Magnesium: Part Two

One of my favorite things to do now is to teach health seminars.  Public speaking!  Who knew?  I always begin with explaining to people that our soils have been depleted of vital nutrients since the time of WWII.  What this means to us, for example, is that it now takes roughly 4 apples to get the nutrition my Grandparents got from 1.  If the soil doesn't have the nutrients then the food won't have it either.  One of the hardest hit nutrients is magnesium.  As you saw in my post, Magnesium: Part One, magnesium deficiency has been linked to a wide range of diseases and health issues.  Here I am going to give you some basic facts about magnesium, which I learned from the book, as well as some more helpful links.  Again, if you're interested, get the book :)  What I really love about this book is that the author is an MD as well as an ND (Naturopathic Doctor) so she has a great perspective.

80-85% of us are magnesium deficient.  A blood test is a poor measurement of magnesium levels in the body as only 1% of our magnesium is in our blood.  If you don't have enough magnesium to help keep calcium dissolved in your body, you may end up with calcium-excess issues such as; muscle spasms, fibromyalgia, hardening of arteries, calcium deposits and/or dental cavities.  Many drugs CAUSE magnesium deficiency, including birth control pills and antacids.  Stomach acid is essential for magnesium absorption.  Antacids make it impossible to absorb minerals or digest our food properly (WAY more on this in the book)  Our typical American diet of processed foods is not only deficient in magnesium, but it actually increases the need for magnesium in the body.  Carbonated drinks and processed foods contain phosphates, which bind with magnesium to make it insoluble.

Changed my life in 5 days

    

      Foods rich in magnesium include; green veggies, nuts, seeds, whole grains (rice bran, wheat bran, wheat germ) and raw chocolate.  In order to get enough magnesium you have to take supplements, you just can't get enough from our foods anymore. Reminder: magnesium is a poorly absorbed mineral, especially in tablet form (imagine swallowing a rock and how hard it would be to get nutrients from it).  Powdered Complete Greens  and Isotonix Calcium Complete are two more great sources of magnesium (additional sources in Part 1). The powdered greens are a great source of many other nutrients as well and 1 tsp equals the nutrition in eight salads.  Are you eating eight salads EVERY day?  The two most noticeable things people get from taking this, including me, are energy and mood balancing! A-MEN!!!  Imagine going from being totally overwhelmed with a two year old to being energetic and happy in 5 days.  On day 5 I actually shed a few tears because I couldn't believe how good I felt.   The second recommendation is an excellent choice because (This one's for the science geeks like me) since magnesium (and calcium too) is ionic, it has the tendency to stick to other charged particles, hindering its absorption. When magnesium is dissolved into an aqueous solution, such as an Isotonix Formula, the absorption of magnesium is improved. Furthermore, citric and malic acid are present to ionize the calcium and magnesium once the powder is mixed with water.  So the job of the stomach is already performed with this formula.  The acidity helps to maintain calcium and magnesium in an ionized state.  If you glazed-over you can come back now, snap out of it!

     

     Okay, so I've told you why a deficiency is bad and I've given you multiple options for getting more magnesium into your body, but who cares, what's so important about magnesium anyway?  Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels(very important for weight loss and diabetes), promotes normal blood pressure, and is involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis.  Magnesium protects the brain from heavy metals and chemicals. 

Lastly, I want to direct you to Dr Carolyn Dean's 

Magnesium: Part One

The Magnesium Miracle by Carolyn Dean ND, MD 

     I read this book about three years ago and it blew my mind.  It was the second book I'd read about nutrient deficiencies, the first being The Vitamin D Cure, and I was amazed by both.  We are so removed from eating real food on a regular basis that we are not getting vital nutrients our bodies need to perform optimally.  I am going to leave out most of the scientific stuff. You can get the book if you're interested in learning more, but I want to get the word out and give you all some basic information on magnesium.  Since there's a lot to it, I'm breaking it into two parts.  Spread the word!

     My husband has been dealing with various health issues for around a decade.  After reading this book some things started to fall into place.  He has been taking liquid magnesium on and off for a couple years now and has become more diligent with it lately because he realizes how much better he feels when he takes it.

I'm going to give you a list of just some of the Magnesium-deficient conditions.  I hope it helps to fill in the blanks for many of you.


Magnesium-deficient conditions:

Anxiety and Depression- Magnesium is a building block for our bodies to make serotonin. ADHD, autism, juvenile delinquency and childhood depression are all linked to magnesium deficiency.

Migraines- Magnesium prevents platelet aggregation, relaxes the muscles, and eliminates spasms.

Pain- Muscle twitches are a sure sign of magnesium deficiency.  Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxer and can eliminate spasms.

Strokes, Head Injuries-  A study of 98 stroke patients admitted to the Emergency Room of three hospitals in New York exhibited early and significant magnesium-ion deficits. The stroke patients also demonstrated high calcium to magnesium ratio, which are signs of increased vascular tone and cerebral vessel spasm.

Cholesterol and Hypertension- Magnesium acts like a natural statin.  If there isn't enough magnesium in the body to limit the activity of the cholesterol-converting enzyme, we are bound to make more cholesterol than is needed.  Research shows a direct relationship between the amount of magnesium in the diet and the ability to avoid high blood pressure.

Heart Disease- Magnesium prevents muscle spasms of heart blood vessels and peripheral blood vessels.  It also prevents calcium buildup in cholesterol plaque in arteries.

Obesity, Syndrome X and Diabetes- Magnesium helps the body digest, absorb and utilize proteins, fats and carbs.  Magnesium is necessary for insulin to open cell membranes for glucose and it prevents obesity genes from expressing themselves. Magnesium is necessary for the productions, function and transport of insulin.

PMS- Taking Magnesium supplements may be the solution for PMS, along with taking Vitamin B6 daily.

Infertility and Preeclampsia- Low levels of magnesium are found in men and women who are considered infertile.  Higher levels of magnesium are required for healthy pregnancy.

Osteoporosis and Kidney Stones- Magnesium is the most important mineral after calcium for bone health, BUT, the use of calcium in the face of magnesium deficiency can lead to deposition of calcium in the joints, promoting arthritis or, in the kidney, contributing to stones.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia- Both groups share high rates of magnesium deficiency.  Magnesium ameliorates the fatigue, muscle pain and chemical sensitivity of CFS and Fibromyalgia. 

Environmental Illness- Magnesium helps detoxify toxic chemicals, binds with heavy metals, and eliminates them.

Asthma- Research shows patients w/ asthma have low magnesium levels.  Drugs used to treat asthma also cause a loss of magnesium.

Obviously the book is filled with way more detail, but I wanted to touch upon these and give you a piece of why Magnesium is so important.

Obviously if you have a serious health issue read the book before deciding how much you should take, but for basic stuff that you're not on medication for, just follow the directions.

I hope this helps, it's certainly helped us :)
In Part two I will explain more about magnesium in general, but for now, don't buy this supplement in pill form.  Nutrametrix Isotonix® Magnesium http://bit.ly/2lo8LqX is a powdered source of magnesium, to be taken orally .  You can also mix your own magnesium "oil" by diluting 4oz (by weight) of epsom salt into 32oz (by volume) of distilled water.  Pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray it on your skin after a shower.    Taking magnesium through the skin eliminates its potential laxative affect when taken orally.  Lastly, watch Carolyn Dean on youtube

Food Glorious Food!!

http://catesworldkitchen.com/2010/04/raw-kale-salad/
I add tapenade, capers, chia seeds, sesame seeds,
roasted red peppers, and bacon bits.  A little bacon
makes everything better :)

     We all have something we spend a lot of our income on; clothes, gadgets, pampering, music, going out to eat.  My money has ALWAYS gone to food.  Whenever I get extra money I spend it on better food.  My vacations revolve around food.  I use the points that build up on my credit cards to get a Whole Foods gift card.  When my Nana used to give me money for my birthday she'd make me promise not to spend it on food, but I pretty much always did :)  Yup...lied to Nana, I have a problem!  I had so many recipes on my pinterest food board I had to separate them  onto 8 different boards so I could find what I was looking for.  You can check out what I found by following me at http://pinterest.com/aclow72/ .  I believe I'm going to turn into kale sometime this year with the amount I now consume, but...YUM!!!  I laugh at myself because I now eat my kale salad like it's Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice cream.  Anyway, I had to share one of my newest food obsessions with you, click on the link under the delicious looking salad.  You can use any green you'd like, it doesn't have to be kale but the kale stands up best to the avocado & lemon massage....yes...I even like my food to be massaged :)

     While we're on the subject of food I'm going to suggest a book that everyone who eats should read;  Food Rules: An Eater's Manual   I love this book!  It's simple and makes how to eat "healthy" much easier to follow.   Following rule  #36 "Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk", is pretty good advice and there are about 80 other "rules" or guidelines to point you in the direction of better health.  Michael Pollan's book "In Defense of Food" is also fabulous, but this one is pared down and more easy to follow.
    Okay, now that I told you about that, I have to tell you about a new documentary by the producers of "Foodmatters" (also awesome).  This new documentary, called Hungry for Change , had me so excited I must have sent it on to hundreds of people.  As some of you know, I coach people in getting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle through a course called TLS Weight Loss Solution.  If TLS had made a documentary, THIS would have been it.  We have become so far removed from our food we now need professionals to tell us what to eat.  I'm of the opinion shared by Michael Pollan,  "Eat Food.  Not too much. Mostly Plants."  Our food is our fuel so choose the fuel that's going to give you health instead of take health from you.  I hope these help you as much as they've helped me!

Stop blaming. Start taking responsibility.

     This is one of the hardest things to figure out and I've come across a lot of great advice, I'll start by sharing two resources.   1) recreate your life will walk you through how to eliminate your limiting beliefs and they give you free access to eliminating at least one belief.  For example, we tend to think other people and circumstances "make" us feel a certain way.  As hard as it is to believe, WE are the ones responsible for how we feel and nothing and no one else has the power to make you feel anything.  Events are just events, the meaning we give those events decides whether they are "good" or "bad" but they have no meaning until we give them one.  We give them meaning based on our beliefs, both conscious and subconscious.  Change a belief, or your perspective, and you change an event's meaning.

I was a big old blamer for most of my life, it's what many of us do, it's socially acceptable, and even now I catch myself in mid or post-blame.   I keep working on it though, because how I act, react and feel are my responsibility.  We cannot control other people or circumstances,  as much as you wish they would change, you can only change yourself.  Change your perspective, change your capacity for love, change your ability to adapt, stop pushing so hard against what you don't like and start taking consistent action towards what you want instead.
2) A technique I have used and continue to use is called tapping.   You tap on specific acupuncture points while saying a "script".  You can make up your own or you can find scripts for various topics on the Internet.  Tapping helped me when I was feeling overwhelmed, it helped decrease my pain, it helped me take more action on a daily basis and it helps keep me focused on whatever my current goal may be.  As luck would have it the Tapping World Summit 2012 is starting today Monday May 7th at 8pm EST and it's FREE, but you do have to sign up to get access to the audios.  Last year I followed the Summit and my results were dramatic.  To learn more about tapping and the research behind it click here http://thetappingsolution.com/.
Below is a trailer for the DVD "Try it on Everything"  if this is the first time you're being introduced to this it may look weird, you may feel silly trying it, but it can help and it's worth feeling silly, I promise.  I hope these two resources help you as much as they've helped me.

Getting Started

I have made a conscious effort to become a "better" version of myself for the last 4 years and before that I was always searching for ways but in more of a flitting around from here to there kind of way.  It's not easy to figure out the first thing to share.  To start with the nuts and bolts of self-responsibility or self-improvement is really just starting somewhere though so I've narrowed it down to two things; 1)  Steve Pavlina's "Living your values"  I knew I had values, I just never sat down and figured out what they were.  This was beyond helpful.  Your values are different depending on what your focus is.  If you're focused on getting a new job, you will have certain top 5 values to focus you in on the job, but if you're trying to get healthy that goal will require different top 5 (or so) values to achieve.  Steve explains it very well through 3 different posts.  Figuring out your goals and values is really necessary if you're trying to get from where you are to where you want to be :)  Take the time to figure that out and you'll stop running on the hamster wheel and move forward.

2) As a massage therapist I know what stress does to our bodies.  I am not here to tell you that you all need to start getting weekly massages because I'm fully aware that not everyone can get or even wants to get a massage.  What I will tell you is you need to find an outlet for stress.  Be it exercising, meditating, listening to music, getting more sleep, whatever works, just do something.  I suggest soaking in Epsom salt baths to all of my clients and that's because they are, and I am in NO way understating this, liquid MAGIC!  

To simplify; Epsom salts are partly made up of magnesium and magnesium is a natural muscle relaxer.  Calcium is responsible for muscle contraction and magnesium is responsible for muscle relaxation.  We don't get enough magnesium from our foods, so getting it through a bath, by absorbing it through your skin, is a great way to get this much-needed mineral.  Epsom salts also detoxify the body so the bath is a fabulous double-whammy!  Use 2 cups of Epsom salts in a hot bath at the end of the day.  Soak for at least 10 minutes and then keep yourself warm when you get out of the tub, so either go to bed or curl up on the couch and relax.  I'm not posting a link for the science behind Epsom salts, but there's plenty of info out there about the benefits, I'm just trying to keep it simple for you.  Epsom salt baths good. Stress bad. You go relax now.