Magnesium Health Watch » calcium

Insomnia: Studies Confirm Calcium And Magnesium Effective

sarita — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:44:57 +0000

There’s good news regarding the use of minerals in treating insomnia. Studies have found that calcium helps produce melatonin, which causes sleep. One symptom of magnesium deficiency is chronic insomnia. This condition was shown to be relieved with normal magnesium levels. Keep in mind that balancing your calcium and magnesium levels is essential as one can deplete the other.

Here’s an excerpt from the article.

“In magnesium deficiency, chronic insomnia is one of the main, central symptoms. Sleep is usually agitated with frequent nighttime awakenings. On the other hand, a high magnesium, low aluminum diet has been found to be associated with deeper, less interrupted sleep. This was proven in a study done by James Penland at the Human Nutrition Research Center in North Dakota. The study was titled “Effects of trace element nutrition on sleep patterns in adult women.” It’s important to note that a balanced ratio of calcium and magnesium is important to overall health, and these two minerals should be taken together for best results.”

Insomnia: Studies Confirm Calcium And Magnesium Effective.

Magnesium and Calcium Supplements For Bone Health

sarita — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:51:19 +0000

Do you wonder why you’re always seeing calcium and magnesium combined supplements? Here’s a general overview of why these two important minerals are offered together to promote bone formation, cardiovascular functioning and muscle effectiveness.

Magnesium helps with calcium absorption. Like calcium, it’s naturally found in dairy products (among other places). However, unusually large intakes of calcium reduces the absorption of magnesium in the body. When you have a mineral deficiency (through a poor diet or otherwise), the body’s pH balance becomes offset and highly acidic. Calcium and magnesium, which usually help eliminate excess acid, need to neutralize this additional acidity and are lost in the bloodstream. This results in bone loss.

If you have a condition where you are deficient in magnesium and/or calcium, there are many options including dietary modifications, mineral supplements and even skin treatments that can help restore proper mineral levels in the body.

Magnesium May Help Arthritis, Osteoporosis

sarita — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:44:01 +0000

Trainer Becky Kolar in the Sheboygan Press discusses the importance of magnesium for those with arthritis and osteoporosis. Magnesium has been known to help alleviate symptoms of arthritis. But despite that tens of millions of U.S. adults have arthritis, many people are low in magnesium and other important minerals.

Kolar writes:

One cause of this and osteoarthritis is an imbalance in calcium and magnesium ion levels in your body. This natural aging causes an accumulation of calcium (taken from your bones) and depletion in magnesium in tissue. The human body needs an adequate level of magnesium to accurately absorb calcium and to function properly.

If there is a lack of magnesium in your body, the calcium is unsure of where to go, and instead of ending up in your bones to make them stronger, the calcium will be deposited in your kidneys, your coronary arteries and your cartilage (these calcium deposits cause osteoarthritis arthritis).

Another benefit of magnesium in the body is that this mineral stimulates the hormone calcitonin, which decreases the breakdown of calcium in bones, hence preserving bone structure.

Calcium and Magnesium Dietary Balance

sarita — Sat, 23 May 2009 22:08:49 +0000

Everyone seems to understand the importance of calcium in a diet. But when it comes to the other side of the coin, magnesium, few people realize just how important this mineral is to their well-being. It’s estimated that only 25% of the American population today receive the recommended amounts, which is 150 – 250 mg for children 10 years of age and under, and 300 – 400 mg for adults.

Magnesium is needed for the absorption of calcium. It’s magnesium that transports calcium to the bones. Without a sufficient supply of magnesium, calcium can start collecting in soft tissue and cause calcium deposits.

To balance these two minerals, the average person needs about one half as much magnesium as they do calcium. Keeping this balance is important for several bodily processes. For instance, calcium is needed for clotting the blood, but magnesium helps with the blood’s free flow. The two also work together in the muscles, magnesium to relax them and calcium to contract them.

There are a number of things in today’s world that can cause a depletion of magnesium from our bodies. Diets high in sugar, soft drinks, animal protein, salt and alcohol will flush magnesium out through the kidneys. Stress, gastric disorders and some drugs such as antibiotics, birth control pills, and insulin can also cause a deficiency. Excessive supplemental calcium usage can actually lead to a decrease in magnesium absorption.

There are a wide range of symptoms that can result from loss of magnesium because it effects so many of our body functions. Things like fatigue, muscle twitching, weakness, insomnia, headaches, irritability, rapid heartbeat, and confusion are just a few signs that a deficiency problem may be present. If you experience several of these symptoms you may want to have a chat with your physician.

Testing for possible deficiency can be somewhat inconvenient. It requires 24-hour urine measurements after having magnesium loaded into the blood stream. This is the most accurate test at this time, though. Since only 1% of the magnesium in our bodies exists in our blood, the rest is in bones and cells. There is no simple blood test that can give an accurate level reading.

Change in diet, of course, can be the ultimate answer. Giving up such things as ice cream, chocolate, potato chips, milk shakes, soft drinks, pizza and a multitude of hamburgers (a list that’s high in fat, sugar, and salt), can help maximize the absorption of magnesium into the body.

Replacing those foods with foods that are rich in magnesium will also add a major boost and make for a happy body. You’ll want to include leafy green vegetables, nuts (especially almonds), seeds, whole grains (such as brown rice and millet), fruits, and soy products, particularly tofu.

Dee Overly is an artist who discovered the health benefits of soy milk and now sells a Soymilk Maker at www.SoymilkCrossroads.com.

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Magnesium Deficiency Testing

sarita — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:32:01 +0000

Doctors and health experts are keen advocates of complete nutrition and ample food supplement intake. While the right diet and exercise has become a health and wellness cliché, their importance cannot be overstated. However, we sadly lack enough vital information regarding different vitamin intake. Magnesium is one nutritional example that has important benefits that we don’t know much about.

Magnesium is essential in improving the biological processes in the body. It is an aid in the body’s absorption of calcium. A healthy magnesium level provides strength for the bones and teeth. That is why magnesium level is an indicator for a healthy bone structure for adults. Magnesium also helps facilitate a healthy heart. If one has normal magnesium intake, heart rhythm is not a problem and blood clots are prevented. These factors combine to produce a healthy blood pressure level and reduced risk of heart complications.

Routine magnesium intake also improves the functions of your bones and muscles. It is a known nutritional cure for stiff muscles. Therefore, magnesium is especially beneficial for active individuals who love physically strenuous activities. In a health and wellness perspective, a healthy magnesium level will allow a person to readily engage in physical activities that can improve one’s outlook.

However, magnesium fails to be included in the general diet of people today. When this happens, magnesium deficiency disorder happens which could lead to a host of other health complications. While magnesium deficiency can be seen through symptoms, most do not detect such nutritional deficiency. In this case magnesium deficiency testing should be regularly administered.

The common conditions resulting from magnesium deficiency are valve prolapsed, migraine, attention deficit disorder, asthma, and allergies. Other symptoms of magnesium deficiency include muscle weakness, twitching, cramping, confusion, and cardiac arrhythmia.

Magnesium testing is done when there are signs of abnormally low magnesium level. Abnormally low magnesium levels are rare. However, certain conditions such as malabsorption and alcoholism can cause magnesium deficiency. The doctor usually recommends a magnesium deficiency test to verify the cause of abnormally low magnesium levels. Magnesium deficiency testing is also ordered to help monitor kidney functions and diabetic patients.

Serious conditions of mineral deficiency transcend the importance of health and wellness. There are many other reasons other than wrong diet that can lower a person’s magnesium level. It is important to know the advantages and the results that can be interpreted from magnesium deficiency tests. Once you receive your magnesium deficiency test, forward the test results to your doctor so he can readily interpret the causes of your magnesium levels.

Lena Butler, the author of TestCountry Health Information Resources, a longer version of this article is located at Magnesium Deficiency Testing, and resources from other home health and wellness testing articles are used such as Magnesium Deficiency Test.