How on earth are you ladies getting enough magnesium?

[Nestof3]

I eat spinach, almonds and slow-cooking oatmeal nearly every day. I eat beans and peanuts often.

 

Sparkpeople always has me low on magnesium, though. :confused:

[Dandelion]

I take a supplement - it's a liquid Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc supplement by Trace Minerals. Pina Colada flavored. YUM! I look forward to it every morning... :)

[helena]

I drink Natural Calm.

http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Vitality-Calm-Rasp-Lemon-powder/dp/B000WVY4PE/ref=pd_sim_hpc_3

I use it for aches and sleep issues. I love it!

[happygrrl]

I drink Natural Calm.

http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Vitality-Calm-Rasp-Lemon-powder/dp/B000WVY4PE/ref=pd_sim_hpc_3

I use it for aches and sleep issues. I love it!

 

I just bought some Natural Calm (plain) and I LOVE it!!

[KidsHappen]

I take magnesium citrate. I use the Solaray or Nature's Way brands. 400% per day. I have been taking it for years now and it definitely makes a difference.

[Chris in VA]

Because of bloodwork results, I take D, C and calcium/mag every day. Well, I'm getting better at taking it every day.

[Holly in FL]

I take these three in a supplement called Premcal.

 

http://www.premcal4pms.com/index.cfm

 

~Holly

[Lovedtodeath]

Transdermal Magnesium Oil. I have tried several things and this works the best.

[awtl]

We use Natural Calm Plus Calcium. I think it may be the same as what others are suggesting. It is a really good product. My mom has been using it for years.

[MBM]

I apply a magnesium gel after I bathe. It has a very calming effect. Both dh and I use it occasionally.

 

Interestingly, epsom salts do not work as well on me, but I've read that other types of magnesium bath salts do work well. Serious athletes sometimes use them. I've never tried them, though.

 

ETA: My gel could be described as an oil, too. I believe it's derived from seaweed, but I'd have to check.

Edited November 10, 2010 by MBM
adding info

[lisabees]

I just bought some Natural Calm (plain) and I LOVE it!!

 

:iagree: Another Calm user. My kids love it, too.

[KS_]

Transdermal Magnesium Oil. I have tried several things and this works the best.

 

Dh and I use this, too, but I make my own from magnesium chloride flakes and water.

[In The Great White North]

Transdermal Magnesium Oil

 

magnesium chloride flakes

 

magnesium gel

 

Sources please. :bigear:

[AngieW in Texas]

It appears that the rather baffling symptoms my 12yo was having (breathing problems, insomnia, anxiety, depression) were all related to a magnesium deficiency. I have her taking 2 pills/day (240 mg).

 

http://www.amazon.com/Pure-Encapsulations-Magnesium-glycinate-Health/dp/B001T8IPLS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1289607936&sr=8-2-catcorr

 

We went to our regular doctor, cardiologist, otolaryngologist, and pulmonologist. Jean in Newcastle mentioned that the symptoms my dd was having could be caused by a magnesium deficiency. I started her on a magnesium supplement the next day. She went from having 5-10 episodes each day to having just one (the morning after starting the supplement) in the past 2.5 weeks. She's also getting refreshing sleep at night rather than waking up exhausted.

[MBM]

Sources please. :bigear:

 

I get the gel from Norm Shealy's website (he's a retired neurosurgeon). We use about a bottle a year. Big bottle is $22 and the smaller one is $12.50.

[Julpost]

Is there a way to tell whether you're deficient w/out a blood test?

[annlaura]

:bigear: I haven't done any research on magnesium deficiency. Glad I opened this thread.

[Lovedtodeath]

Sources please. :bigear:

International Health Transdermal Magnesium Oil "Magnesium from the Sea" I got mine from my ND, but if you search this you should find some sources.

[MyLittleWonders]

We use Natural Calm (just magnesium - we keep our calcium separate). This is a good book on the subject - The Miracle of Magnesium.

[AngieW in Texas]

My dd takes 275mg calcium in the morning and 240mg magnesium about an hour before she goes to bed.

[Donna A.]

This has been a really helpful thread. Does anyone know if taking mg without calcium would cause the mg not to be as effective? I was taking a 2:1 cal/mag from my naturopath and ran out of the cal/mag and switched to a magnesium only supplement and it seems that I'm no longer feeling the same benefits I originally was.

 

In one book that I have, I can't remember if it was "How to Get the Sugar Out" or "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Premenopause" (I read both about the same time, so I don't remember which one it was), it said that that you really need 2:1 cal/mag because one causes the other to work better, or something like that. I'm sorry I'm not more clear; it's been a long time since I read it. But it seems to me that 2:1 is correct.

 

Oh, it has to do with magnesium absorption. I remember now... the 2:1 cal/mag ratio helps with that. And Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, in his book "From Fatigued to Fantastic" explains that magnesium absorption is very difficult, so he prefers glycinate forms of it. (As opposed to magnesium gluconate.) Here's an explanation of gluconate vs. glycinate: http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/information-about-magnesium-gluconate-and-magnesium-glycinate-524037.html

 

And here's Dr. Teitelbaum's website: http://www.endfatigue.com/

[In The Great White North]

Does anyone know if taking mg without calcium would cause the mg not to be as effective?

 

I was told just the opposite, that having them together inhibits the magnesium absorption.

 

And I read somewhere (I think in the "What Your Doctor never Told You about Pre-Menopause" book) that because just about everything is enhanced with calcium, the calcium-magnesium balance is way over towards calcium and therefore, taking calcium and magnesium together doesn't help the imbalance.

 

We use Natural Calm (just magnesium - we keep our calcium separate)

 

Does this have the diarrhea effect like the tablets?

[MyLittleWonders]

 

Does this have the diarrhea effect like the tablets?

 

It does if you take too much at a time. We started slowly (probably 200mg) and slowly built up. I can now take 600mg without any problem. It's powder, so you can adjust how much you take without having to take what is already in a powder. And it seems, at least from my little experience with any other magnesium supplements, that it is much better absorbed in my system.

[Negin]

I'm running out of magnesium and they don't sell any good ones here. Have to order some and that's a giant pain, with shipping, etc.

 

Here's just some of the info I have. I have more on symptoms of magnesium deficiency (most of us are deficient) and the benefits of taking magnesium. Just didn't want to overwhelm here.

 

Magnesium is a key mineral that many are deficient in.

Anything that is tight, irritable, crampy, and stiff -- whether it is a body part or an even a mood -- is a sign of magnesium deficiency.

 

Some say to take equal amounts of calcium and magnesium. For most people on a healthy diet, 500 mg of each supplement should be enough.

If you have symptoms of magnesium deficiency – if you’re feeling edgy, have muscle cramps, suffer insomnia, crave chocolate, or notice increased urination, adjust your calcium-magnesium ratio, so that you’re taking at least as much magnesium or—ideally—twice as much magnesium as calcium.

400-1200 mg daily of Magnesium is helpful but use according to bowel tolerance. Your body knows how much magnesium you can tolerate from bowel tolerance – take as much magnesium as your bowels can tolerate

If you can, add 100 mg of magnesium to your nutritional supplements, and increase it by 100 mg every few days until your stools are soft, but not uncomfortably loose.

Take in divided doses and with meals to ensure optimal absorption – preferably more at night –

Some say to not take magnesium with calcium - I think that that is preferable.

Calcium, magnesium, and many other minerals are best absorbed when they are bound to an acidic carrier such as citrate, aspartate, picolinate, or amino acid chelate. Minerals need an acidic base to break down and get used.

The most absorbable forms are magnesium citrate, glycinate taurate, or aspartate, although magnesium bound to Kreb cycle chelates (malate, succinate, fumarate) are also good.

Avoid magnesium carbonate, oxide, sulfate, and gluconate. They are poorly absorbed (and the cheapest and most common forms found in supplements).

Side effects from too much magnesium include diarrhea, which can be avoided if you switch to magnesium glycinate.

People with kidney disease or severe heart disease should take magnesium only under a doctor's supervision.

 

NATURAL SOURCES

Dark Chocolate

Sea vegetables (seaweed and kelp - but make sure they come from non-polluted waters and are high-quality)

Greens

Beans

Wheat bran

Wheat germ

Almonds

Buckwheat

Brazil nuts

Millet

Pecans

Walnuts

Rye

Brown rice

Figs

Dates

Collard greens

Shrimp

Avocado

Parsley

Barley

Dandelion greens

Garlic

Kelp

Whole Grains

Molasses

 

EPSOM SALTS BATH

Taking a hot bath with Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) is a good way to absorb and get much needed magnesium.

 

REASONS FOR MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY

Food processing removes much of the magnesium that's naturally found in certain foods. Many of us eat a diet that contains practically no magnesium -- a highly-processed, refined diet that is based mostly on white flour, meat, and dairy (all of which have no magnesium).

Taking antacids (and some other medicines for indigestion) disrupts magnesium absorption.

Magnesium and other minerals are depleted by modern farming practices. Nutrient depletion of soils and over-processing of foods robs today’s diet of much of its magnesium content.

Medications including common diuretics, birth control pills, insulin, tetracycline and other antibiotics, and cortisone cause the body to waste magnesium.

 

With the food industry pumping supplemental calcium into every possible food and beverage, many of us surely have excess calcium—way out of balance with magnesium and other important minerals. In a calcium-magnesium imbalance, calcium doesn’t get deposited in the bones as it should.

Also, unused calcium gets dumped in the arteries, helping to “harden” them and leading to atherosclerosis. To combat this, many heart doctors prescribe calcium-channel blockers (like Procardia) to keep calcium from being absorbed in the heart muscle.

It makes much more sense to offer magnesium, a natural calcium channel blocker that dilates arteries—at least when it’s available in sufficient amounts and in balance with calcium.

[Nestof3]

Thank you so very much. This has been very helpful.

 

I'm running out of magnesium and they don't sell any good ones here. Have to order some and that's a giant pain, with shipping, etc.

 

Here's just some of the info I have. I have more on symptoms of magnesium deficiency (most of us are deficient) and the benefits of taking magnesium. Just didn't want to overwhelm here.

 

Magnesium is a key mineral that many are deficient in.

Anything that is tight, irritable, crampy, and stiff -- whether it is a body part or an even a mood -- is a sign of magnesium deficiency.

 

Some say to take equal amounts of calcium and magnesium. For most people on a healthy diet, 500 mg of each supplement should be enough.

If you have symptoms of magnesium deficiency – if you’re feeling edgy, have muscle cramps, suffer insomnia, crave chocolate, or notice increased urination, adjust your calcium-magnesium ratio, so that you’re taking at least as much magnesium or—ideally—twice as much magnesium as calcium.

400-1200 mg daily of Magnesium is helpful but use according to bowel tolerance. Your body knows how much magnesium you can tolerate from bowel tolerance – take as much magnesium as your bowels can tolerate

If you can, add 100 mg of magnesium to your nutritional supplements, and increase it by 100 mg every few days until your stools are soft, but not uncomfortably loose.

Take in divided doses and with meals to ensure optimal absorption – preferably more at night –

Some say to not take magnesium with calcium - I think that that is preferable.

Calcium, magnesium, and many other minerals are best absorbed when they are bound to an acidic carrier such as citrate, aspartate, picolinate, or amino acid chelate. Minerals need an acidic base to break down and get used.

The most absorbable forms are magnesium citrate, glycinate taurate, or aspartate, although magnesium bound to Kreb cycle chelates (malate, succinate, fumarate) are also good.

Avoid magnesium carbonate, oxide, sulfate, and gluconate. They are poorly absorbed (and the cheapest and most common forms found in supplements).

Side effects from too much magnesium include diarrhea, which can be avoided if you switch to magnesium glycinate.

People with kidney disease or severe heart disease should take magnesium only under a doctor's supervision.

 

NATURAL SOURCES

Dark Chocolate

Sea vegetables (seaweed and kelp - but make sure they come from non-polluted waters and are high-quality)

Greens

Beans

Wheat bran

Wheat germ

Almonds

Buckwheat

Brazil nuts

Millet

Pecans

Walnuts

Rye

Brown rice

Figs

Dates

Collard greens

Shrimp

Avocado

Parsley

Barley

Dandelion greens

Garlic

Kelp

Whole Grains

Molasses

 

EPSOM SALTS BATH

Taking a hot bath with Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) is a good way to absorb and get much needed magnesium.

 

REASONS FOR MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY

Food processing removes much of the magnesium that's naturally found in certain foods. Many of us eat a diet that contains practically no magnesium -- a highly-processed, refined diet that is based mostly on white flour, meat, and dairy (all of which have no magnesium).

Taking antacids (and some other medicines for indigestion) disrupts magnesium absorption.

Magnesium and other minerals are depleted by modern farming practices. Nutrient depletion of soils and over-processing of foods robs today’s diet of much of its magnesium content.

Medications including common diuretics, birth control pills, insulin, tetracycline and other antibiotics, and cortisone cause the body to waste magnesium.

 

With the food industry pumping supplemental calcium into every possible food and beverage, many of us surely have excess calcium—way out of balance with magnesium and other important minerals. In a calcium-magnesium imbalance, calcium doesn’t get deposited in the bones as it should.

Also, unused calcium gets dumped in the arteries, helping to “harden†them and leading to atherosclerosis. To combat this, many heart doctors prescribe calcium-channel blockers (like Procardia) to keep calcium from being absorbed in the heart muscle.

It makes much more sense to offer magnesium, a natural calcium channel blocker that dilates arteries—at least when it’s available in sufficient amounts and in balance with calcium.