Integrative Health Blog

Magnesium, The Miracle Mineral

Posted by on Mon, Jan 12, 2015

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.

Read More

Tags: magnesium, biological dentistry, dental health

The Magnesium and Diabetes Connection

Posted by on Wed, May 14, 2014

Dr. Mercola posted an article, Low Magnesium May Play Key Role in Insulin Resistance and Diabetes about low magnesium and it’s role in insulin resistance and diabetes, two things that I have a great interest in and have posted  numerous blogs about.

He states that an estimated 80% of Americans are deficient in this important mineral!

There can be many reasons: nutrient depleted soil, nutrient deficient diets, intestinal problems, kidney problems, diabetes, age, certain medications.

My focus here will be on the relation to Type II diabetes. Dr. Mercola says “ the evidence is clear: if you want to optimize your metabolism and keep your risk for type 2 diabetes low, one of the things you need to do is consume adequate magnesium.”

How to Increase Your Magnesium Intake with Food

The easiest way to do that is to eat foods that are high in magnesium:

  • dark leafy green vegetables

  • sea vegetables like dulse,nori, wakame, kelp

  • unrefined sea salt

  • sunflower and pumpkin seeds

  • nut butters

  • almonds, cashews, brazil nuts

  • brewer’s yeast

  • wheat germ

  • cilantro, dandelion

  • unprocessed grains

In a recent 2013 study, according to Mercola, pre-diabetics with the highest magnesium intake, reduced their risk for blood sugar and metabolic problems by 71%!!

Read More

Tags: insulin resistance, magnesium, diabetes, blood sugar