All about magnesium

There are increasing reports, studies and online material about the benefits of magnesium. It is an amazing mineral as it helps with so many things. However, keep reading, as it’s all about balance.

Magnesium is essential for bone structure, hormone balance, blood pressure control, muscle and nerve function, bowel function and blood glucose control. It regulates more than 300 enzyme reactions in the body!

Symptoms associated with a lack of magnesium

(There’s so many, but here are some of the main one’s).

• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Depression
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue
• Fast heart rate
• High blood pressure
• Muscle aches, spasms or twitching
• Migraines
• Poor digestion
• Sleep issues
• Constipation
• Reflux

General facts about magnesium:

Low intake has been linked to several conditions and diseases including; heart disease, diabetes, insomnia, pain treatment, infertility, PMS, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, IBS, anxiety and depression. Many studies have shown magnesium to help. Read more here.

Magnesium is a powerful relaxation mineral.

The body loses magnesium every day from normal functions, muscle movement, hormone production and particularly stress.

Deficiency  

Many people are deficient in magnesium, but don’t know they are. Blood tests may miss it, as it’s not always shown up in blood, only 1% is stored in blood.

Magnesium deficiency or insufficiency is so common nowadays this is thought to be due to a few reasons; depletion of magnesium in our soils, digestive disorders, large doses of prescription drugs & antibiotics, poor diet with highly processed foods.

Where can you get magnesium?

There’s a good amount of magnesium foods such as black beans, dark green leafy vegetables, almonds, wholegrains, dark chocolate and dried figs.

By far the best way to take magnesium transdermally (through the skin), particularly if you are low or have digestive issues. You can add magnesium to your bath or foot bath with either magnesium chloride flakes or Epsom salts. (NB: If you are sensitive to sulfur, you may not do well with Epsom salts).

Magnesium imbalance

Some people don’t do well with magnesium, particularly if you’re low in minerals such as sodium or potassium. It can actually make things worse such symptoms as causing extreme fatigue. This makes it even more important to make sure you find out where your own individual levels, we are all different, but some may need to correct some other minerals first, before taking magnesium.

Final thoughts

As with all the minerals, it is important not to take ‘too’ much, as this can imbalance other nutrients. Calcium, sodium, magnesium and potassium for example all need to be balanced. The safest way to know which minerals you need and how much, is to find out your own individual levels by doing an HTMA (hair tissue mineral analysis) and then you can safely supplement or add more foods high in magnesium as needed, in combination with other nutrients.

References

https://draxe.com/magnesium-supplements/

http://www.sassyholistics.com/2017/05/17/magnesium-sodium-and-potassium/   

Hyman M. (2009). The UltraMind Solution. Scribner.

Dean C. (2007). The Magnesium Miracle. Ballantine.