You wake up one morning and notice that your muscles are a little bit tighter than usual. Your skin feels a little bit more oily. Perhaps you have a headache or sore neck. You check with the doctor, who tells you that your magnesium level is low, and that you need to replenish your body’s greatest mineral. You laugh off the suggestion and decide to drink more water. Soon, your body begins to itch, and you remember that you’ve been scratching your arm for the past two hours. You visit the doctor again and tell him about the rash. He orders an X-ray, which reveals that you have lymphedema. This is where the rubber meets the road. Your condition is quite common, and it stems from a faulty understanding of how your body functions. You can read more about it on the Lymphodema UK website, or you can look up “lymphedema” in our medical encyclopedia. There are also several other diseases that can cause itching, such as skin cancer, atopic dermatitis, and chronic urticaria. So, while you may have a simple answer to your problem, you actually have a lot more going on. Let’s take a quick look at magnesium and its role in the human body, as well as what your doctor knows and doesn’t know.
What Is Magnesium?
You may know that calcium is important for our bodies. It helps form strong bones, assists in the transmission of nerve impulses, and acts as a co-factor for more than 300 enzyme reactions in the human body. Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body, and it is essential for maintaining normal muscle and nerve function. It also helps promote normal blood vessel function, which means it is important for the prevention of heart disease and stroke. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 80% of Americans aged 19 years and older do not obtain the sufficient amount of magnesium they need through their diet.
How Is Magnesium Stored In The Body?
The majority of magnesium is stored in the bones and the digestive tract. It is also present in small amounts in the liver, kidneys, and thyroid. When the body needs magnesium, it is either obtained from food or absorbed from the gut. Once ingested, magnesium is quickly and efficiently absorbed in the intestine. It is then stored in the intracellular fluids, which are fluids within cells. The primary storage sites for magnesium are the skeletal muscles and the brain. Once it is stored here, magnesium is readily available for use by the body. This explains why a low magnesium level can lead to so many symptoms.
The most common signs of magnesium deficiency are tetany (a condition characterized by spasms in muscles), insomnia, and poor memory. Less common symptoms include weakness, dizziness, heart arrhythmia, and headache.
How Does Magnesium Serve A Vital Role In The Human Body?
Magnesium is the most popular mineral for athletes, as it aids in the synthesis of muscle and increases the body’s overall performance. Studies have also shown that consuming a magnesium-rich diet can actually help protect the body from different types of damage, such as damage caused by radiation or chemotherapy. There is also evidence that shows that a magnesium-rich diet can be an effective weight-loss tool. Some research suggests that overweight or obese people may require higher doses of magnesium than those with a healthy weight. Furthermore, magnesium can help prevent Type 2 diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels and insulin resistance. It also promotes normal blood vessel function and has been shown to improve symptoms of menopause such as depression, anxiety, and sleeplessness. In short, a magnesium-rich diet can help provide the body with essential nutrients, boost energy levels, and keep organs functioning properly.
What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Magnesium.
As we’ve seen, there are many vital functions that magnesium plays in the human body. Because of this, doctors often order blood tests for patients with symptoms of a magnesium deficiency. Here’s the problem: most doctors don’t know how to interpret the results of these tests, and they don’t always suggest a magnesium deficiency as the cause of their patient’s symptoms. When doctors don’t know what is wrong with you, they often prescribe medication that they think will help. However, if the medication doesn’t solve the issue, you’re left wondering why you were taking it in the first place.
Know Your Numbers
When you go to the doctor, they will order a blood test to determine your levels of sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. These results will help your doctor determine if you’re electrolyte-deprived or have a generalized shortage of minerals. If you’re electrolyte deprived, your doctor may suggest that you try consuming salty foods to top up your levels. This, however, may cause further health problems. You should have normal levels of these substances unless you have a chronic medical condition that prevents you from absorbing nutrients or has damaged your gastro-intestinal tract, in which case, your doctor may order you to take supplements or fortified foods to boost your levels.
If you think that your doctor is overlooking a serious medical condition, then you may want to consider consulting a different physician. Your family physician may not be up on the most current medical research, and it’s possible that he or she is not familiar enough with the subject to provide you with an accurate diagnosis.
Is There A More Appropriate Age For A Magnesium Diet?
While every age group can benefit from a magnesium-rich diet, it is best suited for those between the ages of 18 and 50. The reason behind this is that magnesium needs to be stored in large quantities in the bones until adulthood, when it is gradually lost in the urine. Therefore, a magnesium-rich diet can assist in the maintenance of bone mass until the end of the individual’s lifespan. The general consensus among nutritionists is that a daily intake of between 420 and 600 mg of magnesium can be quite beneficial for adults. Younger people should opt for a lower dosage, as larger amounts may have unforeseen effects.
What About Diets That Are High In Fruits And Veggies?
Most doctors will tell you that a diet rich in fruits and veggies is good for your health. While this may be true, it can also have the opposite effect. A diet rich in fruits and veggies tends to be low in calories, which makes it less filling and helps promote dieting, which in turn can lead to further health problems. The general recommendation is to consume a diet rich in whole grains, legumes, and vegetables to maintain healthy bones and muscles.
Now, you may be thinking that there’s no way you can follow all of this advice and still eat the foods you enjoy. There’s a simple solution to this, and it’s called the Master Cleanse. This diet consists of taking an entire day to drink just water, with the exception of medicines and supplements. The Master Cleanse can help flush harmful toxins from your body and restore your health in a number of ways. First, it encourages you to drink the recommended eight glasses of water each day. Second, it gives your body a chance to properly digest and eliminate solid food, which can otherwise cause nutrient deficiencies.
Taking Care Of Your Health Is A Life-learning Process
At the end of the day, being healthy is a life-learning process. This is because no matter how much you know, you will never be able to keep up with the latest medical research and technological advances if you don’t maintain a constant education and interest in staying healthy. In this way, all you can do is keep learning, and you will be able to improve your health and well-being as you go along.