Magnesium is often an overlooked nutrient. Unjust. It is important for healthy functioning of cells in our bodies, it helps the body to regulate over 300 enzymes and many bodily functions – energy production, muscle and nerve function, elimination of toxins, reduction of inflammation, maintanance of heart and circulatory health.
With our stressful and busy lifestyle, magnesium is beneficial also as a natural stress reliever. Stress and excess adrenaline deplete magnesium in our body. Without magnesium, our body cannot bind adequate amounts of serotonin. Serotonin is a hormone that influences, among others, our mood, sleep, level of anxiety and thus has a lot of impact on our feeling of well being and relaxation.
You might need extra shot of magnesium if you drink alcohol or if you take high doses of calcium – as those also deplete the magnesium levels in our body.
If taking magnesium as food supplement, it can be poorly absorbed by the stomach. Here comes handly the soak bath in Epsom salt. Simple soaking in the Epsom salt bath can boost the level of magnesium as both magnesium and sulfate are absorbed easily through the skin.
Read more about the benefits of magnesium in the article “Mighty Magnesium” by Jean Carper, an authority on food as medicine.
Deficiency in magnesium
Lack of magnesium can lead to a whole range of health problems, e.g. stress related illnesses, chronic fatigue, hyperactivity, arthritis and joint pain, osteoporosis, headaches, muscle aches, heart problems, high blood pressure, problems with digestions and a number of others.
Number of people suffering from magnesium deficiency has increased greatly in the last 50 years due to changes in agriculture and processed food in our diet. Industrial farming has depleted magnesium from the soil. Our diet contains less magnesium then before and unhealthy food rich in fat, protein, sugar and salt speed up the depletion of magnesium in our bodies. According to Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 68 % of US adult population consumes less than the recommended daily allowance of magnesium.
Calcium can deplete magnesium
Decreased level of magnesium in the body can be due to an increased intake of calcium as calcium depletes magnesium. Yet calcium works best when enough magnesium is present. Taking calcium supplements without enough magnesium can increase deficiency of both.
Learn more about the influence of magnesium levels on various health disorders