Could you be magnesium deficient?

Could you be magnesium deficient?

Magnesium deficiency is one of the leading nutritional deficiencies in adults affecting approximately 80% of us. Magnesium deficiency symptoms can affect every organ in our body and the symptoms can vary from digestive disturbances like IBS, to anxiety, fibromyalgia, migraines, insomnia and restless leg syndrome just to name a few. According to Dr Norman Shealy, MD PhD an American neurosurgeon and a pioneer in pain medicine “Every known illness is associated with a magnesium deficiency and it’s the missing cure to many diseases”. It activates over 300 biochemical enzyme reactions in our cells and it crucial for the efficient functioning of our systems.

This lack of magnesium is not surprising as stress, hormonal production, all chronic disease states, acidity and exercise utilise magnesium very quickly and can even block its function. Our available magnesium supply is reduced by soil depletion from modern crop growing methods which lower the amount available in our food and our ability to absorb magnesium is reduced by common digestive disorders such as leaky gut syndrome and food intolerance’s.


An interesting and little known fact about magnesium is that it is an essential mineral which must be present for our body to be able to produce our “master” antioxidant, glutathione. This antioxidant not only reduces inflammation but is the primary antioxidant responsible for detoxifying the body. This is especially important when creating a program to help the body cope with heavy metals and assist in their removal from the cells.

Magnesium supplementation can come either in an oral, trans-dermal or intravenous form and is often used intravenously in hospitals in the case of severe asthma. One of the best forms of oral magnesium is magnesium citrate. It is absorbed well from the bowel and is also a very alkalinising form of magnesium. I have some patients that are so low in magnesium that they require higher doses than can be absorbed orally and have found adding topical forms through magnesium bath salts, creams and oils very beneficial. Inflammation and high levels of acidity in the body can block the function of magnesium even if it is adequately replaced so these issues may need to be addressed simultaneously to fully correct the symptoms.

Magnesium is crucial for our body to function in a healthy state and for detoxification. If you feel that you have symptoms that could be caused by this I suggest you find a health practitioner familiar with treating these problems and regain your vitality.