Magnesium: A mineral all scoliosis sufferers need to know

Magnesium is one of the worlds most important and under rated mineral. This article highlights how research has shown that post menopausal osteoporosis may in fact be due to magnesium deficiency rather than calcium deficiency. All those demonstrating low bone density ie scoliotic and postmenopausal women should consider supplementing Mg on a periodic basis to facilitate treatment. Another finding I see commonly with scoliotic patients is low energy, this can be easily and quickly corrected once Mg intracellular levels are restablished. Also those suffering constipation or have difficulty passing stools always have Mg deficiencies leading and must normalise this critically important function.

Unfortunately while it is easy to replenish Mg stores, one must also combat Mg wasting, excessive loss of Mg thru the Kidneys which some are genetically predisposed to or from other factors such as overuse of laxatives, excess sweating, alcohol promotes magnesium loss, as do diets high in animal protein, sugar, sodium, and calcium. High blood levels of adrenaline and cortisol (hormones released during stress) cause serious urinary magnesium losses. Excessive noise and heat stress also promotes urinary magnesium losses. This could explain why one of my clients went over to Melbourne and did not suffer from any symptoms but upon returning to hot and stressful Singapore her symptoms started to flare up again. Retention of Mg can be facilitated by improving digestive function with Kefir, Antifungals such as coconut oils, Florastor. Getting the right Mg supplement is extremely important, for example Mg Oxide do not dissolve readily and therefore absorption is poor leading to diahrea. The best forms are Mg taurate or chelated forms.

For those patients who have recently completed a hair mineral analysis, this following site offers excellent information about how each mineral work related to one another. A section about scolisosis being possibly due to mineral imbalance seems correct based on those hair samples I acquired off my patients.

Mineral imbalance and scoliosis

DOSING WITH MAGNESIUM SUPPLEMENTATION

NORMAL MAGNESIUM (Mg) INTAKE

1. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Mg is between 350 and 450 milligrams (mg) – (6mg per kg per day). One pound of spinach and its cooking water a day will meet this requirement for a normal adult. Green vegetables with their chlorophyll, which contains Mg are good choices, as are nuts, legumes, unpolished rice, and whole grains. But the American diet contains too many refined ingredients. If you are pregnant or ill 600 mg of Mg/day - (10 mg/kg/day), is usually required.

2. The diet of high-income American women contains 120 mg of Mg per 1,000 calories. (Am Col Nutr 1993;12:444). Who today eats 3,000 to 4,500 calories per day in America? If you diet how much Mg do you get per day?

3. Chronic diarrhea is a common cause of Mg deficiency (MgD) and constipation is a common symptom of MgD.

4. Studies have shown that only 25% of Americans receive the RDA of Mg in their diet and 39% get less than 70% of the RDA.

5. Therefore, most healthy Americans need at least 350 mg or as much as 600 mg per day of supplemental elemental Mg, just to remain in positive Mg balance (PMgB). Which means, one takes in and absorbs more Mg than one loses in the urine. Unfortunately, many have other causes of negative Mg balance (NMgB), which commonly results in MgD.

6. If one tolerates 1,000 or more mg of Mg per day and has a normal serum Mg (sMg) level, that person must have at least the mildest form of MgD, an intracellular MgD. This is referred to as normomagnesemia MgD, a very frequent event, the part below the tip of an iceberg. Only 10-20% of those with MgD have a low sMg level, the only test of MgD, many doctors recognize and/or ever test. The other 80-90% with normal sMg, need tests for intracellular Mg content, or for Mg wasting.

COMMON CAUSES OF MgD is very complicated situation, for example: the drug Neurontin binds Mg in the GI tract and results in a malabsorption of both oral Mg and Neurontin (PDR says 24%). While the Company claims to have no information on Neurontin binding of Mg in the blood, clinical experience has shown that sMg levels must be lowered causing symptoms of MgD. While maybe not causing low sMg levels, per se, this drug does cause hypertension due to catecholamine (adrenalin type hormones for example, from stress) release (a known cause of redistribution of Mg) and hyperglycemia (an increase in blood sugar/glucose) both of which result in sMg loss by redistribution of Mg (into tissue) and by an increased urinary Mg wasting (uMg). Thus, this very important medication can cause MgD through three of the four mechanisms listed below the illustration. The following illustration shows the relationships of this complicated situation, in that an excess (a surge) of alcohol, catecholamine or glucose. *Note extra alcohol and extra glucose both result in an increase in catecholamine which ultimately leads indirectly to additional increase in urinary magnesium wasting.