Magnesium May Be The Most Important Essential Nutrient
If supplements were superheroes, "Magnesium Man" (wearing a big "M" on his chest) would probably be the best one of all.
And what he would be doing is going around saving countless people from sudden and unexpected deaths.
While magnesium performs hundreds of vital tasks throughout the body, none is more important than keeping your heart beating. And being deficient in it (which is not an easy thing to determine with a blood test) can put your heart in serious jeopardy.
In fact, not being deficient in magnesium may be the most essential thing you can do to make sure that the "beat goes on."
Did Carrie Fisher die from a chronic magnesium deficiency?
That's a question asked by Dr. George Lundberg, former editor-in-chief of JAMA and current editor at Medscape. And although he acknowledged that we'll never really know for sure, based on what he's read about the circumstances surrounding her death, he said "probably yes."
As Dr. Lundberg noted, it's long been known that low magnesium levels "can trigger a range of cardiac rhythm abnormalities, including some that are potentially lethal." He also noted that this mineral is so powerful that magnesium infusions can actually quickly reverse cardiac arrhythmias.
Yet, despite the crucial role magnesium plays in more than 300 metabolic processes, it's estimated that half of all Americans -- and two-thirds of teens -- are probably not getting the recommended daily dose of 300 to 400 mg
In fact, there are four big ways that magnesium can help keep your ticker ticking:
#1: Regulating heart rhythm by keeping your heart muscle in sync with your heartbeat, and preventing arrhythmias and palpitations (which are more prone to occur when magnesium levels are low).
#2: Lowering blood pressure by easing the flow of blood and helping balance the blood levels of potassium and sodium. One study found that blood pressure readings dropped significantly in patients who took a 450 mg magnesium supplement daily.
#3: Lessening the effects of congestive heart failure, which include both arrhythmias and high blood pressure.
#4: Averting angina by preventing the spasms in coronary arteries that cause it -- and that can be a direct result of magnesium deficiency.
And those are just the things it does for your heart.
Its many other functions in both our physical and mental well-being include lowering the risk of some cancers, strengthening bones, making digestion more efficient, reducing the severity of migraines, warding off depression, alleviating insulin resistance in diabetics, decreasing inflammation, and preventing cramps and other nerve-related afflictions.
Whew!
Obviously, the most important question here is: How can you tell if you're getting enough of this essential nutrient?
Since only a tiny bit of the magnesium in your body is found in your bloodstream, a simple blood test isn't a good way to check. You could go for more advanced testing, such as checking magnesium levels inside your red blood cells or finding a lab that can isolate magnesium ions in your body, but really, the simplest thing you can do is to add more magnesium-rich foods to your diet!
And there are plenty to choose from, such as:
- spinach and other dark leafy greens,
- fish such as wild salmon, mackerel, tuna and halibut,
- flaxseed, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts and pecans,
- avocados, bananas, yogurt and other dairy products, and,
- dark chocolate, just one square of which can provide nearly a quarter of your daily magnesium needs!
And, of course, you can always take a magnesium supplement. Dr. Lundberg said that he takes 400 mg of magnesium citrate every day.
Hip Fractures Double Your Risk Of Dying Early And Osteoporosis Drugs May Be A Big Cause
By Melissa Young at Health Science Institute
Breaking a hip may be one of the most devastating events that can happen to anyone over 65.
And making a bad situation even worse, a new international study has found that the repercussions from a hip fracture can last much longer than ever imagined.
But along with that bad news, some other research has just come out about bones and fractures.
And what that study found is that the drugs your doctor may be prescribing you to prevent a break could be doing just the opposite.
'Startling' findings
A number of years ago a survey of women over 70 found that the majority would rather die than end up in a nursing home because of a hip fracture.
Unfortunately, many are dying. And that's true even years later.
A new study that looked at close to 123,000 people around the world found that even if a hip fracture patient appears to be on the road to recovery, their danger of dying is still double what it would ordinarily be eight or more years after their fracture.
And during the first year after that break, their risk of death nearly triples!
Bundled into that risk, according to researchers from the Hellenic Health Foundation in Athens, Greece, are complications following surgery, heart and respiratory problems, along with blood clots and pneumonia. Another danger comes from the possibility of chronic inflammation that can happen after a fracture.
But while it seems that doom and gloom research got a lot of media attention, another recent study got little notice. And that one revealed what may be a big reason why so many seniors (especially women) are at an increased risk for breaking a hip in the first place.
What scientists at the Imperial College London discovered is that some very commonly-prescribed drugs for osteoporosis, called bisphosphonates, can weaken bones by causing numerous tiny cracks in them.
Such drugs, which include Fosamax, Reclast and Boniva, actually appear to be making bones "more fragile," noted Dr. Richard Abel, the study's lead author.
The researchers used a special "particle accelerator" type of imaging to look at bone samples taken from hip-fracture patients who were taking one of these meds. And they found large numbers of what they called "microcracks" that, Dr. Abel said, are similar to what would happen if you kept flexing a plastic ruler. You would "gradually weaken the structure" and make it more prone to breaking.
The bone samples from the patients who took the bisphosphonates were found to have close to 25 percent more of these microcracks than those from people who didn't take the drugs. On top of that, those who were prescribed the osteoporosis meds had bones that were actually a third weaker.
Even the researchers called those results "quite startling" -- which, for your typical cautious scientist, is saying a lot!
As I said, this research didn't get much attention from the talking heads in the media, but then again, neither did any other studies with similar findings. That's right, this isn't the first time these so-called bone drugs have been found to actually make your bones more likely to break.
For example, two years ago the BMJ published a scathing meta-analysis of these drugs linking them not only to fractures of the thigh bone (the femur) -- which is the longest and strongest bone in the body -- but also to side effects such as nausea, vomiting and a condition called osteonecrosis (which literally means "the death of the jaw bone").
It should be quite obvious by now that these drugs are not the answer to keeping your bones strong. But there are some really effective ways of doing that.
At the top of the list would be regularly taking vitamin D along with vitamin K supplements made from natto or nattokinase. In fact, vitamin D can't do its job as well without enough vitamin K as the pair works together to protect your bones.
And adding K is especially important if you're taking calcium, too, so the mineral ends up in your bones and not in your arteries.
But what's most important to keep in mind is that osteoporosis drugs, rather than strengthening your body's armor, can create chinks in it that can put you out of action for a long time. And in many cases, even permanently.
My Comment:
I highly recommend taking a high quality calcium/magnesium supplement like Min-Tran from Standard Process. It uses the correct ratio of calcium to magnesium and is the only supplement I have found that uses calcium lactate which is the form of calcium found in plants allowing your body to utilize it much more effectively. Most of the calcium found in “typical” supplements uses the cheaper forms of calcium that do not work well and end up in your blood instead of your organs. Taking 3-4 Min-Tran tablets per day will help ensure that your bones stay strong and help prevent breaking any bones if you should happen to fall. It will also help muscle function including your heart and avoiding muscle cramps.
Be sure to include vitamin D (a supplement or sunshine when available) and lots of calcium, magnesium and vitamin K rich foods. THESE are the building blocks of strong healthy bones…..not drugs, which always come with many unwanted side effects that only weaken your body. I have a local doctor who I order my Standard Process products from. The prices are good and there are no shipping charges. Let me know if you are interested and I can give you their contact information.
Until next time, stay healthy and happy
JD Roma
The information on this blog is provided for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care, and medical advice and services are not being offered. If you have, or suspect you have, a health problem you should consult your physician (preferably a Naturopath).
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