Magnesium is one of my favourite minerals and one I use a lot of in my practice due to the plethora of conditions it can help treat. Mainly it is a relaxation mineral, relaxing your muscles, mind and mood. It is a very simple mineral but a common definitely we tend to have.
Magnesium is crucial to our bodies as it is needed in over 300 reactions as a co-enzyme. Basically if we don’t have enough magnesium our body doesn’t work optimally leading to several issues, including high blood pressure, migraines, cramps and even acid-reflux, just to name a few. Unfortunately magnesium is hard to get in our diet due to soil depletion and heavy food processing. It is also depleted from an excess of coffee or pop. It is found in foods such as seaweeds and other leafy greens, as well as nuts and seeds but it is difficult to eat enough of these foods to get sufficient magnesium levels. Multivitamins also don’t typically have enough magnesium to top up what we do get from our diet. Those supplements tend to have 0-70mg/tablet, which is far lower than the recommended dose.
Wondering if you could use magnesium? What does magnesium help with:
- Muscle pain - relaxes skeletal muscle, which we use during exercise and which get tight during times of stress
- Cramps - either muscle cramps like charlie-horses or hormonal cramps during your period
- Constipation - relaxes smooth muscles in your gut (magnesium citrate is the best form for this)
- Migraines - a great addition for migraine treatment plan
- Insomnia - helpful to take before bed
- Stress - the more relaxed we are the better we can handle stress
- Hypertension
- fibromyalgia
- Acid reflux
- PMS - balances mood
- Metabolic syndrome - eg. diabetes
- Hypothyroidism
- Osteoporosis - helps to build bone
- and so on!
I usually use magnesium bis-glycinate in my practice as it is more highly absorbable and has less side effects, ie. loose stools. Magnesium citrate is only helpful with constipation. The dose varies depending on the person and symptoms, however a good starting dose would be 400mg at night. working up from there if needed. Talk to your ND about what dose is right for you. Epsom salt baths are a great addition to your bath routine as well as they are full of magnesium. Myers intravenous therapy, which I do in my practice, is another great way to get a helpful boost of magnesium. It is a safe supplement to take however be cautious and speak to your doctor if you have hypertension, kidney disease or are pregnant.
Crave chocolate? You might just be deficient in magnesium!
In health & happiness,
Dr. Karen
(Photo credit: www.purabotanica.ca; articles.mercola.com)