered in the 1950s, and recognized it as an antioxidant in 1988. ALA works on the cellular level to help produce energy. It acts as a coenzyme -- a helper of enzymes -- in the cell's major energy cycle, the Krebs cycle. [x] [vii] As a coenzyme, ALA takes part in a multi-enzyme process preparing the fuel for the mitochondrion, the powerhouse of the cell. Without alpha lipoic acid, cells cannot utilize sugar to produce energy and they shut down. This makes alpha-lipoic acid a metabolic antioxidant, able to draw on the cell's own metabolism to magnify its protective effects and that of other antioxidants.

ALA has the ability to salvage and recycle other antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and glutathione.[xi][xii]

According to Dr. Burt Berkson, the doctor appointed by the FDA as the principle investigator for intravenous use of ALA, and author of The Alpha Lipoic Acid Breakthrough: Several factors make ALA the ultimate antioxidant. [xiii] [viii] One very basic reason is that ALA is both a hydrophilic and lipophilic molecule. Because it is hydrophilic, it is soluble in blood and other watery body fluids. Because it is lipophilic, it is also soluble in fats. In contrast, vitamin C is only hydrophilic and vitamin E is only lipophilic.

These qualities make ALA an ideal antioxidant that works double duty. It prevents free radical damage in every setting regardless of whether it is the brain fluids, the blood, stored fat, the heart, the pancreas, the kidneys, bone, cartilage, the liver, and for that matter every cell in every organ. ALA can perform the same functions in the watery fluids of the cell and in the blood and other aqueous fluids that come in contact with the body's tissues, just like vitamin C. Because of these remarkable characteristics, ALA can also easily pass through the blood-brain barrier and increase brain energy availability."

Glutathione, which is produced by every cell in the body, is responsible for a number of functions including removing or neutralizing dangerous substances that we are exposed to on a daily basis, including toxic metals. Toxins, pollution, disease, stress, and poor diet can all contribute to loss of glutathione. When glutathione levels reach a critically low level, we are much more vulnerable to toxins and immune dysfunction.

It was the genius of Dr. Alan Greenburg who created what should be perceived as one of the safest and most effective natural chelation formulas. There are many approaches, substances, companies and doctors offering detoxification and chelation products. The great problem is finding science and in-depth studies to back up the many claims being made. [xiv] There is a product named Chelorex [xv] that supplies a list of vital substances that are more than useful in any cancer protocol. Supplying ALA, vitamin C and E, selenium, zinc, magnesium and a list of glutathione promoters and mitochondria protectors, as well as natural chelators, it offers a smooth path for the elimination of a wide range of heavy metals including mercury and uranium. Most pharmaceuticals are actually mitochondria poisons, as are heavy metals and a host of toxic chemicals thus protecting the mitochondria is of the highest priority.

Several more substances round out the entire protocol giving it more depth, utility and universality. We suggest, Living Streams Probiotic, a second-generation probiotic designed to reproduce rapidly, and calcium bentonite [xvi] taken orally. Calcium bentonite clay literally removes positive-charged molecules that attack our bodies from our bodies. According to an article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Detoxification and Mineral Supplementation As Functions of Geophagy (Johns and Duguette 1991), clay is a potent detoxifier, a catalyst that assists the body in removal of chemical poisons and heavy metals (positive charged ions) from the body.

In Chernobyl, for instance, spirulina was used to help save many children from radiation poisoning. By taking 5 grams of spirulina a day for 45 days, the Institute of Radiation Medicine in Minsk even proved that children on this protocol experienced enhanced immune systems, T-cell counts and reduced radioactivity.

Pure water is also a basic element in the IMVA protocol, and this is presented in an upcoming book from IMVA publications, The Waters of Life. Exceptionally pure water itself has a strong pulling power on the impurities in the body the problem is how to purify and then how to treat the water before drinking. Distilled and Reverse Osmosis water is thought not safe by many health care practitioners because they lack bicarbonates and minerals which leads to the formation of acid in the body. Part of the reason why our body is acid is that it lacks enough bicarbonate necessary to neutralize the acid. This problem is easily corrected in our protocol for the sodium bicarbonate and thiosulfate is added to the water. Full hydration with pure water provides the very foundation of successful medical treatment.

Mark Sircus Ac., OMD

Thoughts on Health: Autism, Closed Minds, and The Magnesium Factor
 
An article published in the April 2007 edition of Discover magazine featured a reply that encapsulated what has been the prevailing thinking in the medical community for too long. It's available online: Autism: It's Not Just in the Head. If this subject is meaningful to you, I know it will be of interest, and invite you to go there.

Now, please read a reply to that article from a member of our allopathic medical community, published in Discover's June 2007 edition currently on newsstands.

This article is a house-of-cards speculation on the causes of autism and replete with clichés regarding the gut, the immune system, and oxidative stress. That's all good, but there is little substantive evidence to support these speculations. The statement that "gastrointestonal problems like a swollen belly are common" is anecdote-based. There are no studies using rigorous epidemiological criteria that support this urban myth. The article emphasizes diet, but there has not been a single nutrient deficiency identified in autism. There are no studies showing that individuals with autism have a higher incidence of gluten sensitivity. Regarding the use of chelating agents for detoxification -- again, there is little evidence that these alleged toxins have anything to do with autism. The notion that children with autism have more illnesses than other children is belied by my everyday experience. - R.K., M.D. Highland Park, IL

I chose not to give the doctor's full name, although he did provide it in the print edition. His point of view on this issue is important because it represents an attitude that anyone seeking understanding about autism or other chronic diseases, should absolutely avoid. It is a mind that is closed to anything but its own orthodoxy.

There is a large body of scientific evidence that supports the observations covered by the article, which itself could have gone even further to explore the role that magnesium deficiency plays in matters of neurological function, genetic vulnerability, inflammation, constipation, glutathione production, and more. ALL of these factors are examined in Mark Sircus' book, Transdermal Magnesium Therapy, which gives particular attention to Autism Spectrum Disorder. For example, Dr. Sircus writes:

According to Dr. Sherry Rogers, there is as much as a five hundred-fold variance in ability, from one individual to the next, with regard to detoxifying the same chemical. One of the key factors of this difference is each individual's magnesium level.

There are over two hundred published clinical studies that document the need for magnesium and many examples of miraculous 'cures' from the use of this common mineral. Yet you'd wonder if anyone is reading them. [Our doctor above surely hasn't.] As one example, doctors for the advocacy group, Defeat Autism Now (DAN) underestimate autistic children's needs; recommending only 50 milligrams twice a day in oral form, even though children with gastrointestinal problems can absorb only small percentages through their intestines.

The entire autism community needs to be acutely aware that its present dependency on oral magnesium supplementation contributes to the less than effective results from chelation. A simple changeover to transdermal and topical magnesium supplementation approaches would yield far more effective results." - ppg. 120-121

For those who are willing to look, the evidence is overwhelming that magnesium status is too important a component to ignore with respect to maintaining or restoring normal health. Not only that, effective replenishment protocols are needed when it is determined that an individual is indeed magnesium deficient. Intravenous intake is one promising, but impractical way of boosting magnesium status. A far more practical (and economical) way has become possible by the availability of natural, ocean-derived magnesium chloride, which takes form as a liquid.

Simple intake through the skin - either applied topically or inducted via a foot bath, is most effective in this age of nutrition-depleted foods.

Magnesium status is important irrespective of our state of health. Its importance increases when we're talking about a chronic disease.

The fact that a significant percentage of those who suffer from the diseases of our age, such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and cancer, are doctors indicates that they don't yet get this simple fact of nutrition either.

So I wouldn't put too much stock in the dismissive opinions of a closed minded doctor. The sad thing is that, with his education and an open mind, he could help a lot of people get well, instead of help them manage their disease by relying only on pharmaceutical approaches and dismissing natural ones. It only shows that he's been trained well.

He's not alone. The article mentioned another doctor, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins, who is collaborating on a pilot story funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to test minocycline, an anti- inflammatory antibiotic drug. It is described as a "very selective downregulator of microglial inflammation."

This strategy follows the old paradigm, i.e., interfering with the body's normal physiological processes and lowering immune function using synthetic (pharmaceutical) agents, while ignoring natural components that might eliminate inflammation with the only side-effect being better health. Another thing that is typical is that the NIH will fund research to find a drug to "combat" the inflammation aspect of autism, but it's far less likely to fund research that would involve natural components, such as magnesium.

Our body - each cell - was designed to have a magnesium ion positioned inside, along with ionic forms of other minerals. There needs to be sufficiency and balance in our body's mineral stores. When there is too much of one, or not enough of certain others, we'll have a problem. Inflammation is but one indication of magnesium deficiency.

Even the natural chelation protocols, which are designed to evacuate heavy metals and toxins from the body, include magnesium. But most traditional doctors have nothing informative or encouraging to say. Like the one above, their official response is often to discount, dismiss, and cast doubt. And if their everyday experience doesn't confirm that children with autism have more illnesses than other children, then they'll dismiss the notion altogether.

Even the natural chelation protocols, which are designed to evacuate heavy metals and toxins from the body, include magnesium. But most traditional doctors have nothing informative or encouraging to say. Like the one above, their official response is often to discount, dismiss, and cast doubt. And if their everyday experience doesn't confirm that children with autism have more illnesses than other children, then they'll dismiss the notion altogether.

Autism is illness expressed on a level that a statistically small, but significantly growing number of children and families are enduring. Perhaps the article, and this response, will get more people looking at magnesium. While I may have mentioned it before, you can view a short video that we produced on the subject below.

Other thoughts were triggered from this article, but I think I've covered enough. I'm pleased that Discover magazine published this subject. It's going in the right direction, but there's much more available that we already know that mainstream media hasn't begun to embrace.

A.A.

A few quotes from the above-mentioned article:

. . . What we've got here is a far more comprehensive set of characteristics for autism," says Herbert, "one that can include behavior, cognition, sensorimotor, gut, immune, brain, and endocrine abnormalities. These are ongoing problems, and they're not confined just to the brain. I can't think of it as a coincidence anymore that so many autistic kids have a history of food and airborne allergies, or 20 or 30 ear infections, or eczema, or chronic diarrhea.

. . . All this marks a Copernican-scale shift in our approach to the disorder. I myself was irresistibly drawn to the subject when viewing an online video of a heavily affected 11-year-old who, after a series of chelation treatments to remove mercury, announced to his mother, "Mom, I'm back from the living dead." The statement was heartbreaking in its simple eloquence. Mercury chelation, in this particular child's case, was a near panacea.

. . . Lisa Beck, of Oviedo, Florida, tells a similar story. Her son Joshua was diagnosed with autism in 2004 at about age 2. After 18 intensive months of treatment that involved chelation-a treatment that draws heavy metals out of the body-and dietary changes, among other therapies, Josh appears neurotypical. "We took him to Dr. Leslie Gavin, a specialist at Nemours Children's Clinic, who administers the ADOS test, a diagnostic test to see where on the spectrum a child falls," she says. "After the two-hour evaluation, Gavin said he did not meet the criteria for autism. In her words, he was 'responsive, curious, and active, able to engage in the test without a problem, able to express himself clearly."

. . . We're beginning to understand that genetics is really about vulnerability," says neuroscientist Pat Levitt, director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development. Levitt and his colleagues recently discovered that a common variant of a gene called MET doubles the risk of autism. The finding was widely regarded as a breakthrough because MET modulates the nervous system, gut, and immune system-just the kind of finding that matches up with the emerging new view of autism.

. . . Everyone was focusing on genes expressed in the brain," says Levitt, "but this gene is important for repair of the intestine and immune function. And that's really intriguing because a subset of autistic children have digestive and immune problems." Equally interesting is that the gene variant occurs in 47 percent of the population-in other words, it is just one contributing factor, and it probably works in concert with other vulnerability genes. And finally, in a twist that intrigues other researchers, the activity of the gene is affected by what is known as oxidative stress-the kind of damage one sees with excessive exposure to toxins. "As we identify other vulnerability genes like this," says Levitt, who hopes to engineer a mouse model of this gene variant for study, "we may be able to develop effective interventions for children.

. . . In other provocative research, Jill James, director of the Autism Metabolic Genomics Laboratory at the Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute (and professor of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) has found that many children with autism do not make as much of a compound called glutathione as neurotypical children do. Glutathione is the cell's most abundant antioxidant, and it is crucial for removing toxins. If cells lack sufficient antioxidants, they experience oxidative stress, which is often found with chronic inflammation.

Magnesium Oil as Mouthwash

Magnesium chloride is the ultimate medicinal mouthwash and is highly recommended for periodontal disease and for strengthening the teeth. It is magnesium, not calcium, that helps form hard tooth enamel, resistant to decay.

Many chronic illness patients have periodontal problems, and oral and bone cavitation infections are quite common. These should not be ignored, because these infections can become systemic and spread to other sites. An association between magnesium and periodontitis has been suggested by studies. In a study, conducted by the International and American Associations for Dental Research, subjects aged 40 yrs and older, increased serum Mg/Ca was significantly associated with reduced probing depth (p < 0.001), less attachment loss (p = 0.006), and a higher number of remaining teeth (p = 0.005). Subjects taking magnesium showed less attachment loss (p < 0.01) and more remaining teeth than did their matched counterparts.[i]

These results suggest that increased magnesium supplementation will improve periodontal health.

Personally I am just amazed at the truth of what I am continually finding out about magnesium chloride. It is the first time in my 53 years that I have taken anything that made a difference in my strength and stamina. I also used it as a mouthwash for my gum problems and felt a change in my oral environment after only one application. I had periodontal disease when I was seventeen and severe bone loss through many years. My mouth was also loaded up with mercury amalgam starting at age five. It is very difficult to keep up the discipline of keeping my mouth perfectly clean. A fine dentist told me six years ago that I had to brush and floss after every meal and never eat between meals to preserve my teeth. I am sorry to say I have had a hard time following those directions and the results are as expected. I now use salt water instead of fluoride toothpaste and that has helped. Spraying in three pumps of the magnesium chloride though has had a dramatic healing and probably alkalizing effect. My whole mouth feels stronger, and my oral environment stays with a healthier feeling for hours more even if I do not clean my teeth.

Use either full strength or slightly diluted in distilled or mineral water.

Mark Sircus, Ac., OMD

Reference: [i] P. Meisel1et all. Magnesium Deficiency is Associated with Periodontal Disease Dent Res 84 (10):937-941, 2005 International and American Associations for Dental Research

For the article, The Benefits of Sea Water, go to the Magnesium Bath Flakes page on this site.
 

Questions and Answers

Notes in Newsletter

• Tori included a long but very good article titled Stop Cancer with Baking Soda. I know that sounds too simple to be a serious article, but be prepared to be impressed. This article is from Dr. Mark Sircus, Ac., OMD. You may remember that he is the author of the book,Transdermal Magnesium Therapy. We don't sell baking soda, but you probably know where to get it. (grins) Effective solutions don't have to be expensive. Remember the great article that Tori found for us about the many remedies based on honey and cinnamon. Wow! I guess my mind was wandering a little, and I was considering whether we will soon read that the FDA is swooping down on Arm & Hammer or maybe even the beekeepers. Cinnamon sounds pretty dangerous too. Well, please pardon my little lapse into silliness, but you have wonder if some day seawater (magnesium oil) will be considered a drug that needs regulation.

In the testimonial section of the Newsletter, you are going to find a wonderful tip on how to use the Magnesium Oil and Miracle II Skin Moisturizer to create a great massage product that can give an extra pain-relieving boost to a therapeutic massage session. Try this and give us some feedback. The tip came from one of our Members. Hmmm, wonder what it would be like to add a little of the Lawang Oil too?

• We have been blessed by the awakening that he has created for our Magnesium Oil. BTW, there are others who claim they have Magnesium Oil, but if it didn't come from Global Light Network, it is not the real thing. Ours is all natural, sourced from the sea with nothing added. And . . . we have comprehensive laboratory test results to prove that ours contains no dangerous heavy metals, no pesticides, no petrochemicals, no fertilizer toxins and no pathogens. If you have the technical background to read and understand a 50-page laboratory analysis report, we will send you a copy. Just ask for it . . . unless you are a competitor, and in that case you can get your own report for a mere $2,500. God is our chemist, and we are thrilled with His Masterpiece.

• Speaking of testing, last year, a number of Members inquired about the safety and purity of our Magnesium Oil. Because it is captured from the ocean and we often hear concerns voiced about pollution in the oceans, we thought it wise to have extensive testing done on our Magnesium Oil. Under the guidance of Dr. David Minkoff, M.D., we located a laboratory in California to do our testing. After investing $3,000 in the testing, we got a completely clean bill of health. There were no detectable (ND) levels of mercury, arsenic, cadmium, lead or other heavy metals of general concern. Additionally, there were no detectable levels of petrochemicals, fertilizers, PCB's or pathogens. In summary, our Magnesium Oil, even though it is captured out in nature, is cleaner and safer than just about any municipal water system in the country. Although it is very technical and a little confusing to properly interpret, during this next week, we are going to post the entire report on the info site . . . www.ProductDescriptions.info. Perhaps, if I take the time to explain the concept of testing surrogates, the report will be intelligible to most people.

In part, I mention the purity of our Magnesium Oil because lately, there has been a rash of seeming competitors offering products that they also call Magnesium Oil, claiming that they are from the ocean and offering somewhat lower prices. Some of them even plagiarize our product descriptions to create the impression that they are the real thing. In reality, most of those products come from the Twilight (a la Jim Carter) era and are simply created by melting Magnesium Bath Flakes, one part in three parts of water. It is indeed magnesium chloride, and is transdermal, but it is rather one dimensional since it is only magnesium chloride and does not include the other 80 or so naturally-occurring beneficial minerals from the ocean. Insist on the best! Invest only in Essence of Life Magnesium Oil. (grins)

Customer Testimonials

Magnesium Bath . . . I had been on anxiety medication and having a terrible time sleeping. For four months I had extreme pain in my upper shoulders and neck. One bath with Magnesium Oil took the pain away. The sleep and anxiety were close behind. I also broke a blood vessel from my many months-to-years of being deficient in magnesium. My energy level shot up and I took 5 years off my face. Anonymously posted to our Australian website.

 

Arrhythmia . . . For the last 10 -12 years I have had an irregular heartbeat. I was told it was electrical in nature and the only recommendation was to take a beta blocker. I finally did start taking a beta blocker 1-1/2 years ago with terrible results. It did initially decrease the incidence of the irregular heart beat, but I had (have) terrible edema, especially in my legs. Eventually the drug stopped working. I then started learning about magnesium and thought that I might be severely magnesium-deficient. I started taking high doses of a magnesium supplement. It helped, but I had stomach problems with such a high dose. I learned about Magnesium Oil and started to use it. I ended up using a teaspoon a day, applying it directly to my skin. The results have been phenomenal. The irregular heat beat is basically gone from my life. What a blessing to have found your Magnesium Oil. My sister and my niece use it for muscle aches too. Terrific stuff! Thanks! Anon.

ADHD Child . . . I wanted to first thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul for the magnesium. I do see a change in Dane when we use it. I have noticed that if it is used in each bath it is better then every other day. I have been spreading the word to everyone who will hear me. His doctor said he really did not know much on the subject. Can you believe that? The best change that I have seen in that if Dane soaks in a tub before bed time he sleeps about 75% better. That is a good thing, because he has always had a problem with sleep. He is medicated to help him sleep but even then, he does not rest well, talking in his sleep, flipping and flopping all night long, but after a soak that is reduced greatly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magnesium Oil Makes a Great Deodorant and Body "Lotion" . . . My husband and I have been using your products for a few years now. I have taken chelation treatments and have used many natural remedies for my illness. The Magnesium Oil is wonderful to use as a deodorant. It is the first product that I have ever used that is natural that I did not start smelling before the day was over. You do have to dilute it, because it will burn you, especially after you shave under your arms. My skin is extremely dry, and it is also great for rubbing over your body as a lotion. Dilute of course. Thanks for allowing me to let others know what a great product you have created. J.B., US

Magnum Bath and Debilitating Muscle Spasms . . . Thanking you for your prompt reply -- please tell Mr. (Daniel) Reid that he has helped me more than any other person on earth regarding the muscle spasms in my left leg which had left me bound to a wheelchair for most months of the year. I was given the magnum water and the bath sachets and started taking the water and a bath daily. Within 8 days I was walking again, and my body was detoxifying at a great rate. I was being sent the products from a family member in Bali who had attended a spa there. I can't thank him enough for his work. For the first time in 9 years I am doing gentle exercise again to rebuild the muscles. I am able to do this without any cramping at all. I am also no longer depressed, my digestion is fantastic, and I can tell I have dropped some weight. My fluid retention is nearly gone, and I feel lighter all around. Thank you and I will be in touch with a distributor to continue on with my mission. A.Z., AUS

Editor's Note: Daniel Reid is the author of several books, most notably, The Tao of Detox, which features our Magnesium Magnum Bath Kit.

Anxiety and Panic Attacks . . . I have a client with extremely intense anxiety issues and paranoia, with a history of panic attacks for many years. He's been on meds periodically. After some weeks of daily 45 minute-long soaks with both the Magnesium Oil Bath Flakes, there has been a remarkable change. He now has almost no anxiety. His paranoia is gone. He has not had anymore panic attacks. He attributes this to his therapy, but I've explained that without these wonderful products, he wouldn't see this type of alleviation of symptoms for at least six months. I am very pleased with his progress. R.K., US

Quick Mg Supplementation with Gel . . . Earlier this week I was privileged to attend a clinical demonstration of the EIS Bioscan, a cutting-edge piece of diagnostic equipment at Sid Peterson Hospital in Kerrville, Texas. It has been used successfully in Europe for over four years.

 

EIS stands for Electro-Interstitial Scan. It is a whole-body scan that is quite impressive. I have been hearing about these total body scans now for a few years but only through hearsay. Well, I am here to tell you that this is COOL. This thing is like something out of Star Trek. It uses electrical current to measure the bio-impedence of the body’s interstitial fluid. Interstitial fluid is extracellular fluid that bathes the cells of most tissues in the body. It is one of two components of extracellular fluid. The other is plasma. Six electrodes are placed on both hands, feet and the forehead. Direct current of 1.28 volts is conducted between the points of these six electrodes. Elaborate software creates algorithms to generate a 3D total body scan. This gives a comprehensive overview of the reactions of the body. 3D models of the full body and various parts of the body are then created. The models are color coded to indicate where potential imbalances and pathologies are occurring, and whether the areas of imbalance are hyper- or hypo-functioning.

 

It takes three minutes for the test, and then the computer generates the results. The implications of this equipment are enormous. Used in primary care it can aid a practitioner as a highly effective “once over” check-up and then aid the practitioner in identifying any areas for concern. Cardiovascular, pulmonary, and cancer screening might be the ones that come to my mind. In complimentary medicine, this would potentially give us a definitive recommendation for appropriate nutritional augmentation.

 

I took a baseline test that was consistent with information I already knew and had intuited. However, I did learn a thing or two that I didn’t know. My diet and sleeping patterns have recently changed. The Bioscan picked up on some gastrointestinal inflammation. It also picked up on a few different hormones such as cortisol, insulin, serotonin, and low adrenal output. Also embarrassing was my low magnesium levels. Did I mention I get stressed sometimes?

 

After the test, I administered approximately two teaspoons of Magnesium Gel to my shoulders and neck. Another test was conducted 30 minutes later. Every abnormality, with the exception of the GI inflammation, was corrected and within normal limits. This included the brain chemistry, blood sugar . . . everything. My magnesium levels went from low to slightly above normal. I was overwhelmed. Not only is this equipment extremely cool, but our product works! Well, I knew that. I was amazed at how quickly the magnesium corrected the few things that were out of balance in my body at that moment in time. Also worth mentioning is the company’s medical director, a French medical doctor who was very skeptical that my Magnesium Gel would make any difference in 30 minutes. He humbly asked if he could have the bottle of Gel.

M.S., TX

Muscle Cramps, Aches, Skin Scratches and Sore Throat . . . Interestingly, right when my order came, I was having a strong cramp in my neck and shoulder, which I sometimes get from the computer. When I get it, it usually comes on for a day, until it is excruciating, and nothing makes it go away except the passage of a couple day's time. Well, I thought, I'll see if this Magnesium stuff works like they say. I rubbed one small squirt into my left neck and shoulder. Within five minutes the pan was gone, and I did not get several days of excruciating pain like I usually do.

Since that time, I've used it on a couple other muscle aches with success and a couple skin scratches that weren't healing very fast . . . they were healed in a couple days. I've tried it on a nagging joint pain in my left shoulder, which hasn't helped so far. I did use it last night on a sore throat I felt coming on, and it was gone before I went to bed. S.J., US

(David's) Sister Jane’s Testimonials . . . Finally, it is obvious that I have some of the same inclinations which have led to dad's restless leg syndrome, and the other nerve-related problems in my legs, etc. The Magnesium soaks definitely help relieve those problems. When I don't take time for them, I have problems relaxing the legs enough to go to sleep easily (that means it takes me 20 minutes instead of 2-3!). I also find that the soaks help relax muscles and tendons after my free weight and/or aerobic workouts at the gym. Jane W., LA

Magnesium Gel with Lawang Oil for Knee Pain . . . For several years I've experienced fairly constant pain in both knees. This has interfered with most activity (especially walking) as well as sleeping. I would awaken many times during the night as any change in position would cause painful reactions in one or both knee joints. My orthopedic surgeon had proclaimed that total knee replacement was in order for both knees, because there is bone on bone articulation . . . very little articular cartilage! For several reasons, I just haven't decided to go that route. However, the pain is pretty intense and as I mentioned, constant. I've used MANY creams, gels, doctor's injections, supplements and patches in my quest to get relief from the discomfort.

I am thrilled to report my experience using Magnesium Gel with Lawang Oil. Within five minutes of applying this Gel, pain is GONE and remains so for twelve hours at a time. Needless to say, I don't leave home without it! Thank you, GlobalLight! P.W., TX

A Satisfied Member . . . This is a thank-you letter for all that you do and all of the great products that you sell that have dramatically changed my life. First I will start with the Magnesium Oil and Gel, which I have been using for my son's autism, which I believe has helped him along with proper diet and vitamin supplements . He is 5 five years old and has been on it two years now and has made major improvements in most areas of his life. It has not cured his autism, and he has had a few set backs ,which is normal for autism, but when I look at the whole picture of where he was to where he is now, I am really confident that the magnesium plays a major role in helping him grow with his abilities. I just put it on a wash rag and apply small amounts on the back of his neck. I also add an ounce in his bath.

This is my personal experience with the magnesium and is what I swear by. I am a tri-athlete 45 years old, and I have had a few injuries and I believe that this stuff is magic in this way . . . I wrap up either my ankle or knee {wherever the pain is} with an ace bandage, and then I pour a small amount of the magnesium (I bought a gallon each of the Oil and Gel and mixed them together.} Then I apply it inside the ace wrap on my sprain, pain or what ever problem I might have had. The miracle about it is that is better in a few days, not a few weeks.

Here is a perfect incident to coincide with this story. I bought a trampoline Sunday, set it up, and Monday I was jumping very high. My wife was on it with me {not the thing to do . . . only one at a time}, and she jumped next to me, offsetting my landing. My knee bent sideways, and I knew something had happened and that there would be a problem, so I wrapped it up. Sure enough . . . it was sore and felt like a sprain had occurred. Today is Wednesday . . . I was out there for 15 minutes on the trampoline, I ran for two miles and rode my bike two miles. I took it easy, because it is not 100%, but I have the ace bandage soaked in the magnesium and I am telling you . . . I have had injuries in the past ,and it would be normal for me to be out of commission running or exercising easily for a couple of weeks. That is the first miracle product that I speak to you about totally by my experience!
Next are the Prill Beads and Cosmic Energy Stones. I keep them in my tea kettle so it is always being added to my diet, because I believe that they help as a synergistic part of my routine.

Then there is the Ocean Minerals with Supa Boost Cream. This stuff is awesome . . . forget about those $100 dollar-a-bottle wrinkle creams. This stuff works! I do not do it every night only because I forget, but I apply it to my face and ears, and the next morning my face feels tight and smooth and like my five year old.
I am not paid to say any of this, but I totally believe in Global Light's products.

David has been an absolute inspiration in my life, and I have never met him face-to -ace . . . just all by email and phone and he has also become a friend to me for any type of question that I might have {don't tell him I said that . . . LOL}. R.J., VA

Magnesium Application . . . I love the Magnesium Oil. I apply it to the bottoms of my feet before I go to bed every night since that is so much easier than taking a footbath. I can feel the warmth on my feet after the application.
Actually, it's so great, I use it all over my body as well. I notice that when I apply it on damp skin after showering, I don't get the stinging effect that I otherwise do on some areas. I just love this stuff. J.S., MA

Magnesium Oil and Mag/Cal Ionic . . . For the past two years I have been following a detoxification program prescribed to me by Dr. Lawrence Wilson in Arizona. I sent him a hair analysis, and on the basis of my results he prescribed a diet and supplement program. I had toxic levels of copper. B\AT the beginning of the program my magnesium level was normal, but I have been taking oral supplements of magnesium for years, large doses in fact. When I began to detoxify, my body used my stores of calcium and magnesium as buffers, and so I became low in both of them. ( I have also detoxified mercury and aluminum I learned on follow-up hair analysis.) Dr. Wilson told me that it was difficult to get out of the mineral pattern I was in.. . . . four lows: exhaustion . . . low calcium, low magnesium, low sodium and low potassium. The low sodium and potassium are due to poor adrenal function. He prescribed large doses of magnesium and calcium to pull out of this pattern.

Out of curiosity I searched the internet for information on magnesium. I came upon with information about the book Transdermal Magnesium Therapy, and I ordered it. From this book I learned about your company, and I ordered the Magnesium oil.
When a person is magnesium deficient, it may take a while to build up the mineral reserve to where it should be. I have been rubbing the Oil on regularly. I bought some magnesium chloride liquid from Trace Minerals because the bottle only cost $6 and in addition to your Magnesium Oil, I put a few drops in my water every time I have a glass of water. Since I am low in both calcium and magnesium I would still get cramps. I need both minerals. Then I ordered the Nano Calcium/Magnesium from you. This helps get over the hurdle of poor absorption. These are WONDERFUL products!

I loaned Dr. Sircus' book to a friend, and she ordered a gallon of the Magnesium Oil. She is thrilled with it. She rubs it on her husband's legs. He is diabetic. His diabetes is under control, but he suffers from restless leg syndrome. The Oil calms his legs down and gives him relief. I am learning alot about magnesium!!! Thanks again! Rebecca Harbin

Magnesium Oil . . . Please set me up an account as I am extremely pleased with the Oil. So, cash that puppy and get your money. B.C., TX

Varied Usage . . .We have just started using the Magnesium products. The bath is especially relaxing. E. and I sleep the night through after an evening 20-minute soak in 2 oz Magnesium Bath Flakes in a hot bath. (Elaine usually gets up often in the night.) I am also spraying Magnesium Oil onto my toothbrush with toothpaste, as well as in mouthwash. I also use it in my neti pot, a little tea-pot-looking container filled with water and some sea salt, that pours through one nostril and exits the other. E. is using the Magnesium Gel on her feet to relieve the peripheral neuropathy pain and hopefully rebuild the nerve cells. K.N., US

Follow Up . . . I tested the Magnesium Oil on myself periodically throughout the day, even though I took my Jigsaw brand in the morning, two tablets. Well, I occasionally have a burning, hurting and sharp pain in my right thigh, but not from the magnesium. So I got some Magnesium Oil on there and massaged it all in. It hasn't hurt me yet today even though (in the past) it's eased up with the Jigsaw.
Which brings me to say this, your brand is absolutely wonderful for people who can't take any magnesium internally. It just is. And I know that Jigsaw is wonderful too for people who can take it, but I do love this brand because it helped me periodically throughout the day. I wanted to see what it does and test on myself first before my sweet husband. Wonderful stuff! Now I'm wondering what it will do in a bath. BTW, I didn't have any stinging or itching except in one place. I put some on my scalp in an area where it has looked like for years that I'm losing a little hair. Below that point from where I rubbed it, it started itching a little bit. But I haven't itched hardly at all in the places that I've used it. S.T., TX

Irregular Heartbeat . . . For the last 10 -12 years I have had an irregular heartbeat. I was told it was electrical in nature and the only recommendation was to take a beta blocker. I finally did start taking a beta blocker 1 1/2 years ago with terrible results. It did initially decrease the incidents of the irregular heart beat, but I had (have) terrible edema, especially in my legs. Eventually the drug stopped working. In March of 2007 I started learning about magnesium and thought that I might be severely magnesium deficient. I started taking high doses of a magnesium supplement. It helped, but I had stomach problems with such a high dose. I learned about Magnesium Oil and started to use it. I ended up using a teaspoon a day, applying it directly to my skin. The results have been phenomenal. The irregular heat beat is basically gone from my life. What a blessing to have found Magnesium Oil. My sister and my niece use it for muscle aches too. Terrific stuff! Thanks!  Anon.

Magnesium Gel with Lawang Oil . . . I LOVE THIS STUFF. First, I must mention the smell of the Lawang Oil. It smells like wintergreen. I sometimes rub some in my hands just to inhale the wonderful smell. Last night before bed I rubbed some on a bruise. When I got up, it was much smaller and lighter. It looked like the natural healing process had been considerably sped up. Anonymously submitted to our website

Bruises . . . Magnesium oil is excellent for preventing bruises. Whenever I bump myself hard enough to know it's likely to bruise, I grab my bottle and put a couple of drops on the area, and I've never had a bruise since then. A drop is also great on mosquito bites. M.R., TN

 

Pain Relief . . . I have found this product to be amazing. I put it in a spray bottle and just spray it on my legs, feet, shoulders . .  . whatever is hurting and the pain goes away. I have sciatica in my back and down my legs. When it acts up, I spray on the Magnesium Oil and what a relief! I recommend it to all. Betty, Oregon

Magnesium Oil and Bath Flakes Combo for Anxiety and Insomnia . . . I had been on anxiety medication and having a terrible time sleeping. For four months I had extreme pain in my upper shoulders and neck. One bath with Magnesium Oil / Bath Flakes took the pain away. The sleep and anxiety were close behind. I also broke a blood vessel from my many months to years of being deficient in magnesium. My energy level shot up and I took 5 years off my face. Anonymous