Maximize Health with Magnesium: Key Benefits & Sources

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

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

Hello, Magnesium L Threonate is a great form of magnesium for Memory. The way to take it is twice a day. Take 1 in AM combine with 1 Mg Glycinate.. Another 1 in pm combine with 2 caps Mg Glycinate.. Mix Mg forms.. as the needed dose for Mag is mg 5x body wt/lbs.. (100 lbs. needs 5oo mg Mg.) Mag L Threonate only has 48 mg elemental Mg. Glycinate has 133 mg Mg. per pill...It takes about 6 months or more to get your body stores of Mag replenished. So be patient.It will happen.

Yes, I have been using it for 2 weeks. What a remarkable difference it has made for my brain! It produces a calm, clear headed feeling and my focus is much improved. Here is an article describing the clinical research.

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2012/feb2012_Novel-Magnesium-Compound-Reverses-Neurodegeneration_01.htm

Rachel: it may never be known, this little symptom, as there are sooo many variables and unidentifiable causes. So, one must throw a "blanket" cure and reevaluate. Magnesium is a great mineral that is gaining popularity as a remedy of many health problems simply because it's soo lacking in the diet. But taking Mag alone isn't a balanced mineral approach. I suggest temporarily drop the large Mag dose and try a Cal/Mag/Zinc supplement. This should give you a broader range of efficacy.

Dear TimH, thank you very kindly for your response. I spent Sunday replenishing my electrolytes and potassium in particular. The eyelid swelling went down almost immediately, but I had intense pressure and pain behind both eyes that kept me in bed much of the day Sunday. When my husband commented that he too had pressure behind his eyes, I started looking for another cause. Turns out... Da da da! ... That we were both having an allergic reaction to a fragrance in a beautiful reed diffuser that we had received as a gift on Saturday and set out. Wow! There was no listing of ingredients on the bottle, but I suspect the liquid contained not only essential oils but some very toxic chemicals. It took about 12 hours after I removed the bottle from the house for our eye pressure to go away. Who would have guessed?! Best to you, Rachel.

Rachel: So glad you found the cause. Don't count you & hubby out of the woods yet. Antioxidants in any form would definitely be indicated right now. From this it is possible that you could develop Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). Yes, some of the "household products" are very toxic and many aren't labeled as strictly as, say, food items. A hot bath w/ Baking Soda /Epsom Salt would help rid the toxins. Take 1 grm Vit-C during the bath.

Your symptoms of racing heart, feeling restless as well as sleep disturbances read as perimenopause. I too have perimenopause and never realized anxiety and racing heart could be symptoms. I made some adjustments to my diet and find it helps tremendously. I'm also super mindful about the quality of soy products I consume. Also, I'll cut back on sugar and refined breads as soon as I know I am premenstrual. I hope you find something that works for you *peace

Hello, my comment is regarding Sarah's posting (from North Vancouver, B.C Canada). I have a similar reaction to magnesium. Lately, I have been taking Bentonite clay (which is rich in magnesium) and it has kept me up and energized, the problem is that if I take it close to my bedtime, I simply cannot get any sleep. The dose that I am taking is quite large (2 tablespoons) and not only I do not experience any calming effects, it does not have any laxative effects either. I have read some postings here on EC regarding the relaxing effects of magnesium but for some strange reason, the opposite happens to me. I had attempted to address the problem by not having any caffeine after lunch time and also sticking to a light early dinner thinking that those were the reasons for my insomnia, and not until recently when I was purchasing clay from a website and read someone's comment about magnesium keeping them up that I made the connection. I remember having the same problem when taking magnesium citrate. I would appreciate any comments. Thanks!

May I ask why you are taking extra magnesium. I started taking it since I seem to have candida and I also have a mitral valve prolapse. After taking it for a few a month I started gettting major muscle twitching. I even got a heart cramping feeling every now and then. Perhaps you don't need extra magnesium. Perhaps you are throwing your calcium balance off. Even if you take calcium with it it might not be properly absorbed. Certain types of calcium are absorbed better than others. What magnesium were you taking? Was it magnesium taurate, or another form. Perhaps there is a underlying cause for you symptoms that are not related to the magnesium.

I've been having similar reactions to magnesium. I took it as a natural muscle relaxer because I'm tired of taking Rx for my back. I started taking 600mg of magnesium oxide in 250mg tablets (I broke them up to make 3 servings to reach 600mg) Within hours the muscles started to relax (I was shocked that it worked so fast) by the fourth day I started having pain in between my shoulder blades, shoulders, neck, jaw, headache, and in my armpit. This was followed with my heart pumping so hard that it felt as if my heart was in my throat. Needless to say I stopped taking it for about a week and a half and the muscle pain came back with a vengence. I thought I'd try taking 250mg a day by breaking the pill in half and taking 1/2 two times a day. It took the edge off my pain, but not as good as with 600mg. Unfourtunately the chest/heart pain came back with in a few days and I stopped taking it again. nearly four days of being off it and my pulse is still to high to donate plasma. I don't want to take calcium with my history of kidney stones, and I had issues with potassium supplements about nine years ago when it was reccomended for a low carb diet I was on. My heart was racing so fast I thought I would faint and fall to the floor. does anyone have any suggestions on how to make my heart/ chest pain stop and/or a safer alternative to relax the muscles without scary side effects. by the way the added ingredients in the mag supp I was taking is: cellulose, starch, croscarmellose, vegetable magnesium sterate. The brand is from a popular pharmacy chain. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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!

I've been taking both Magnesium Gluconate tablets for some time now, and have just started to soak my feet in Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulphate).

By far the best way to take and absorb Magnesium into your body is either by soaking yourself in the bath for at least 20 mins (adding 3 cups of Epsom salts to the bath water) or to use a little warm water (enough just to submerge the soles of your feet and toes in a small bow), add and dissolve 3 tblsps of Epsom Salts, and soak your feet for half an hour (less wasteful than a bath, but just as good). The reason that this is the best way to absorb magnesium is that its absorbtion does not require the digestive system, so there is no chance of problems like diarrhea. Also, by soaking, the body will only absorb the amount of magnesium that it needs, so this method works well with your body's magnesium regulation.

The first time that I did this foot soak with Epsom Salts was at 9:00 pm at night. By 10 pm, I was so relaxed and tired that I just went to bed (I usually never go to bed before 12 at night) and I woke up the next morning wide awake and fresh for the day. No brain fog or grogginess.

I'm 60 y o and I do this Epsom Salt foot soak once a week now, or whenever I have aches and pains(which rarely happens now).

I also use an 8 oz garden spray -- which contains water 3 teaspoons Epsom Salts 1 teaspoon of Borax(20 Mule Team brand) to spray onto the outside of my body after showering and drying. I rub it in and leave this to dry naturally on my body.

These soaking and spraying methods are far more efficient and safe than supplementing with magnesium pills. They also deliver far larger amounts of magnesium into the body than oral supplements, and it is completely safe with no side-effects.

What is the borax for? Does this spray leave your skin chalky? Sounds like a great idea. I just tried epsom and water 1/2 & 1/2 and it turned me all white where I sprayed it.

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.

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...

Glyconate is food aditive, I could not find the spelling you gave.. So I am not sure what you are taking.. Maybe you need magnesium chloride.. Drops in water and drink this.. & soak your feet.. Take a bath in it.. Make your own spray and use this way.. You will really sleep well at nite and perhaps feel vigor the next day...There is good reading on this.. On the internet.. And this site EC is excellant choice... God Bless everyone who helps getting all this GOOD info to US ALL....

HI, found this Magnesium is also a natural relaxer. It has a therapeutic effect on many different areas of the body. Those of you who have ever taken a magnesium supplement know what this feels like. I've taken it before to help me fall asleep, and it definitely does the trick. Not only that, but one of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency mentioned above is insomnia, so taking magnesium glycinate to help correct sleeplessness might be a good idea.

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.

Could someone recommend a brand of magnesium for menstrual cramps? Thank you

My daughters use a liquid one made from magnesium chloride, which is intended to be taken by mouth. It comes with a screw on cap and we replace that with a dropper for ease of use. They find it helps to begin taking it several days ahead of the monthly event to reduce cramping.