• Posted on

Magnesium Deficiency in Dogs is the Number 1 Cause of Muscle Spasms

Magnesium Deficiency in Dogs is the Number 1 Cause of Muscle Spasms

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.
     It’s little wonder many of our pets are deficient in magnesium because they share the same deficiencies as their human masters. Magnesium is very very depleted in foods we eat these days, especially when processed. We live in a fast food world of packets and tins, where you can bet that this type of food provides little or no magnesium benefit. Even fresh produce can be lower in magnesium than it should be simply because the soils have become depleted.  When you add to that fact that we humans and our animals lose more magnesium when under stress, you can see why magnesium deficiency is very widespread.
     Many vets are aware of the importance of magnesium:  Shailen Jasani is a veterinary surgeon specialising in Emergency and Critical Care in the UK. He says that magnesium can be used as a medication with an escalating role in critical care medicine, and,  “Magnesium plays a pivotal role in cellular energy production and cell-specific functions in every organ of the body.”  Jasanai further explains that this is because, “Magnesium plays a pivotal role in the electrophysiology and ion flux across cell and mitochondrial membranes,” which, he adds, ultimately impacts on energy production and release.

Some symptoms of magnesium deficiency in dogs are:

  • Muscle weakness or trembling
  • Hyperactive or improperly triggered reflexes
  • Difficulty walking
  • Muscle pain
  • Heart arrhythmia
  • Lethargy or abnormal behaviour
  • Constant scratching or itching
  • Difficulty sleeping

Causes of magnesium deficiency in dogs:

  • Excessive stress, trauma or injury
  • Chemical and toxic exposures
  • Malnutrition
  • Diabetes
  • Kidney damage
  • Treatment with diuretics
  • Digestion problems and disease inhibiting absorption of nutrients

More serious symptoms of heart arrhythmia:     
     If you feel your dog is showing signs of magnesium deficiency, this should be checked out quickly to avoid serious heart problems. Take your dog to the vet and they will listen to your dog’s heart. If any abnormality is detected they’ll probably order an ECG.
     An ECG is a medical device which displays the patterns of your dog’s heartbeat on a screen using terminals taped to your dog’s chest. This is a simple machine and most vets have one. The classic signs of low magnesium are prolonged PR intervals, widened QRS complexes, depressed ST segments and peaked T-waves.

Other minerals are also affected by magnesium deficiency in dogs

Sure, there are other electrolyte minerals required by both humans and dogs. We need sodium, potassium and calcium as well, but these are all dependent to some degree on the action of the magnesium.  Magnesium underpins and leverages their effect.  And our main electrolyte team in addition to magnesium - sodium, potassium and calcium - are necessary for some very important functions, including muscle movement, proper heart function and nervous system signalling.  
     For example, if you have plenty of magnesium, your body doesn't need quite as much calcium to get the calcium jobs done because magnesium organises and controls calcium's use in the body.  It turns out that magnesium is the 'Master Mineral' electrolyte regulator in the electrical system.  If it drops too low, calcium can cause a lot of havoc as free calcium depositing where it shouldn't, or over-stimulating muscle cells.
     Therefore, as magnesium drops lower, it can lead to the other three minerals losing effect.  Studies have shown that potassium suffers when magnesium is too low, as we can lose too much potassium due to membrane 'leakiness' when magnesium is deficient.  If you lose too much potassium from inside the cell it can cause heart attacks. The potential knock-on effects are muscle weakness and tremors, as well as heart arrhythmias. As these issues escalate they can become fatal.
     I have a customer that regularly applies Magnesium Oil to the legs of his racing dogs so they can recover better from their events. Without the extra magnesium the dogs develop intense and involuntary muscle tremors and spasms.  This is also a helpful strategy for all athletes who undertake extreme sports and gruelling training.
     If your dog is behaving strangely and seems to be in pain or having trouble walking, take your pet to a vet straight away so they can check exactly what’s happening.  Sometimes it might be a toxin from a tick or snake bite that is causing these issues, because that type of toxin blocks the electrical system.
     Magnesium deficiency is something that tends to grow over time. You will be able to notice symptoms creeping in slowly, and escalating if left untreated.
     If you’re worried about your dog’s health because he/she is behaving strangely with symptoms like sensitivity to stress or noises, anxiety, muscle weakness and changes to gait, or skin issues with constant scratching not due to fleas, then your vet will likely order a blood electrolyte test. This measures the amount of minerals such as magnesium, potassium, calcium and sodium in your pet’s blood, in addition to some other common electrolytes.

Treatment of magnesium deficiency in dogs

However, if you are feeding your dog well with a good variety of fresh food, but suspect magnesium deficiency (perhaps due to stress or exertion), then you can test this by applying magnesium as a magnesium spray, lotion or cream on the underbelly or legs - wherever you can get it past the fur to the skin.  You can also add food grade magnesium chloride flakes to their drinking water every day.  Watch for changes in the symptoms over a few days of applying magnesium transdermally once or twice a day.

Supplementing your dog with magnesium is easy with Elektra Magnesium Cream for dogs (Pet Cream). The Pet Cream is recommended for skin and itching issues, because it has a higher fat content, which is very soothing for sensitive skin whilst delivering the magnesium. Adding Magnesium Chloride Flakes to your dog’s drinking water ensures the water they drink works better inside the body for good hydration, but it may be too little magnesium by itself to deal with more intense nervous system, muscle, joint or skin issues. For that you need transdermal magnesium. It works fast to alleviate magnesium deficiencies because magnesium chloride flakes are natural food grade salts made by nature that dissolve fully in water and can be taken up by cells (including dermal cells) without further digestion.

Supplementing dietary magnesium using transdermal magnesium is relatively easy.  Dogs actually love massage. Believe me, they will be coming back for more!  Just massage in one or two teaspoons of Magnesium Cream for Dogs (Pet Cream). If your dog has developed magnesium deficiency, it’s best to keep applying the cream regularly, as well as adding the Magnesium Chloride Flakes to drinking water, to prevent re-occurence of magnesium deficiency symptoms.

It's not really a 'medicine', but rather a vital nutrient that we need daily, and which is low in our food supply.

A big day out in the park means they need a bit more of that magnesium
 If you want to see your dog come home after a big day out and to recover well from a lot of exertion, then make sure you use transdermal magnesium for quick relief.  Exercise can deplete magnesium reserves a lot.
Lower magnesium levels are associated with hyperactivity, anxiety and agitation. You can tell when it becomes hard for your dog to relax and calm down. When enough magnesium is supplied the symptoms go away and the muscles can relax again. Relaxation is essential for recovery from stress, healing and tissue repair, strong bones and healthy joints. Magnesium also helps your dog drift off in a sound slumber, waking up more refreshed and ready for another round of fun activity!  Ample magnesium will also support a shiny coat, a better temperament and enhanced longevity in your dog.  They don't call magnesium the 'anti-ageing mineral' for nothing!

In summary, here are our tips for treating magnesium deficiency in dogs:

  • Rub Magnesium Cream for Dogs into their skin. To sooth itchy skin use a small amount of this cream on the afflicted area. It may tingle but this is temporary and fades quickly. Avoid application to broken skin as it may sting, but rather apply to surrounding area. Apply regularly every day until the inflammation subsides.  Magnesium Charge Lotion will also work this way.
  • Or rub some Elektra Magnesium Oil Spritz into your pet's muscles for more acute symptoms. For extra relaxation and recovery after strenuous exercise, use 6-8 sprays (or more if needed).
  • Add some Magnesium Chloride Flakes to your pet’s drinking water (dogs, cats, horses etc) to make a mineral alkaline water for better hydration. Use the same amount as for making mineral drinking water for humans. See instructions here.


Elektra Magnesium Cream for pets, lotion and oil are non-toxic and contain no parabens, animal products or petrochemical ingredients. They are made with all natural plant ingredients and natural food grade magnesium chloride salt flakes.

You can check out the full range of Elektra Magnesium products here at their website. Or join their Facebook and Instagram groups for more magnesium health tips.

 

About The Author

Leave a comment

Read Also

See all Articles
Heart Palpitations, Arrhythmia and Atrial Fibrillation
  • Posted on
Heart Palpitations, Arrhythmia and Atrial Fibrillation
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.
Magnesium: The Immune System's Super Mineral
  • Posted on
Magnesium: The Immune System's Super Mineral
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.
Recover From Feet Stress With Magnesium
  • Posted on
Recover From Feet Stress With Magnesium
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.
How Does Magnesium Get in Via Skin?
  • Posted on
How Does Magnesium Get in Via Skin?
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. 
How Does Magnesium Alleviate Peripheral Neuropathy?
  • Posted on
How Does Magnesium Alleviate Peripheral Neuropathy?
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.
Calming Down Eczema, Psoriasis and Dermatitis
  • Posted on
Calming Down Eczema, Psoriasis and Dermatitis
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.
Magnesium Bath Benefits
  • Posted on
Magnesium Bath Benefits
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.
Overcome Fatigue and Burnout: Recharge Your Electrical System
  • Posted on
Overcome Fatigue and Burnout: Recharge Your Electrical System
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.
Magnesium Tablets VS Transdermal Magnesium
  • Posted on
Magnesium Tablets VS Transdermal Magnesium
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). 
Long Covid, Post Viral and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – A Magnesium Deficiency Problem?
  • Posted on
Long Covid, Post Viral and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – A Magnesium Deficiency Problem?
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’.
Magnesium Calms Hyperactivity in Children
  • Posted on
Magnesium Calms Hyperactivity in Children
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.
Immune System Boost with Lemon Peel
  • Posted on
Immune System Boost with Lemon Peel
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.
How to Stop the Bloating of Water Retention
  • Posted on
How to Stop the Bloating of Water Retention
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.
Managing Neuropathic Pain with Magnesium
  • Posted on
Managing Neuropathic Pain with Magnesium
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?
Magnesium, Stress Hormones and Heart Disease
  • Posted on
Magnesium, Stress Hormones and Heart Disease
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.
Oxytocin - the Life-Saving Love Hormone
  • Posted on
Oxytocin - the Life-Saving Love Hormone
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.
Defend Your Heart Against Spike Proteins
  • Posted on
Defend Your Heart Against Spike Proteins
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.
What has Osteoporosis Got to do With Calcium and Magnesium?
  • Posted on
What has Osteoporosis Got to do With Calcium and Magnesium?
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.
The Enlightening Power of the Pineal Gland
  • Posted on
The Enlightening Power of the Pineal Gland
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.
Are You Overdosing on the Fluoride 'Neurotoxin' in Tap Water?
  • Posted on
Are You Overdosing on the Fluoride 'Neurotoxin' in Tap Water?
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.
Magnesium Massage Supercharges Health Benefits
  • Posted on
Magnesium Massage Supercharges Health Benefits
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. 
Blood Clot (Thrombosis) Risk Increases With Inflammation
  • Posted on
Blood Clot (Thrombosis) Risk Increases With Inflammation
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. 
Why You Cannot Afford to Have Toxic Metals Block Magnesium
  • Posted on
Why You Cannot Afford to Have Toxic Metals Block Magnesium
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..
Fasting for Detox, Weight Loss and Energy
  • Posted on
Fasting for Detox, Weight Loss and Energy
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.
Pain Relief With the Most Important Mineral
  • Posted on
Pain Relief With the Most Important Mineral
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.
The Power of Magnesium in Water
  • Posted on
The Power of Magnesium in Water
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.
Could Anxiety be Caused by a Toxic Gut Microbiome?
  • Posted on
Could Anxiety be Caused by a Toxic Gut Microbiome?
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.
The Most Important Mineral When You're Pregnant or Breastfeeding
  • Posted on
The Most Important Mineral When You're Pregnant or Breastfeeding
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.
Lose Weight and Improve Brain… by Sleeping
  • Posted on
Lose Weight and Improve Brain… by Sleeping
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.
What is a Toxic Magnesium Dose?
  • Posted on
What is a Toxic Magnesium Dose?
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. 
What are the Dangers of Exercise Addiction?
  • Posted on
What are the Dangers of Exercise Addiction?
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.
Is 'Overtraining Syndrome' Harming Your Health?
  • Posted on
Is 'Overtraining Syndrome' Harming Your Health?
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. 
Vitiligo and Hashimotos (Autoimmune) Hypothyroidism
  • Posted on
Vitiligo and Hashimotos (Autoimmune) Hypothyroidism
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.
Immune System Defence with Vitamin C and Magnesium
  • Posted on
Immune System Defence with Vitamin C and Magnesium
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.
Drought, Dehydration and Stress
  • Posted on
Drought, Dehydration and Stress
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.
Protect Against Cardiovascular Disease With Magnesium
  • Posted on
Protect Against Cardiovascular Disease With Magnesium
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.
Calm Cramps and Restless Legs Fast!
  • Posted on
Calm Cramps and Restless Legs Fast!
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.
Can Magnesium Relieve Anxiety and Depression?
  • Posted on
Can Magnesium Relieve Anxiety and Depression?
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.
The Connection Between Magnesium and Ageing
  • Posted on
The Connection Between Magnesium and Ageing
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.
Magnesium Kids are Healthier
  • Posted on
Magnesium Kids are Healthier
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?
Collagen and Elastin Production for Skin, Muscle and Bone
  • Posted on
Collagen and Elastin Production for Skin, Muscle and Bone
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.
Glyphosate: a Toxin Round Up That Steals Energy
  • Posted on
Glyphosate: a Toxin Round Up That Steals Energy
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.
Magnesium Soothes Pain and Inflammation
  • Posted on
Magnesium Soothes Pain and Inflammation
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.
Menopause - No Big Deal Thanks to Magnesium
  • Posted on
Menopause - No Big Deal Thanks to Magnesium
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!
Magnesium and the Gut Microbiome
  • Posted on
Magnesium and the Gut Microbiome
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."
Transdermal Magnesium - Myth or Reality?
  • Posted on
Transdermal Magnesium - Myth or Reality?
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.
Magnesium Cream Relieves Keratosis - 'Chicken Skin'
  • Posted on
Magnesium Cream Relieves Keratosis - 'Chicken Skin'
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.
Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) versus magnesium chloride: what's the difference?
  • Posted on
Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) versus magnesium chloride: what's the difference?
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.
Magnesium – Number 1 Mineral for Health and Longevity
  • Posted on
Magnesium – Number 1 Mineral for Health and Longevity
Magnesium is the one mineral we lose most of under stressful conditions and will directly affect our longevity if we don’t have enough of it.  It’s also the mineral we need a lot of in order to relax and recover from stress.  Magnesium is used by mitochondria to make ATP (adenosine triphosphate), our cellular energy currency.   It is therefore absolutely essential to all electrical function in the body.  Every message sent by our nervous system, every detoxification event, every action of our immune system and all building of new cells relies on magnesium to give it power.