Magnesium is the Underrated Master Mineral

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Magnesium is a very underrated, virtually ignored mineral for our diets, yet it

is the most crucial and essential to over 300 bodily biochemical and cellular

metabolic processes. It has been called the " Master Mineral " because of its

central importance to so many cellular functions and proper body glucose

balance. Because of poor topsoil conditions and poor eating habits, almost

everyone is magnesium deficient to some extent.

The mineral that gets the most attention for supplementation is calcium. Yet

without magnesium, calcium synthesis into bones and teeth is drastically

impaired. Cardiovascular and neurological issues are also prone to surface. It's

estimated that most people have a ratio of calcium to magnesium at 3 to 1or

higher, but the ideal ratio is close to 2 to 1, actually 10 to 4. In other

words, your body should have about half as much magnesium as calcium..

So How Do You Know If You Are Low?

All the symptoms related to magnesium deficiency can overlap with other health

issues. So it is confusing to determine magnesium deficiency by symptoms alone.

Weakness, inappropriate fatigue, irritability, muscle spasms or twitches, muscle

aches, light or sound sensitivity, chronic constipation, and " restless leg

syndrome " , where either the legs or arms have weird sensations that can only be

relieved by often changing their position, are usually directly related to

magnesium deficiency.

Indirectly, fibromyalgia, arrhythmia and other heart conditions, asthma, and

hypertension along with high blood pressure can also be at least partly due to

insufficient magnesium in our cells. And within the cells is where the action is

mostly with magnesium as a catalyst and synthesis agent for approximately 80% or

our biochemical processes.

That's why Dr. Otis Woodward, MD, a holistic physician, recommends a red blood

cell (RBC) test over a simple blood test to determine magnesium levels. It can

look good in your blood, but if it is not in your cells you won't get the

benefits. RBC testing is not as good as white blood cell testing, but it is

easier to obtain, less expensive, and sufficient.

Applied kinesiology or muscle testing by a skilled holistic healer can also help

determine your need for magnesium. But let's face it, if your health can be

better and your diet is not so great, considering that almost everyone is

magnesium deficient should motivate you to look into how to increase your

magnesium level.

Increasing Your Magnesium Intake With Foods

Lots of sugar, processed table salt and processed foods, especially those made

with bleached flour will deplete your magnesium by a sort of leeching process.

So avoiding or minimizing that part of your diet will be a good start. You can

replace processed table salt with real organic sea salt or Himalayan salt to

eliminate the poisons inherent in table salt and add magnesium to your diet.

Stress is another magnesium burner. Indulging in some humor and handling stress

by being more upbeat in general will help conserve your body's stored magnesium.

Vegetables with leafy greens, whole grains, many legumes including peanuts, and

raw nuts are good sources of magnesium. But all is not so good with commercially

grown agribusiness crops. It has been determined that organic crops contain up

to 10 times the magnesium of regular supermarket foods.

However, it's the depleted topsoil that is the problem. So organic should

include that the crops are rotated and the topsoil is regenerated for optimum

mineral and magnesium content. Simply not spraying with pesticides does little

to improve the topsoil.

Sugar cane roots go much deeper than topsoil and those roots have access to

minerals not available in the topsoil. Ironically, the " waste " from processing

table sugar produces a super food for minerals known as black strap molasses.

The unsulphured variety is the best. Mostly known for it's high iron content,

unsulphured black strap molasses is also high in magnesium.

Another super food very high in magnesium is fulvic (not folic) acid. A good

fulvic acid liquid is said to contain all the minerals and elements a body

needs. Fulvic acid minerals in solution are purported to be highly bioavailable.

Remember the leafy greens suggestion? At the core of chlorophyll is magnesium.

So any of the super foods that are green, such as spirulina and especially

chlorella, are high in magnesium as well as other nutrients. Mike , the

Health Ranger, recommends 10 grams of spirulina or 5 grams of chlorella daily.

It's easier, more absorbable, and more economical if you use the powdered form

mixed in a suitable liquid of your choice.

Since most of us who grew up on processed and agribusiness non-organic foods

have impaired digestive systems, it is suggested by most health experts that you

include some sort of digestive aid to increase the bioavailibility of the

magnesium in those foods and super foods.

Investigate probiotic sources or high intestinal flora kefirs and kombuchas to

see what suits your fancy and budget. You can even make your own kefir or

kombucha, or use sauerkraut that is home made with organic foods. There is a

tasty Korean dish known as Kimchi for a daily diet to enhance probiotic

production in your intestinal tract. Here is an article link that contains a

Kimchi recipe:

http://www.bodyecology.com/07/02/01...

Supplements, an Adjunct, and Extreme Measures

Of course there are supplements as well. The better ones are in powdered form to

be dissolved in water or juice. Often they are in conjunction with calcium. So

make sure the ratio is around 2 to 1 calcium to magnesium. If your diet is high

in calcium sources, using just magnesium as a supplement or a cal/mag with a

lower ratio is recommended. Magnesium oxide is not as endorsed by doctors and

holistic healers as much as magnesium citrate or magnesium citrate malate. Read

your labels.

Holistic physicians often use magnesium injections or intravenous feeds for

patients with severe deficiency problems. They will then prescribe oral

magnesium supplementation along with vitamin B6 as an adjunct when that intense

therapeutic event is completed. If you add B6 to your oral supplementation of

magnesium, it is recommended that you include a full B complex supplement to

prevent a B vitamin imbalance.

NOTE:Important Caveats!

People with kidney and heart problems are advised against magnesium

supplementation unless they consult a physician. Also, magnesium supplements

tend to be alkaline, so too much of the magnesium supplements can impair

digestion unless tempered with organic apple cider vinegar in water. Otherwise,

too much alkaline can lead to poor absorption and disrupt your pH balance. Dr..

Len Horowitz recommends fresh lime or lemon squeezed into your water to cheaply

maintain pH balance. Even too much of the transdermal applications listed below

can alter your skin's pH balance. This caveat does not apply to food and super

food sources.

Transdermal Applications You Can Do Yourself

Transdermal simply means applied to unbroken skin, as creams and lotions are.

This implies that you may ensure bioavailability of the magnesium regardless of

any digestive impediments. Lately, magnesium oils have sprouted onto the health

supplement market that can simply be applied to your skin. The body then absorbs

the magnesium through the skin where it is applied.

If you prefer sitting and soaking over standing and showering, you are in luck

for increasing your magnesium intake. Magnesium salts are available for your

bath.

A more available and economical transdermal source of magnesium is Epsom salt.

Yes, you can soak in Epsom salts to ease your aches and pains while absorbing

magnesium through your skin. Epsom salt is essentially magnesium sulfate. Two

cups of Epsom salt in a standard sized bathtub, soaking for 12 minutes three

times a week should be sufficient.

Again, it is advised to stay within that protocol and not exceed it.

Magnesium Needs To Be Nurtured

Awareness of your magnesium level and what you're doing for it is more essential

to good health than is commonly realized. It is also essential to the synthesis

of glutathione, which is considered the master antioxidant that controls all

other antioxidants!

This should be enough data to motivate your nurturing magnesium levels. But if

you need an even more comprehensive, detailed report on magnesium, go to the

first source link below.

Sources:

That Incredibly Comprehensive and Detailed Magnesium Article

http://www.naturalnews.com/024847_m...

The Body Ecology

http://bodyecology.com/07/06/08/mag...

Dr. Sahelian About Magnesium:

http://www.raysahelian.com/magnesiu...

Magnesium the Master Mineral (Dr.Otis Woodward, MD)

http://otiswoodardmd.typepad.com/my...

Body Ecology Kimchi Recipe

http://www.bodyecology.com/07/02/01...

About the author

Fassa has managed to survive the normal American diet and his youthful

folly by studying real, not medical mafia, health matters informally with his

wife over several years, and incorporating them into his lifestyle as a

vegetarian.

Love, Gabby. :0)

http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/gabby911

http://twitter.com/stemcell4autism

 

" I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had

some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin. " ~ Jerry Newport