| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Jen |
Posted - Feb 19 2008 : 1:13:13 PM
From the Ground Up: Simple Steps to Natural Health
By Jennifer Bové
“Miraculous Magnesium?”
I was at the local health food store yesterday looking for a calcium supplement. I don't really believe in overloading on supplements, but since I don't drink a lot of milk, I thought it might not hurt to up my calcium intake and see if I noticed any amazing results. While I was mulling over the different brands, a store associate explained the important role of magnesium in the absorption of calcium. Basically, calcium can't get into our bones without the help of magnesium. So, when we're low on magnesium, calcium builds up in our soft tissues and can have negative effects like muscle weakness, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and osteoporosis as well as artery blockage and heart disease.
But there's more to magnesium than just calcium absorption. Magnesium helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, supports a healthy immune system, helps regulate blood sugar levels (diabetes included), and promotes normal blood pressure. It has a calming effect because it relaxes muscle tension, and it can also help with mood swings, irritability, constipation, migraines, cramps, sleep disorders, and depression! For women in particular, magnesium can ease PMS symptoms and menstrual cramps.
Many Americans get excess calcium from dairy products but aren't getting enough magnesium because of all the processed foods we eat. Green vegetables are good sources of magnesium and so are legumes (beans and peas), nuts and seeds, and unrefined grains. But if these foods aren't the bulk of your diet, your body may have less than optimal stores of magnesium. And older adults are at increased risk for deficiency. Early signs of magnesium deficiency include low energy and weakness, tension, headaches, crankiness, muscle cramps, appetite loss, and nausea. Of course, many of these symptoms can result from a variety of medical conditions, so it's important to talk to your doctor to pin down the cause.
The best way to make sure you're getting enough vitamins and minerals is to eat foods that haven't been changed much since they were harvested. “Whole food” may be a new-fangled term, but fresh veggies, crunchy grains and nuts, whole beans, unprocessed meat, and straight-from-the-chicken eggs have been keeping us alive and fit for eons. On the other hand, if you regularly eat packaged foods with a bunch of unrecognizable ingredients, you may want to consider supplements to make up for the good stuff that gets lost in favor of a longer shelf-life.
So, anyway, the health food store set me up with a powdered calcium supplement, which can be absorbed better than pills, and a couple samples of naturally fizzy-flavored magnesium. Will it be the end of my occasional migraines and tiredness? I don't know. Wrangling three kids and staring at a computer screen may be more to blame that magnesium. But since there's no real risk in taking a bit of extra magnesium, I think I'll give it a try.
You can find the recommended dietary allowances of magnesium for children and adults by asking your doctor or going to http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp.
Jen
Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #9
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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