Be aware ~ Calcium can block magnesium
Calcium and magnesium compete for absorption. Therefore, too much calcium in your diet and it will block magnesium absorption. Consuming a lot of dairy products can cause a magnesium deficiency. If you eat a lot of dairy, add magnesium to your diet.
Sunshine helps you absorb magnesium ~~
Your body needs Vitamin D in order to use magnesium. A significant source of vitamin D is direct sunshine on your skin (there’s no effect through glass). A short exposure to sunshine makes a big difference ~10 minutes a day on your face and hands has an effect. One hour of whole body sunshine can produce 10,000 iu! Using 2,000 to 10,000 iu of vitamin D supplements daily has no side effects and no toxicity. So, when there’s little sunshine it’s a good idea to take vitamin D supplements.
Magnesium supplements are cost effective
If you are taking a calcium supplement, take a magnesium supplement with it to avoid bone spurs and headaches. You can’t get the benefits of calcium without magnesium. (When I was a Realtor I subscribed to a newsletter written by women pharmacists who dealt over and over again with the need for magnesium to avoid osteoporosis. I followed their advice and was rewarded ~ when I had a bone density test, I was told mine was excellent. I was going on 60 at the time.)
How much magnesium?
The recommended daily allowance for magnesium is 300 mgs for men, 350 mgs for women. Magnesium is extremely safe by mouth ~ too much simply causes diarrhea. Try increasing the amount of magnesium you take by mouth until it causes diarrhea, then reduce the dose slightly so it does not. This is called taking magnesium to bowel tolerance (just like using vitamin C to bowel tolerance).
To absorb magnesium you need gastric acid
If you have hypochlorhydria, which is low stomach acid, you will have poor magnesium absorption. Read more.
Magnesium reduces headaches ~ even migraines
There is research showing that magnesium can reduce headaches, even if you have a migraine that is in process. “The importance of magnesium in the pathogenesis of migraine headaches is clearly established by a large number of clinical and experimental studies.” B.T. Altura
List of foods containing Magnesium
| Foods | mgs |
| Almonds, 2 oz. Brazil nuts, 2 oz. Cashew nuts, 2 oz. Coconut, dried 2 oz. Hazelnuts, filberts, 2 oz. Peanuts, 2 oz. Peanut Butter, chunky, w/o salt, 1/4 cup Peanut Butter, chunky, w/ salt, 1/4 cup Peanut Butter, smooth, w/o salt, 1/4 cup Peanut Butter, smooth, w/ salt, 1/4 cup Pine nuts. 2 oz. Sesame seeds, 2 oz. Walnuts. 2 oz. Barley, Whole grain, 1 cup Oat bran, 1 cup Rice, brown, 1 cup Wheat flour, whole, 1 cup Whole wheat bread, 1 slice Chocolate Candy Bar, 1.5 oz | 156 128 148 52 98 128 104 104 100 100 132 64 114 158 221 84 166 24 28 |
Many herbs and spices are rich in magnesium. For instance: dried coriander leaf, chives, spearmint, dill, sage, basil, fennel, savory, parsley, cumin, tarragon, oregano, saffron, cloves, caraway, curry, thyme and black pepper.
Fresh vegetables are a good source of magnesium. Magnesium is lost when foods are processed. Sadly, magnesium usually isn’t replaced as “enrichment” at the processing plant.
Random magnesium facts
I have The Giant Book of Women’s Health Secrets which says the British tried to duplicate the American study which had shown aspirin could stop a heart attack. They were unable to duplicate the results. The reason given by the authors is that in England aspirin is not “buffered” like it is here. The buffering agent is magnesium. The authors suggest that because magnesium relaxes muscles, it most likely is the magnesium in US aspirin which stops the heart attack. They suggest taking magnesium for headaches. I had to try that, of course. And sure enough, it works.
Magnesium…
- protects the brain from toxins such as food additives.
- naturally thins blood, preventing clots, strokes, and pain.
- relaxes head and neck muscle tension.
- People with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are often low in Magnesium.
- Low magnesium produces anxiety, depression, fatigue, insomnia, anorexia, confusion, poor memory, apprehension, nervousness.
from The Magnesium Miracle by Dr Carolyn Dean MD ND
“Magnesium is indeed the unsung hero and is a key nutriceutical that everybody needs to know about. . . . This book needs to be read by any individual wishing to improve their quality of life. . . . Dr Dean has the best credentials in bringing solutions to those suffering from the hidden magnesium disorders that affect most of us.”
Dr. Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.C.N. Author of Lower Your Blood Pressure in Eight Weeks
More than seventy-five years ago, medical scientists declared magnesium to be an essential nutrient, indispensable to life. When this mineral is part of your diet, you are guarding against and helping to alleviate health threats such as heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, diabetes, depression, arthritis, and asthma.
But while research continues to reaffirm magnesium’s irreplaceable contribution to good health, many Americans remain dangerously deficient.
In The Magnesium Miracle, Dr. Carolyn Dean, an authority on this mineral who has used it with dramatic success in her own practice, explains the vital role that magnesium plays in the control of many serious ailments, from painful muscle spasms and bladder problems to traumatic brain injury and complications of pregnancy and childbirth.
Inside you will discover ~~
- How diets and lifestyles can create a dangerous magnesium deficiency
- Which magnesium-rich foods keep your vital organs healthy and which to avoid
- Why other nutrients, including calcium, need magnesium to become potent
- What vitamins and minerals work with magnesium to treat specific ailments
- Why prescription medicines, such as birth control pills, can deplete magnesium
- Which magnesium supplements are best for you
Whether you need help with a serious health problem or merely want to protect the good health you already enjoy, The Miracle of Magnesium will answer all your questions. It may even save your life.
Comments on The Magnesium Miracle:
Throughout this volume and with utmost clarity, Carolyn Dean presents invaluable recommendation based on the latest magnesium research. Virtually every American can benefit. Paul Pitchford Author of Healing with Whole Foods
Physicians and therapists have paid scant attention to this very important element, which is also involved in maintaining our good health. The massive evidence is here in this important book on magnesium. I am pleased to have been taking magnesium for so many years. Abram Hoffer, M.D. Author of Putting it All Together – The New Orthomolecular Nutrition
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., is a medical doctor, naturopath, acupuncturist, homeopath, herbalist, and certified clinical nutritionist, and a regular guest on radio and television programs. She has written three other health books and is contributing editor to Natural Health magazine.
The following is something Carolyn Dean wrote about magnesium, that I love. It’s so expressive of how powerful magnesium is.
My first encounter with magnesium was in high school chemistry. Each student was given a thin strip of magnesium and told to light one end carefully. The previous week we had learned that magnesium is the eighth most abundant element, constituting approximately 2 percent of the earth’s crust and 1.14 percent of seawater. By comparison, calcium makes up 3 percent of the earth’s crust but only 0.05 percent of seawater. There are 4-6 tsp (20-28 g or 2 oz) of magnesium in the body, comprising about 0.05 percent of the body’s weight. This information in no way prepared us for the dynamic effect of lighting the magnesium strip. It flared up like an electric sparkler and disappeared in a flash. This effervescent property serves as an important reminder of magnesium’s versatility as the spark of life, constantly igniting metabolic reactions throughout the body.
Many symptoms of low magnesium are also associated with low vitamin B12: for instance tingling, numbness, sensitivity to noise.
Both magnesium and vitamin B12 need stomach acid in order to be released from food. People with inadequate stomach acid are likely to be deficient in both magnesium and vitamin B12.