Magnesium: The Missing Link to Better Health
The National Academy of Sciences report showing that 80 percent of American men and 70 percent of American women don’t get the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of magnesium from their diets and whatever supplements they are taking.
Dubbed the multi-tasking mineral, magnesium is a critical but often overlooked nutrient for the prevention of asthma, diabetes, heart disease, insomnia, migraines, osteoporosis, and more.
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That’s not surprising since magnesium plays a key role in over 325 enzyme reactions in the body-from energy production to cholesterol control.
Dr. Dean has studied and written about magnesium for about 15 years. In January, 2003, she published the first edition of The Magnesium Miracle, and she’s currently working on the third edition of this book.
“What I want to convey today is the importance of magnesium, how you can get it, how you can know how much you require in your body, and the incredible benefits from using this simple mineral,” she says.
Why Not Magnesium?
From The Magnesium Miracle, here are the top 22 conditions that may be caused by magnesium deficiency. Each one can be treated with magnesium supplementation.
• Anxiety and panic attacks.
• Asthma.
• Blood clots.
• Bowel disease induced by constipation.
• Cystitis and bladder spasms.
• Depression.
• Diabetes.
• Fatigue.
• Heart disease.
• Hypertension.
• Hypoglycemia.
• Insomnia.
• Kidney stones.
• Migraine.
• Musculoskeletal conditions including fibrositis; fibromyalgia; muscle spasms; eye twitches; cramps; and chronic neck and back pain.
• Nerve problems including migraines; muscle contractions; gastrointestinal spasms; calf, foot and toe cramps; vertigo; and confusion.
• Premenstrual Syndrome; dysmenorrhea; infertility; premature contractions; preeclampsia; and eclampsia in pregnancy.
• Osteoporosis.
• Raynaud’s syndrome.
• Sudden infant death syndrome.
• Tooth decay.
• Toxicity.
Lack Of Magnesium in the Diet
Cooking and processing depletes magnesium, even from those foods high in magnesium. Alcohol, coffee, sugar, and high protein in the diet are also responsible for diminished magnesium levels in the body.
Magnesium is found in seaweed, deep green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate.
Lack of Magnesium on the Farm
Even before we start destroying magnesium in the kitchen, we’ve depleted magnesium in the soil. Magnesium is not a component of modern-day fertilizers. When plants have used up all the magnesium in the soil, unless it’s replaced, there is none in the next crop.
In her book, The Magnesium Miracle, Dr. Dean lists 100 factors that will help you decide whether or not you might be deficient. You can also follow the instructions in her blog post, “Gauging Magnesium Deficiency Symptoms,” which will give you a checklist to go through every few weeks. This will help you gauge how much magnesium you need in order to take away your deficiency symptoms.
[Editor’s note:] May we recommend our favorite form of magnesium? It’s a spray oil that absorbs through the skin which makes it way more available and won’t cause the stomach upset or diarrhea that tablets can cause when the body can’t use it all.
This article originally appeared at Organic Health
