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Magnesium Oil & Gel
Magnesium Gel with Lawang Oil

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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.

 

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: