
Magnesium deficiency is often misdiagnosed because it does not show up in blood tests – only 1% of the body’s magnesium is stored in the blood.
Most doctors and laboratories don’t even include magnesium status in routine blood tests. Thus, most doctors don’t know when their patients are deficient in magnesium, even though studies show that the majority of Americans are deficient in magnesium.
Consider Dr. Norman Shealy’s statements, “Every known illness is associated with a magnesium deficiency” and that, “magnesium is the most critical mineral required for electrical stability of every cell in the body. A magnesium deficiency may be responsible for more diseases than any other nutrient.” The truth he states exposes a gapping hole in modern medicine that explains a good deal about iatrogenic death and disease. Because magnesium deficiency is largely overlooked, millions of Americans suffer needlessly or are having their symptoms treated with expensive drugs when they could be prevented or cured with magnesium supplementation.
Few people are aware of the enormous role magnesium plays in our bodies. Magnesium is by far the most important mineral in the body. After oxygen, water, and basic food, magnesium may be the most important element needed by our bodies; vitally important, yet hardly known. It is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium and regulates all three of them.
Millions suffer daily from magnesium deficiency without even knowing it. Between 50-80% of us.
In fact, there happens to be a relationship between what we perceive as thirst and a deficiencies in electrolytes. I remember a person asking, “Why am I dehydrated and thirsty when I drink so much water?” Thirst can mean not only lack of water but it can also mean that one is not getting enough nutrients and electrolytes.
It is a torment to be magnesium deficient on one level or another. Even if it’s for the enthusiastic sport person whose athletic performance is down, magnesium deficiency will disturb sleep and background stress levels and a host of other things that reflect on the quality of life. Doctors have not been using the appropriate test for magnesium – their serum blood tests just distort their perceptions. Magnesium has been off their radar screens through the decades that magnesium deficiencies have snowballed.
Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency
The first symptoms of deficiency can be subtle – as most magnesium is stored in the tissues, leg cramps, foot pain, or muscle ‘twitches’ (restless leg) can be the first sign. Other early signs of deficiency include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. As magnesium deficiency worsens, numbness, tingling, seizures, personality changes, abnormal heart rhythms, and coronary spasms can occur.
A full outline of magnesium deficiency was beautifully presented in a recent article by Dr. Sidney Baker:
“Magnesium deficiency can affect virtually every organ system of the body. With regard to skeletal muscle, one may experience twitches, cramps, muscle tension, muscle soreness, including back aches, neck pain, tension headaches and jaw joint (or TMJ) dysfunction. Also, one may experience chest tightness or a peculiar sensation that he can’t take a deep breath. Sometimes a person may sigh a lot.”
“Symptoms involving impaired contraction of smooth muscles include constipation; urinary spasms; menstrual cramps; difficulty swallowing or a lump in the throat-especially provoked by eating sugar; photophobia, especially difficulty adjusting to oncoming bright headlights in the absence of eye disease; and loud noise sensitivity from stapedius muscle tension in the ear.”
“Continuing with the symptoms of magnesium deficiency, the central nervous system is markedly affected. Symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, hyperactivity and restlessness with constant movement, panic attacks, agoraphobia, and premenstrual irritability. Magnesium deficiency symptoms involving the peripheral nervous system include numbness, tingling, and other abnormal sensations, such as zips, zaps and vibratory sensations.”
“Symptoms or signs of the cardiovascular system include palpitations, heart arrhythmias, and angina due to spasms of the coronary arteries, high blood pressure and mitral valve prolapse. Be aware that not all of the symptoms need to be present to presume magnesium deficiency; but, many of them often occur together. For example, people with mitral valve prolapse frequently have palpitations, anxiety, panic attacks and premenstrual symptoms. People with magnesium deficiency often seem to be “uptight.”“
Magnesium is needed by every cell in the body including those of the brain. The body requires magnesium to absorb and utilize nutrients. Without magnesium the body cannot properly use the fats, proteins and carbohydrates we eat every day. We are in a way, STARVING. Magnesium is needed not only for the production of specific detoxification enzymes but is also important for energy production related to cell detoxification. A magnesium deficiency can affect virtually every system of the body.
One of the principle reason doctors write millions of prescriptions for tranquilizers each year is the nervousness, irritability, and jitters largely brought on by inadequate diets lacking magnesium. Persons only slightly deficient in magnesium become irritable, highly-strung, and sensitive to noise, hyper-excitable, apprehensive and belligerent. If the deficiency is more severe or prolonged, they may develop twitching, tremors, irregular pulse, insomnia, muscle weakness, jerkiness and leg and foot cramps.
If magnesium is severely deficient, the brain is particularly affected. Clouded thinking, confusion, disorientation, and marked depression are largely brought on by a lack of this nutrient and remedied when magnesium is given. Because large amounts of calcium are lost in the urine when magnesium is under-supplied, the lack of this nutrient indirectly becomes responsible for much rampant tooth decay, poor bone development, osteoporosis and slow healing of broken bones and fractures.
With vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), magnesium helps to reduce and dissolve calcium phosphate kidney stones. (It may by inference also help drive calcium our of tissues where is NEVER should be (like shoulders). This whole food multivitamin is what we are taking because it is super bioavailable, not synthetic where the body doesn’t know what to do with it.)
Magnesium deficiency may be a common factor associated with insulin resistance. Symptoms of MS that are also symptoms of magnesium deficiency include muscle spasms, weakness, twitching, muscle atrophy, an inability to control the bladder, nystagmus (rapid eye movements), and hearing loss.
A good list of early warning symptoms suggestive of magnesium insufficiency:
• Physical and mental fatigue, low energy
• Persistent under-eye twitch
• Tension in the upper back, shoulders and neck
• Headaches
• Premenstrual fluid retention and/or breast tenderness
• Weakness
• Confusion
• Nervousness
• Anxiousness
• Irritability
• Seizures (and tantrums)
• Poor digestion
• PMS and hormonal imbalances
• Inability to sleep
• Muscle tension, spasm and cramps
• Calcification of organs
• Weakening of the bones
• Abnormal heart rhythm
Severe magnesium deficiency can result in low levels of calcium in the blood (hypocalcemia) pushing it into the tissues. Magnesium deficiency is also associated with low levels of potassium in the blood (hypokalemia).
Magnesium levels drop at night, leading to poor REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep cycles and unrefreshed sleep. Headaches, blurred vision, mouth ulcers, and restless leg are also early signs of depletion.
(We use topical magnesium before bed and sleep is so enhanced when done regularly).
Signs of SEVERE magnesium deficiency include:
• Extreme thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Frequent urination
• Sores or bruises that heal slowly
• Dry, itchy skin
• Unexplained weight loss
• Blurry vision that changes from day to day
• Unusual tiredness or drowsiness
• Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
• Frequent or recurring skin, gum, bladder or vaginal yeast infections
But wait a minute, aren’t those the same symptoms for diabetes? Many people have diabetes for about 5 years before they show strong symptoms. By that time, some people already have eye, kidney, gum or nerve damage caused by the deteriorating condition of their cells due to insulin resistance and magnesium deficiency. Dump some mercury and arsenic (aluminum or barium) on the mixture of problems and pronto we have the disease condition we call diabetes.
Magnesium deficiency is a predictor of diabetes and heart disease both; diabetics both need more magnesium and lose more magnesium than most people. (source)
Remarkably, four weeks of magnesium supplementation (as outlined in ‘Transdermal Magnesium Therapy” below ) was also associated with a decrease in C-peptide levels. C-peptide levels are equal to the amount of insulin being produced in the body and is used to determine insulin production. In type 2 diabetes, insulin is produced in excessive amounts, but not used properly in the body due to insulin resistance, so the C-peptide levels run high. The decrease in C-peptide in type 2 diabetics is a positive signal that insulin resistance is decreasing and that the load on the pancreas is lessening. (source)
There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that we will live healthier, happier and longer lives if we make sure we satisfy completely our body’s need for magnesium.
Oral & Intravenous Use
Magnesium is poorly absorbed orally, but this Magnesium glycinate is the BEST absorbed orally. As a heart nurse, I witnessed this in cardiac events like tachycardia, congestive heart failure, acute ischemic events, or in the acutely ill patient in the ICU. (source) By injecting magnesium we can guarantee 100% to bring the levels up, but by the third week, levels will usually have fallen again. Injections in a doctor’s office or clinic are just too painful to be considered for children and for long-term use in adults. They are also expensive.
If you want to use an oral magnesium, watch Dr. Berg’s 5 minute video for his recommendation!
Transdermal Magnesium Therapy
Transdermal application of magnesium is superior to oral supplements and is in reality the best practical way magnesium can be used as a medicine other than by direct injection. (source) It is inexpensive, safe, and a do-it-yourself at-home technique that can replace uncomfortable injections in anything other than emergency room situations. (source)
Here’s my post on Easy Homemade Magnesium Oil For Better Absorption & Sleep.
Dr. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D. a renowned neurosurgeon, has done 4 week long studies where individuals 1. sprayed a solution of magnesium chloride over their entire body once daily for a month and 2. did a 20-minute foot soak in magnesium chloride (1/2 cup in water) also once daily.
Typical results before and after 4 weeks of foot soaks/body spraying:
Reference range: 33.9 – 41.9 (mEq/l) mg
Before soaking/spraying: 31.4 (mEq/l) mg
After soaking/spraying: 41.2 (mEq/l) mg
Transdermal administration bypasses processing by the liver and the digestive tract, making the nutrient more bioavailable without the danger of over-doing it. The body self-regulates and absorbs only what it needs.
Dr. Sircus states: “This is not to say that magnesium oil cannot or should not be taken orally. Taking minerals in liquid form is the best solution for oral intake and the magnesium oil I recommend—Ancient Minerals—is the purest medicine from a buried sea. I always tell people to drink it as well as use it transdermally and to take it up to bowel tolerance level because this will clean out the intestines. Taking magnesium oil orally is the very best medical solution for constipation.
And many have found that they can get almost instant relief from the pains of arthritis by massaging a generous amount of magnesium into an area of discomfort or by taking a hot magnesium bath with sodium bicarbonate added.
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Abby
Thank you so much for this article. The Holy Spirit has been highlighting the need for Mg to me and then I see this article with resources for learning more. Much appreciated.
Jacqueline
Abby, I have been working to keep my levels high for a while and it has been helping on a number of issues… Thank you~ Jacque
Sheila
I have been following you a long time and always end up wishing you lived near and we were friends. The info you know is exciting and overwhelming. I don’t even know where to start.
One question that jumps in my mind is for my 35 yo son that is a type 1 diabetic. I always have felt it is my fault that he developed t1d because I think it may have come from vaccines. I made the decision to take him for those because I still trusted doctors at the time. So my stupidity may have caused him and me both a lot of heartache. I saw what you suggested for type 2. Any suggestions for type1?
Jacqueline
Sheila, please don’t beat yourself up! Guilt will try to eat us up, but remember, we were all lied to! Now know better. Thank God many are waking up!
This is an EXCELLENT article and will give you lots of ideas for how to help your son with his diabetes type 1: https://doseway.com/natural-remedies-for-type-1-diabetes/
I hope this helps you both!
Jacqueline