Your cart is empty
Tax included and shipping calculated at checkout
- What are the risk factors of cardiovascular disease?
- Why are we facing an unusual escalation of cardiovascular problems?
- What natural supports can we use to protect and strengthen our heart and vessels?
The real pandemic is cardiovascular disease
According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and particularly people of racial and ethnic groups in the United States. One person dies every 36 seconds from cardiovascular disease, and this accounts for 1 in 4 deaths.
In Australia, in 2019, cardiovascular disease was the underlying cause of 42,300 deaths – or 25% of all deaths.
So the statistics a pretty much the same in Australia as USA.
In addition to atherosclerosis (clogged arteries), angina and myocardial infarction (heart attack), other cardiovascular disorders include stroke, hypertension, rheumatic heart disease, myo and pericarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, congenital heart disease, heart valve disorders, aortic aneurysms, arteriosclerosis, and thrombosis (blood clots).
Chronic Stress causes magnesium deficiency and degenerative disease
Chronic or severe stress is a known risk factor for metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity and heart disease, because stress is the biggest contributor to magnesium loss and deficiency. Magnesium deficiency leads to metabolic syndrome, which progresses to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.1
Lifestyle can be a killer. Over-indulgence in junk processed foods, alcohol and drugs, or smoking cigarettes are just some of the lifestyle stresses that can clog up your arteries or leave you short of electrical power for the heart. Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases have been on the rise for quite a while, but now we are faced with an extra load.
The new Covid regime has spawned a raft of increasing financial pressures to make ends meet in the face of lockdowns, business closures and job losses. We try to stock up on essentials because of looming supply chain disruptions, yet fears of not being prepared enough still lurk in the background.
We worry for ourselves and we worry about the welfare and health of others close to us. We care about honouring our responsibilities. We also fret about not keeping up with the changing government ‘rules’, about what’s open and closed from state to state, about who is allowed to do what or travel across borders, or if we should book a trip away next year. Concern is even rising about the safety of our children in school.
Restrictions requiring the making of constant decisions, which entail the risk of dire consequences if you get it wrong, can lead to family tensions and arguments with tremendous emotional stress.
There’s little not to be concerned about these days. It becomes very hard for conscientious people to live in a world that is becoming more ‘unconscientious’ by the day. What are the potential health consequences of this Covid pressure-cooker?
As stress hormones increase in the sympathetic mode of ‘fight or flight’ psychological stress, broken heart syndrome, excessive work or exercise, sleep deprivation or other shocks and traumas, the kidneys release extra magnesium instead of recycling it.
Studies confirm that, “Angiotensin II, vasopressin, aldosterone, epinephrine and norepinephrine have all been shown to enhance magnesium efflux and decrease intracellular magnesium.”2
As the food supply is generally low in magnesium these days due to chemical farming practices and food processing, it’s often hard to get enough magnesium to replace what has been lost under stress, and we can easily become magnesium deficient.
It’s a revolving door, a Catch-22 situation, because not only do these stress hormones cause excessive loss of magnesium, but a low magnesium status itself makes us hypersensitive to stress and easily pumping out more stress hormones with any small provocation. Magnesium deficiency also weakens the immune system and primes us more for inflammation.1
The pumping of the heart muscle, as well as flow and functioning of blood vessels, are dependent on magnesium. In fact, all our biological systems are dependent and underpinned by magnesium, including mitochondrial electrical energy and pH balance systems.
The ebb and flow of electrolytes in muscle contraction
Stress hormones cause muscle fibres to contract by pushing calcium into the cell membrane’s channels, which causes magnesium to retreat. The extra calcium and less magnesium in the cell membrane also allows extra sodium into the cell, which is stimulating and dehydrating. Calcium contracts and magnesium relaxes. When it’s time for the muscle to relax again, magnesium moves back in to guard the cell membrane, re-hydrate and remove the calcium from the channels.
This is the ebb and flow of electrolyte movements in accordance with actions of squeeze and relax, squeeze and relax etc.
This is the system that operates when the heart muscle pushes and pumps blood around the vascular system, and the smooth muscle walls of the blood vessels rhythmically move the blood around the circuit. From the contraction of your calf muscles when you run, the sweeping movement of intestinal walls ushering food through the digestive system, to the spread of your smile pushing your laugh lines together, your muscles are made to contract via this kind of calcium action.
Magnesium is also used in the production of nitric oxide, which (after the contraction phase) relaxes and expands the smooth muscles of the endothelial lining of the blood vessel wall in order to move the blood along. Magnesium is also used for ACE2 production, which is another relaxant in the angiotensin system. AND, magnesium can also influence relaxation by suppressing and dampening the effect of stress hormones directly.
The excitation and firing of calcium happens very quickly in neurons of the brain for messaging. You don’t even notice because it’s so automatic. However, if you are magnesium deficient your neurons may not be able to relax and recover enough, making your brain over-excited, so you feel hyperactive and jittery, unable to sit still, manic or have sleep problems and nightmares.
Hard lessons when calcium becomes a bully
When magnesium levels drop too low it tends to increase the action strength of calcium. In this case calcium can become a bully and cause cramps, twitches and restless legs, where you don’t feel in control of your muscles. It can also make muscles feel as hard as rocks, restricting peripheral blood flow, and causing stiffness, which increases risk of injury or repetitive stress damage - as in ‘tennis elbow’ and ‘frozen shoulder’.
Calcium can also deposit on the endothelial lining of blood vessels, making them stiffer and harder, which then drives up blood pressure. Free calcium in the blood can also make the blood thicker and not flow as fluidly, which also contributes to hypertension. We tend to get a lot of calcium in our food supply, but not enough magnesium. Yet magnesium is the one we need more of so it can regulate and control the action of calcium for balance and smooth ebb and flow of our muscular pumping systems.
Another consequence of magnesium deficiency is osteoporosis. As calcium leaches out of bone the lower magnesium levels get, it becomes free calcium in the body, settling in the soft tissue and making us harder and more crunchy, and leading to premature ageing. Researchers have called magnesium the ‘anti-ageing mineral’ for good reason!
Because water is so essential to blood supply and brain function, if you get dehydrated the body releases vasopressin to squeeze the vessel walls and increase blood pressure, thereby moving more blood to the brain. The problem with stress hormones that squeeze things, is that they tend to make you even more dehydrated. This can give you headaches and migraines.
A remedy is of course to drink more water and increase magnesium, using purified and mineralised water. If you have been stressed you will notice how much better you feel simply by having a big drink of water. You will feel the brain neurons lighting up quickly after replenishing adequate water supply.
Metabolism, acidity and pH balance
Without magnesium there is not enough antioxidant support, as you need magnesium to make very important detoxifying enzymes and hormones, including glutathione, superoxide dismutase and melatonin (among others). The magnesium molecule even acts directly as an antioxidant because it has two spare electrons in its outer shell, which it can donate to free radicals (which have electrons missing) to neutralise them.
Why is this so important? Metabolism produces acidic wastes that need to be neutralised to bring pH back to normal in the alkaline range – about 7.35 pH in the blood and tissue plasma. If acids prevail, they start to wear down and destroy tissue cells. Acids dissolve organic matter.
Another side effect of low magnesium is that the mitochondria slow metabolism in order to protect themselves from the acids of metabolism that aren’t neutralised. Consequently, they don’t let more insulin and glucose in to produce more energy. This means cells become insulin-resistant, leading to hyperinsulinemia.
The body however can’t afford to let the extra insulin and blood sugar hang around in the blood for too long, so they are transported to the liver for storing or elimination. Mostly the sugars get converted by the liver into stored fats.
Another side effect of glucose in the blood for too long is that it causes a drop on blood pH, which is damaging to the endothelial lining of blood vessels.
It’s so important to maintain alkaline balance in the blood to preserve the endothelial lining and smooth blood flow, that in the absence of enough magnesium and antioxidants, the body pulls calcium out of the bones as plan B because calcium can also be used as an alkaliser. But it has hardening side effects. Notice that the sites of injury in your body where there has been a higher acidic exposure from inflammation, tend to attract more calcium deposits like residual gristly bits of shrapnel.
If you want to avoid this ageing cascade of calcium deposition, make sure to eat fresh organic foods, drink plenty of water, avoid processed flour and sugar products, chemicals and excessive stress, and get plenty of magnesium.
The food you eat will also determine the kind of microbiome and healthy gut you cultivate. If your microbiome isn’t working to help you digest and break down food, you will be eating, but still starving for nutrition. This produces a revolving door of low energy coupled with the drive to eat more to get energy, but the energy factories are on a go-slow. This piles up extra weight stored around hips and abdomen, expanding the waistline towards a pre-diabetic shape.
Hypothyroid, compounded by magnesium deficiency, can make it hard to produce enough stomach acid to properly digest food, which can lead to SIBO – Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth – causing gut pain and excessive smelly gas. It can also lead to slow intestinal motility, which means the garbage disposal system slows down and backs up. The bigger waistline then accompanies a bigger ‘waste-line’ of toxins queued up waiting for release, and sometimes getting re-absorbed to cause headaches.
The resulting acidic by-products attract acid-producing bacteria and acid-loving fungi like candida.
The problem with acids is that you can’t absorb enough oxygen into the cells for the mitochondria to make ATP energy. Metabolism starts to slow not only because mitochondria need to be protected from the acidic free radicals, but also because the lower the pH the less oxygen can be absorbed into the plasma.
You end up eating more in an attempt to make more energy, but the problem isn’t necessarily the amount of food you are eating or its caloric load, but rather the problem is with digestion, absorption and getting the nutrition out of the food you eat.
Before you know it, the cravings for more carbohydrates and sugary sweet stuff can become obsessive. The carbs give you a quick energy hit because sugar metabolism doesn’t require oxygen. However, it creates a bigger problem for your health because sugar metabolism produces more acids.
As the digestive conveyor belt slows down and metabolism drops back, the body is in a bind about what to do about the wastes that should be removed. It has to protect the vital organs from toxins and if they can’t be pooped out fast enough, the plan ‘B’ is to sequester them into fat storage cells. These fat cells can attract pathogens and can become inflamed and dehydrated. In order to dilute cells from the acidosis, the kidneys retain more sodium, which causes water storage in the cells holding toxins. This can appear as oedema or cellulite.
Immune system weakness and oxygen deprivation
The immune system also depends on energy production, and therefore on magnesium, which has a primary role in mitochondrial production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) – our electrical energy currency. Magnesium is essential in the production of proteins like enzymes, hormones, and collagen, as well as the building of new cells, DNA repair, cell signalling and nerve conduction. Without enough magnesium the stem cells in your bone marrow and endothelial vessel linings produce weaker white blood cells.
The acidosis attracts parasites and pathogenic bacteria which munch on your waste products and produce even more acids from their own wastes and viral load. These freeloaders can even steal your good nutrition.
Your white cells struggle to destroy and eliminate the invaders, as they don’t have enough energetic ammunition, so your body produces more white blood cells to compensate, which then cause traffic jams, extra inflammation, phlegm congestion and clogging up of tubes (including vessels).
As blood cells change their surface charge from negative to positive as a result of acidosis, they attract each other and clump together in rolls. This further restricts oxygen supply due to less cell surface area able to absorb oxygen. Remember, the more acidic an environment gets, the less oxygen can be dissolved and made available. This leads to oxygen deprivation (ischemia) and eventually blood clots (thrombosis).
Magnesium however makes the white blood cells more virulent by supporting mitochondrial ATP, so you don’t need as many to defeat the enemy. As you turn around your nutritional status by increasing magnesium (to support mitochondria), water supply, antioxidants and fresh vegetables, whilst avoiding sugars, chemicals and processed foods, your body starts to respond and clean itself up.
Guided fasting, colonic irrigation, diatomaceous earth, bentonite or zeolite clays, and fermented foods can also help the process. Your naturopathic doctor can design a program to help you get back on the right track.
As your pH changes back to normal you can absorb more oxygen and not have to depend on sugar metabolism. This therefore lightens the acidic load so your body can return to fat burning metabolism, which uses oxygen and is more efficient in energy production. Moderate regular exercise also helps to supply more oxygen in the circulation to improve metabolism and drop excess weight.
Viral load of SARS-COV2 in COVID-19 disease
Viral load, acidosis and inflammation all contribute to oxygen starvation of cells due to restriction of blood supply. This is not confined to the lungs, but a problem with the whole cardiovascular system and pH balance. The inflammation comes as a response to toxic load. If you don’t have enough magnesium or water supply, and you eat junk food and get exposed to chemicals, or you are just very old, it will be very hard for the body to resist the toxic accumulation that presents in COVID-19.
This is why the most vulnerable group to severe COVID-19 disease also have comorbid diseases of diabetes and hyperinsulinemia, metabolic syndrome and heart disease. It also hits hard with people who are immune-compromised, who have cancer, or who are very old and frail. The Covid spike protein (the toxin that produces bad symptoms) becomes the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Those with a healthy metabolism and cardiovascular system seem to get off quite lightly with only mild or even unnoticed symptoms of COVID-19. Children have the cleanest systems and best metabolism, easily creating viral resistance and immunity when provided with good nutrition – and hugs!
SARS-COV2 spike protein blocks ACE2 receptors and harms cardiovascular system
ACE2 plays a vital role in the regulation of cardiovascular and renal function, as well as fertility. Angiotensin is a peptide hormone that causes vasoconstriction (via calcium movement) and an increase in blood pressure. Symptoms of dehydration, toxicity and magnesium deficiency can be a sign of excessive angiotensin activity and deficiency in ACE2.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is an enzyme attached to the membrane of cells in the intestines, kidney, testis, gallbladder, and heart. ACE2 lowers blood pressure by reducing the amount of angiotensin-II and increasing Ang(1-7).
ACE2 is protective of the endothelium. Its deficiency is associated with magnesium deficiency, cardiovascular disease and eventually multi-organ failure.
“Whole body deficiency of endogenous ACE2 (as well as deficiency in bone marrow-derived cells) increased atherosclerosis… [and promoted] inflammation and monocyte adhesion - two mechanisms invoked in lesion formation.” 3 4
ACE2 receptors also serve as the entry point into cells for some coronaviruses, including HCoV-NL63, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2.[5] The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein itself is known to damage the epithelium via downregulation of ACE2. 5
In other words, the Covid spike protein sits on ACE2 receptors, blocking and reducing your ability to receive and utilise ACE2 protein, which is protective of the cardiovascular system. This discovery is promising for future research into ACE2 treatments, or neutralisation of the spike protein (toxin) itself.
Supplements that protect the cardiovascular system
MAGNESIUM and…
Antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinol), vitamin D3, zinc, chromium, B group vitamins, and herbs like garlic, chilli, gingko, ginseng, turmeric and hawthorn. This list is by no means exhaustive. Recommended protocols to cleanse and detox from the spike proteins are here (click). If you have a concerning health condition, please refer to your naturopathic doctor for personal diagnosis, advice or treatments which may be required.
By Sandy Sanderson © 2021
References
(1) Seelig, M. S.; Rosanoff, A. The Magnesium Factor; Avery: New York, 2003.
(2) Kolte, D.; Vijayaraghavan, K.; Khera, S.; Sica, D.; H. Frishman, W. Role of Magnesium in Cardiovascular Diseases; 2014; Vol. 22.
(3) Thatcher, S. E.; Zhang, X.; Howatt, D. A.; Lu, H.; Gurley, S. B.; Daugherty, A.; Cassis, L. A. Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 Deficiency in Whole Body or Bone Marrow-Derived Cells Increases Atherosclerosis in Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-/- Mice. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2011, 31 (4), 758–765. https://doi.org/10.1161/ATVBAHA.110.221614.
(4) al, H.-Y. J. et. ACE2 Deficiency Enhances Angiotensin II-Mediated Aortic Profilin-1 Expression, Inflammation and Peroxynitrite Production | EndNote Click https://click.endnote.com/viewer?doi=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0038502&token=WzI3NTMyOTAsIjEwLjEzNzEvam91cm5hbC5wb25lLjAwMzg1MDIiXQ._ZC-E3WP6BseYgl4Tkr2_9Z9uCs (accessed 2021 -12 -21).
(5) Thatcher, S. E.; Zhang, X.; Howatt, D. A.; Lu, H.; Gurley, S. B.; Daugherty, A.; Cassis, L. A. ACE2 Deficiency in Whole Body or Bone Marrow-Derived Cells Increases Atherosclerosis in LDL Receptor −/− Mice. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2011, 31 (4), 758–765. https://doi.org/10.1161/ATVBAHA.110.221614.
Read Also
- Posted on
One of the most important minerals (if not the most important) for brain health is magnesium. It is a vital macromineral that the body uses in over 600 enzymatic reactions from the making of proteins (including DNA, hormones, collagen and neurotransmitters), as well as immune regulation, control of calcium channels, electrolyte balance and mitochondrial metabolism. It is integral in the operation of the electrical nervous system, and therefore brain function.
- Posted on
Arrhythmia is a condition where the heart beats irregularly (skipped or half beats), too fast (tachycardia) or too slow (bradycardia). It can feel like light flutters starting in the left ventricle of the heart, and if the issue isn’t addressed, over time it can progress to atrial fibrillation, an irregular beat of the main atrium of the heart. This can cause a panic response with extra adrenalin and rapid heart beats. It can lead to heart attack if the condition becomes severe enough.
- Posted on
Magnesium (Mg2+) is required for homeostasis and regulation of the immune system. Chronic magnesium deficiency leads to enhanced baseline inflammation associated with oxidative stress, which can lead to temporary and long term immune dysfunction. The lower the magnesium status, the more hypersensitive and primed for inflammation the immune system becomes.
- Posted on
All stress causes excessive loss of magnesium via urine, but we tend to feel feet stress more due to their extensive enervation. Feet are very sensitive parts of our body! The lower the magnesium in cells the more likely feet stress can cause oedema, referred pain, headaches, migraines, sleep problems and anxiety – as well as cramps, muscle twitches, and restless legs.
- Posted on
We can use the skin to deliver large amounts of magnesium very safely and effectively in order to avoid crisis and maintain optimum magnesium status. The skin, being the largest organ of the body and part of the integumentary system (skin, hair, nails, bones, teeth), can act as a reservoir to store magnesium where the body may draw from it what it needs in a self-regulating manner.
- Posted on
As neuropathic pain is strongly correlated with magnesium deficiency and the associated hyper-inflammatory state, researchers have discovered that supplementary magnesium can directly affect the nerve recovery process to alleviate peripheral neuropathy.
- Posted on
Irritating skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis can become very debilitating for some people, with inflamed itchy skin tormenting them year after year. If you are in this category and have been shunted from pillar to post trying a multitude of creams, ointments and pills without success, then you may be very interested in some nutritional solutions that work.
The health of the skin is a window to what is happening on the inside of the body, and is just as dependent on gut health, as it is on the care of skin. Optimal results occur when you can work both ends towards the middle.
- Posted on
A magnesium bath using epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) is better than nothing, but over time the sulphate strips out too much oil from the skin, leaving it feeling dry and itchy (like a detergent does). Magnesium sulphate also only has 9% elemental magnesium, but our magnesium chloride flakes have 15-16%. Magnesium chloride is also kinder to skin. Overall, magnesium chloride is more effective and offers better value.
- Posted on
As magnesium is an essential component of the electrical nervous system, it’s like running out of spark plugs so there is nothing to ignite the engine to burn the fuel and perform tasks. It’s like unplugging your battery power. If you don’t have enough electrical ‘juice’ running through your system, it will slow down accordingly.
- Posted on
Magnesium tablets and oral supplements may not be able to deliver the magnesium to your cells that you really need. Most people don’t realise how hard they are to digest and absorb, and that most of the magnesium ends up going down the toilet. Our nutritional needs are increasing, as can be seen by the increase in magnesium deficiency symptoms. This is because of depletion in the food supply, drug interactions and chemical exposures, as well as loss of magnesium due to stressful conditions, via perspiration or urination (hypermagnesuria).
- Posted on
Long Covid seems to present with stronger, more acute inflammatory symptoms. It commonly affects the lungs, brain, heart, gastro-intestinal system, and the kidneys. Patients can experience hair loss, fatigue, muscular weakness, joint pain (arthralgia), followed by dyspnea (labored breathing) or cough, and chest pain and palpitation. Neurological symptoms also occur frequently, such as headache, sleep disorders, anxiety and depression, and cognitive disturbances including lack of concentration or ‘brain fog’.
- Posted on
If children are sugar sensitive they can become hyperactive with only small amounts of sugar. That gives you another clue as to possible magnesium deficiency because as magnesium becomes more deficient in the body, sugar sensitivity increases. In contrast, as magnesium stores go higher, it dampens down the sugar sensitivity and hyperactivity. This relationship has a see-saw effect.
- Posted on
Lemon is an important medicinal plant of the family Rutaceae. Studies have found lemon peel is full of nutrients including Vitamin C, potassium, calcium, magnesium and pectin. Pectin is a soluble fibre which is great for gut health, weight loss and the cardiovascular system. It brings more hydration to the bowel, which supports colon health and the microbiome. Lemon peel may even have several anti-cancer properties because it works to detox and neutralise acidic waste products and free radicals, which supports pH balance.
- Posted on
Kidney (renal) disease can also cause magnesium deficiency as the tubules become stiffer with ageing and don’t recycle magnesium as well as they used to. If your kidneys lose too many alkalising minerals, it gets harder to control pH balance and the acids take over.
- Posted on
Neuropathic pain is the type of pain you feel if your nervous system has been damaged or isn’t working correctly. The pain comes from the various levels of the nervous system, which include the peripheral nerves, the spinal cord and the brain. People often describe it as a shooting or burning pain, but it can also be felt as tingling or numbness. Neuropathic pain sometimes goes away on its own, but often it’s a chronic condition that persists, particularly in the senior years when arthritis sets in, or after injuries. For some people, it can be severe and unrelenting and for others, it comes and goes like a phantom. What can you do to allevaite the symptoms naturally?
- Posted on
Hormones greatly influence our growth and development, health, behaviours, metabolism, sex life and fertility. Pretty well everything we do and experience in life is governed by the chemical messages of hormones. As we get into our more mature and senior years, or are young but chronically stressed, our energy and hormone production can become out of balance, acidic, oxygen-deprived and dehydrated. In this article I will focus on magnesium's effect on catecholamines (stress hormones), including cortisol, adrenaline and aldosterone, which are produced by the adrenal glands and directly affect the cardiovascular system.
- Posted on
One hormone of note is the neurotransmitter oxytocin, which is a happy 'feel-good' hormone with similar pain-relieving properties to endorphins (opiate chemicals). It is released in the body when we interact with others in a loving and caring way. An oxytocin deficiency is also associated with stress sensitivity, anxiety and depression, lack of motivation and a dark outlook on life. You need enough magnesium to make oxytocin in the body.
- Posted on
Many people have become obsessed with the notion that lack of calcium causes osteoporosis. Yes, calcium and osteoporosis are related, however the bones are made up of a myriad of different minerals that come together to make healthy and strong bones. We have been collectively 'taught' by dairy industry advertising since last century that calcium is the mineral that prevents osteoporosis. This is simply not true. What bones need is good balance of minerals , with the presence of calcium in the right proportion. In fact, if you overdose on calcium you can create serious complications and side effects - namely the suppression of magnesium.
- Posted on
The pineal gland produces melatonin at night during deep sleep, which works as a potent neuro-protective antioxidant that helps to detox the cerebrospinal fluid of the brain. It has even been shown to have anti-viral effects. When we don’t get a restful deep sleep, which produces enough melatonin, we wake up with leftover pollution and waste products in the brain. We need magnesium to help get a restful deep sleep so melatonin can be produced, and melatonin is a hormone which the body makes using magnesium.
- Posted on
Many people mistakenly think of fluoride as a mineral, and many a politician promoting fluoridation has referred to it as, “the magic mineral.” However, this is not true. Fluorine in its pure form is a gas which is the most toxic of four main halogens; chlorine, bromine and iodine. Fluorine happens to be the most tightly binding element on the periodic table, so it is mostly found as a compound clinging to something else. Fluoride binds up magnesium, and so steals it from your body. The symptoms of fluoride toxicity are the same as magnesium deficiency.
- Posted on
Both magnesium and massage therapy have important health benefits for blood circulation, waste clearance and muscle recovery, as well as alleviation of anxiety and stress. Magnesium massage supercharges health benefits by promoting pain relief, stress relief, faster recovery from injury, bolstering the immune system, and prevention of premature ageing.
- Posted on
Clotting disorders are more prevalent in those with cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetic acidosis. These metabolic issues are also strongly associated with chronic magnesium deficiency.
- Posted on
Did you know heavy metals disrupt your body’s mineral balance causing many negative side effects? People who are chronically ill may not realise that it can be the harmful accumulated toxic metals in their tissue cells that are a big part of their problem..
- Posted on
It is now well-known that dogs need all the essential vitamins and minerals that humans do. One of these key nutrients is magnesium because it’s needed for energy production at the cellular level. Magnesium deficiency in dogs can lead to a diverse set of symptoms. Every time your pet moves a muscle, experiences a heartbeat or has a thought, magnesium is needed to help them achieve this.
- Posted on
Increasing your magnesium levels also supercharges the cleansing process. This is because magnesium supports detoxification by energising the detox enzymes such as glutathione and superoxide dismutase. These are powerful antioxidants, which neutralise free radicals and help to restore pH balance and energy production. This will give your metabolism a great boost - especially if you have been feeling sluggish and foggy, if the weight is piling on when it shouldn't be, or if you are battling with IBS and debilitating gut issues.
- Posted on
Without the relaxation and antioxidant support of magnesium, the stress and tension increases acidity, weakens the immune system and microbiome balance, which promotes inflammation and headache. These symptoms are common during influenza or coronavirus infections because they increase the stress and toxic load, thereby depleting more magnesium.
- Posted on
When the body is dehydrated it can also cause oedema, a pooling of fluids around the ankles or puffiness around the eyes. The reason for fluid retention is usually because the body cannot properly eliminate wastes when there is not enough free water flowing through the system. In order to protect the vital organs the body holds back and pools water in regions where the toxicity needs to be diluted most (eg. sites of inflammation or acidity). Waste products can also pool up and cause swelling in the lymph system - the body's protein waste disposal system. This is another case where toxic residues need to be diluted with more water.
- Posted on
The microbial balance of our gut directly influences our Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, the production of hormones and neurotransmitters, and our immune system's regulation. Stress is very debilitating and causes depletion of magnesium because of excessive magnesium loss via the kidneys. Magnesium deficiency causes energy depletion and acidosis, which triggers inflammatory states, resulting in moods swings, hormone imbalance, mental illnesses, fatigue, irritability, pain symptoms, and a weaker immune system. Magnesium deficiency also directly affects the beneficial bacteria, which thus leads to depressive-like behaviours.
- Posted on
Magnesium is an essential mineral which performs some very important functions when you're pregnant. It’s used to maintain healthy blood sugar levels in the body (see study) and it helps build healthy teeth and bones by working in partnership with calcium. It also regulates cholesterol and irregular heartbeat.
- Posted on
Magnesium deficiency or antagonism (blockage) can cause any one of these steps to malfunction, causing overdose of stress hormones and inability to relax enough to sleep deeply.
- Posted on
It's almost impossible for you to get a toxic magnesium dose or overdose, unless magnesium is given at high dose intravenously, where there is no magnesium deficiency or the person has kidney problems and can’t excrete excess salts.
- Posted on
We can become addicted to more than just pharmaceutical drugs or alcohol. Researchers are now noticing symptoms of addiction also to excessive exercise. Does excessive exercise or over-training have negative side effects? Could it harm health and cause premature ageing? The research indicates yes, mainly because of increasing magnesium deficiency.
- Posted on
Magnesium deficiency weakens performance, stamina and increases risk of injury
When you push your muscles hard your brain is telling your body to ‘squeeze’ and act. Adrenalin and cortisol increase, and that helps push the calcium into the calcium channels of the muscle fibre cells, which makes them contract. Magnesium is temporarily pushed out of these channels during the contractions. When we relax, calcium comes out and magnesium moves back into the channels to relax the muscles again.
- Posted on
I was over 50 when menopause set in, accompanied by an autoimmune disorder called Hashimotos Hypothyroidism, severe heart arrhythmia, and the emerging white patches on my skin. This form of autoimmune hypothyroidism is thought to be prevalent in about 5% of the world’s population, however I believe the numbers are growing as people become more chemically sensitive to pollutants that stress the thyroid.
- Posted on
The haemoglobin of red blood cells requires magnesium to help it take up oxygen from lungs and deliver that oxygen to tissue cells in other parts of the body. Researchers believe this is because, as part of the ATP energy currency, magnesium is vital to membrane integrity of red blood cells. The heme protein (containing iron) in these cells needs to ‘attract’ oxygen molecules from lung sacs as blood passes by. The oxygen molecules need to pass through the red blood cell (RBC) membrane – to get ‘onboard’ the train so to speak.
- Posted on
Note that dehydrated states can cause feelings of anxiety where we just don’t know the reason for our fear or agitation, but the feeling persists. Re-hydrating the body with ample water and magnesium can calm down these sensations because magnesium has a dampening effect on adrenaline and cortisol. When the brain has ample water and magnesium we can think more clearly and make better decisions. This is especially important during crises because our magnesium reserves can become dangerously low.
- Posted on
Magnesium is so important to cardiovascular function, its scarcity being correlated with the development of cardiovascular disease, that it has become the focus of intense scientific study and review over recent years. A meta-analysis review of epidemiological studies published in 2017 concluded that magnesium intake is associated with lower risk of major cardiovascular risk factors such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes and hypertension, as well as incidence of stroke and total cardiovascular disease. Higher levels of circulating magnesium are also associated with lower risk of heart disease, mainly ischemic and coronary heart disease.
- Posted on
You may not realise it, but cramps and restless legs are quite easy to fix and you can do it without drugs. All you need is enough magnesium (and water) to get to where it is needed in the muscles for recovery and performance.
- Posted on
As magnesium drops lower from excessive stress, there is less control over adrenaline and cortisol release, so that these catecholamines (stress hormones) escalate and chronically flood the system in a fight or flight (sympathetic) mode. We can get stuck in that mode, unable to relax and move back to rest and recover grazing (parasympathetic) mode. The stress hormones prompt glutamine to overstimulate neurons causing rapid and incessant calcium firing. Without enough magnesium to control the calcium and switch off the catecholamine release, we can’t relax.
- Posted on
It’s been coined the master mineral and deemed as critical as water. But how exactly does it correlate to the process of ageing? The ways are numerous, but we’ll highlight a few of our standouts. From menopause to migraines, bone health to beautiful skin, you’ll be eager to lather up in magnesium cream by the time you’ve finished reading this. And remember, even if you’ve had a blood test that did not show up a deficiency in magnesium, only a small portion of magnesium stores actually sit in the blood. There are other areas more likely to be depleted that won’t be detected so simply.
- Posted on
Optimal nutrition for our children means they will have the best opportunity to realise their fullest genetic potential to be well balanced, healthy and happy into adulthood. We all want our children to be ‘upgrades’ from ourselves. We want to pass on our seeds to future generations, but what about the quality of those seeds when magnesium is low? Can ‘magnesium kids’ offer a better hope for optimal health over a lifetime?
- Posted on
Healthy cells need lipid protection, magnesium charge and ample hydration to support mitochondrial energy metabolism of Mg-ATP ‘batteries’. This energy is then used to assemble amino acids into the various proteins we need to build collagen structures. It is also used to manufacture hormones, enzymes, neurotransmitters and other chemical messengers.
- Posted on
The review goes on to explain glyphosate’s mechanism of toxic action. Firstly, it is a strong chelating agent, creating complexes that immobilize the mineral micronutrients of the soil, such as magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, nickel and zinc, making them unavailable to plants. This means that the food supply is robbed of vital mineral nutrients. We eat the food, it fills a void, but it doesn’t supply valuable nutrition. The end result is that we keep eating more and more empty carbs until obesity and other metabolic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, senile dementia, inflammatory bowel disease, renal failure, thyroid or liver cancer develop.
- Posted on
Inflammation and pain can be part of a healing crisis, but if your magnesium status is healthy you will heal and recover relatively quickly because the metabolism can perform the way it should. The lower the cellular magnesium levels get however, the slower it becomes to recover from the stresses and the more painful and amplified are the symptoms.
- Posted on
Premature ageing is usually marked by excessive weight gain (especially adipose tissue around the middle), exaggerated dehydration, hypercalcemia, joint stiffening, acidosis and inflammation. In other words, getting overweight, dry and stiff with creaky and brittle bones before our time. Skin can also get very dry and saggy looking. As we need magnesium to synthesise collagen proteins and elastin fibres, which are the structures that hold us together as skin, bone, ligaments, sinew, smooth muscle walls in arteries etc, low magnesium means those structures lose their integrity. [6] Thus magnesium helps us to stay more hydrated, flexible and stretchy longer!
- Posted on
Did you know that our gut microbiome needs a good supply of magnesium for energy to do all their jobs properly? Beneficial gut bacteria are extremely important to good health. Did you know that we rely on our gut microbiome more than our own cells and enzymes for digestion of food and nutrient absorption? If digestion is compromised we can be short-changed on magnesium uptake. Low magnesium can lead to feelings of depression, mood disorders, fatigue, restless and disturbed sleep, foggy brain, anxiety and much more. See the STUDY: "Dietary magnesium deficiency alters gut microbiota and leads to depressive-like behaviour."
- Posted on
Transdermal magnesium absorption means that magnesium ions (electrolytes) can pass into the epidermis (outer layer) of the skin, which acts as a nutritional reservoir until the tiny capillaries of the dermis underneath can absorb nutrients as required. From this skin reservoir the body may also absorb the vitamin D it made when you got some sunshine on your skin.
- Posted on
Keratosis can also develop concurrently with inflammatory states such as eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, allergies and asthma. If the inflammation is adequately quelled, the skin issues also tend to dissipate. Magnesium is a powerful anti-inflammatory. Many studies since last century have confirmed that in low-magnesium states we are more likely to develop inflammatory conditions. Where those inflammatory conditions manifest depends largely on genetics and environmental factors. Some people can experience skin problems or mood swings and depression, while others develop hardening of the arteries or sugar-sensitivity (metabolic syndrome) and unstable energy fluctuations. Multiple symptoms can occur and are usually a sign of magnesium deficiency.
- Posted on
When you purchase epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) from the supermarket however, it is usually not one harvested from ocean water, but manufactured in a factory as an isolate which is magnesium sulfate. It does not contain the other sea trace minerals that would be present in dehydrated sea salt. Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) is very cheap and in the event you can’t get hold of anything else, it can certainly save your life.