When you are chronically stressed, you can become magnesium deficient even if you eat magnesium-rich foods regularly. The complex relationship between magnesium and stress explains why many people require magnesium supplements, because even a nutritious diet does not correct their magnesium deficiency.
Magnesium plays an important role in biochemical reactions all over your body. It is involved in a lot of cell transport activities, in addition to helping cells make energy aerobically or anaerobically. Your bones are a major reservoir for magnesium, and magnesium is the counter-ion for calcium and potassium in muscle cells, including the heart.
If your magnesium is too low, you can experience muscle cramps, arrythmias, and even sudden death. Ion regulation is everything with respect to how muscles contract and nerves send signals. In the brain, potassium and sodium balance each other. In the heart and other muscles, magnesium pulls the load.
Magnesium is an old home remedy for all that ails you, including "anxiety, apathy, depression, headaches, insecurity, irritability, restlessness, talkativeness, and sulkiness."
In 1968, Wacker and Parisi reported that magnesium deficiency could cause depression, behavioral disturbances, headaches, muscle cramps, seizures, ataxia, psychosis, and irritability - all reversible with magnesium repletion.
Stress is the bad guy here, in addition to our woeful magnesium deficient diets. As is the case with other minerals, stress causes us to waste our magnesium like crazy.
Magnesium Deposits and Stress
Several studies have also looked how stress levels affect magnesium. They found that during periods of extreme stress, magnesium is often used up by the body.
That means that not only is a significant portion of the country magnesium deficient, potentially leading to anxiety – there may also be a high number of people that use up their magnesium reserves as a result of their anxiety, thus contributing to more anxiety and more stress. This creates a loop effect where stress and anxiety are experienced without an external factor of causation.
Doctors know potassium deficiency is a danger for people on diuretics but they don’t acknowledge that magnesium is also flushed out in equal measure. Magnesium deficiency goes undiagnosed and unrecognized because until recently there was no accurate blood test for magnesium.
Magnesium is not as readily available as potassium; it’s deficient in the soil and most fertilizers don’t contain magnesium, so most foods are lacking. Also cooking and processing foods depletes magnesium. It’s found in whole grains, greens, nuts and seeds, but most people don’t eat much, if any, of those foods.
And yet, for some reason doctors think that we get all our nutrients in our very SAD, Standard American Diet and they don’t recognize the need for nutrient supplementation. It all stems back to a medical education that is funded by drug companies that have no vested interest in promoting nutrients. Vitamins and minerals can’t be patented and are relatively inexpensive.
Research shows that all the metabolic processes in the body, ALL OF THEM, depend on vitamins and minerals, which act as necessary co-factors. Magnesium itself is a co-factor and responsible for the function of 325 enzymes; is an absolute requirement for calcium to be incorporated into bone; keeps toxic chemicals out of the brain; dances with calcium to create nerve impulses and muscle impulses; keeps muscles relaxed, including the heart and blood vessels, and triggers dozens of health conditions if it is deficient.
Studies prove up to 70 percent of people are deficient in magnesium. Magnesium deficiency can trigger or cause many health issues including the following:
- Anxiety
- Asthma
- Blood clots
- Bowel disease (from constipation)
- Cystitis
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Fatigue
- Heart disease
- Hypertension/high blood pressure
- Hypoglycemia
- Insomnia
- Migraines
- Kidney stones
- Musculoskeletal conditions
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic neck and back pain
- Fibrositis
- Nerve problems
- PMS
- Infertility
- Preeclampsia
- Osteoporosis
Everyone could benefit from extra magnesium. The only problem I encountered, is the laxative effect. If you are unable to absorb magnesium for whatever reason (alcohol, smoking, stress, poor diet, IBS), then you will not get enough of this enzyme and you will be on the potty and still experience all of the symptoms listed above! I found one product that works that doesn't create a laxative effect. It's not really that expensive either. It tastes too salty, if you ask me, so I put it in things that need salt: I put it in my food after I have cooked something that needs a salty flavor or even in a beer! My back pain and anxiety are GONE. And when I get a twinge in my lower back, I know I need to put more magnesium in me!
Here is my favorite caplet form, plus free shipping if you enter FREESHIP into the shipping code section.
Magnesium @ Jigsaw Health
Jigsaw says, "We are not the cheapest. There, we said it. We spend a great deal of our own money to partner with companies whose products work and who do business the way we want to do business. That means only the highest quality ingredients, each carefully researched and hand-selected to ensure the greatest potency, from the most reputable labs and manufacturers. We will not compromise the effectiveness of our products or your health to save a few dollars. This approach is the reason why so many families place their trust in Jigsaw Health. A responsibility we take very seriously."
From Steph: But it's still just $39 and 249 tablets per bottle is .15 per tab! And NO LAXATIVE EFFECT!
PLUS Here's the coupon code for 10% off when you checkout :
10percent
Go to Jigsaw Health.Com for non-laxative magnesium tablets.
The only other magnesium I have found that does not create a laxative effect is a liquid sold by Dr. Carolyn Dean called ReMag. But it's VERY salty and I have a hard time taking the dose because of it. It costs $29, but only lasts about a month. So, the folks at Jigsaw are actually very competitive.
Still not sure it's magnesium you need? Here's an article by Dr. Mark Hyman called "Magnesium: The Most Powerful Relaxation Mineral Available." See Stephanie's site Work Stress Solutions for more information like this.
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