A novel way to boost your magnesium

You know the game…

If you were stuck on a desert island, and could only take one book, one food, etc…

Well, if you were stuck on a desert island and could only pick one vitamin or mineral to keep you healthy, the one you absolutely must take is magnesium.

Magnesium has been called the most important mineral in the human body.

That’s because your body has 3,751 magnesium binding sites and the mineral is a critical component of over 300 biochemical functions in the body.

It helps to maintain normal nerve and muscle function, supports a healthy immune system, keeps your heart beat steady, and helps your bones remain strong. It also helps regulate blood glucose levels and aids in the production of energy and protein.

According to Norman Shealy, MD, Ph.D, an American neurosurgeon and a pioneer in pain medicine, “Every known illness is associated with a magnesium deficiency and it’s the missing cure to many diseases.”

Yet, despite the importance of this mineral powerhouse, a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) revealed that at least half of the U.S. population has inadequate intakes of magnesium.

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency

So, what type of symptoms can you expect if you’re becoming magnesium deficient?

The list is long and includes:

1. Muscle cramps – Low magnesium could be to blame for those leg cramps you get that are so painful.
2. Restless leg syndrome – One study found that magnesium improved insomnia caused by RLS. And, an older study found that magnesium treatments provided relief as an alternative therapy for patients with mild or moderate RLS.
3. Migraine Headaches – Magnesium deficiency has been linked to migraine headaches due to its importance in balancing neurotransmitters in the body. Studies have shown that 360–600 milligrams of magnesium daily can reduce the frequency of migraine headaches by up to 42 percent.

Low magnesium levels have also been linked to anxiety, insomnia, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and fatigue. A deficiency could even be responsible for kidney stones, abnormal heart contractions and depression.

You’re at risk for deficiency if…

There are a number of conditions that increase your risk of becoming magnesium deficient.

These include:

• GI problems – Most of the magnesium you get in your diet is absorbed in your gut so it makes sense that if you suffer from gastrointestinal issues, you could more easily become deficient in the vital mineral.
• Type 2 diabetes – Just like being magnesium deficient increases your risk of type 2 diabetes, being diabetic increases your chance of becoming magnesium deficient.
• Alcohol dependence – Long-term alcohol use depletes the minerals in your body and ruins your gut flora making it difficult to absorb the vitamins and minerals from the food you eat, leaving you at risk for magnesium deficiency.
• Aging – As you age, your magnesium levels drop.

Another supplement?

There was a time when eating magnesium-rich foods — including, spinach, black beans, pumpkin seeds, chard and yogurt and kefir — was the best way to get your magnesium. But truth be told, modern farming and food processing have caused the levels of magnesium in the American diet to decline by about 21 percent since 1940.

So it may be best to turn to supplementing. However, that can be confusing… there are numerous types of magnesium to supplement with, including magnesium oxide, magnesium sulfate, magnesium aspartate, magnesium citrate, magnesium lactate and magnesium chloride.

Luckily magnesium can be easily absorbed through your skin, so why not try a magnesium cream?

A study performed at The University of Hertfordshire (UK),  has shown that, “transdermal magnesium creams could be a viable addition or alternative to oral supplementation, to combat the range of health problems linked to low magnesium levels, including high blood pressure and poor immune function.”

In their research, test participants applied two spoonfuls of magnesium cream on their body’s every day for two weeks and saw a significant rise in magnesium in their blood levels.

So if you already take several supplements, you may enjoy not having to swallow one more to get this important nutrient.

Editor’s note: First it comes for your brain. Then it goes after your sex life… And there’s one very suspicious reason: 38.6 million Americans take a single drug every day that robs their bodies of the hormones and nutrients that make life good. Are you one of them? Click here to find out.