“Please can I have six pints of meducin?” said Pippi.
“What kind?” asked the apothecary impatiently.
“Well,” said Pippi, “one that’s good for illness.”
“What kind of illness?” asked the apothecary, still more impatiently.
“I think I’d like one that’s good for whooping cough and blisters on the feet and tummy-ache and German measles and a pea that’s got stuck in the nose, and all that kind of thing. It wouldn’t be a bad idea if it could be used for polishing furniture as well. A real meducin, that’s what I want.”[1]
Pippi Longstocking, the strongest girl in the world, may not have found her panacea that day, but magnesium (Mg) would have come pretty close. While it might not have fixed all of her concerns, the number of conditions it does help would make a very long list. But here goes anyway! Although this list is only partial...
ADHD
Anxiety
Arthritis
Asthma
Atherosclerosis
Atrial fibrillation
Cancer
Constipation
Depression
Diabetes
Fibromyalgia
Headaches/migraines
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Hypertension
High cholesterol
Hyperemesis gravidarum
Infertility
Inflammatory conditions
Insomnia
Kidney disease
Kidney stones
Menstrual cramps
Multiple sclerosis
Muscle cramps/spasms
Osteoporosis
Parkinson’s
PMS
Preeclampsia/eclampsia
Restless leg syndrome
Reynaud’s
Sore muscles/aches/pains
Vertigo
Magnesium, of course, is not a medicine but a mineral, and its efficacy is due to the fact that many of our body's systems need it to run, and 70-80% of us are deficient in it.[2] Many problems that we view as illnesses may actually be a magnesium deficiency, which is good news because it is easy to find, available in many forms, starts to work immediately, and is neither dangerous nor terribly costly.
If you keep up with wellness news, you have probably seen a lot of mentions of magnesium in the last decade or so. I have been using it for years and find it to be very helpful. I wanted to know more, so I read a couple of books on the subject, which I'll discuss below. While I make no claims to be qualified to diagnose illness or recommend supplements, I offer this information as an invitation for you to do some exploring on your own. Drawing on my studies as well as my personal use and use with my massage clients, I’ll outline what I believe to be a completely safe recommendation for how to start using it to address your own concerns or just feel better. Start slow, take note of the effects, use your own judgment and intuition, and look into it yourself if you’re so inclined.
Why are we so deficient? For the last hundred years or more, pesticides have depleted our farmlands of magnesium, which means we are not getting nearly enough in the food we eat. Any purified water we drink will have been stripped of Mg in the filtering process, and the presence of fluoride in our water supply destroys it too. In addition, many medications can deplete our bodies’ stores of Mg, as can stress, caffeine, sugar, excessive sweating, and a low-carb diet.
Magnesium and calcium do opposite jobs in our bodies, and we need the right balance of both. While magnesium is needed for relaxing a muscle, calcium is needed for contraction. Magnesium is anti-inflammatory; calcium is inflammatory. Without adequate magnesium, unabsorbed calcium can lodge anywhere in our body, causing calcification in tissues from bones to lungs to arteries and more. The problem is not necessarily too much calcium in the system, but too much in relation to the amount of magnesium. A healthy cell is high in magnesium and low in calcium. In addition, the higher the ratio of calcium to magnesium in the fluid outside the cell, the harder it is for cells to pump the calcium out. The cell’s calcium pumps rely on mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses that produce most of the body’s energy, which in turn need adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is magnesium-dependent, so without adequate Mg, the calcium pump slows down and eventually even the mitochondria become calcified, inhibiting every function of our bodies.
There are two ways to use magnesium at home: transdermally (on the skin) or orally (by mouth). The two books I read take opposite stands on which way is better, and I believe it’s fine to do both, with some guidelines. Transdermal Magnesium Therapy by Dr. Mark Sircus, Ac., OMD, DM (P) recommends using it mostly on the skin. The Magnesium Miracle, by Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., supports oral use. Each cites the problem with the other way of doing it: Dr. Sircus takes issue with the fact that oral consumption at therapeutic levels can cause diarrhea, while Dr. Dean finds transdermal application to be too itchy. Liquid magnesium (also known as magnesium oil – and no, it’s not actually an oil, but it has a slippery feel due to alkalinity) may feel itchy at first when it’s applied transdermally, like you took a dip in a salty sea. For me, the itch disappeared after the first or second time, and I have not experienced it again. I often apply it transdermally on clients on the massage table, to ease pain and relax tense muscles, and I have only once or twice had anyone ask me to clean it off. Dr. Dean acknowledges the diarrhea problem, and for that reason she developed her own oral product called ReMag, which allows for higher doses without any negative side effects.
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Trigger Points
If you’ve ever had trigger point therapy in a bodywork session, you can guess why they are called that – when the point is pressed, it makes you jump like a shot went off, and this pressure may also cause a shooting pain to another spot, due to the fascial trains of connective tissue that run throughout the body. What causes this exquisite pain? Trigger points are tiny pockets of calcium trapped in tissue that’s become stuck due to trauma, repetitive motion, lack of movement, or habitual armoring (unconsciously holding muscles tense as a reaction to stress). The trapped calcium keeps the muscle fibers contracted, preventing fluid exchange, meaning the tissues are not getting fresh lymph or oxygenated blood, which triggers pain. By pressing on the points, the calcium is disbursed, allowing the muscle fibers to relax again. Trigger point therapy combined with the use of Mg oil applied to the affected area in a bodywork session is doubly effective in maintaining a healthy balance of calcium to magnesium in muscle tissue, hence relieving pain.
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You have already used magnesium transdermally if you have taken a bath with Epsom salts. It’s a common household remedy, both for achy muscles and calming the nervous system. When you sit in a hot bath with a cup or two dissolved in the water, you are taking in magnesium through the skin, as you do when you soak in natural mineral springs, known for restoring health for millennia. If you’ve ever tried a session in a sensory deprivation tank, you were floating in warm water saturated with Epsom salts – remember how good you felt when you got out? The ocean, too, is rich in magnesium, the Dead Sea even more so. We would all benefit greatly from a day spent immersed in the sea, but a similar effect is gained by applying magnesium oil to the skin on a daily basis. This way of getting magnesium into the system is very safe, as it bypasses the liver and the G.I. tract, and the body will take in only what it needs. The amount of magnesium absorbed will depend on many factors, like the degree of concentration of the liquid and the dryness or toughness of the skin. You may find it brings quick relief for sore muscles, tendonitis, or arthritis pain, due to the muscle-relaxing as well as the anti-inflammatory effect.
There are several forms of magnesium on the market today, and they have different qualities. Here’s a short list of magnesium products – there are many I haven’t used, but I’m limiting my comments to the ones I know well. I’d love to hear what you’re using and how it’s working for you.
Magnesium citrate is in the popular product Natural Calm, a powder that combines with warm water to make a fizzy drink. I took this for years, and overdid it only once – causing me to lose a day of work due to diarrhea, and I was fine the next day. The concern with exclusive oral usage is that our system may need more than we can take in orally without causing that problem. Natural Calm has a citrusy taste and is great to consume before bed, as it also helps with sleep.
Magnesium glycinate – I was taking a pretty high dosage of this, but recently began to have a problem with leg and foot cramps in the evening anyway. Switching to the product below has totally cured that, probably due to better absorption in my system.
Magnesium malate - it’s what’s in my current favorite oral magnesium product, Cramp Defense, which the manufacturer says is made of a malate complex present in food. They claim it cures muscle cramps for good in 80% of people. Start with one cap a day, 180mg of Mg, and increase daily intake as needed, then stick with the minimum dosage that results in no more cramping. Right now, I take one with breakfast and one before bed and it’s working for me.
Magnesium sulphate is in Epsom salts, mentioned above. Its great virtue is that it’s available in every corner pharmacy for cheap and soaking in it will give you a nice dose of Mg, calming the system and relieving aches and pains. Its drawback is that there’s another form of Mg that’s even more absorbable, below.
Magnesium chloride is the one both authors agree is the best for use in both oral and topical forms, because it’s the best absorbed and best tolerated by our systems. That is the Mg you will find in topical products as well as in Dr. Dean’s ReMag, which she says is specially formulated to deliver a high dose of Mg without any digestive troubles. I have used ReMag, and found it to be helpful and did not cause any problems, but it is a slightly bitter solution, a capful of liquid taken in a half glass of water. What I do not recommend is what I did, spraying a few spritzes of my own homemade Mg chloride liquid onto my tongue followed by a water chaser. I tried it for a few days, then realized it was making me slightly nauseous for a couple of hours afterwards.
My recommendations:
For any oral usage, I would start with the RDA recommendation: The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for magnesium is 350 mg per day for adult males and 300 mg per day for adult females. For pregnant and lactating women, the RDA is 450 mg per day. Or you could start with less, or the lowest dosage on the product package. You will want to start slow and see how it affects you. If desired, try adding daily topical applications as well. You’ll know it’s the right combo for you when you have found consistent relief from anxiety, insomnia, muscle cramps, constipation, etcetera, without negative side effects like diarrhea.
If you are fortunate enough to have a health care provider who is well-versed in the therapeutic applications of magnesium, it can be helpful for even more serious concerns. This is best done under expert supervision.
Topical use:
If this feels right, you might skip the oral dosage and try daily topical applications only. In that case, apply 1 fl. oz. liquid magnesium to skin daily, especially where there is pain, like the shoulders, neck, hips, or knees; or where you tend to get muscle cramping, such as the feet or calves. Some find the gel or lotion versions are more soothing to skin. If you get leg cramps at night, put it on before bed, and keep it next to the bed for instant relief just in case. Because it can make your skin feel salty, you may shower it off after 30 minutes, but it’s also fine to leave it on. If possible, apply more than once in a day. One colleague recommends keeping the bottle next to the toilet and re-applying to the hips whenever you use the bathroom while your pants are down.
I love these topical magnesium products, below. I haven’t tried others, but I’m sure there are many good ones besides these.
Ancient Minerals Magnesium Oil, Gel, or Lotion
Ancient Minerals Magnesium Chloride flakes for baths or foot soaks or making your own oil
Triquetra Health Ionic Magnesium Oil
Eventually, you might want to try making your own. This is certainly the most cost-effective, and is very simple. For topical use only.
How to make your own topical magnesium oil. How much water you add will determine the amount of magnesium that will go into your system. If itching is a concern, make it with equal amounts of flakes and water, and I would recommend starting with this. Later, you can experiment with a thicker solution by adding a little less water.
2 cups Ancient Minerals Magnesium Chloride flakes
2 cups boiling distilled water
Mix in a bowl until dissolved, pour into a spray bottle
This blog is by no means the whole story on magnesium – the subject is vast. I’d love to hear about your experience with it and what you find in your own further explorations. I hope it’s as useful to you as the “meducin” Pippi was searching for.
