Every week I seem to find more things to say about magnesium. The topic is usually prompted by a reader’s comment. Lately people have been asking me how much magnesium to take. Serum magnesium blood tests are no great help, because only 1% of the body’s magnesium is in the blood.
Instead I recommend you get a Magnesium RBC blood test. If your doctor won’t order it for you then you can go to Request A Test Lab and order it yourself for only $49.00. There has to be a fast turnover on this test. If your doctor does it and it takes a week, chances are that the test may be inaccurate or even invalid. Request A Test has a very fast turnover.
When you get your Magnesium RBC results notice that the U.S. values are 4.2-6.8 mg/dL. This is the average range of our “sick” population. The value you want to achieve it at least 6mg/dL and higher. You can use your Magnesium RBC test to gauge how much magnesium your body requires. You can repeat this test every 3 months to make sure you are building up your magnesium stores. Unlike most drugs, as your body becomes saturated with magnesium, you will need less, not more, to sustain your health.
I also have a list of 100 factors that are associated with magnesium deficiency and I put them in my book, The Magnesium Miracle.
I recently added that list to an updated version of my Maximizing Magnesium module in Completement Now! and I thought I’d share it with you.
Here’s what you do. Print up several copies of this page and put a big check mark by your magnesium deficiency factors. Start taking magnesium. In a few weeks pull out a fresh sheet and mark it up. Compare both. If you still have many symptoms remaining, increase your magnesium.
| 1. Alcohol >7 drinks/wk | 22. Food cravings | 42. Muscle problems |
| 2. Anger | a. Carbohydrates | a. Cramps |
| 3. Angina | b. Chocolate | b. Spasms |
| 4. Anxiety | c. Salt | c. Twitching |
| 5. Apathy | d. Junk food | d. Tics |
| 6. Arrhythmia | 23. Gagging or choking | e. Weakness |
| 7. Asthma | 24. Headaches | 43. Numbness hands/feet |
| 8. Blood tests | 25. Heart disease | 44. Osteoporosis |
| a. Low calcium | 26. Heart – rapid rate | 45. Paranoia |
| b. Low potassium | 27. High blood pressure | 46. Parathyroid (hyper) |
| c. Low magnesium | 28. Homocysteinuria | 47. PMS |
| 9. Bowel problems | 29. Hyperactivity | 48. Polycystic ovaries |
| a. Undigested fat in stool | 30. Hyperventilation | 49. Pregnancy |
| b. Constipation | 31. Infertility | a. Currently pregnant |
| c. Diarrhea | 32. Insomnia | b. Preeclampsia/eclampsia |
| d. Constipation/diarrhea | 33. Irritability | c. Multiple pregnancies |
| e. IBS | 34. Kidney stones | d. Postpartum depression |
| f. Crohn’s | 35. Medications | e. Child with cerebral palsy |
| g. Colitis | a. Digitalis | 50. Radiation therapy |
| 10. Brain trauma | b. Diuretics | 51. Raynaud’s syndrome |
| 11. Bronchitis, chronic | c. Antibiotics | 52. Restlessness |
| 12. Caffeine >3 per day | d. Steroids | 53. Sex drive low |
| 13. Chronic fatigue | e. Oral contraceptives | 54. Shortness of breath |
| 14. Cold extremities | f. Indomethacin | 55. Smoking |
| 15. Concentration poor | g. Cisplatin | 56. Startled easily |
| 16. Confusion | h. Amphotericin B | 57. Stressful life |
| 17. Convulsions | i. Cholestyramine | 58. Stroke |
| 18. Depression | j. Synthetic estrogens | 59. Sugar intake high |
| 19. Diabetes | 36. Memory impairment | 60. Syndrome X |
| a. Type I | 37. Mercury fillings | 61. Thyroid hyperactivity |
| b. Type II | 38. Menses pain/cramps | 62. Tingling hands/feet |
| c. Gestational diabetes | 39. Migraines | 63. Transplants: kidney/liver |
| 20. Fibromyalgia | 40 Mineral supplements | 64. Tremor of hands |
| 21. Food intake | a. Calcium w/o mag | 65. Water contamination |
| a. Limited greens | b. Zinc w/o mag | Flouride, chlorine, calcium |
| b. High protein | c. Iron w/p mag | 66. Wheezing |
| c. Limited nuts/seeds | 41. Mitral valve prolapse |
Go to my Tuesday, May 4, 2010 blog to hear my recommendations for types of magnesium that you can use. I personally can’t take most magnesium so I depend on a pico-ionic form of magnesium called ReMag which is 100% absorbed at the cellular level and does not have a laxative effect. This way I can get therapeutic levels for my heart palpitations and leg cramps and not waste magnesium with the laxative effect.
Carolyn Dean MD ND
The Doctor of the Future®
RESOURCES: Along the borders and in the links of my web site you can find my books, writings, and my call-in radio show. Email your questions to: questions@drcarolyndeanlive.com.
