Are you deficient in magnesium?
If you are suffering from any of the following symptoms, you may not be getting enough of an important mineral, magnesium.
Anxiety and panic attacks
High blood pressure
Insomnia
Chronic head aches and migraines
Fatigue
Depression
PMS, infertility and severe menstrual cramps
Fibromyalgia
Chronic muscle pain
Osteoporosis
Asthma
Reynaud’s Syndrome
Chronic constipation
Restless Leg Syndrome
Some studies show that an estimated 80% of Americans are not getting enough magnesium. I’m sure there are studies that have a lesser percentage, but by all accounts, we’re not getting enough, period.
Why are we deficient? Is this a new thing? The answer is yes, it’s been a growing problem since the 1950’s. Chances are that humans have often struggled to get enough magnesium, but it’s more difficult now than ever in history. The reason is two fold. One, farming practices in America and two, the standard American diet.
Magnesium gets farmed out of our soil, more so than other minerals. In fact, in the early 1900’s, it was common to get up to 500 milligrams of magnesium per day in an average diet. Now, we can barely achieve 200 mg, eating nothing but dark greens! The worst news of all is that our dark greens, and seeds and nuts, the things that are supposed to be rich in magnesium, are actually as deficient as we are.
Unfortunately, the standard American diet is as much to blame for this problem, as the farming industry is. There are many foods and drinks that we consume daily, that deplete our magnesium. Everyday habits, like coffee or soda, can be culprits.
Everyday habits that inhibit our absorption of Magnesium
Excessive sugar in the diet
Excessive alcohol consumption
Excessive Caffeine and sugar drinks, including diet drinks
Menopause and old age
Many different prescription medications, including narcotics for pain, insulin, steroids, antibiotics and even antacids
A diet low in dark leafy greens, and high in processed or cooked foods
A diet primarily built of cooked foods, nothing raw
Should you just take a magnesium supplement?
It seems like an easy solution right? Take a pill with magnesium each day, and no worries. Unfortunately, magnesium, alone, doesn’t work. Like any supplement, vitamin or mineral, it needs other vitamins and minerals to work together with, for proper absorption. When you eat spinach, you’re not just getting magnesium, you’re getting Calcium, fiber, folate, and a myriad of other parts and pieces, this is why many people say, get your vitamins and minerals from food.
One of the best ways to get magnesium is to juice, not blend, but juice, meaning extract the juice from tons of greens everyday. I love this, I enjoy juicing and I wish I could do it everyday. However, I have a super busy life and buying, washing, juicing, and cleaning everyday is something I don’t have the time for. When I have a day off, I LOVE to get out my juicer and drink a green juice. This juicer is my FAVORITE, I’m obsessed with it. However, when I can’t juice, on a busy day, I take a supplement and there are A TON of them out there!
How much magnesium should we take per day?
Here’s where I think magnesium gets complicated. The dosage is different for everyone. It’s 250-500 mgs per day. Check your multi vitamin, there’s only a trace amount in it. I take a powder form, Innate Magnesium 300, because with powder, I can control how much I take. The best way to know if you’re getting enough magnesium is by your poop. Yup, I said it. If you’re constipated, you’re not getting enough, if you’re getting loose stools, you’ve taken too much. The only way to find out, is to take a powder form supplement, and start at 250 mgs. The Innate Magnesium, by the way, comes from organic spinach. There are literally over 10 different types of magnesium made into supplement form, how do you know which one is right for you?
Types of Magnesium
You can find Magnesium glycinate, malate, oxide, chloride, lactate, sulfate, hydroxide, carbonate, taurate, citrate and threonate. What the? Seriously? Yes, seriously, it’s that bad out there.
Truth is, some of these types of magnesium have super high laxative abilities, no thank you! I prefer taking glycinate and citrate, in the proper doses, of course. But, what if you could find a supplement that came directly from food? From dark greens? Wouldn’t that be ideal for absorption? Of course it would! As I mentioned earlier, my favorite magnesium supplement comes from spinach! Trust me, that’s the way to go. Again, here’s my favorite magnesium supplement, made by Innate, Innate Magnesium 300. Seriously, if you don’t have time to juice green juice, everyday, take this supplement. I take it at night, before bed and it helps me sleep.
The other option for ensuring that you’re getting enough magnesium is to apply it topically to sore muscles with Magnesium Oil. It’s AMAZING and I can’t recommend it enough, this can really help at night with restless legs! You want to purchase a 100% Magnesium Oil Spray, a quality oil is important and it is worth it to spend more on a good one. You can also soak in epsom salts which are loaded with magnesium and for me, any excuse to take a bath is a good one!
To learn more, read this book, it blew my mind.
In closing, I want to express my passion to you about this issue. I see people in my clinic, daily, who have issues that could be solved, or at least improved, with some magnesium supplementation. It’s not that hard, a $25 supplement, some green juice, a little magnesium oil. It’s certainly worth a try! If this subject fascinates you, the way it does me, check out this book! The Magnesium Miracle, by Dr. Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. Honestly, this book will lay it all out for you and I only wish that more people would read it and be aware. This book was a major game changer in my life.
If you’re suffering from any of the syndromes that are listed in this post, it can’t hurt to try a little magnesium supplementation and read about it. Educating ourselves about diet and it’s impact on our bodies, is key to becoming an advocate for yourself. Come in and see me soon.
Have a great today and an even better tomorrow.