Magnesium Health Benefits
Magnesium deficiencies are known as the “invisible deficiency” because it’s so commonly overlooked. With the health benefits of magnesium ranging from improved cognition, reducing stress, improving depression, along with better sleep, pain relief and heart health, it’s easy to understand why taking magnesium is a promising strategy to vibrant health and disease prevention. “New clinical research results show magnesium is effective at addressing symptoms and is safer and easier on the wallet than prescription therapies,” reports Science Daily, echoing the reporting of Natural News from over a decade ago.
Interesting Magnesium Health Benefits
- This important mineral is deficient in the soil from which the food we eat grows. Chemical fertilizers and modern intensive farming and agricultural trends have stripped increasing amounts of nutrients from our soils.
- One general rule of thumb to determine the need for a daily intake of magnesium is approximately 3-4 mg per pound of bodyweight. For a 200 lb. male, this would equate to 600 mg to 800 mg per day. Roughly 75% of U.S. adults consume less than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of magnesium.
- 50% of cases of a deficiency in this mineral may go unrecognized due to statistical errors in serum magnesium testing.
- The body absorbs only about 20-50% of magnesium intake. Magnesium oxide, the most common form of supplement fro this nutrient found in drug stores, only has a 4% absorption rate. Magnesium chloride has much higher rates of absorption due to their higher solubility in water.
- Over three dozen prescription medications interfere with absorption of this mineral and retention in the body, including cortisones, antibiotics, diuretics, allergy and asthma medications, and chemotherapy treatments.
- The natural process of aging and the individual’s state of health reduces stomach acid levels and is associated with reduced absorption. Consequently, the gut becomes less efficient at absorbing magnesium and the kidneys become less efficient at retaining it with age. Transdermal (topical) absorption of this mineral addresses all of these concerns.
By understanding the causes of a lack of magnesium, it’s possible for each of us to make proactive individual decisions on whether to supplement this commonly deficient essential mineral.
7 Health Benefits of Magnesium Chloride Transdermal/Topical Supplementation
1. Your heart needs it
Magnesium regulates the contractile ability of the heart muscle. A decreased level of this mineral in the heart muscle may predispose a person to coronary spasms. It also decreases coagulation and acts as a calcium channel blocker, thereby helping the heart to pump more effectively.
2. Your lungs need it
Magnesium also has a relaxing effect on the smooth muscle in your lungs. In addition, it may be helpful in relaxing the smooth muscle of the bronchioles (improving asthma) and the arterioles (lowering blood pressure).
3. MG ++ helps with Depression
“A magnesium deficiency magnifies depression and stress. Serotonin, the feel good brain chemical that is boosted artificially by some medications, depends on magnesium for its production and function. A person that is going through a stressful period without sufficient magnesium can set up a deficit that, if not corrected, can linger, causing depression and further health problems.” Carolyn Dean, MD, ND
4. Slows aging
While natural aging is a healthy process, accelerated aging has been noted to be a feature of magnesium deficiency, especially evident in the context of long space-flight missions where low levels are associated with cardiovascular aging over 10 times faster than occurs on earth. Supplementation of this mineral has been shown to reverse age-related neuro-endocrine and sleep EEG changes in humans.
5. Helps you cope with stress
The more stressed a person becomes the more magnesium is lost from the body. Furthermore, if you are deficient, your heart rate and sympathetic nervous system is sent into overdrive, causing you to feel anxious and stressed.
6. Supports healthy brain function
Magnesium is a neuro-protective agent. A deficiency causes over-excitory brain patterns, which damages the neurons, eventually leading to cell death. In the brain, that is not easy to fix. Studies show that it also protects against neurological deficit after brain injury. Increasing Mg2++ levels in the brain could represent a promising strategy to minimize or even prevent cognitive deficits that take place with age.
7. Helps you get a better night’s sleep
Magnesium has a calming effect on your body’s nervous system and relaxes the muscles, which in turn will help you to fall asleep easier. A deficiency is also sometimes responsible for the nervousness that prevents sleep as well as restless legs syndrome. It may also improve the length and quality of slow wave sleep. Experts such as Dr Mark Hyman consider it “The most powerful relaxation mineral available.”
Transdermal/Topical Applications of Magnesium (Dermal absorption)
- Is safe, convenient, affordable and effective.
- Allows you to maximize the amount you’re getting daily without having to worry about diarrhea, digestion, or swallowing additional pills several times a day.
- Is especially helpful with pain – apply directly to the trouble area with immediate results, rather than waiting for it to work its way through your GI tract.
What Holistic Aging Offers
Two options to consider in using for supplemental magnesium:
- A calming body butter combines the healing benefits of organic coconut oil, organic shea butter, and lavender essential oil with Genuine Zechstein™ magnesium chloride
- A topical spray of Genuine Zechstein™ magnesium chloride from in distilled water
If you have any additional questions about the health benefits of magnesium, contact us today!
References:
Pao EM, Mickle SJ. Problem nutrients in the United States. Food Technology. 1981:35:58-79.
Durlach J. Overview of Magnesium Research: History and Current Trends. In: International Magnesium Symposium. New Perspectives in Magnesium Research. London: Springer-Verlag; 2007:3-11.
Seelig M, Rosanoff A. The Magnesium Factor. New York: Avery; 2003