Published in the Australian Traditional Medicine Society Journal.
It was a time of great stress in the community when the Global Financial Crash hit in 2007-8. It was a time when excessive workloads, menopause and lack of sleep to meet deadlines caused a massive depletion in my magnesium levels, with severe heart arrhythmia and consequent diagnosis of Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.
My cardiologist had put me through rigorous testing and summed up that there were no medical treatments available for me due to my low blood pressure, and that if he gave me heart slowing drugs, they could cause a heart attack.
He said the heart muscle was in good condition, but I had a twitch in the left ventricle, like a twitch in the eye or a cramp in the leg, and that I should, “Just put up with it like everyone else.” He said, “You would be amazed at how many people have this problem.”
I was very perplexed at this response because I expected the specialists to have the answers. I was relieved that there was no drug or surgery treatment possible, but annoyed at the prospect of having to ‘put up with it’. A voice inside me said, “Not this little black duck.” So, I started to research the science of what could be causing this condition.
Over 100 years of magnesium research
There it was: over a hundred years of magnesium research all pointing to magnesium deficiency as the root cause of these muscle, electrical and cardiovascular issues. I was dumbfounded because the cardiologist did not mention magnesium to me, even once, as a possible adjunct therapy to alleviate the symptoms (even partially).
In 2008 I read books about magnesium and followed the cited studies until I understood the problem of magnesium deficiency better. I couldn’t tolerate the tablets or powders due to digestive issues via my hypothyroid condition. Even taking digestive enzymes did not help me to get enough magnesium from oral forms.
Magnesium chloride was cited as the most bioavailable form of magnesium, with the skin being able to absorb it well in a bath. No matter where I looked however, I could not find it to purchase from any store shelf or pharmacy in Australia. Finally, in 2008 I found a source of magnesium chloride flakes in Europe. It proved to be a very expensive exercise in those days as the 4kg package cost more in freight than the product itself, but it worked well to help me recover, with no more symptoms of heart arrhythmia after six months of regular weekly magnesium bathing. I know now that I could have sped up this recovery with stronger and more frequent soaking. I’m also happy to report that my recovery did not involve medications.
I kept thinking about what the cardiologist had told me, that many people have these issues. That meant that many people have magnesium deficiency, and probably many could also not tolerate the oral supplements of magnesium. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I had to bring food grade magnesium chloride to Australia, and so began my journey in 2009 to found the Elektra Magnesium brand.
Note that we specialize in importing only food grade magnesium chloride, which is independently tested in Australia to 10ppb with no lead nor mercury found.