Magnesium -- It's Elementary
Magnesium enables a lot of chemical reactions that keep us alive and healthy. You're probably deficient!
WARNING! This report addresses bathroom activities, discussions of which make some people uncomfortable. It’s an important biological function, and a critical indicator of our health, so it’s important that we all get comfortable with evaluating it. If you think this report stinks for other reasons, please let me know.
Doctors are wonderful people. They know a lot about diseases, and medicines to heal them. But they have little training, if any at all, in nutrition. Most of our ailments are fundamental responses to imbalances in our nutrients, yet the trained instinct of most doctors is to reach for the prescription pad and give us chemicals to overcome those imbalances, not to correct them. This approach often overlooks and superficially covers the real problems. We, as medical customers, have a duty to our health to understand those limitations, and to supervise our medical employees correctly.
One of the most important nutrients is most often overlooked — magnesium. We only have between four and six teaspoons of it in our bodies, but it’s a necessary component for hundreds of processes that make us tick. It makes our electrical activities work, especially important for heart and brain functions. If you don’t have enough, it degrades those processes, causing ailments that mystify the medical industry. But it’s seldom tested, and seldom considered in medical diagnoses.
Magnesium is an abundant mineral on land and in the sea — 2% of the Earth’s crust. It’s very light, number 12 on the periodic table, beside aluminum at number 13. When alloyed with aluminum, it’s lighter and stronger, making it good for “mag” wheels; but it corrodes quickly without special coatings. But because of its atomic structure it's more reactive than aluminum — it ionizes readily. This makes it a valuable element in biochemical processes.
Its abundance is in the wrong places, though. It’s the fourth most common element on Earth, but it’s lacking in our diet, having been extracted from farm soils by centuries of use. Fertilizers use potash, which actually diminishes available magnesium. Weed and bug killers liberally sprayed on fields and pastures also kill the organisms that allow uptake of nutrients by the plants. Acid rain significantly reduces soil magnesium, and the usual treatment of acidic soil with lime — calcium oxide — also reduces magnesium available to plants. This effect of atmospheric pollution has much greater impacts on all of us than the currently fashionable warming concerns from CO2 accumulations. Warming might affect us in a hundred years, but magnesium deficiency is affecting us now. And food processing removes a lot of what remains. So, despite all that magnesium abundance, most of us are deficient in this vital nutrient. That deficiency manifests as a multitude of ailments. Consider these to see if you might be interested:
Symptoms of chronic magnesium deficiency include anxious behavior, hyperemotionality, apathy, apprehension, poor memory, confusion, anger, nervousness, muscle weakness, fatigue, headaches, insomnia, light-headedness, dizziness, nervous fits, the feeling of a lump in the throat, impaired breathing, muscle cramps (including leg cramps), a tingling or pricking or creeping feeling on the skin, rapid pulse, chest pain, palpitations, and abnormal heart rhythm.
… and even body odors.
This list is from a fascinating book, “The Magnesium Miracle” by Dr Carolyn Dean. The book lists hundreds of conditions associated with magnesium deficiencies, and with interactions with common drugs and supplements that can produce deficiencies. As Dr Dean discusses, the problem for magnesium is it's a basic element and therefore not patentable, so few researchers are willing to fund studies that could verify the analytical and anecdotal evidence linking magnesium deficiency to these and other ailments. The associations are not formally validated and not accepted by mainstream medical practice. An increasing body of research is becoming available, though it’s not widely known or understood by many doctors. This is a case where individuals need to find alternative care providers, or learn to evaluate their own conditions to determine if they need more magnesium. Fortunately, magnesium is inexpensive and completely safe, so we have nothing to lose by trying it.
Except maybe some diarhea if we take too much too quickly. Don’t rush it.
I discovered magnesium while learning to deal with my heart conditions, which I described in a recent article here. I had managed to reduce a lot of my cardiac symptoms with diet changes, but my EKG tests still showed rhythm irregularities, which the cardiologist declared were not currently a problem. Come back in a few months, and well check again. He recommended 800 mg magnesium oxide, which I obeyed without much thought. I bought a Kardia home EKG device which began to complain of “possible atrial fibrilation” — AFIB. I had seen ads on TV for patent meds for AFIB, and had seen scary looking devices hanging on office walls called “defibrilators” so I assumed this would become a serious problem.
I began studying AFIB and found Dr Dean, who claimed AFIB is often a result of magnesium deficiency. I also discovered magnesium oxide is not well absorbed — about 4%! — so I switched to magnesium glycinate, which is better absorbed. Over several months I gradually increased to 2000 mg per day, and still had no diarhea, which is an indication of excess dietary magnesium though not necessarily sufficient for our needs. Excess magnesium is excreted, with the effect in the bowels of absorbing water, which produces loose stools — it’s the active ingredient of Milk of Magnesia laxative. So I was using all that magnesium somehow, and still not getting enough.
I studied it further and discovered another related compound — oxalic acid, or “oxalates” in generic parlance for the various combinations of oxalic acid. This chemical is a waste byproduct, a component of many foods, but not used by our bodies. It is excreted mostly in the urine. Excess amounts can solidify in sharp ctystals called raphides in the urinary tract, joints, and heart. And it combines with minerals like calcium and magnesium, producing kidney stones, which are the most frequent medical complaint caused by oxalates. Of course, they’re typically treated — you guessed it — with pills and procedures.
I evaluated my diet and discovered I was seriously overdosing on oxalates, mostly raw spinach, brown rice and sweet potatoes which, at that time, were staples in my strict vegan diet. I eliminated those foods, carefully choosing low oxalate foods (numerous lists are available online), while maintaining high magnesium supplements. The changes were quick and dramatic.
My Kardia began reporting “Normal” EKGs, having previously reported “Possible AFIB” about half the time. Premature ventricular contractions (PVC, a non-critical occasional irregular beat) nearly disappeared, previously five or so in every 30 second scan. This was my original objective. Other benefits were a bonus.
My stools got loose, indicating I was now consuming more magnesium than I could digest, not necessarily more than I needed. I previously had chronic mild constipation. I reduced magnesium gradually (currently 1150 mg) to maintain comfortable stools. Other factors affect magnesium usage, like vitamin D, exercise, and others, so as those change, I make adjustments to my magnesium.
The cramps in my ankles and calves that often woke me up in the early mornings — significantly reduced. They still attack occasionally, often after an unusually heavy workout. I treat them with magnesium oil sprayed directly on the cramping muscle. It always works, but isn’t permanent. It indicates I still haven’t accumulated enough stored magnesium.
Chronic urinary leakage from years of abuse by urologists tending to my misbehaving prostate — almost eliminated. That was an unexpected benefit, but it should have been expected due to the typical, but undiagnosed, accumulation of oxalate crystals in the urinary tract, which quickly dissolved when I fed it more magnesium and quit feeding it the oxalate crystals.
A grinding in my neck, so loud it was audible to bystanders — attenuated almost completely. I’m now reducing it further with topical magnesium oil applied directly to the neck several times daily. Oxalate crystals also accumulate in the joints, producing osteoarthritis symptoms. My orthopedist never mentioned that, as he sharpened his knives.
A tightness in my throat that I first noticed after my mild bout with COVID in December — disappeared. I had asked my oncologist to check it. He squeezed my neck, laughed and referred me to an ENT doctor. Satisfied with his vague diagnosis that I didn’t have throat cancer, I put off the ENT visit. I wouldn’t have connected that with my magnesium experiments, but it’s actually one of the conditions Dr Dean mentions.
Mild shortness of breath, even without exercise, just standing, noticed since my COVID episode — eliminated. I now tolerate hard exercise better, which probably contributes to the improved breathing.
Okay, that’s another anecdote. Your mileage may vary. But it’s clear to me magnesium deficiency is a real thing. I re-read Magnesium Miracle and found several things are now more meaningful based on the year of experiences accumulated since my first reading in the summer of 2020.
One thing Dr Dean recommends is testing to baseline your levels. That’s a problem since magnesium is stored in various places in the body, and the most commonly used measure of serum magnesium is misleading since common magnesium deficiency conditions cause any available magnesium to be dumped into the blood stream for use by cells which need it most. So high levels in the blood can actually indicate a problem, though medical interpretations declare it “normal.” Dr Dean devotes a chapter to the various indicators and how to interpret them, but suggests red blood cell measurement (“RBC Magnesium”) as a good one to use, and suggests requestatest.com as a good provider. I tried it, they arranged a test at my usual lab, for $49. I got the blood drawn there and received a report ten days days later.
I was in the “normal“ range by lab standards, but still deficient according to Dr Dean. My number was 5.7 after years of increasing magnesium supplements, centered in the lab’s range of 4.2 - 6.8. Dr Dean recommends 6.0 - 6.5. So, although I was taking enough magnesium glycinate to maintain comfortable stools, indicating I was excreting some excess magnesium, and my oxalate and phytic acid were minimized to reduce binding magnesium into undesirable compounds, and was seeing significant improvements in a lot of troublesome conditions, I still wasn’t absorbing enough to meet all my needs.
Dr Dean discusses many things that consume magnesium before it can perform its necessary maintenance duties. Vitamin D is one. Dr Dean recommends a vitamin D level of 40. But the COVID data indicates higher levels are protective against infection, so I’ve been maintaining 50 to 75 with 3000 to 5000 IU of supplemental vitamin D. Vitamin D requires magnesium to process it, so that much vitamin D was capturing some of the magnesium I need for other functions.
And remember that we have other dietary sources. I use bottled water for drinking, which usually has some magnesium either naturally (Arrowhead) or added at the factory (Kirkland). I use an electrolyte mix to hydrate during my daily sauna. The brand I use has 100 mg but doesn’t say what kind, so it’s probably a type that isn’t well absorbed. And while our food is deficient in magnesium, it’s not absent, so we get some in our food. Calculating intake is inexact. Just keep in mind your supplements aren’t your only source.
Another deviation from Dr Dean’s recommendations is my carnivore diet. Protein processing requires a lot of magnesium.
So I’m getting a lot of magnesium but still have some symptoms of deficiency. My bowels complain if I take more. I seem to need more magnesium than my digestive system can handle. I’m trying several options.
First, I’ve divided my magnesium supplements from twice a day to three times while adding some supplements (200 mg). That puts a greater amount in my body with less in the digestive system at any given time.
Second, I’m using a lot more topical magnesium oil. Sprayed on the skin, it bypasses the digestive system and is absorbed directly. Undiluted, it’s only slightly sticky for a few minutes, and stings slightly. But it works well for aches and pains, which I accumulate in my martial arts training as well as increasingly normal aches and pains. It was mentioned by one of my doctors for muscle pain, without consideration of magnesium intake. But it works surprisingly well. (Magnesium creams are also available.)
Third, I’ve begun adding a formulation Dr Dean sells, called ReMag, which is advertised to be completely absorbed so it avoids digestive difficulties observed with other magnesium products. I’ll post an update after I’ve gained some experience with it.
I’m currently using about 250 mg of ReMag magnesium, with no change in stool consistency, so it seems to be getting absorbed before hitting the intestines. I’ll watch my symptoms and repeat the lab test in a few months, and will report any news here.
Magnesium is an essential element for maintaining our health. Its functions are diverse and intricate, and are only just beginning to be considered by conventional medical providers. I and many others have benefitted from Dr Dean’s advice. Maybe you can, too.
Want a second opinion? Nutritionalmagnesium.org has a lot of information by many researchers.
Dr Dean’s book is available in all the usual places. I prefer the e-book version to make searches easier.
Good information, Thank you. Going to get me some Magnesium supplement
This was a great and informative article! I have been taking magnesium for several years, to alleviate anxiety and muscle stiffness. I have to look into the oxalic acid. Fascinating read - -thank you!