Have you wondered if taking magnesium might be helpful? Let's take a deep dive into this amazing mineral and I hope, help you decide if paying attention to how much magnesium you're gettting will move your health needle forward.
Mighty Magnesium.
Did you know that most of us are not getting enough magnesium [and other minerals] in our diet?
Here's a few reasons why:
Changes in Agriculture - soil quality has declined due to large-scale farming practices that increase crop yields to reduce cost, but deplete the soil of vital minerals. Not only does this rob the soil, it leaves the crops with less nutrients. We then eat these foods with a lower vitamin/mineral content.
Processed Foods-most of the packaged foods we consume have many nutrients removed through the refining process. Unfortunately, we end up eating less minerals, vitamins and fiber
Standard American Diet [SAD] - our daily diet is high in wheat, corn and vegetable oils which are also low in vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Fast Foods - the pace of our modern life can leave little room for cooking and eating at home. These once common practices have been replaced by 'drive-through eating'. Highly processed foods, foods that are high in added sugars, limited vegetables and processed meats, all contribute to lowering magnesium levels in the body.
Our culture today doesn't recognize the value both physically, economically and emotionally that preparing nourishing foods and gathering around the table is vital for our well-being.
Stress- another magnesium “depleter” along with minerals like potassium and sodium. Stress can look like a deadline at work, difficult conversations with friends and family, underlying chronic infections, not eating enough, too little sleep, a highly processed diet and more!
When we are in stress mode, our body is churning out cortisol to address the stress, which then burns through our magnesium stores leaving us with a deficiency.
Type 2 Diabetes and High Blood Sugar -our cells don’t effectively respond to the insulin that the body is producing and the cells become resistant and drain magnesium stores through our urine thus lowering magnesium levels.
Digestive Issues - constipation, low stomach acid, and regular use of antacids contribute to low magnesium levels. When the GI tract is healthy, enzymes are present to break down food into nutrients and eliminate the waste through the bowels. With low magnesium levels, the body cannot breakdown food effectively altering the gut bacteria causing nutrient deficiencies, gut issues and constipation. Also, the chronic over-use of antacids decreases stomach acid which perpetuates poor magnesium absorption. This increase in medications to treat these chronic conditions prevents our body from absorbing nutrients properly and can deplete stores of magnesium, potassium and calcium.
Taking diuretics or proton-pump inhibitors [PPIs] to address acid reflux, heartburn, and high blood pressure will lower your magnesium levels.
Remember This.
Magnesium is a crucial mineral for brain health, supporting neurotransmitters, calming the nervous system, and regulating mood. It also improves sleep, aiding brain repair.
Do You Have Any of These Synptoms?
Restless sleep and wakings
Racing anxious mind, especially at night
Fatigue and weakness
Tension headaches and migraines
Abnormal heart rate
Numbness and tingling
Muscle cramps
Hyperactivity and anxiety
All of these troubling symptoms can be traced to low magnesium levels.
Women and children seem to experience more symptoms, especially around focus and concentration issues and in children, hyperactivity.
Magnesium is one of the most under-utilized and effective minerals available and the majority of us are deficient.
Magnesium is involved in over 3000+ reactions in our body that can impact many areas of our health including:
heat disease
diabetes
attention
mood
PMS
headaches
achy/twitchy legs and muscles
insomnia
constipation
bone strength
dental health & cavities
nutrient deficiencies
glaucoma
hypertension & more
So What Can I Do?
Address the factors that are causing you to be depleted. [see above list]
Include high magnesium foods into your diet like:
Pumpkin & Chia seeds
Spinach
Lentils, Black Beans
Potatoes [with the skin on]
Plain full-fat Yogurt
Almonds
Cocoa, Cacao
Bananas
Avocados
Mussels
Sardines
Salmon
Dairy [choose organic, grass-fed whenever possible]
Liver
Chicken
Figs
What about Supplements?
Consider taking a magnesium supplement because the assalts on our body through psychological, physical and chemical reactions trigger a chain reaction in our body that strips away magnesium and can leave us feeling anxious, exhausted, and depressed.
This depletion affects more than our mood - it disrupts thyroid function, blood sugar balance, brain health, and liver function.
Elevated cortisol is a common occurance because of these stressors which causes a drain on magnesium levels. We need optimal levels so that we can feel calm and collected.
Note: if you struggle with gut problems, using a topical form of magnesium can be a better option.
Magnesium Supplements to Consider.
L-Threonate 1-2g/day best for increasing magnesium levels in the brain to improve cognition and memory and for managing brain-fog.
Glycinate 200-400mg/day is one of the safest forms with the least side-effects. It may help with pain, sleep and relaxation.
Sulfate is found in Epsom salts. It contains sulfur which is a potent antioxidant and can help relieve stress and muscle cramps. Soak in a tub nightly.
Malate 300-450mg/day is a good choice for combating fatigue, good for gallbladder and liver health, chronic pain and muscle tension, diabetes and is easily synthesized in the body.
Chloride is a topical magnesium that is absorbed rapidly and can help with aches, pains and restless leg syndrome. Try Ancient Minerals Magnesium Gel at night.
Taurate 200-400mg/day is the best form for managing high blood sugar along with supporting cardiovascular conditions.
Bicarbonate is easily absorbed, reduced heartburn and alkalizes stomach acid. This form is best taken between meals.
Citrate 200-400mg/day is used to combat constipation yet isn’t a good option to build up magnesium store in the body.
Orotate 200-400mg/day is the best type of magnesium for cardiovascular conditions.
Remember, there are many food sources along with daily supplementation that will improve magnesium levels and reduce or eliminate your symptoms.
Test Don't Guess.
REVEAL Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis [HTMA].
The hair tissue mineral analysis is about so much more than total body mineral load. Rather than looking at single minerals, HTMA assesses mineral patterns and ratios to give insight into health at a cellular level. This insight can tell you about different systems of the body, and potential root causes, and then guide personalized recommendations.
What Can I Learn From HTMA?
Unlock mystery thyroid symptoms
Ease digestive complaints through low mineral ratios
Discover stress responses that are leading to problems
Reveal blood sugar patterns that indicate prediabetes/type 2 diabetes
Discover markers for better mental and emotional health
Provide a plan to restore mineral balance to improve health markers
HTMA is a non-invasive and affordable functional lab test to analyze minerals in a soft tissue sample with just a small snip of hair.
I look at ratios and patterns that give me insight into systems of the body like:
Metabolism
Adrenal Function
Thyroid health
Digestive Function
Stages of Stress
Blood Sugar Balance
HTMA can be a valuable baseline test no matter what syptoms you're experiencing. The insights from this test help pull back the curtain on the root cause of your complaints and provide a personalized approach to move forward without syptom chasing or guessing.
You can be confidant in knowing exactly what you're implementing is moving you toward better health outcomes.
Would you like to actually know your mineral status and how to support balancing your minerals?
I offer a simple and cost-effective test, plus targeted individualized analysis to pinpoint mineral deficiencies and an easy to follow diet and lifestyle protocol.
This will improve mineral levels and address fatigue, poor sleep, digestion, skin conditions, sugar cravings and a lot more.
You can sign-up for a Hair Analysis here:
A data-driven protocol.
Less time and cost "trying" out supplements to address symptoms.
Experience change in your health.
Confidence that you're actually improving.
Because I believe better health is possible at any age.
Thanks for reading.
Jan
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