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Magnesium Deficiency

Most people are unaware of the significant role that magnesium plays in the body. It activates over 300 biochemical reactions necessary for our bodies to function.

Millions suffer from magnesium deficiency without knowing. Or, at least they don't realize that their health problems may be due to a lack of magnesium. Symptoms associated with and/or directly related to PMS, leg/muscle cramps, Osteoporosis, headaches, fatigue, insomnia, high blood pressure, kidney stones, and irregular heartbeat may be due to low levels of magnesium in the body.

Calcium intake may be one reason many people are magnesium deficient. Calcium needs magnesium in order to assimilate into the body. If too much calcium is consumed, the body will pull magnesium out of body parts creating a deficiency. Many Americans drink pasteurized milk as a way of obtaining calcium. Unfortunately, milk is about 8 parts calcium to about 1 part magnesium - much more calcium than the 2:1 ratio needed for proper assimilation. All the extra calcium can result in calcium deposits such as kidney stones, gallstones, and arthritic conditions.

Calcium and magnesium also work together in the muscles. Calcium causes the muscles to contract and magnesium causes them to relax. Therefore, insufficient magnesium can cause cramping and muscle stiffness. PMS is mostly due to a magnesium deficiency. Besides cramps, a common symptom of PMS is a craving for chocolate.

Chocolate happens to contain magnesium, and a sudden craving may be a sign more magnesium is needed. Besides chocolate, magnesium is also found in foods such as spinach, avocados, nuts, beans, bran, oatmeal, rice and tofu. Due to modern farming practices, many foods are lacking the minerals that foods once had, because they are no longer grown in mineral rich soil. Therefore, magnesium supplementation is recommended.

Many heart attacks are the result of insufficient magnesium. The heart is a muscle and without magnesium it cannot properly function and will stop beating. Racing or an unusual change in beats, angina pain, or collapsing from heavy physical exercise could be early signs of this type of heart attack.

Other factors that may deplete the body of magnesium are stress, coffee, sugar, alcohol, soda, tobacco, diuretics, diabetes, low thyroid, medical drugs, and high perspiration. Many products are now fortified with calcium in an effort to combat Osteoporosis and other health related problems. But, without the proper balance of calcium and magnesium, the problem will likely worsen.

It's important to understand that many of the mineral supplements and mineral-fortified foods on the market contain powdered rocks and metals. These rocks and metals (mineral compounds) are mined from the earth and pulverized into powder and added to supplements and foods.

The human body cannot adequately digest these compounds - and with increasing difficulty with age. In fact, even plants rely on soil microbes to pre-digest mineral compounds so that they can then assimilate them.

To realize how ill-informed the public is about minerals, consider the questions that are often asked about mineral supplements. For example: "What type of calcium or magnesium should I take." The fact is there is only one type of calcium and one type of magnesium on the planet: the actual elements calcium and magnesium.

Magnesium citrate, magnesium sulfate, magnesium oxide, and even magnesium chelate are compounds, not the pure, actual elemental magnesium.

Magnesium, calcium, and other minerals are available in pure, crystalloid, ionic, water-soluble, non-compound, elemental form.

Those who are experiencing the symptoms of magnesium deficiency will greatly benefit from supplementing with elemental magnesium.

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