Enough with the magnesium defense,... starting to sound a bit emotionally invested...
Yes, I've read The Magnesium Miracle, and I'll repeat that I am not questioning the validity of the magnesium research or importance of it for good health!, ...but would still urge caution when it comes to supplementing with a single mineral as a cure all. Minerals need to be in balance, and while supplementing Mg may help bring its level up to normal, helping alleviate many conditions, continued supplementation
in excess of what is needed can cause imbalances with other minerals. .
Which is why I suggested kinesiology because none of us have enough knowledge or information about Dingo's nutritional profile, dietary habits, past history, etc. to make such blanketed claims and suggestions.
For instance, my current research on iron imbalance (excess/deficiency) cites many of the same conditions for which magnesium is helpful ... so, is it a magnesium deficiency or iron excess or both, or maybe a combination of other mineral imbalances which may be occurring? Again, I repeat my earlier suggestion: Kinesiology can help someone fine-tune their requirements, rather than taking a "miracle" supplement,
that may only be part of the solution.
Taking too much of any one mineral can cause an imbalance with other minerals. Often times the symptoms of deficiency in a mineral include some of the same symptoms as those of having an excess of that mineral. For instance, Dr. Weinberg writes in Exposing the Hidden Dangers of Iron, of how well intentioned doctors prescribe iron supplements to someone exhibiting anemic symptoms and low heme count, only to have exacerbated the symptoms of iron excess (sore joints and fatigue). The doctors failed to do a comprehensive iron panel which would have shown that the patient's serum ferritin was highly elevated, indicating a deficiency of some other sort preventing the correct utilization of iron. And these are doctors with access to lab tests... and still, they missed the whole picture.
Magnesium, I would think, is hardly an exception to this scrutiny.
Dr. Bernard Jensen, author of The Chemistry of Man, is one of few who write about the
signs of magnesium excess:
Excess Intensifies Sedative Qualities
Excessive consumption of magnesium, whether in the form of food, drinks and tonics or drugs, produces symptoms of defective memory, drowsiness, sexual apathy, mediocre reasoning power and general sluggishness. Nerve matter is drugged and deadened, producing an inert nervous system and a feeling of lethargy. The brain is dulled, mind depressed, nerves hypo-active, perception slow and intelligence decreased. The calming, sedative qualities of magnesium are intensified
Objective World Becomes confusing
Sleepiness overcomes during working hours; algesic centers are hypo-active; sleep is unrefreshing; dreams of hazards, death, blackness, craggy roads, frightening scenes, funerals, corpses occur, due to centers of fear and perversion being adversely affected by over-consumption of magnesium. There is difficulty in recognizing people and identifying certain objects; objective world becomes confusing as to place, time, space, distance, size, shape, conformity.
Life Seems Uninteresting
Life may seem uninteresting, unimportant; there may be indifference toward any and all things except accidents, phobias, destiny, teasing. The patient walks as if sleepwalking, dazed, unworldly and not conscious of actions, conversation or others. He exhibits indolence, procrastination, languorous tendencies; low creativity,; inertia; quick loss of interest....The nerves lining the digestive tract are adversely affected; caustic bowels cause some phobias; the patient has difficulty staying awake at public functions; he goes to bed early; evening study is impossible for him. He feels sensation of pressure; appetite is alternately poor and whimsical or ravenous;....
Brain Activity is Slow, Speech Incoherent
Brain activity is as if partially suspended or in slow motion. Sexual activity becomes passive, weakened; mucus membranes are irritated; generative organs are deranged as are regenerative processes; cerebral and white muscle fibers are weakened; nerve currents are short circuited in certain nerves; activities of brain, mind, nerves, membranes are disrupted. Nerves may be partially blocked; mental, sensory and motor directions are not transmitted properly by white nerve fibers. White matter transformed to pulpy mushy putrid state, yet gray brain material is untouched; this contributes lowered intelligence and paranoia. The brain may atrophy when magnesium is oversupplied, with rise of neuroglia and brain fluid quantity; white fibers are destroyed, accompanied by pulpy mushy, gluey thickening of cerebral meninges resulting in poor perception, lack of reasoning power, loss of intellectual ability, lack of coherence, inability to control self, lack of emotional direction, incoherent speech. The ultimate result may be mental derangement.
Excessive Beer Drinking Overloads System with Mangesium
Veteran beer drinkers, those who drink excessive mineral waters high in magnesia and those who over consume magnesium foods, often develop intestinal adhesion; their alimentary tracts become sticky; there is spontaneous gas generation from the bowel that rises to the throat in unpleasant belching; the digestive tract is in a state of irritation of atonicity which often causes abdominal protrusion or obese appearance.... Head is causing excessive consumption of liquids and forcing vital nutrients out of the system before they can be assimilated. Breathing becomes shallow when magnesium is too high; muscles are over-relaxed; brain cells are torpid; feelings are desensitized; sentiments are lacking; menstrual function is reduced; female organs are affected; romance is unimportant; there is a general state of paralysis, sedation, anesthesia, nausea, laxity, weakness. Excessive use of alcoholic beverages leads to alcoholic hypertrophy in addition to adhesions.
Whether these signs of excess are caused my magnesium alone, or as I would suspect, a mineral imbalance caused by too much magnesium is not indicated by Dr Jensen, but should give us pause before we go gun-ho on any one mineral.
Mr. Scott said:
In short:
1. The laxative effect depends on the TYPE of magnesium supplement you take
2. Our collective research shows Mg is highly beneficial for most people, as we are almost all deficient
3. Our collective "self-experimentation" with Mg has yielded highly positive results
Again,
I'm not disputing magnesium's benefits, but to assume one is deficient because "we are almost all deficient" and to supplement without (muscle)testing to see how much and how long one should take it, is not necessarily risky in the short term, but may be unnecessary at best, and an incomplete recommendation, at worst.
In response to point 3., keep in mind Dr. Jensen's signs of magnesium excess as your "self-experimentation" progresses; you all have such beautiful inquisitive minds and I'd hate to see any of you end up mentally deranged due to magnesium excess/mineral imbalance, and I mean that with much sincerity. I can only suggest that you periodically employ applied kinesiology for anything you're taking long term.
I'm not including Dr. Jensen's "signs" to knock magnesium off the pedestal, indeed it belongs on a pedestal as suggested by Jensen, but not by itself, and not indiscriminately. I'm just suggesting a more cautious and exacting approach: kinesiology may offer a way for Dingo to communicate with his body to help fine tune his diet and nutritional needs. Its more than possible that he needs more magnesium, but whether that is due to nutritional inefficiencies, mineral imbalances, absorption issues, etc. is beyond what anyone on this forum is qualified, or
should feel qualified to do. Just as one diet does not fit all, so it is with supplementation. (recall the varied results with MMS?)
My caution has developed after my own "self-experimentation" with mineral supplements. After a few years of taking mineral ascorbates (Ca and Mg in a 2:1 ratio, along with Zn, Mn and ?), I began noticing symptoms of fibromyalgia/arthritis which eventually subsided after deciding to discontinue them and instead, acquire nutrients from more natural whole food sources, switching to organic, avoiding GMO foods, drinking more herbal teas, etc. (as nature intended). While anecdotal, at best, my self-experimentation took three years to manifest the undesirable results which led me to take a closer look at the prudence of supplementation. I must note that at first, supplements seemed to help and I could feel results, but
after a few years of continued supplementation, less desirable symptoms began appearing. Going to a kinesiologist at that time would have helped me determine which was helping and which was hindering, as well as how much and when to stop, but I thought I knew from my own research (of reading others' research) into nutritional supplementation and reviewing companies' production methods that I could treat myself. I'm not so arrogant (naive?) anymore, for I've learned that everyone's body is unique, as is their past history, and the body is more mysteriously complex in its working than I ever would have allowed myself to imagine 10 years ago. One thing reading Laura's work has taught me is to question
everything, even that which you, as well as others, feel sure about, because science is not exact and tends to create more questions with each revelation that's disclosed.
Please, proceed with caution on that self-experimentation business.
Skyfarmr said:
Only your body can tell you exactly what you need; a kinesiologist is sort of like the translator for that communication.
Why am I not surprised!
