The Other Overlooked Key to Optimal Health
Most Chronic Illness Shows this Deficiency.
At the heart of every green molecule is the element magnesium but these days most Americans are deficient in it. When we were hunter/gathers and munched on leaves all day we had plenty of magnesium. Now we have plenty of chronic degenerative disease instead.
It is one of the 4 basic alkaline minerals, sodium, calcium, potassium and magnesium. It stands to reason that it would be SO ESSENTIAL for the healthy functioning of the body. It is what we evolved to require.
Over 380 detox pathways require magnesium in order to function. It has the power to stimulate white blood cells and glutathione production (a MAJOR anti-oxidant and one of the few capable of detoxifying mercury, an ingredient in vaccines and linked to autism in children). Its basic role is in producing energy. It boosts almost all aspects of cell physiology.
“Magnesium is necessary for the normal function of over 300 enzyme systems, for muscle relaxation, immune function, cardiac function, clotting, nerve conduction, etc. Indeed I cannot think of a bodily department in which magnesium is not essential. It prevents heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, kidney stones and improves energy, sleep, etc.” reports Dr Sarah Mayhill.
Sarah Mayhill M.D. works both for the National Health Service and in private practice. She is medical advisor to Action for ME, a national support organization in the United Kingdom for ME/ CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) sufferers. Dr. Mayhill is also the honorary Secretary of the British Society for Allergy, Environmental and Nutritional Medicine.
To Correct Nutritional Deficiencies
Magnesium chloride oil or lotion applied on the skin is the form most easily absorbed by the body. Anything applied on the skin goes directly into the blood stream, which is why nicotine and hormone patches work. A good rule of thumb is to never put anything on you skin you would not want to eat. Oral supplements are frequently not well absorbed. Other good sources are
- Pumpkin seeds – 532 mg per 100 grams
Almonds – 300 mg. per 100 grams
Brazil nuts – 225 mg. per 100 grams
Sesame seeds – 200 mg per 100 grams
And, of course, PLENTY of greens.
Just for comparison, white bread and baked potatoes have only 20 – 25 mg.
Simple blood tests will reveal your levels of magnesium.
Causes of Magnesium Loss
Magnesium is a fairly soluble mineral, which is why boiling vegetables can result in significant loss. In cereals and grains, it is concentrated in the germ and bran so that white refined grains contain little. Whole wheat bread has three times as much as white bread.
Magnesium deficiency is more likely in people who eat a devitalized processed food diet and in people who cook and boil all foods. Also, food grown where synthetic fertilizers are often used (most non-organic food) is magnesium deficient.
Decreased Magnesium Absorption
Magnesium absorption is decreased after burns, serious injuries or surgery and in people with diabetes, liver disease or mal-absorption problems.
Magnesium elimination is increased in people who use alcohol, excess sugar, or who take diuretics or birth control pills. Vaccines offer a traumatic insult to the body that has to be defended against and that defense gobbles up both magnesium and vitamin C.
Acid/alkaline imbalance also affects magnesium loss. Acid load is the culprit here. This is a big problem considering the dramatic shift in past decades to processed acid-forming foods.
These drugs also cause loss – cocaine, insulin, nicotine, drugs taken for asthma and phosphates found in cola drinks.
Magnesium and Calcium
Adequate levels of magnesium are essential for the heart muscle. Those who die from heart attacks have very low magnesium but high calcium levels in their heart muscles. Patients with coronary heart disease who have been treated with large amounts of magnesium survived better than those with other drug treatments. Magnesium dilates the arteries of the heart and lowers cholesterol and fat levels.
If magnesium is insufficient, potassium and calcium will be lost in the urine and calcium will be deposited in the soft tissues (kidneys, arteries, joints, brain, etc.). Arthritis is an example of this. High magnesium intake causes calcium to move from the soft tissue INTO the bones.
Migraines, the hardness of teeth, prostrate cancer, hypertension and stroke, mood disorders, kidney stone formation, gastrointestinal disturbances, autism in children and diabetes are also associated with this imbalance.
Magnesium is the Mineral of Rejuvenation
Magnesium is the mineral of rejuvenation and prevents the calcification of our organs and tissues that is characteristic of the old-age degeneration of our body
Our Paleolithic ancestors had ratios of 1 part of calcium to 1 part of magnesium.
TRANSDERMAL MAGNESIUM THERAPY by Mark Sircus, AC., O.M.D.
He devotes whole chapters to explain the role magnesium deficiency plays in many of the disorders that I only mentioned here and how to remedy the situation. The book is EXTREMELY well documented.