Masters of Health Magazine November 2022 | Page 78

MAGNESIUM DESTROYERS

(Source: Herbpower21)

 

• Agricultural chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides, such as glyphosate, block the absorption of Mg.

•    Alcohol depletes Mg.

•  Carbonated beverages and processed foods, like cold-cut meats, contain phosphates that bind to Mg molecules and flush them out of the body.

•    Coffee works like a diuretic that flushes Mg and other nutrients from the body.

• Dry roasting nuts remove the highly nutritious oils that contain Mg.

• Fluoridated, softened, or distilled water depletes Mg.

•    Milling flour from grains strips Mg from the grain.

•    Some foods — like nut skins, seeds, grains, maize, legumes, soybeans, pinto beans, and raw spinach — are high in phytic acid or oxalic acid compounds that bind to minerals and hinder their absorption.

•    Sugar in any amount depletes Mg.

 

Calcium Factor

The balance between calcium (Ca) and Magnesium (Mg) is critical.  For movement, electrical impulses transmit signals to the nerves and brain.  Ca, the conductor for these impulses enters the cells through Ca channels operated by Mg.  Once Ca does its job, Mg helps the body remove it from the cells.  When Mg is insufficient, these electrical impulses are hindered and Ca builds up in the soft tissues, which can cause angina, arrhythmia, asthma, defensiveness, headaches, and hypertension.  This is why Mg is often called the ‘Nature’s Ca channel blocker.’

 

Metabolism

Digestive enzymes require ample amounts of HCL (hydrochloric acid) in the stomach to efficiently digest food and change dietary minerals into an absorbable form.  A stomach acid deficiency hinders the absorption of Mg and other minerals needed from food, which leads to many illnesses.  Antacids and soda only worsen this condition.

 

Deficiencies of HCL and Mg are common in the elderly and people with arthritis, asthma, depression, diabetes, gallbladder disease, osteoporosis, and gum disease.

 

Early signs of a Mg deficiency include chronic constipation, anxiety, headaches and migraines, insulin resistance, PMS, depression, leg cramps, muscle twitches, and edema.  These early symptoms indicate a Mg deficiency.  If untreated, a Mg deficiency can lead to more life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis, to name a few.  For testing, a hair analysis is a better indicator of a long-term Mg deficiency than a blood test, as blood analysis can fluctuate from hour to hour.

 

An adult body has 22–26 grams of Mg, with 60% in the skeleton (20% in skeletal muscle), 39% intracellular, and 1% extracellular.  Serum levels are typically 0.7–1.0 mol/L or 1.8–2.4 mEq/L.  Serum Mg levels may be normal even when intracellular Mg is deficient.  The mechanisms for maintaining the Mg level in the serum are varying gastrointestinal absorption and renal excretion.  Intracellular Mg correlates with intracellular potassium.  Mg lowers calcium and can either prevent hypercalcemia or cause hypocalcemia depending on the ratio.  Both low and high protein intake conditions can inhibit Mg absorption, as does the amount of phosphate, phytate, and fat in the gut.  Unabsorbed dietary Mg is excreted in feces; absorbed Mg is excreted in urine and sweat.

An increased renal or gastrointestinal loss, an increased intracellular shift, or a proton-pump inhibitor for antacid therapy can also cause an imbalance.