Magnesium

[Guest guest]

Hi Jennie. Thanks for the informative post. Do you know of a list of foods that are high in Mag?

Unfortunately, my son is one of those "I don't like that" kids...hates veges and fruits. Will eat limited range of baby-food jarred fruits and veges, but very limited. Are there any other sources of Magnesium besides fruit/veges?

Thanks much!Jennie wrote:

Magnesiumhttp://www.globallight.net/Magnesium101.htmInternational Medical Veritas Association  It is highly regrettable that the deficiency of such an inexpensive, low-toxicity nutrient results in diseases that cause incalculable suffering and expense throughout the world.Dr.     Magnesium, atomic number twelve, is an element essential for normal function of the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Unfortunately, magnesium deficiency is one of the most common nutritional problems in the industrialized world today. This deficiency is the result of agricultural practices, food preparation techniques, and dietary trends. Despite the current recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for magnesium (350 mg. per day), it has been estimated

that adults average less than 50% of this requirement. The health implications are nothing short of catastrophic.     There are basically two classes of minerals: micronutrient minerals, which are only needed in trace amounts, and mineral macronutrients of which we need fairly significant amounts. Most people are aware that we need calcium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc in relatively large quantities. Unfortunately, the conventional medical paradigm in the United States has not realized the importance of magnesium. Magnesium (Mg) supplementation is dramatically under utilized by conventional physicians. Though Mg deficiency is common it is usually not looked for, and therefore, not found or corrected. In most industrialized countries, Mg intake has decreased over time and is marginal in the entire population.  When 1,033 patients who were hospitalized, over 54% were low

inmagnesium. The worst part of the study showed that 90% of the doctors never even thought of ordering a magnesium a magnesium test.Journal of the American Medical Association    There are over 200 published clinical studies [iii] documenting the need for magnesium and many examples of miraculous cures from the use of this common mineral. Even DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctors underestimate autistic children’s needs recommending only 50 mgs twice a day in oral form. Not much of that is going to get into the children’s blood and cells because oral administration of magnesium is not absorbed readily and is made less available because of all the problems in these kids’ GI systems. Professor Gilbert LeLord of France published six studies evaluating the use of vitamin B6 with magnesium, on autistic children and adults. Their studies typically used as much as 500 mgs of magnesium with more

than satisfactory results.    According to Dr. Norman Shealy, oral magnesium supplementation takes between 6 to 12 months to restore intracellular levels, whereas a transdermally-applied magnesium lotion(with 25% magnesium chloride) restores intracellular levels within 4 to 6 weeks. Some nutritional experts now believe that 750 mg. of magnesium supplement per day is a more physiologic [iv] recommendation, but to take that much orally would not suffice and would upset the digestive system, cause diarrhea, and end up not being properly absorbed. There is great confusion about types of magnesium being used to rectify deficiencies and metabolic problems in utilizing Mg. Good sources of magnesium include whole grains, nuts, peanut butter, cottonseed, peanut and soybean flours, green leafy vegetables and spices. It's better to get magnesium from foods rather than supplements, because high doses have a laxative

effect--the body's way of preventing toxic levels. But, unfortunately, we have to come to terms with that fact that the food values of magnesium have been dropping over the last fifty years, making it extremely difficult to receive all we need from foods. The International Medical Veritas Association recommends a system of transdermal magnesium therapy that bypasses the problems evident with oral magnesium supplementation. (See treatment recommendations)     Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is essential to good health. Approximately 50% of total body magnesium is found in bone. The other half is found predominantly inside cells of body tissues and organs. Only 1% of magnesium is found in blood, but the body works very hard to keep blood levels of magnesium constant. Magnesium is the single most important mineral for maintaining proper electrical balance and

facilitating smooth metabolism in the cells. One of the major properties of magnesium is that of stabilizing membranes. Magnesium has a stabilizing effect not only for the cell membrane but also for various sub cellular organelles. Magnesium deficiency can affect virtually every organ system of the body.Unfortunately, Mg absorption and elimination depend on a very large number of variables, at least one of which often goes awry, leading to a Mg deficiency that can present with many signs and symptoms.    To say that magnesium is important in health and medicine is to underestimate the case for it is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. Mg is extremely important for the metabolism of Ca, K, P, Zn, Cu, Fe, Na, Pb, Cd, HCl, acetylcholine, and nitric oxide (NO), for many enzymes, for the intracellular homeostasis and for activation of thiamine; and

therefore, for a very wide gamut of critical body functions. Magnesium is a particularly crucial element for mediating the vital functions of the nervous and endocrine systems, it helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. In the nucleus more than half the magnesium is closely associated with nucleic acids and mononucleotides. Magnesium is necessary for the physical integrity of the double helix of DNA which carries genetic information and the code for specific proteins.Enzymes ar protein molecules that stimulate every chemical reaction in the body. Magnesium is required to make hundreds of these enzymes work.Dr. Carolyn Dean    According

to Dr. Carolyn Dean, “Of the 325 magnesium-dependent enzymes [v], the most important enzyme reaction involves the creation of energy by activating adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the fundamental energy storage molecule of the body. ATP may be what the Chinese refer to as qi, or life force. Magnesium is required for the body to produce and store energy. Without magnesium there is no energy, no movement, no life.†Magnesium is necessary for the synthesis of various compounds that have energy-rich bonds of any type. [vi] The formation of energy-rich bonds that require Mg2+ constitutes the necessary basis for all cellular activities. This alone establishes the critical biologic importance of magnesium. Thus, fatigue is often reduced with magnesium (and potassium) supplementation. The many enzyme systems that require magnesium help restore normal energy levels.  The toxic effect of fluoride ions plays a key

role in acute Mg deficiency. Fluoride ion clearly interferes with the biological activity of magnesium ions. In general, Mg-F- interactions decrease enzymatic activity. [vii]     Dr. Dean is the author of The Miracle of Magnesium, she, and many other doctors and researchers are clear that “magnesium deficiency is a significant factor -- often the major factor -- in many other severe illnesses including heart attacks and other forms of heart disease, asthma, anxiety and panic attacks, depression, fatigue, diabetes, migraines and other headaches, osteoporosis, insomnia, and most cases of muscular problems.†Dr. puts it better. “The range of pathologies associated with Mg deficiency is staggering: hypertension (cardiovascular disease, kidney and liver damage, etc.), peroxynitrite damage (migraine, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, Alzheimer's disease, etc.),

recurrent bacterial infection due to low levels of nitric oxide in the cavities (sinuses, vagina, middle ear, lungs, throat, etc.), fungal infections due to a depressed immune system, thiamine deactivation (low gastric acid, behavioral disorders, etc.), premenstrual syndrome, Ca deficiency (osteoporosis, mood swings, etc.), tooth cavities, hearing loss, diabetes type II, cramps, muscle weakness, impotence, aggression, fibromas, K deficiency (arrhythmia, hypertension, some forms of cancer), Fe accumulation, etc.â€Â     Magnesium is essential in regulating central nervous system excitability. Magnesium-deficiency may also cause aggressive behaviour,  [viii] depression, or suicide. [ix] Magnesium calms the brain and people do not need to become severely deficient in magnesium for the brain to become hyperactive. One study [x]  confirmed earlier reports that a marginal magnesium intake overexcites

the brain's neurons and results in less coherence--creating cacophony rather than symphony--according to electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements. [xi] During half of the six-month study, 13 women consumed 115 milligrams of magnesium daily--or about 40 percent of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). During the other half, they got 315 mg daily--a little more than the 280 mg recommended for women. After only six weeks on the marginal intake, EEG readings showed significant differences in brain function. Magnesium exists in the body either as active magnesium ions or as inactive magnesium complexes bound to proteins or other substances.    Minerals, in general, rule over other nutrients, because vitamins, enzymes and amino acids, as well as fats and carbohydrates, require them for activity. There are 17 minerals, which are considered essential in human nutrition, and if there is a

shortage of just one the balance of the entire system can be upset. A deficiency of a single mineral can negatively impact the entire chain of life, rendering other nutrients ineffective and useless. Magnesium is one of the key minerals that we need in relatively large quantities. The recommended daily requirement of magnesium in the diet of human beings is between 280 and 350 mg per day, although some studies have shown a daily requirement of as much as 500 mg per day or more, depending on the body weight of the individual. Â Â Galan, P., Preziosi, P., Durlach, V., Valeix, P., Ribas, L., Bouzid, D., Favier, A. & Hercberg, S. (1997) Dietary magnesium intake in a French adult population. Magnes. Res. 10:321-328.[Medline][ii] Â June 13, 1990[iii]Â http://www.mgwater.com/[iv] Means relating to a persons healthy or normal

functioning[v]Enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism glucokinase, hexokinase, galactokinase, phosphorylase phosphatase, phosphorylase kinase, phosphoglucomutase, 6-phosphofructokinase aldolase, triokinase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, glucose-6-phosphatase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, transketolase, phosphoglycerate kinase, phosphoryl glycerylmutase, enolase, pyruvate kinase, thiamine-pyrophosphate kinase, pyruvate decarboxylase, glycerokinase, glycerophosphatase, various pentoside kinases that activate B vitamins. Enzymes of nucleic acid and protein metabolism: RNA polymerase which allows the synthesis of RNA and especially that of messenger RNA which, associated with post-ribosomal factors of initiation and elongation and with polyamines, codes for amino acids to produce specific proteins; DNA polymerase which allows the reconstitution and recombination of DNA, ornithine carbamyl transferase, glutamine synthetase,

carbamate kinase, argininosuccinate synthetase, creatine kinase, insulinase, leucine aminopeptidase which appears to be similar to hypertensinase. Enzymes of lipid metabolism acetylcoenzyme A synthetase, acylco A synthetase, beta-ketothiolase, diglyceride kinase, phosphatidate phosphatase, mevalonate kinase, phosphomevalonate kinase, lecithin-cholesterol-acyl transferase (LCAT).[vi] The phosphoric anhydride bond that is found mainly in ATP or adenosine triphosphate, "the main fuel of life" (13), but also in GTP (guanosine triphosphate) as well as in other nucleoside triphosphates such as UTP (uridine triphosphate), CTP (cytosine triphosphate) and ITP (inosine triphosphate). It is also found in the phosphoamide bond of phosphocreatine, the phosphoenol bond of phosphoenolpyruvic acid, the mixed anhydride bond of 1,3-diphosphoglyceric acid and in the bond between an acid and a thiol group as in acyl coenzyme A or succinyl

coenzyme A.[vii]  A Machoy-Mokrzynska. Fluoride_Magnesium Interaction. Fluoride (J. of the International Society for Fluoride Research), Vol. 28 No. 4; November, 1995, pp 175-177 http://www.mgwater.com/fl2.shtml Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pomeranian Medical Academy, Szczecin, Poland.[viii] Bernard Rimland. While no patient has been cured with the vitamin B6 and magnesium treatment, there have been many instances where remarkable improvement has been achieved. In one such case an 18-year-old autistic patient was about to be evicted from the third mental hospital in his city. Even massive amounts of drugs had no effect on him, and he was considered too violent and assaultative to be kept in the hospital. The psychiatrist tried the B6/magnesium approach as a last resort. The young man calmed down very quickly. The psychiatrist reported at a

meeting that she had recently visited the family and had found the young man to now be a pleasant and easy-going young autistic person who sang and played his guitar for her. http://www.autism.org/vitb6.html[ix] C. M. Banki, M. Arato and C. D. Kilts. Aminergic studies and cerebrospinal fluid cations in suicide. ls of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol 487, Issue 1 221-230, Copyright © 1986 by New York Academy of Sciences [x] This is the first experimental study in which magnesium intakes were tightly controlled and EEG measurements were analyzed by computer so they could be statistically compared.[xi] http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/fnrb/fnrb1095.htm#calm

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[Guest guest]

In a recent posting someone mentioned a magnesium deficiency. I must

have come across a similar article about two years ago. I started

giving my son on magnesium supplements. No improvement. The only

outcome was lots of diarrhea. It was months later I took him to

Stanford where they ran blood tests to check for exposure to metals

(one of our wild goose chases on this journey). The only item flagged

on the lab report was a high concentration of magnesium. (my son

started 4S at age 5 and is now 9)

[Guest guest]

Yeah, the magnesium didn't work for me either. Neither did cutting out

caffeine, extra B12, adrenaline support formulas, pink noise or

sedatives from the doctor. So far, everything I've tried either has no

effect or either sedates or wires me. Nothing has helped my 4S, other

than to block it out with loud music or run away. Earplugs, because my

ear canals are very small, don't work for me.

Has anyone considered upping their exercise regimen? It seems to be a

natural way to raise your endorphines (which I think has a calming

effect) AND help you sleep at night. On that note -- I feel strongly

that lack of sleep (either due to trigger sounds at night or pain or

whatever) makes you wired, too, and I'm always more susceptible to

triggers if I haven't had proper rest. Then it becomes a vicious cycle,

cause I'm more hepped up at work and come home MORE stressed and have

even MORE trouble sleeping!!

Water is another thing we are often lacking, and dehydration affects

your nervous system as well as the rest of your body.

I'm suggesting getting back to basics. I intend to start getting more

exercise, then more sleep, and drink more water and see if that helps.

>

> In a recent posting someone mentioned a magnesium deficiency. I must

> have come across a similar article about two years ago. I started

> giving my son on magnesium supplements. No improvement. The only

> outcome was lots of diarrhea. It was months later I took him to

> Stanford where they ran blood tests to check for exposure to metals

> (one of our wild goose chases on this journey). The only item flagged

> on the lab report was a high concentration of magnesium. (my son

> started 4S at age 5 and is now 9)

>

>