Maximize Health with Magnesium: Key Benefits & Sources

I worked with a famous local herbalist and many people came in with constipation problems. My friend would have a bowel movement once a week. My other older friend would have to go to the hospital periodically because of constipation. The remedy that worked for me and both of my friends was magnesium. I take 2 magnesium (200 to 250 mg apiece)for insomnia every night. Every morning when I wake up I naturally have a bm. According to my herbalist magnesium relaxes every cell of your body and we don't get enough of it. My younger friend with constipation was tested for 12 (200mg) tabs a day till her bowels got loose enough and then she was to back down-taking less-till she found how manny worked well for her. My herbalist used to say you can't get enough magnesium-your body needs it so much. Whether that is true or not I don't know. But I do know it's the best solution for my constipation and insomnia.

You should try other form of magnesium. Magnesium lactate dihydrate(Mag Tab Sr) might help. It was the most tolerated for me

Magnesium

I stumbled across this remedy on a forum recently. I had remembered I used to take magnesium regularly due to migraine headaches and other problems (magnesium is a very important nutrient that many are deficient in). Jogging my memory, I remembered that on occasions when I could last as long as I wanted (and even sometimes too long) was when I had taken magnesium shortly before while more often than not I would suffer extremely premature ejaculation. I would recommend taking 400mg daily and then another 400mg 30 minutes to an hour before sexual activity. You should experiment with what dosage and frequency is right for you. If you start getting loose stools than you are likely taking too much. I have found Magnesium Citrate works very well. Some of the other ones like Magnesium oxide are not as well absorbed.

Magnesium for heart palpitations/panic attacks: I thank God for this site. I was having scary heart palpitations at night, and I knew it was panic attacks. The only course my doc offered was xanax, and as I was rushed through the visit there was no time to talk alternatives. I am not one of those people who thinks happiness is a pill away. I did my own research, and decided to try a magnesium supplement. The FIRST NIGHT I was heart palpitation-free. I can't believe doctors would rather throw a dangerous pill at you rather than discuss the effects of diet, exercise, and soda (caffeine&aspatame) on your body. Try Magnesium first, and make sure you are getting your potassium too!

I am writing about all of the people who have talked about tumeric or garlic as a potential cure for MRSA.

I've been doing some studying and there is a commonality I've found in these items:

Magnesium
Tumeric: http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/2043.html
Very high in manganese and high in magnesium.

Garlic:
http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/11215.html
Very high in manganese (both also very low in sugar and in fats)

French Green Clay has been touted as curing MRSA -HIGH IN MAGNESIUM

Antibiotics and poor digestive tract absorption will cause a magnesium deficiency.

Antibiotics kill off beneficial organisms in the gut, causing loose bowels, which decreases absorption.

"Antibiotics can also lower magnesium availability. Included on the antibiotic list are neomycin, tetracycline, erythromycin, ***sulfamethoxazole****, and sulfonamides.

Other medications that reduce the body's supply of magnesium include the anticoagulant drug warfarin; corticosteroids; oral contraceptives (birth control pills); and the immunosuppressant drug cyclosporine."

"Antibiotics (e.g. gentamicin and amphotericin) These drugs may increase the loss of magnesium in urine. Thus, taking these medications for long periods of time may contribute to magnesium depletion [9-10,12]."

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp

"Because magnesium plays such a wide variety of roles in the body, the symptoms of magnesium deficiency can also vary widely. Many symptoms involve changes in nerve and muscle function. These changes include muscle weakness, tremor, and spasm. In the heart muscle, magnesium deficiency can result in arrhythmia, irregular contraction, and increased heart rate. Because of its role in bone structure, the softening and weakening of bone can also be a symptom of magnesium deficiency. Other symptoms can include: imbalanced blood sugar levels; headaches; elevated blood pressure; elevated fats in the bloodstream; depression; seizures; nausea; vomiting; and lack of appetite. "

"Deficiency symptoms have three categories:Early symptoms include irritability, anorexia, fatigue, insomnia, and muscle twitching. Other symptoms include poor memory, apathy, confusion, and reduced ability to lea. Moderate deficiency symptoms consist of rapid heartbeat and other cardiovascular changes. Severe deficiency of magnesium could lead to tingling, numbness, sustained contraction of the muscles, and hallucinations and delirium. "

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002423.htm

What Magnesium does in your body:

"Magnesium: What is it?Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is essential to good health. Approximately 50% of total body magnesium is found in bone. The other half is found predominantly inside cells of body tissues and organs. Only 1% of magnesium is found in blood, but the body works very hard to keep blood levels of magnesium constant [1].

Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis [2-3].

There is an increased interest in the role of magnesium in preventing and managing disorders such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Dietary magnesium is absorbed in the small intestines. Magnesium is excreted through the kidneys [1-3,4]."

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp

Also

"Magnesium ions are essential to the basic nucleic acid chemistry of life, and thus are essential to all cells of all known living organisms. Plants have an additional use for magnesium in that chlorophylls are magnesium-centered porphyrins. Many enzymes require the presence of magnesium ions for their catalytic action, especially enzymes utilizing ATP, or those which use other nucleotides to synthesize DNA and A."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium

Magnesium is VERY important to support a healthy immune system Now I will say I am drawing correlations which are not scientifically proven. They are loose correlations and drawn conclusions. I am not affiliated with any health products or sites or doctors, I am not advocating the use of any health food product (it's really best to go natural with regards to vitamin intake). I have been suffering from fatigue, CA-MRSA, sleeplessness, arrythmia and bloating. I'm going to try more magnesium!

I challenge scientists to work with magnesium and MRSA.

I love love love, what magnesium has done for me. I was constipated for the last 30 years of my life. I was in a lot of discomfort and even excluded myself from social gatherings because of gas and bloating. Once a week was the norm most times less. I feel like I have wasted a lot of my life because of this problem. I added magnesium to my diet because of a problem I am having with my teeth, and what do you know, regular, like clockwork bowel movements. I have also added oatmeal to my diet, but by using the magnesium regularly, I feel so much better. Those who rely on laxatives are really missing the boat on this one, and should strongly rethink how they treat their bodies. Even though I should be laxative dependent, I never stooped to that way of life, but I know that a lot of women rely on laxatives to produce bowel movements. I feel freed by this information and only wish I had had it 30 years earlier.

Epsome salt may be more appropriate for soaking, as the magnesium diffuses into the bloodstream more slowly, however heed to the warning labels on the bag. If you use Epsom internally as a supplement for magnesium you want to avoid giving yourself a potassium deficiency, and that goes with any magnesium supplement, but is especially important for those on a diet low in potassium, or have low blood potassium levels. Diarrhea is a sign you have taking too much, unless you're intentionally trying to use it as a laxative. I would include grapefruit and oranges in my diet especially if using Epsom, and would not use Epsom internally long periods; have a blood test done, or watch out for signs of potassium deficiency if you're a chronic Epsom user. I read that magnesium taurate was once said to be the best form of magnesium, citrate being next, especially for those with mineral imbalances and prone to heartbeat rregularities.

I don't see any issue with the DMSO, but the mag oil will sting for as long as you are deficient. Perhaps try the oil twice a day and see how that helps. Also, see Dr Carolyn Dean for magnesium dosage.

I am making my own magnesium oil as well from pure magnesium chloride flakes. Since I mix it in a non toxic hydrating lotion from sukin=magnesium lotion, I can apply lots and experience no itching whatsoever.

Chelated magnesium glycinate is best absorbed and most gentle on the tummy.

Hi Marge,

You could make a gentle form of magnesium yourself at home which is easy on the stomach and extremely bio-available. It's called Magnesium acetate and is made with ACV or white distilled vinegar and (plain non flavored) milk of magnesia. You'll need to get the brand that has as its inert ingredient only water as some contain a bleach called hypochlorite. Dollar general and CVS for sure carry those but dollar general is only two bucks a 12 oz bottle.

Anyway, add 2 tablespoons of the M O M to a glass and then add 8 tablespoons of your vinegar and stir until the reaction is complete ( you'll know this has occurred when the solution is clear.) You may need to add small increments of vinegar say 1/4 teaspoon at a time to get the solution clear. (Try the white distilled vinegar first until you get the right ratio).

Your milk of magnesia should contain 1200 mg of magnesium hydroxide per tablespoon, therefore this 10 tablespoon batch will yield 1008.8 mg or just over a gram of elemental magnesium which you could put preferably in a sealed glass container refrigerated and dose yourself accordingly. 1 tablespoon = 100+mg magnesium. Work up to what works right for you.

Good luck

Update:

Regarding my healing. For 2 months I have been in terrible discomfort, tingling, burning and itching on my feet, hands, ankles, legs and different parts of my body. I did not know what this was after 3 trips to the doctor blood tests and further evaluations.

Finally one day I was going over my everyday routine of supplements and actions regarding my health.

I came to realize to my amazement that my problem was not in something I caught but something I myself was doing. MY PROBLEM WAS MAGNESIUM...FOR SURE. Here's why.

I was taking 500mg of mag gluconate sometimes twice a day, then spraying magnesium spray on my body, also soaking in a hot bathtub with epsom salts containing magnesium. When my doctor heard this she said STOP! I stopped 4 days ago after the the second day I'm back to normal no pain, not itching, no burning, no tingling.

I had red spots appear on my skin then disappear in 2 or 3 hours scaring me. Big blotches too in some places. The itching was horrid. The nerves in my hands an feet were under attack I thought it was RA and other issues. I'm 61 but otherwise in good health. All my labs came back near perfect...it was all a mystery until I stopped the magnesium.

I hope I helped someone out there that is going through the same thing.

Bill

MtoM,

No internal magnesium that I have ever used, and I have used a few, can provide the muscle relaxing effects of topically applied mag oil, so I am with you on that topic.

Art

It all depends on the individual, so the best approach is a "broad spectrum" magnesium. Get as many forms as possible which may mean at least two or more products. Here are the forms to look for: Magnesium ---Citrate, Orotate, Aspartate, Malate, Oxide.

Been researching to the core issues of health, and have found this stuff, Magnesium Chloride oil. It has so much going for it, I can only suggest looking it up! Among the most striking, are studies showing that it can stop or even reverse aging, and help heal all manner of issues, something needed by every body. It even re-mineralizes teeth, when brush with it. I am getting it first thing Monday morning to spray on my body.

Magnesium oil, essentially ancient dead sea salt, is an excellent complement to iodine, MSM, baking soda, ALA, N-acetyl cystein. It is absorbed by the skin without the diarrhea that comes from taking it internally. Scripture says that it is good to soak in the foam of the sea, and perhaps this is why. One would expect that soaking in dead sea salts would also provide magnesium through the skin. I still like the sea salts as an internal cleanser, though. And a quote:

"Brushing the teeth with Magnesium Oil and massaging it into the skin can directly assist with re- mineralizing teeth and bones."

--T.

Hi Mary...

Hi this question is for you Bill. To accurately make the mag bicarbonate water would I be correct with the following proportions? 1 liter of carbonated water, 500ml of MoM, and 120ml of baking powder? Thanks, Mary

The easiest way to make a magnesium bicarbonate solution is to use Milk of Magnesia -- no aluminum -- and carbonated water.

Here is the recipe:

In its composition, this homemade magnesium/bicarbonate water is very close to brands like Noah's California Spring Water or Unique Water. The recipe is based on the reaction of magnesium hydroxide (in milk of magnesia) with plain carbonated water according to the formula

Mg(OH)₂ plus 2CO₂ —> Mg(HCO3)₂

Plain Milk of Magnesia (MoM) should be used in the recipe. The "active" ingredient should only be magnesium hydroxide [Mg (OH)2], 400 mg per teaspoon (5 ml), and the "inactive" ingredient should only be purified water. 41. 7% by weight of magnesium hydroxide is magnesium (Mg), so 5 ml of MoM has 167 mg of Mg, and 1 tablespoon has 500 mg of Mg (1 tablespoon = 15 ml).

To prepare the water follow these steps:

1. Chill a 1-liter bottle of unflavored seltzer, which is fully carbonated water. The seltzer should only contain water and carbon dioxide (CO2). Club soda is carbonated water with a small amount of added sodium and is also suitable.
2. Shake the bottle of Milk of Magnesia well, then measure out 3 tablespoons (45 ml) and have it ready. The plastic measuring cup that comes with the MoM is accurate and ideal for the purpose.
3. Remove the bottle of unflavored seltzer from the refrigerator without agitating it. Open it slowly and carefully to minimize the loss of CO2. As soon as the initial fizzing settles down, slowly add the pre-measured MoM. Promptly replace the cap on the water bottle and shake it vigorously for 30 seconds or so, making the liquid cloudy.

After 1/2 hour or so the liquid will have cleared, and any un-dissolved magnesium hydroxide will have settled to the bottom of the bottle. Again shake the bottle vigorously for 30 seconds or so, making the liquid cloudy again. When the liquid again clears all of the magnesium hydroxides in the MoM should have reacted with all of the CO2 to become dissolved (ionized) magnesium and bicarbonate.

If a small amount of un-dissolved magnesium hydroxide still remains in the bottom of the bottle as sediment it may be ignored.

This 1 liter of concentrated magnesium bicarbonate water will have approximately 1500 mg of magnesium and approximately 7500 mg of bicarbonate. It should be kept in the refrigerator. You may note that the sides of the bottle "cave in" when the liquid clears. This is a sign that the reaction is complete.

To make 4 liters of magnesium bicarbonate drinking water with approximately 125 mg of magnesium and approximately 625 mg of bicarbonate per liter and a pH of approximately 8 measure and transfer 1/3 liter of the concentrate (333 ml) into a 4-liter container. Fill the container with 3 2/3 liters of plain or purified water, as desired.

Magnesium dissolved in water (ionized) is considerably more bioavailable than is magnesium in pill form. While this is not as concentrated as colloidal magnesium, it is considerably easier on the tastebuds.

Source: http://www.acupuncturebrooklyn.com/how-tos/how-to-make-magnesium-bicarbonate-water

Hi Rialc...I normally recommend Magnesium Chloride as a magnesium choice but the chloride part might raise your blood pressure for a short while. Magnesium Citrate will not raise your blood pressure and would be safe enough for you to take(300mgs twice a day).

If you also have high blood pressure problems and/or cholesterol problems I would also try taking the following nutrients on a daily basis:

Kelp -- Especially for the iodine and beneficial minerals.

Niacin - 500 mgs twice a day. Or you could take the slow release, no-flush niacin form -- inositol hexanicotinate(1500mgs twice a day). The more niacin the better the outcome. Niacin is about the best nutrient I know for relaxing the mind and body(my own experience) -- but you will have to take the higher non-RDA dosages to get this relaxing effect. We are all deficient in most of the B Vitamins anyway because of our poor diets, so supplementing Brewer's Yeast(best natural B vitamin source) or B50 complex on a daily basis would also problably help most people here as well.

Vitamin C -- at least 3 to 8 grams a day(depending on the seriousness your heart or blood condition) with water in separate 1 gm doses throughout the day. As per Linus Pauling's successful heart research.

Lysine -- 3 to 8 gms a day. Take it together with the Vitamin C in water every day. As per Linus Pauling's heart research.

Green Tea 3 times a day. Works together with the Vitamin C and lysine to help cure problems like arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure. As per Linus Pauling's heart research.

Chanca piedra -- Most people don't realize how beneficial and wide-acting this herb is for the body. This one lowers dangerous excess blood calcium, lowers blood pressure, lowers blood sugar, dissolves and removes gallstones and kidney stones, lowers cholesterol and is also strongly anti-viral.

Try to avoid excess gluten, dairy and sugar in your diet.

"Lisinipril is very effective at reducing hypertension but it is hard on the kidneys." That's odd - My doctor prescribed 5mg a day of lisinipril to lower the pressure in my kidneys.

Hi Malikitheguy, Could you be low in potassium? Try taking some potassium with the magnesium and if you can't get potassium try taking the Mg with lemon juice as it has a small amount in it (if it's grown well). Dates are also a good source. Otherwise try a different type of magnesium like epsom salts or magnesium chloride. All the best.

All the research I have done on Magnesium shows that ionic Magnesium is absorbed by the body much better than other forms & that magnesium oxide is one of the worst & hardest to be absorbed... So I would say to stick with the ionic magnesium... It works well for me, much better than the oxide version I used to take. The oxide one gave me bad diarrhea from malabsorbtion. Also I would say to definitely make sure you continue with magnesium supplementing if you start the vitamin D because it makes a magnesium deficiency more prominent... magnesium is just so important for over 300 enzyme processes & I believe processing vitamin D requires magnesium...

This is absolutely fascinating! Thanks for sharing this info.

Hi Jeff... Magnesium Chloride can be taken in amounts up to 1/2 tspn in a glass of water per day. This amount has historically been used to cure diseases like diptheria and polio in the earlier days when medicine was more honest. See this link:

http://curezone.com/art/read.asp?ID=49&db=5&C0=74

Normally, if you are taking MC for a specific reason for the first time, you should take a larger dose -- say 1/2 tspn and try to find the point where you get loose stools or diarrhea. This is called titrating the dose. This tells you that you body is getting enough magnesium and that's when you should cut back to 1/8 or 1/4 tspn a day. Every individual will have a different requirement for magnesium and this is the best way to find it.

Chris Gupta says you should take 25g/litre which works out to 2. 5gms(or 1/2 tspn) per 100 mL(or about 1/2 glass of water).

If you are using Magnesium Oil, the dosage is 10 drops two or three times a day outside mealtimes. Again you should try and find your own level by titration.

Hi Mary, forgot to answer you on timing. We take about an hour before bed or so. I drink with milk but my husband just with water. Like I said, it has worked great doing it in the afternoon too. You just need to take the niacin with the magnesium. I had starting taking the magnesium chloride at night, and just happened to want to take the niacin after watching the documentry on Dr. Abram Hoffer and niacin. That made me want ti take niacin so I took it with the magenesium. I had taken niacin many times over the years but never felt anything but the flush. I never experienced anything like the effect as such when taking it with the magnesium chloride. The magnesium was great for sleep, acid reflux, digestion and for nerves, but alone there was no effect of the energy and mental clarity, better and disposition as such as when taken with the niacin. From Dr. Hoffer's research, niacin is just so important for the brain, which needs so much more nutrients than an other body system. But the just plain old feeling so good and energy wasn't something I was expecting. Everyone else I have given this too has the same experience. Just some feel so good in the AM then sort of hit an afternoon crash, but take the mag and niacin again and you are set for the day.

Hi Mary...I've been using borax as a spray with Mag sulphate in solution and I've also been taking trace borax in water internally(1/4 tspn in 1 litre of water) for about 4 months now and I have found it to be beneficial with no ill effects. The reason I take borax is to protect myself against fleas, ticks etc (I live in the tropics), to protect myself internally and externally against fungus and to balance my hormones and endocrine system. New research has also determined that supplementing boron or borax is an aid in preventing osteoporosis and seems to work with magnesium in the regulation of calcium within the body.

The brand that I use is 20 Mule Team Borax, which I regard as safe and fairly pure. Their site lists the ingredient as Sodium Tetraborate -- or Borax. See the link here:

http://www.20muleteamlaundry.com/about

On the above link, if you click the Product Info tab, and go to the bottom, the only ingredient listed is Sodium Tetraborate or Borax.

Regarding the other info you provided, I investigated this, and their were many recommendations by the FDA that borax was dangerous during rerpoduction as well as cancer causing.

So I did my own investigation. Here is the MSDS(Material Data Safety Sheet) -- which is the absolute research bible on all chemical substances -- and if you read the Toxicolgical Info portion of this data sheet, you will note that the conclusions were that there were no known or anticipated reproductive or mutagenic effects. This conclusion was determined by the IARC. As for recommendations by the FDA, I'm afraid I wouldn't trust their advice anymore than I would trust the Fed, and for the same reasons.

One thing was very noticable in the link you provided, in all the recommendations that were given on toxicity, no AMOUNTS or QUANTITIES were ever shown. After all, if you ate a whole cupful of ordinary table salt, that would have some pretty strange effects wouldn't it? Yet we eat SMALL amounts of salt every day. It is the same with borax when taken internally, it is taken in trace amounts only.

Also, when you compare the MSDS datasheet toxicity of Borax to ordinary table salt(Sodium Chloride), table salt turns out to be technically more poisonous than borax. Here is the MSDS sheet for ordinary table salt:

http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/S3338.htm

If you type in "boron benefits" in Google search you will see further reasons and health benefits for taking borax in small amounts. Boron is always taken as a borate salt, and if you buy boron supplements and check the label, you will be taking borax.

Their are even people on EC that swear by using ordinary borax as a hair and scalp conditioner. See this link:

https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/hair_conditioners.html#BORAX

WORKED TEMPORARILY

I have a heart rythmn issue called Accelerated Junctional Rythmn and some PAC/PVCs. I read so much on magnesium so I decided to try, only I'm pretty chicken when it comes to taking ANYTHING....so (and don't laugh) I tried taking Rolaids....ingrediants are mag Oxide and calcium. for 3 weeks, i was palp free and very calm.

Unfortunately it is starting to come back despite using the Rolaids. Maybe the relief was in my head? Maybe Rolaids is not the best source of Mag? Who knows !!!

You may want to try switching from oral Mag to transdermal Mag. I spray 5 times on to my chest each morning and do not experience heart palpitations (I suffered from palpitations daily). If I skip a day, the palpitations come back.

Here's an article on magnesium from the Linus Pauling Institute:

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/magnesium/

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

Help me solve my mystery with magnesium glycinate...

about 5 years ago, I was an avid lap swimmer, and spent about an hour and a half daily in the pool... Swimming two miles a day. I started taking Kal brand magnesium glycinate... 400mg.. Because I was having problems with leg and feet cramps. I noticed immediately that the magnesium made me fell exhausted during the day... Yet I continued to take it.

30 days after I started taking it my hair started to change. I have had my entire life thin, lifeless hair that never never grew... Several months into to it, people could not believe the difference in my appearance. My complexion was amazing and I looked like I had a new head of hair. And then my hair started to grow. For the first time in my life I grew long hair... Also, my mytrovalve prolapse problems stopped.. Yet I felt exhausted... So much so that it affected my days... So I quit taking it. Then I quit swimming. My bad hair has returned and my lifeless complexion is back. So the other day, I took the glycinate back out... Cut a pill in half.. Which is how I have always taken it, and the next day I felt exhausted... What would be going on...

In response to swim from wichita, your story is very interesting. Perhaps the exhaustion is just detox. I think the first step would be for you to try a different form of magnesium, perhaps orotate or gluconate, and see if the exhaustion remains.

Also, mag needs to be balanced with calcium and vitamin d3 (cholecalciferol). (Tim Ferriss, in his book 4-hour body, reports that his friend had long-term d3 deficiency and didn't know it. When that friend started supplementing D3 his energy went through the roof. -- Worth a try. ) Furthermore, if you were deficient in mag, you may have other deficiencies. Try taking omega-3, vitamin C, drinking lots of (non-chlorinated, non-flouridated) water, if you aren't already.

Please keep us updated.

Claire, there are three things that you can do to improve magnesium absorption and prevent loose bowels:

(1) Do not take large amounts of calcium at the same time that you take magnesium. Calcium may actually lessen the absorption of magnesium, since they compete for absorption at "absorption sites" in the small intestine.
(2) Take magnesium in divided doses. For example, you can take 100 mg. of magnesium at each meal. You can even take small doses of magnesium with just water or juice between meals.
(3) Take some lemon juice or orange juice or vinegar with your magnesium supplement - especially if you have low stomach acid. The addition of acid (citric/ascorbic/acetic) from these juices will help to ionize the magnesium compound, making more magnesium ions available for absorption.

Let me know if this helps.

Hi Colleen,

If that pharmacy chain starts with "R", then I would say your reaction to that supplement doesn't surprise me. I've purchased different things from them that smelled like some weird strong glue when opened, way before any expiration date (of course I returned them!). Things I had taken from them that didn't smell like that never seemed to do much anyway. I don't buy their suppplements anymore. It's worth paying more for better quality.

I would suspect the additives in the supplement as causing your problems before suspecting the magnesium itself. How about some food sources to get that extra magnesium? A food source is always better than a supplement if the food source is of good quality. Eating the whole food means you get all the synergistic compounds it may contain as opposed to an isolated nutrient. Pumpkin seeds have very high levels of magnesium as well as lots of other nutrients. I buy an organic dry roasted brand that are low sodium. A handful a day can give you quite a nutritional boost. See this link for lots of good info on pumpkin seeds:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=82

Beans and spinach are also very good sources of magnesium, as are chinook salmon and halibut. If you feel you still need some supplemental magnesium, perhaps you might want to try the magnesium oil foot soak as described here on EC. Bear in mind that magnesium, calcium, and potassium do need to be balanced; this is very important!

Good luck, and please update us!

Hi Colleen...You use a much higher concentration of epsom salt in your spray than I do. I just use one heaped tablespoon in water in a small 8 oz spray container. This does not dry white on the skin. Using a 50-50 solution will not do you any harm, but it will settle as a white powder on your body due to being a much heavier concentration.

Forgot to add that I add the borax to kill off any fungus, bacteria etc on my skin. You don't have to add it to the spray mixture if you prefer.

Take Magnesium Taurate. See an Auricular Medicine Doctor for reassurance. Dr. Carolyn Dean recommends mag. Taurate. I take buffered mag. Taurate. Or, apply Magnesium Oil. This is an excellent alternative bc it bypasses your digestive system and goes to work as soon as it is absorbed through the skin. Tip: make sure skin is slightly moist (warm water) and it will go on smoothly and readily. Good luck. LB

I have created my own magnesium oil spray with magnesium Chloride (Flakes) and a few drops of DMSO so the magnesium absorbs better - but I do get the burning/itching feeling - but it does subside after a while. After spending like two hours reading all the posts here on magnesium - I am left even more confused.

First question - should I not put the DMSO in my magnesium oil?

Second question: What other forms of Magnesium should I take? I will take two capsules (400 mg) of Magnesium chelate at night if I know for sure I'm not going to be using the magnesium oil spray. At any rate - instead of my thumbing through 5,000 articles on NIH or PubMed about Magnesium (some of which contradict each other), can anyone tell me which forms of magnesium I should be taking and how much?

Before taking the magnesium bicarbonate water I would get chilled easily. Whenever I would fall asleep my body would get very chilly. Anyway, the magnesium bicarbonate water has worked wonders.

Hi Bill,

I know your post is older but I want to clarify for the people reading, your reaction to magnesium is not an indication that you were overdosing and there was danger. Yes you needed to take a lower dose to ease symptoms (itching, redness, etc) but all those symptoms are actually signs of how severe your deficiency is! Think about when a body part goes numb from having the circulation cut off like you slept on your arm. When circulation returns there is tingling, burning, itching etc. When we are very depleated of magnesium, our organs and circulation system calcifies. When magnesium is increased, the process of calcification starts to reverse and you get those symptoms. Just take your magnesium in lower doses to gradually recover without the symptoms. But for goodness sake do not stop taking magnesium!

I have been researching and Magnesium Chloride quite specifically is the best one to take both topically and internally. Even if your digestion is poor, taking Magnesium Chloride internally will improve your digestion. Please research this and the great doctors who proved the amazing effect of internal Magnesium Chloride.

https://www.faim.org/magnesium-chloride-hexahydrate-therapy

https://www.johnston-independent.com/magnesium_chloride.html

Magnesium Chloride is sold for tofu making called "Nigari"

A great source in Canada is omfoods.com

<3

M to M,

Some of the store bought mag oil is closer to 70% while a mix of a half cup of flakes to a half cup of water is more likely to be less than 50%. These 70% solutions are closer to a saturated solution and would tend to explain why they might be slightly more effective. Mixing flakes in lotion is another useful way of using mag flakes.

Art