Magnesium- The Amazing Mineral of Life
Every day we are hearing more and more reports of family members, friends and the rich and famous being hospitalized, incapacitated, and even dying from strokes, heart attacks, poorly managed diabetes, and seizures. A lot of these issues come from lack of taking care of the body and keeping it in its set balance. Now, I know we don’t have the necessary things to maintain everything on a regular basis or even when we are about doing daily activities. What most people don’t know is that even the slightest depletion of any vitamin, mineral, and metals in our bodies can have an effect on us and our health. Yet, what makes Magnesium so important to life? Aren’t there a number of other minerals and vitamins that we need too? This will be a brief look at what magnesium is and its importance in the body separately from the other vitamins and minerals found in the body.
Magnesium for All!
Magnesium is one of the most important and one of the four most abundant minerals in the body and, as such, is key to many body processes. Between 50-65% of the body's magnesium is found in the bones of the body, and the rest is found in the teeth and the blood. The magnesium content of the body is highly regulated and the body works to make sure that the bloods level of magnesium stays constant. Our kidneys, heart ad muscles need magnesium to function properly ad efficiently.
As an essential part of your bodily functions, magnesium is used in over 30 of the bodily processes that help with production of energy, and activates the enzymes that are found throughout the body. With the right amount of magnesium, the body can keep the nerve and muscle functions, heart rhythm, immune system and bone structure in optimum working condition. In addition, it will also help keep your blood sugar regulated, which for a diabetic is a difference between life, death, and loss of limbs. A lot of research has been done to show that magnesium is also a key component in the maintenance of the cardiovascular system. Therefore, with any imbalance in magnesium a person could run into issues and experience problems with these vital bodily systems.
What creates a magnesium shortage in the body?
The majority of people today, in the US and around the world, are not getting the necessary amounts of magnesium through their diets and many don’t recognize that they have the deficiency. It has been found that most of the absorption of magnesium is done in the intestines and delivered to the body through the blood. The kidneys are also the filters of the body that regulate the excretion of magnesium so that there is always a balance. Yet when we have different diseases and self inflicted issues we can cause an imbalance. For example, Crohn’s Disease will limit the body’s absorption of magnesium causing more of a drain on the magnesium that the body has built up. Also, people who are alcoholics or were alcoholics, and people with other kidney issues are losing magnesium, which is lost excessively in the urine. Others who are at risk for magnesium deficiency are those who have or have had an intestinal virus that causes vomiting or diarrhea. These individuals will lose large amounts of magnesium because it strips the intestines of the magnesium because magnesium is processed in the intestines and when someone has intestinal problems the magnesium isn't absorbed fast enough before it is expelled from the body. Other people who will experience magnesium deficiencies are those who have diabetes, pancreatitis, hyperthyroidism, kidney disease and anyone that is taking medicines that are diuretics. I know we all love our Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Folgers, Coca Cola,Pepsi and salt, yet these are depleting the magnesium in our bodies because they are natural diuretics. As a result, we have to find a balance in all the things we put into our bodies.
Do you find yourself following some of the old treatments for being sick, like taking an Epsom salt bath? Well you have to be careful because the overuse of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) causes an unsafe rise in the levels that our bodies need. Remember the skin is permeable and anything that dissolves in water can get through the skin, thus causing imbalances. Also, the over use of Milk of Magnesia is dangerous because it’s a diuretic that increases the amount of magnesium in the body. Keeping the body’s magnesium levels stable is important and any significant changes in the levels will show in many different ways.
What are the symptoms of a magnesium shortage?
Like any response to internal and / or external problems, the responses from the body will range from moderate to deadly. When the levels start to drop in the body, one may become very agitated and experience an increase in anxiety. Today, the aforementioned symptoms are becoming more normal among adults and rising in children, so this probably isn’t the best way to notice a deficiency. If you are unsure, you are encouraged to consult with your family physician and ask them to test you for a magnesium deficiency. Another signal that there may be a shortage in magnesium is a newly found disorder called RLS, (restless leg syndrome), which has been linked to low magnesium levels. It has also been found that when someone has a magnesium deficiency, that some of the other signs would be the start of sleep disorders, irritability, nausea, vomiting, abnormal heart rhythms, low blood pressure and confusion. Magnesium levels are a top priority for the heart and when that is depleted people have been known to have strokes. Low magnesium levels are a contributing factor to muscle weakness and spasms, cardiovascular disease, and dehydration and on some occasions coronary spasms. For some there is a change in personality, and behavior.
It has also been observed that people who have a serious loss of magnesium sometimes have seizures because the level of magnesium in the brain is low and magnesium is important to the function of the receptors in the brain. The bone disease Osteoporosis is related to an improper ratio of magnesium in comparison with other minerals in the body. Anyone with low magnesium in the body most likely have a deficiency of potassium and calcium in the blood. Some other physical presentations or aggravating factors of low magnesium would be mitral valve prolapse (MVP), insomnia, (pre)eclampsia in pregnant women especially when there is too much iron and a lack of folic acids. It also has been found that in children it can present as hyperactivity and some have experienced chronic constipation.
The majority of these syptoms and conditions are generalizations and can be caused by other problems in the body. None of this information can be construed as medical advice. If you are experiencing any of the above problems, you are encouraged to consult with your physician to discuss the problems and ask them to test for a magnesium deficiency. They should be consulted before starting any regimen of magnesium and calcium supplements to make sure that there aren’t any interactions with medications.
How to Restore Magnesium to your Body
One way to restore the body’s amount of magnesium safely and in a healthy way is by making changes in our diets. It has been found that many people are lacking so many essential vitamins and minerals because our diets aren’t balanced. Below are a list of foods that one can start incorporating on a regular basis to help restore the magnesium in the body.
Foods that contain magnesium are as follows:
Tofu
Legumes (beans)
Whole grains
Collard greens
Wheat bran
Brazil nuts
Soybean flour
Almonds
Cashews
Blackstrap molasses
Pumpkin and squash seeds
Pine nuts
Black walnuts
Kale
Mustard greens
Other green leafy vegetables
Spinach
Oatmeal
Bananas
Baked potatoes (with the skin)
Agar seaweed
Coriander
Dill weed
Celery seed
Sage
Dried mustard
Basil
Fennel seed
It has been found that certain people will benefit from increase magnesium in the body or a magnesium supplement. If you fall into these below categories, consult your doctor about taking a magnesium supplement.
The following people need more magnesium:
People who are taking certain diuretics such as Lasix, Bumex, Edecrin, and hydrochlorothiazide.
Anyone taking certain antibiotics: Gentamicin and Amphotericin
If you are receiving anti-neoplastic medication as a form of cancer treatment with Cisplatin
Those with poorly controlled diabetes because there is an increased loss of magnesium in the urine with hyperglycemia.
Anyone with problems with alcoholism or those going through withdrawals from alcoholism. It has been found that low blood magnesium has been found in 30- 60% of alcoholics and 90% of people going through alcohol withdrawal.
People with Crohn’s Disease, gluten sensitive enteropathy and those that have been through intestinal surgeries.
Older adults such as our elderly and people from around 50+. Most adults don’t have the right amount of magnesium and the elderly are at a higher risk because of the medications that many are on interact with magnesium.
Do you see yourself with any of the signs of magnesium deficiency? Did you know all this about magnesium? I didn’t and I am happy to provide you with the information at a more accessible site. I hope you liked the start of this journey to a healthier life with me and discovering how magnesium is beneficial to our physical health but also aiding in the process of healing from all kinds of trauma.
*The above information is for the benefit of the reader and should not be construed as medical advice. Anyone who thinks that they may have a magnesium deficiency or too much magnesium should and are encouraged to consult a physician before starting any dietary supplement regiments to ensure that there is no interaction with any medications or treatments. All information is for informational and educational purposes only and should only be construed as such.*
Reference:
I would like to give a special thanks to the following websites and research done by the writers and all the researchers that provided the information to them at:
Office of Dietary Supplements; https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp
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