A publisher just picked up my book: Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism and has made it into an audio book! What a perfect gift for a friend who commutes to work and doesn't have time to sit and read! To check it out, click HERE. Here is a small piece from my book Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism:
What mineral is needed by every cell in the body, yet odds are you don't get enough of it? Hint: It's not calcium. Give up? Magnesium. It gets little attention now, but rising evidence implies that magnesium benefits your heart and bones, plus it may help prevent diabetes and migraine headaches.
Deficiencies also cause muscle spasms and pain, insomnia and fatigue. Magnesium assists in maintaining muscle and nerve function, maintains heart beat, helps our immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium is also great for diabetics because it helps regulate blood sugar levels.
Magnesium is also being researched as a natural way to curb food cravings. It is found that as magnesium deficiencies increase so do food cravings. Supplementing with a therapeutic dose of 600milligrams of a magnesium supplement has been shown to significantly calm food cravings.
Early signs of magnesium deficiency include nausea, fatigue, or weakness. As magnesium deficiency gets worse, restless leg syndrome, numbness, muscle cramps, seizures, mood changes, or irregular heartbeats can occur.
I take 600mg of magnesium-glycinate (NOT Magnesium oxide)every night before bed to enhance my health in many ways (including helping me to fall asleep). Magnesium has been proven to;
-Aids in fighting depression
-Reduces food cravings
-Beneficial in the treatment of PMS
-Relieves restless leg syndrome
-Particularly important for maintaining a normal heart rhythm and is often used by physicians to treat irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).
-Beneficial for bladder problems in women, especially common disturbances in bladder control and the sense of "urgency."
-Helps in the treatment of high blood pressure
-Beneficial in the treatment of neuromuscular and nervous disorders
-Helps prevent kidney stones and gallstones
-Vital for a healthy immune system
-Keeps teeth healthy
-Magnesium is used by the body to help maintain muscles, nerves, and bones.
-Energy metabolism and protein synthesis
-Helps regulate blood sugar levels
-Adequate intake of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D coupled with overall proper nutrition and weight-bearing exercise throughout childhood and adulthood are the primary preventive measures for osteoporosis
-Useful in treatment of polio and post-polio syndrome
-Useful in the treatment of prostate problems
-Helps reduce stress
Dietary magnesium does not pose a health risk, however therapeutic doses of magnesium in supplements can promote unfavorable effects such as diarrhea. Choosing the correct form of magnesium will help prevent this undesired effect. Magnesium oxide is found in Milk of Magnesia…so of course that version of magnesium will cause diarrhea. Choose magnesium-citrate or magnesium-glycinate; which are highly absorbable forms and cannot be found in your typical retail store; these are found in health food stores, your local nutritionist or chiropractor. These versions are a little more expensive, but you are ensuring you are absorbing the nutrient; it is money well spent. I recommend taking magnesium around 30 minutes before going to bed. Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant that helps our sleep. I recommend 400mg for most people; if someone is suffering from a medical condition or is on medication that depletes magnesium, they may require more, up to 1,000mg per day. In addition to supplements, taking baths with magnesium salts is extremely helpful. Absorbing magnesium through the skin stimulates the production of DHEA, the anti-aging hormone.
Click HERE to find Magnesium Glycinate.
I have Magnesium Malate.. what's the difference?
ReplyDeleteThe Malate form isn't as absorb-able and may give you diarrhea!
ReplyDeleteI am currently nursing my 7 1/2 month old...any suggestions on if this is safe or not? This is the reason I don't take many supplements outside of my prenatal vitamin, I'm afraid of the effects on my infant.
ReplyDeleteEating a variety of nuts and dark-green leafy vegetables every day will help provide recommended intakes of magnesium and maintain normal storage levels of this mineral. However, increasing magnesium through food may not be enough to restore extremely low magnesium levels to normal. Oral therapeutic doses of magnesium supplements in the form of magnesium-citrate or magnesium-glycinate is the best way to ensure proper levels.
ReplyDeleteMaria: We have been wheat free, low carb, sugar free since Aug. 2012. (Thanks to Dr. Davis and YOU!!) The week after we started this lifestyle I noticed that I would occasionally get leg cramps during the night. I thought nothing of it. As the months went on, these cramps continued to be almost a nightly, INTENSE occurrence and after exercising, I would cramp up with my post work out stretch. Stupid me, but it took quite a few months to reread your book and I am now taking 400mg Magnesium Glycinate nightly without cramps. What I am wondering though...is why didn't these symptoms show when I was following a "healthy whole grain" "low fat" lifestyle. With all the almonds, greens, flax, and almond flour I eat now, I'm definitely getting more magnesium in my foods. It doesn't make sense to me. Any thoughts?? (other deficiencies as well??)
ReplyDeleteHmm, not sure. It could have been from potassium deficiency (which can also cause leg cramps) instead of magnesium but the magnesium just fixed. Do you eat things like avocados, parsley, spinach? They are high in potassium. :)
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