 Image by Emre Gen via Pixabay I am loathe to sound the alarm unless I need to make a point that gets through as it did not get through to me: Magnesium supplementation is a must for most people! Magnesium is an essential element required in over 300 reactions necessary for metabolic health. Scientific, anecdotal, and user evidence overwhelmingly supports the fact that likely ⅔ of Western population is deficient - for good but sad reasons - in this 4th most common mineral after calcium, sodium, and potassium. Got Suffering? Listen up! For those on vitamin D for years, you are likely magnesium deficient! For those addicted to sugar, alcohol, or coffee, you are likely magnesium deficient! For those suffering from metabolic syndrome and similar, you are likely magnesium deficient! For those with mystery ailments, you may be magnesium deficient! For those finding arthritis or the aging process to be a problem, you may be magnesium deficient! Etc! EvidenceEvidence supports the use of magnesium in:
Magnesium may also be recommended in:
Anecdotal and user evidence supports the use of magnesium supplementation in:
"In clinical practice, optimizing magnesium status through diet and supplementation appears to be a safe, useful, and well-documented therapy for several medical conditions." - NIH What Depletes Magnesium
In cases where substances are needed, daily and medicinally, like vitamin D or bicarbonate of soda (which is an antidote to hyperkalemia), it is wise to always supplement with magnesium. In other cases, like coffee and sugar, it is wise to limit intake of those substances and rely on magnesium foods. In some cases, like carbonation, it is wise to omit carbonation from the diet, entirely. However, each individual is biochemically and lifestyle unique and should do their own investigation. What Restores MagnesiumMagnesium is restored or replenished primarily by the whole foods we eat, the ultra processed foods we don't eat, what we expose our skin to via bath soaks or topical applications, and by dietary supplementation. While supplementation is often the easiest go-to solution, it is not usually the best. For example, magnesium is known to have a potent laxative effect that happens primarily through supplementation. Magnesium from whole foods, on the other hand, is not known to have laxative effects unless the food, itself, does. Magnesium from foods is also safer from the perils of upper limits, whereas magnesium from supplementation should not exceed the recommended daily allowances without your doctor's approval. Magnesium absorbed through the skin appears to be as safe as magnesium foods, if not even safer in some cases. The case for supplementation However, some conditions of magnesium deficiency cannot be resolved without supplementation. This happens when the depletion of magnesium outweighs the restoration; if 2/3 of us are deficient, then this is clearly the case. Perhaps that is one reason why there are at least 10 magnesium supplement sources to choose from today, whereas not too long ago there were only 4. AllowancesParticularly if you must use magnesium supplements to restore your magnesium levels, it is vital that you not exceed the upper limits for your age and gender. In general, too much magnesium can cause nearly as many problems as too little, including death. So please supplement responsibly: From Harvard School of Public Health:
Top Food SourcesThis is a sampling of food source options, not a complete list. It is easy enough to query responsible internet sites to find out the magnesium levels in the foods you consume.
Supplement & Topical FormsSupplement Form General Guidelines
Do your own research The following is a quick guide sourced mainly from Healthline: Magnesium Bicarbonate
Magnesium Chloride
Magnesium Citrate
Magnesium Glycinate
Magnesium L-threonate
Magnesium Lactate
Magnesium Malate
Magnesium Orotate
Magnesium Oxide
Magnesium Sulfate
Magnesium Taurate
SignsThere are no definitive medical tests to determine magnesium levels, which is, in part, why medical physicians remain mostly ignorant of this problem, despite how widespread it is. There is only individual due-diligence: Pay attention to the signs your body gives off in the name of often subtle symptoms - the body never lies. Caveat: Many of the signs of both low and high magnesium levels are the same or similar. If you get symptoms, look at your current magnesium intake to determine whether you are getting too much or too little. For example: If you are supplementing with magnesium and taking epsom salt baths and eating healthy, and you start getting diarrhea, heart palpitations, muscle weakness, etc., then your magnesium levels are likely too high. But if you are not supplementing and tend toward high sugar, carb, and processed foods, then your levels are likely too low. Potential signs of magnesium imbalance
Long term magnesium imbalance may lead to
My Magnesium StoryMy second-most helpful doctor used to tell me how important magnesium was. But, she also told me how important lots of supplements were. And, she never specified why magnesium was important, only that it was best taken topically. The magnesium cream she sold me was so slimy and nasty feeling on my skin, that I quit magnesium altogether without a word. Little did I know that many of my chronic conditions would be milder or non-existent if I had just understood the value and variety of magnesium and how to incorporate it into my life. That's why I shared the way I did, above: To give people the kind of information needed to have the best chance of a better life in their own body, above and beyond a good attitude, diet, and lifestyle - without having to learn the hard way. The hard way for me was not even investigating the magnesium issue until late night foot cramps forced me to get out of bed and walk for extensive periods of time. I did a quick online look-up to be reminded that magnesium is often used to treat muscle cramps. I grabbed an old bottle of rarely-used magnesium oil from my clinic shelves and sprayed to cover feet, ankles, and lower legs. It worked. Nearly instantly the terrible muscle spasms faded. That prompted me to read a bit more on the subject. Upon reading about how magnesium deficiency can occur, I learned that people who supplement with vitamin D on a long-term basis, need to supplement with magnesium, too. I'd been supplementing with D3 since 2012, when my doctor ordered it. In the ignorance born of impatience, I bought a magnesium supplement that contained multiple magnesium sources. I added it to my morning supplement routine. A couple of weeks later, I realized that I no longer noticed any heart symptoms. Prior to this, I had fainted - and gained myself a terrific black eye by landing on a door knob on my way down - which started a series of appointments which led to heart concerns which led to having to wear a heart monitor - but they could find nothing wrong with my heart. I had to wonder, "What changed?" The only change in my routine that I could identify, was the addition of 2 sources of magnesium: The supplement, which actually contained 4 magnesium sources, plus a daily teaspoon or so of blackstrap, unsulphured molasses which happens to contain a good amount of magnesium. That was when I began my magnesium research and experimentation in earnest, which resulted in this blog entry. Not the end of the story. I recently spent 7 hours in the emergency room with what turned out to be a kidney stone. I have to wonder ... if I had started and stayed on magnesium long ago, might I have prevented this condition? The reports about magnesium and kidney stones suggest a strong yes. While there are different kinds of kidney stones, the most common is the stone made up primarily of calcium. Guess what magnesium reportedly does? It helps dissolve calcium where it doesn't belong. Either way, I am grateful to the ER staff whose professionalism and courtesy helped restore some faith in mainstream medicine, and also to my body for presenting me with the circumstances that brought magnesium to my much-needed attention. Edit Sep. 12, 2023: Ultrasound results show no stone! Was it the magnesium-citrate I took every day, twice a day, that is known to help dissolve kidney stones? Was it the Eastern-oriented herbs I took to support kidney function? Or both? I'm not in the position to know for sure, but I think it is worth sending the message that kidney stones may be resolved naturally when the body is given what it needs to do so. And that, my friends, is what so-called alternative medicine is ultimately about: Give the body more of what it needs so that its immune system can do what it was designed to do, but may have been previously prevented in doing, likely due to dietary stress. Originally posted July 10, 2023
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