Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom (165 page)

Nerve problems.
Magnesium helps eliminate peripheral nerve disturbances that can lead to migraines, leg and foot cramps, gastrointestinal cramps, and so on.

Obstetrical problems.
Magnesium can prevent premature labor (because it calms contractions) as well as eclampsia. It also greatly reduces the risk of cerebral palsy and SIDS in newborns.

Osteoporosis.
Without magnesium, calcium may actually contribute to osteoporosis.

Still other conditions associated with magnesium deficiency include blood clots, bowel disease, cystitis, depression, detoxification, fatigue, hypoglycemia, kidney disease, migraines, musculoskeletal conditions, Raynaud’s syndrome, and even tooth decay.

Supplementing with Magnesium

The ratio of calcium to magnesium in the diet for the majority of human history was 1:1, a ratio that’s considered optimal. Anywhere from 1:1 to 2:1 is adequate (for example, 800 mg of calcium to 400 mg of magnesium). Unfortunately, today’s diets contain an average of ten times more calcium than magnesium.

In addition to eating a nutritious diet, I recommend that you use supplements that contain magnesium. (I do this myself, especially when traveling, dealing with the stress of deadlines, etc.) There’s considerable variation among individuals as to the ideal amount of magnesium to take. Although the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for magnesium is 350–400 mg per day, here’s what I recommend: With a calcium intake between 800 and 1,400 mg per day, add enough magnesium to balance it. For example, if you take 1,000 mg of calcium per day, you need at least 500–800 mg of magnesium. But start gradually. If you’re healthy, start with 200 mg of magnesium twice a day. If you have any of the conditions mentioned above, you may want to start higher: 500 mg twice a day. You’ll know when you’ve reached your limit—you’ll develop loose stools. It’s best, of course, to take your magnesium in divided doses throughout the day. You can take it either on an empty stomach or with meals. You can also add Epsom salts to your baths— Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate. It’s absorbed through the skin and will help replenish magnesium stores. (A great excuse to read a good book in the tub!) And there is also the transdermal magnesium formulated by Norm Shealy, M.D., Ph.D. (See the nutritional section of the Adrenal Restoration Program for a Healthier Menopause in chapter 14.)

Magnesium comes in many forms. Magnesium oxide or chloride is fine, but chelated magnesium is preferred. Capsules usually contain 250– 500 mg of magnesium. You can also use a calcium/magnesium supplement. Dr. Dean recommends angstrom magnesium, a form that is completely and instantly absorbed through the cell wall because of its incredibly tiny size. Because of its high absorption, the dose for this form is about ten times lower than most other types. (Another plus: If you have IBS, Crohn’s disease, or colitis, you can safely use angstrom magnesium without affecting your bowels.)

Testing for proper levels of the nutrient is difficult (as Dr. Dean puts it, magnesium is “its own worst enemy”) because its serum concentration is so low that it’s hard to get an accurate picture of how much is in the whole body just by testing what’s in the blood. Only 1 percent of the body’s magnesium is in the blood, and the body will take it from bones and tissues if that level drops. That means that a blood test could easily show a normal reading, even when the rest of the body is very deficient.

If you want to learn more (and I think that everyone should), I rec-ommend that you read Dr. Dean’s
The Magnesium Miracle
. Quite frankly, this book should be in everyone’s home library. The information could surely save your—or a loved one’s—life! (Dr. Dean is also the medical director of the Nutritional Magnesium Association; for more information about magnesium, visit the association’s website at
www.nutritionalmagnesium.org
.)

CREATING A SUPPLEMENTATION PROGRAM

When starting a supplementation program, a well-rounded approach is best. Some people mistakenly think that vitamins should be taken to treat a medical condition. For example, they read that vitamin E can help reduce the occurrence of breast cysts and their painful symptoms, so they take a bunch of vitamin E. This method equates to conventional medicine’s practice of writing a prescription for a pharmaceutical drug to suppress your symptoms. Instead, start with a good foundation and add other supplements according to your individual needs. But take care not to distort the foundation. Think of it this way: Adding a little extra sugar to a cake may not change it significantly, but adding a whole lot will throw everything else out of proportion. Please understand that optimal supplementation requires at least four to five tablets or capsules per day. In other words, the “one-a-day” mentality is inadequate—you can’t get optimal supplementation from one pill a day. (See Resources.)

Once you’ve found a balanced approach, stick with it for at least three months before switching to another product or adding additional supplements. Sometimes the results are dramatic; more often they’re not so remarkable in the first few weeks. But over a period of six weeks to three months (sometimes up to six months), you’ll notice that you’ve had fewer colds, that you recover much faster after strenuous activity, and that you just feel better as some of your minor complaints lessen or go away altogether. You may also experience more vitality and a better ability to “go with the flow.” Often when you’re feeling good, it’s hard to remember how far you’ve come. Here’s a tip for measuring your progress: Make a list of your complaints when you start your supplementation program and then review this list every three weeks. This is a great way to chart your advancement.

Tips for Choosing a Supplement

Check out the latest news on supplements provided by the Council for Responsible Nutrition at
www.crnusa.org
. I also recommend that you take the well-designed free health assessment on the USANA website (
www.usana.com
—click on the products link and look for the link to Health Assessment and Advisor near the bottom of the page) for specific recommendations based on your current lifestyle. Also consider the following tips:

Pick a high-quality supplement program from a manufacturer that meets Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. They use pharmaceutical-grade (as opposed to food-grade) ingredients to ensure quality and efficacy.

Good supplements cost money. Like organic produce, more expensive products represent the real price of high-quality nutrients.

Folic acid is an expensive ingredient. If your multivitamins con tain 800 mcg or more of this nutrient (instead of 400 mcg), this is often an indication that the manufacturer isn’t skimping on other ingredients in their product.

A formula with a combination of antioxidants, such as rutin, bioflavonoids, grapeseed extract, and olive extract, is often more effective than a product containing only one or two antioxidants.

Make sure that your supplement program has both natural vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol as opposed to dl-alpha-tocopherol) and tocotrienols. These are all part of the vitamin E family—and you get the most benefit when they’re all present.