Magnesium 

Magnesium is one (if not the) of the most important minerals to us….yet one of the most depleted. Without Magnesium there is NO body.

It is known as an energy nutrient as it activates enzymes that control digestion, absorption and utilization of Protein, Fats and Carbs….Diets that are high in Fat, Sugar and Salt not only make the body more deficient they also increase the need for magnesium, as magnesium is lost during the processing of BAD foods.

What exactly does magnesium do?

• *It is a co-factor in assisting enzymes in the body
• *It produces and transports energy
• *It is necessary for the synthesis of proteins
• *It helps transmit nerve signals
• *It helps to relax muscles 
• *Promotion of proper bowel function
• *Action of your heart muscle
• *Proper formation of bones and teeth

Magnesium also plays a role in your body’s detoxification processes and therefore is important for helping to prevent damage from environmental chemicals, heavy metals and other toxins. Even glutathione, your body’s most powerful antioxidant that has even been called “the master antioxidant,” requires magnesium for its synthesis

With that in mind, some early signs of magnesium deficiency to keep an eye out for include:

• Loss of appetite
• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fatigue and weakness

Magnesium actually regulates 325 enzymes including transporting, storing and utilizing energy….and more importantly regulating metabolism and it mostly works inside cells, bonding with ATP to produce energy for the body.

Women have less magnesium than men, as they have fewer circulating Red Blood Cells, plus also deficiencies in pregnancy, breast feedings and PMS.

Calcium often gets a a “bigging up” BUT in theory Magnesium is necessary to maintain proper levels of calcium in the blood and it is known as natures calcium channel blocker…..as too much calcium in the body can cause calcification and disrupt cell function.

So if this is the case, I bet you are wondering WHY Doctors and medical professionals dont offer this…..well the answer is simple, Doctors study “disease” not “wellness” and it is simply ignore because there is no profit to be made from it…so therefore pharmaceutical companies wont do the research as there is no money to be made……SAD but unfortunately true….a lot of the medical world is based on ££££ and thats what they get from all the drugs that we are given…….DID YOU KNOW that drugs (ie painkillers and diuretics) further deplete the body of magnesium. Out of all the research that has been done….everyone agrees that magnesium is indispensable for health, disease prevention and all of life processes…but because it cannot be patented – there is no money to be made from it.

There’s some evidence that eating foods high in magnesium and other minerals can help prevent high blood pressure in people with prehypertension.
Intravenous or injected magnesium is used to treat other conditions, such as eclampsia during pregnancy and severe asthma attacks.

Clearly there is more to life than Magnesium, but life cant exist without it…..look at some of the more common issues below, Magnesium plays a role in much much more, but to talk about them all would turn this Article into a Dissertation

Magnesium, Anxiety and Depression

• Deficiency in Magnesium can produce symptoms of anxiety/depression..inc muscle weakness, fatigue, eye twitches, insomnia, apathy, poor memory, confusion and nervousness.
• Serotonin, the “feel good” brain chemical that is boosted my prozac, depends on magnesium for its production and function. Magnesium is important to Serotonin because it is involved in the uptake and release of serotonin by the brain
• Magnesium supports out adrenal glands, which are overworked by stress
• Anxiety/Panic Attacks are not due to a deficiency in Valium or Prozac…our bodies do NOT require these substances….but these are what is given from the Doctor….may doing this all you are doing is changing the addiction of sugar/caffeine to prescription drugs without looking at the underlying metabolic cause. Support often given is in the form of a prescription rather than Health and Lifestyle and Diet advice.
• Stress causes Magnesium Deficiency & lack of magnesium causes stress……touche??
• Each time we experience any kind of stress the magnesium stores are tapped into the create energy

Magnesium, Migraines and Pain

• Magnesium prevents platelet aggrevation, which helps avoid the thickened blood and tiny clots that can cause blood vessel spasms and the pain of a migraine
• Magnesium relaxes the head and neck muscle tension that makes migraines worse.
• Magnesium is responsible for balancing blood sugars
• If you have Magnesium deficiency and have a lot of aspartame intake, this can results in migraines.
• Magnesium regulates the action of brain neurotransmitters, which play a role in migraines when unbalanced 
• Magnesium helps muscles relax

Magnesium & Exercise

• Magnesium is one of the most important nutrients athletes can take
• Magnesium reduces lactic acid, which causes post exercise pain
• Magnesium is lost during exercise
• Magnesium provides more energy
• Magnesium  allows the body to burn fuel and create energy in an efficient cycle during exercise and doesnt lead to lactic acid production and build up

Magnesium and Obesity

• Magnesium helps the body digest, absorb and utliize proteins, fats and carbs
• Magnesium  is necessary for insulin to open cell membranes for glucose
• Food craving/overeating can simply be because the body is in fact craving nutrients that are missing from processed food…you continue to eat empty calories and pack on the pounds, but you get no further ahead in any form of nutrients.
• Every Metabolic function in the body requires vitamins and minerals, without them…symptoms develop 
• Sugar overload can cause Magnesium deficiency
• The refining of sugar actually shows a 98% drop in Magnesium 

Magnesium, PMS and PCOS

• Chocolate, which some women crave, contains high amounts of Magnesium, but the added sugar and fat…dont really do us any favours.
• Magnesium deficiency can cause PMS…yet doctors prescribe Serafem (which is another name for prozac)
• Magnesium is a safe treatment for PMS and PMS headaches 
• Treatment with magnesium eases headaches, sugar cravings and low blood sugar and dizziness
• Estrogen and Progesterone (female sex hormones) influence Magnesium levels in the body.

Magnesium and Nutrition

• Increase consumption of Green Veggies (arent I always saying this??), nuts, seeds, legumes and unprocessed grains
• Vegetables, Fruit, Protein rich foods.
• AVOID Fatty (bad), Sugary and Salty rich foods…all they will do is deplete magnesium further and further and make you feel worse and can then bring on all kinds of unknown medical conditions.