We lose magnesium under stress. The more stress, the more magnesium is used up to relax and re-balance our system from the excess adrenaline and other stress hormones that are temporarily released for hyper-active states of ‘fight or flight’. These hormones cause the flow of calcium into muscle cells to contract them, as calcium is a contracting and hardening agent.
Calcium ions are ‘attractive’: They cause protein fibres to pull together. Calcium induces energetic bursts, firing and muscle contractions. Once the danger or the need for hyper-activity has passed the muscles need to relax again using magnesium, which releases the grip of the calcium. It is a delicate and lightning-fast operation of switching that takes place in active muscles. Calcium contracts and magnesium relaxes.
Once magnesium is used in metabolism, only some gets recycled. The rest is deposited to blood. Kidneys then excrete that extra magnesium so that blood homeostasis is maintained. This is why a magnesium blood test is not an accurate indicator of tissue levels of magnesium. Blood tests do not pick up sub-clinical magnesium deficiency.
Some people can experience excessive magnesium loss via urine (hypermagnesuria). It becomes very hard to consume enough magnesium in foods to keep up with metabolism needs. When magnesium is too low calcium becomes a bully, causing stiffness or muscle spasms. We need the magnesium to relax and recover.
Most of the time we get enough calcium from foods, especially from dairy. Dairy foods are high in calcium, but very low in magnesium. It is the magnesium that is more commonly deficient in people and more difficult to replace in high enough amounts (not the calcium).
Immune system support
Magnesium is essential to support and strengthen the immune system. [6]
When people (children or adults) get sick
with inflammation and pain it is because the cells have been excessively stressed, inducing an immune system reaction. Without sufficient magnesium supply to recover, we keep losing more of our magnesium reserves.
When magnesium stores get low, dehydration increases, detoxification slows down and pollution builds up, causing cell pH to drop to acidic levels. Our fluids then become thicker and more ‘sticky’ – especially as a result of stress. The lymph system can get blockages, inflammation and abcesses. We can become constipated and clogged.
Low pH invites pathogenic bacteria and fungus to make their homes in our bodies, depositing toxic wastes and depleting our resources. This causes the immune system to go into overdrive, resulting in inflammation, swelling and pain in various locations. With a low magnesium status the immune system can become highly primed for inflammatory responses even with the slightest provocation, as in an allergic or asthmatic response.
In a 2009 study titled, ‘Magnesium treatment for asthma in children’ they concluded: “Owing to its bronchodilating and anti-inflammatory effects, magnesium is an encouraging adjuvant therapy for pediatric patients… Magnesium should also be considered as a prophylactic treatment.” [7]