DAY 201 - Magnesium: More Than a Laxative

In 1983, having recently graduated from chiropractic college, I established my practice in Ventura, California. At that time, it had not crossed my mind that I would spend my career looking for, learning about, and teaching patients about simple, powerful, critical, and often underutilized approaches to health. But, a few months of practicing, with therapeutic successes not being what I would have hoped, my search began.

I was looking primarily for keys to health that were inexpensive, or free; and that patients could utilize or  practice on their own, rather than having to pay a doctor or therapist to do it for them.

One of my first finds was the powerful, yet safe and gentle mineral, magnesium.

I am often asked, “Why do you talk so much about magnesium?” It is because magnesium is a critical mineral that affects every part of the body, and because most Americans are deficient in magnesium. Magnesium is so basic to all bodily functions that when a person does not have enough, a wide variety of mild to severe symptoms can occur. Most Americans are getting approximately 200 mg of magnesium from their diet. The RDA (the minimal requirement, not the optimal level) was 400 mg/day. The current DRI is 420 mg/day.

Signs that may indicate magnesium insufficiency include, but are not limited to; back or neck pain, muscle spasms, headache, panic attacks, tiredness, poor sleep, depression, anxiety, tension, nervousness, high blood pressure, kidney stones, gall stones, osteoporosis, breast tenderness, PMS, mitral valve prolapse, constipation.

A few of the most serious diseases that have been linked to magnesium deficiency are heart disease, diabetes, depression, and osteoporosis.

Some of the conditions that are benefited by magnesium are:
menstrual cramps - preeclampsia - back or neck pain - muscle spasms - headache - panic attacks - tiredness - poor sleep - depression - tension - nervousness - high blood pressure - kidney stones - gall stones - osteoporosis - breast tenderness - PMS - mitral valve prolapse - constipation

Not all magnesiums are created equal: Magnesium in nutritional supplements is delivered in a variety of chemical forms, including glycinate, chloride, citrate, oxide, sulfate, aspartate, and others. The most common, least effective, and cheapest form of magnesium is magnesium oxide. It is used in most multivitamins, and tends to cause intestinal gas and diarrhea. Because of the ill effects, manufacturers reduce the amount of magnesium in their supplements to 1/4 of the RDA level; never advising potential buyers of the low potency.

The greatest dangers of supplemental magnesium are: 1) forgetting to take yours, 2) taking an ineffective and/or insufficient amount and thinking that you are protected.

The most effective magnesium I have worked with since 1995 is Mag Glycinate from Metagenics. I have watched hundreds of patients try other forms of magnesium with little or no success or relief. This simple nutrient has markedly improved the lives of many of my patients, often without making any other lifestyle changes. This brand and chemical form of magnesium is only sold in doctor's offices, and can be difficult to find.

Using magnesium glycinate often provides so much relief from musculoskeletal conditions that a patient may not need treatment from a DC or MD.

I recommend 400 mg/day of elemental magnesium in the form of magnesium glycinate. Remember, you need more than the RDA.

Take the test: Take Mag Glycinate as I have recommended (below) for two weeks; consistently. Then stop taking it for two weeks. Repeat this cycle 3 times and keep some notes on how you feel and function on and off of it. Many people clearly feel better on than off. Warning - not feeling better does not prove that you do not need magnesium - there may be too many other health-deterring factors in your life for you to feel the effect of the magnesium.

When and how to take Mag Glycinate: Mag Glycinate is best taken away from food, though many patients report excellent results when taken with food. I suggest that patients take 2 tablets when they wake up in the morning, and 2 when they go to bed. It is fine to take one at a time, four times throughout the day.

Some individuals are gut-sensitive to magnesium. They may experience intestinal gas or loosening of the stool. If this occurs, the dose should be decreased, if need be, by breaking tablets in pieces, until no symptoms occur. Discuss this sensitivity with your doctor for guidance in selecting an appropriate dose. Those who are gut-sensitive are usually those who are most deficient in magnesium.

How to find an effective magnesium, wherever you are in the United States: you can buy SlowMag, or its generic at most any pharmacy, over-the-counter. To achieve the same effects as Mag Glycinate, you will need to take 6 of the SlowMag tablets per day.

Testing for magnesium has historically been done by measuring magnesium in the serum (liquid portion of the blood). However, it has been known for years, and has been published in medical journals that serum magnesium is an extremely inaccurate test. Even so, most doctors still order serum testing. Superior tests include:
RBC magnesium: Red blood cell testing is not the most accurate, but is the most readily available.
Intracellular testing: of cells from the inside of the mouth by means of an electron microscope: see EXA test
Growth assessment: see SpectraCell

Insist on accurate magnesium testing. Your life may depend on it! Cardiologists with whom I have talked are as amazed as I am that most doctors still order inaccurate serum magnesium testing. If you have only had serum magnesium testing, you don’t know anything reliable about your magnesium status. Beware and be in charge of your health.

Epsom salts baths: Epsom salts are the salt of magnesium sulfate. It is best used in a warm to hot bath. Because of the heat, they are not suggested during the first 24-48 hours following acute injuries (sudden onset such as a sprained ankle) in which swelling is present. Epsom salts are highly effective in treating chronic aches and pains, soreness from overuse, and sprains and strains after the acute phase (usually 24-48 hours following injury). Epsom salts can be purchased at large grocery stores and drug stores for $3-4.00 per half gallon. Put ½ gallon of Epsom salts into a hot bath. Soak for 15 minutes.

Epsom salts are not just good for aches and pains. Many people find a soak very relaxing. It can improve sleep and leaves the skin feeling very soft.

If you are using a bath for treatment of significant back pain, be sure to get out of bath while the water is still in the tub. The water will buoy you and assist you in getting out of the tub. If you think you might have trouble getting out, and you don’t want to be left sitting in a cold and empty tub, it is wise to have another person in the house when you take your bath in case you need assistance.

A laxative can be worth its weight in gold. Magnesium is worth so much more!

DAY 23 - Can You Crack Your Back?

Seems simple enough, but not only is there depth to this question, but understanding what’s behind it could save your health.

So, the question is, can you turn, arch, stretch, or extend your back and have it “crack”?

That “cracking” or popping is technically called cavitation, and occurs when joints are moved slightly beyond their normal range, creating a partial vacuum inside the joint. Collapsing gas bubbles in the joint vacuum create the “cracking” sound.

A large percentage of young people can “crack” their own backs. As people age, they tend to become stiffer, and they usually lose the ability to “crack” their backs. Given that young people are statistically healthier than older people, it could make one wonder if “crackability” is a sign of health, or associated with health. Turns out, it is.

Becoming stiff is not solely a result of aging. While there are many factors that influence flexibility, I have focused on four factors in my chiropractic practice to clearly and quickly demonstrate to patients that how they live, profoundly affects the mobility of their bodies. The four factors are: allergy to dairy products, magnesium, stretching, and spinal adjusting (also called manipulation).

One of the most common allergic effects of dairy products is the tightening of muscles and general stiffening of the body. By removing all dairy from the diet for 1-2 weeks, most people find that their muscles are more relaxed and their joints more supple.

Most Americans are deficient in the mineral, magnesium. One of many effects of magnesium in the human body is to allow muscles to fully relax. Supplemental magnesium (I use magnesium glycinate) usually results in muscular relaxation and greater joint mobility.

We all know that if we don’t use it, we lose it. But when it comes to using and keeping our flexibility through daily stretching, it’s just not happening in our culture. However, after thirty minutes a day of stretching for a few days most people find themselves more limber.

Spinal adjustments mobilize joints and clear neurologic patterns that maintain excessive muscle tightness and joint stiffness. Results are often instantaneous.

Each one of these four factors can independently increase flexibility and suppleness. In combinations or as a complete set they are even more powerful.

Since I began practice in 1983, many of my new patients between the ages of 30 and 70 have reported to me that in years gone by they could “crack” their backs, but they had gradually lost the ability to do so. A large number of these same patients, upon applying any one, or a combination of the four factors, regained the ability to “crack” their backs. This restored “crackability” is always accompanied by healthier and more relaxed muscle tone, and greater joint mobility.

Can you “crack” your back?

DAY 14 – Looking for a Cure for Your Anxiety?

First off, more often than not, what is considered a “cure” is that which makes symptoms go away. In American culture, the “cure” infrequently comes with any understanding or information about the “cause”. That means we fix things without knowing what’s broken. A bit like magic. And it sells.

For those of you who are either apprehensive of, or frankly dislike the approach of covering symptoms  with that kind of “cure”, and waiting for the inevitable resurfacing of the problem/illness, let’s take a look at common causes of anxiety and some effective approaches to really fixing it.

Interestingly, the American diet is deficient in the mineral, magnesium, and can be a cause of anxiety. Whole grains and green leafy vegetables are common sources of magnesium, but are uncommon parts of the American diet. Magnesium calms and relaxes the body. Muscle tightness, spasming and twitching can be signs of magnesium deficiency. While deficiency can be corrected in some cases by increasing dietary sources of magnesium, or taking epsom salts baths, many individuals need to take magnesium supplements. In my 27 years of practice experience, I have found magnesium glycinate to be the most effective oral form. Simple, safe, rational, and often effective.

Two other deficiencies that lead to anxiety are that of aerobic exercise and stretching. The lack of either can result in anxiety. Of the two, the greatest lack in America is that of stretching. A few of us walk for aerobic exercise, but real stretching is rare. When quizzed, the occasional few who claim to stretch, report that they stretch for 5 minutes, or “throughout the day”; these are not real stretching. As a part of the treatment of anxiety, 30 minutes of walking and 30 minutes of serious stretching (yoga-like) per day are called for.

Most people who experience anxiety, fear, or worry (and that’s most of us), feel it in our gut, or sometimes in our chest. This is a clue. Everyone with anxiety needs a thorough evaluation of their digestive tract, with particular attention to associated conditions such as constipation, loose stools, intestinal gas, indigestion, reflux, or irritable bowel. Evaluation must include a skilled palpatory examination of the abdomen to rule out focal or generalized tenderness. Food allergies are an extremely common cause of gut irritation, and are therefore a common cause of anxiety.

A critical thing to understand is that anxiety about an event or circumstance can cause gut discomfort or dysfunction, and the reverse is true; gut discomfort or dysfunction can cause anxiety.

My final warning on the gut-anxiety connection is that an absence of gut symptoms does not mean that anxiety is not arising from the gut. The internal organs of our chest, abdomen and pelvis are profoundly insensitive to irritation or damage that occurs gradually. Remember that it is common for large tumors to develop in the abdomen with no early signs. So, don’t trust symptoms. If you experience anxiety, have your digestive tract evaluated by a knowledgeable health care provider.

Note: Q: What kind of health care provider should one see for digestive tract evaluation of anxiety?
         A: A provider that understands the connection between the gut and anxiety. Don’t assume that a gastroenterologist would necessarily be the best. A chiropractor, an MD, a naturopath, or an acupuncturist can be excellent guides if they understand the connection.