The Australian Anti Ice Campaign (AAIC), based on the Gold Coast, has partnered with another Queensland-based business – Elektra Magnesium – to get the message to the public that supplementation with the mineral magnesium can help a great deal in fuller recovery from the devastating effects of Ice use.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkI_mdCB67Uu0026amp;feature=youtu.be
Here, the CEO of the Australian Anti Ice Campaign, Andrea Simmons, talks with Elektra Magnesium’s CEO, Sandy Sanderson, about the health benefits of magnesium.
The CEO of the Australian Anti Ice Campaign, Andrea Simmons, talked with Elektra Magnesium’s CEO, Sandy Sanderson, about the problems Ice users face with their health. Sanderson said the use of Ice – or Methamphetamine (aka ‘crystal meth’) – severely depletes the body’s stores of magnesium, which causes a rapid decline in health.
“Magnesium is the mineral our bodies need to perform so many functions,” said Sanderson. “But it’s not in the soil so we can’t get it from food and it gets low when we’re under stress.” She added it’s likely that people who become addicted to drugs like Ice could have had a magnesium deficiency before they started using, which made them more vulnerable to trying drugs and becoming addicted.
“Magnesium deficiency can cause anxiety and depression in the first place,” she said, adding that once someone is addicted to a drug like Ice, these health issues will only get far worse. She said frequent use of Ice sometimes leads to the lowering of a person’s IQ and this can lead to “…dementia, schizophrenia and Parkinson’s Disease.”
AAIC CEO, Simmons, agreed, saying: “A lot of people that have been addicted to Ice have heart problems and central nervous system issues because this chemical eats away at their vascular system… and they end up very sick because of critical depletion of their organs.”
The good news is the use of transdermal magnesium can help relieve stress, dampen hyperactivity and repair the body
Research on the numbers of Australians using Ice shows usage is on the increase. Household Drug Survey data has shown an increase in weekly or daily Ice use from 12% of Ice users in 2010 to 32% in 2016. The majority of these dependent users are identified as new, young users smoking Ice and Simmons says we could be facing a “national catastrophe” soon.
This means the AAIC is seeing more victims of Ice abuse and the charity is busy rehabilitating Ice users and at the same time, taking anti-Ice campaigns to schools so they can warn young people about the impact of this drug.
The AAIC and Elektra Magnesium have teamed up to get the message to the public that the use of transdermal (absorbed via the skin) magnesium can help people detoxify from drug use, regain calmness and balance by relaxing the central nervous system, and thereby cope better on the path to full recovery.
Sanderson said it’s important to address the mind, body and soul when recovering from drug use and the use of magnesium will help the physical recovery of the body: “Magnesium is a powerful, natural stress-recovery mineral and it’s essential for healing,” she added, “… so it’s a good idea for anyone recovering from drug use to get their magnesium levels up so they can achieve a fuller, physical recovery.”
Elektra Magnesium donates Magnesium products to the AAIC
To support this, Elektra Magnesium has donated a box of Magnesium Cream and a box of Magnesium Charge Lotion to the AAIC. These products will go to the AAIC staff who work hard to coach and rehab Ice users, as well as to the Ice users themselves.
To raise money for the charity, the AAIC is now a retailer of the Elektra Magnesium products to add another income stream. The AAIC will sell the products online here and also in its Op Shop and coffee shop at its offices in Southport on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
Ex-Ice users are trained to work in these shops as part of their rehabilitation program, so they can retrain and learn new skills. Any profits made go back to the charity to fund more rehab services and educational programs which are given to schools.
What is Ice and what are the statistics for Ice use in Australia?
Ice is a chemical called Methamphetamine and it’s a potent central nervous system stimulant. As Simmons said: “Ice is an insidiously poisonous chemical concoction that eventually, and often rapidly, destroys the physical and mental health of almost everyone who uses it, with the destruction of families and friendships, and often suicide, as the ultimate outcome.”
Simmons reiterated that here in Australia, we’re potentially facing a “national catastrophe” because the use of Ice by Australian youth is increasing.
Here are some of the latest statistics for Ice use in Australia:
The National Ice Taskforce 2015 made a number of significant findings relating to Ice use by Australia’s youth, including:
1) In the six years between 2007 and 2013, the number of Australians aged 14 to 19 using Ice tripled.
2) In the three years between 2010 and 2013, the number of Australians males aged 14 to 19 using Ice nearly doubled.
3) Wastewater sampling shows a dramatic spiral in methamphetamine use in the general community, with up to 480% increases detected in some regions in the six years up to 2016.
4) Household Drug Survey data has shown an increase in weekly or daily Ice use from 12% of Ice users in 2010 to 32% in 2016. The majority of these dependant users are identified as new, young users smoking Ice.
5) Other research conducted at the University of South Australia found brain wave patterns and physical movement patterns similar to the early onset of Parkinson’s Disease in adolescents who had used Ice only five or six times.
To help stop the spread of Ice use, the Australian Anti Ice Campaign has devised an educational program which they take to schools to warn young people about the devastating effects of this drug. They’re motto for this campaign is: NOT EVEN ONCE.
You can support the AICC by buying something from their online shop here or by volunteering to help work with them here. Or simply find out more about them here: Australian Anti Ice Campaign
You can also check out the Elektra Magnesium body care products here at their website. Or join their Facebook and Instagram groups for magnesium health tips.
By Pamela Connellan