Integrative Health Blog

Every Cell in Our Body Needs Magnesium

In the human body,  magnesium is the eleventh element by mass and about 60-65% of the magnesium is found in the skeleton and teeth.

The remaining magnesium can be found in muscle tissue and cells and only 1% is contained in our blood. The body has high needs for magnesium. Magnesium is required for metabolic functions involving creation of energy ATP and its transport creation of proteins, nucleic acid RNA and DNA in all known living organisms.

Why We Need Magnesium

• Every single cell in the human body demands enough magnesium to function.
• Strong bones and teeth, balanced hormones, and healthy nervous and cardiovascular system as well as functional detoxification pathways depend on cellular magnesium.
  
• Magnesium works in concert with calcium to regulate electrical impulses in the cell. Magnesium concentration inside a healthy cell is 10 times higher than calcium.
• Magnesium is responsible for relaxation and is crucial to the healthy functioning of our parasympathetic nervous system.
• Magnesium deficiency is involved in many diseases from ADD, Alzheimer's, autism, autoimmune disorders, dental decay, and depression to osteoporosis, stroke, obesity and the list keeps growing.

The Problem with Magnesium

Unfortunately it is difficult to reliably supply our bodies with sufficient magnesium even from a good balanced whole food diet. In modern agriculture the presence of widely used NPK fertilizer has an antagonist affect with magnesium in the soil. Magnesium and other nutrients are diminished or lost in produce after harvest, refrigeration, transport and storage, even if all steps were done properly. Food processing can cause excessive  loss of magnesium in foods. Examples of such processing are milling the whole grains, roasting the nuts and seeds, and cooking the leafy greens. Fluoride in drinking water binds to the magnesium and creates an insoluble mineral compound that will be deposited in the bones.

The health of your oral cavity has an extensive effect on the health of your body. 

Stated in another way:   “You cannot have a healthy body without a healthy mouth.”

The factors in the mouth which affect overall health are:

1)   Infections of the teeth,  gums, jaw bone and tonsils

2)   Toxicity or incompatibility of dental materials placed in the mouth

3)   The physical orientation and contact of the jaws and teeth.

The effects of these three factors affect the brain, heart, liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal system, the blood,  lymphatics, immune system, our sensory organs and more.

Dentistry as taught in traditional dental education requires that dentists are mechanical in how they practice. 

Holes in teeth should be filled, tartar and plaque removed from teeth to stop gum bleeding and infection, diseased or impacted teeth must be extracted and crooked teeth straightened with orthodontics - are strictly mechanical dental approaches.

Despite this orientation our overall health may be profoundly affected (positively or negatively) by remaining or developing dental disease and in most ways how mechanical dentistry treats these conditions.

As a dentist in the Holistic Family Dental Practice of National Integrated Health Associates I meet several patients every day with root canal or potential root canal issues.  Most patients presenting with potential root canal issues have great misunderstandings of the issues surrounding root canals.

The Simple Truth About Root Canals

The nerve and blood vessels within all teeth are collectively referred to as the pulp and provides the vitality and immune resistance to the tooth in which they reside.  Most people and even some dentists may mistakenly believe that a toothache necessarily means that the tooth requires a root canal but that is not necessarily the case.

If a tooth is decayed, traumatized or exposed to microbes the nerve will first become inflamed.  This is called a pulpitis or inflammation of the pulp.    The first stage of pulpitis is termed acute pulpitis and if left untreated will become a chronic pulpitis. 

Both acute and chronic pulpitis can have symptoms (pain) or be asymptomatic (ie no pain).   What most dentists may not understand or do not have the tools to accomplish is to reverse acute and chronic pulpitis.   This reversal needs homeopathic anti-inflammatories plus healing lasers.

What You Need to Know Before Going to the Dentist

If a pulpitis is not treated it usually becomes a dead, necrotic tooth.  The necrotic tooth may or may not have symptoms.  Once a tooth becomes necrotic it will attract microbial infection.  The ways to stop this infection within a necrotic tooth is either extractions or to perform a root canal.

As part of the holistic and biological dentistry approach to dental care, there are herbals which are useful as natural ways to promote good dental health.

Most of us have experienced the cleansing of a salt water rinse after a dental appointment or during times of mouth pain.  The gentle swishing of the water and the abrasiveness of the salt cleanse and promote healing. 

This being said, there are many wonderful herbs that you can add to your salt water-rinse to take it to another level and address the more individual challenge you may be having.  A good time for a salt water rinse is 3 to 5 minutes, but if you have a bit more time on your hands you may want to consider the technique of oil pulling.

Oil Pulling - A Natural Option for Dental Health

A Patient's  Story

"I had tried everything for my fatigue..."

"I was so fatigued I had tried everything. I have had rough health issues for the past 5 years.  I had been to several specialists including an ENT (ear/nose/throat) doc, gastroenterologist, pulmonary specialist, infectious disease, ayurveda, and Chinese Medicine. Some things would help but my fatigue was never resolved.

Leaders in Integrative Medicine and Biological Dentistry

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Michelle Janbakhsh DDS

What is BPA?

BPA or Bisphenol_A is a chemical that has been used since 1960's in certain resins and plastics. It is a common ingredient in many plastics, including water bottles, cups, children's toys, plastic containers, cash receipts and paper currency. BPA is found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastics are a common ingredient in containers that store food and beverages such as water bottles, cups, children's toys and baby bottles. Polycarbonate plastics are used for goods such as safety equipment, compact discs and medical devices.

Laurie DeRosa RDH

Healthy Saliva = Healthy Mouth

In order for us to have a healthy mouth we need to have healthy saliva.

Saliva helps us to chew, taste and swallow.  It keeps our mouths moist, fights bacteria and helps to prevent bad breath, gum disease and decay.

If your salivary glands are healthy, your body could make up to two to four pints of saliva per day.  Most of your saliva is made during the day.  At night our mouths tend to be more dry. 

A Dry Mouth Can Lead to Dental Problems

Xerostomia is a condition also known as dry mouth and it occurs when our bodies do not produce enough salvia.  When this occurs the gums, tongue, and other tissues in the mouth can become swollen and cause discomfort.  Since bacteria are partial to this environment a dry mouth also leads to bad breath or halitosis. 

Oral Disease Affects Most Everyone

Dental diseases are the most prevalent chronic infectious diseases in the world, affecting up to 90% of school children and the vast majority of adults.

The oral cavity is a biologic soup and our teeth are a part of this dynamic environment. This environment constantly goes under a cycle reaction of de-mineralization & re-mineralization. Each acidic food or drink makes the oral PH acidic and the teeth structure will de-mineralize. Also pathogenic bacteria on the surface of the enamel continually reduces the PH resulting in de-mineralization localized chemical dissolution of the dental structure.  These metabolic events take place in the biofilm, also called dental plaque, that covers the affected area. Additionally, it is important to know that bacteria found in dental decay is transmissible through saliva.

Healthy Saliva Maintains Healthy Teeth and Gums

Healthy saliva can buffer the acids from the plaque and acidic condition when stimulated. The stimulated saliva PH increases to 7.8 that help in "de-mineralization – re-mineralization" cycle.  As the PH recovers, the de-mineralized structure can re-mineralize using the dissolved minerals. However, when there is an imbalance in the system, the re-mineralization process will not occur and the dissolution of the tooth structure will take place.

Patients with dry mouth (such as in Sjogren’s  syndrome, cancer radiation therapy, or a side effect of medication) are especially more susceptible in developing cavities/ oral disease.