Magnesium Deficiency
Written with Ann Arbor Holistic Health Practitioner, Maral Salerno, FDN-P
Maral’s journey with gut issues after pregnancy led her to explore a more holistic path that she now uses to support others. She is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner with 20 years of experience, a Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher, and a Thai Massage Therapist. Maral also holds a B.S. in Political Science from the University of California San Diego.
Discover why magnesium is essential for energy, digestion, sleep, and overall balance. Learn the signs of deficiency, best food sources, and supplement options to restore your health naturally.
Many people have either heard or learned about magnesium. However, most people don’t realize how essential it is for the human body. Interestingly enough, magnesium is actually more important for our bodies than most other vitamins and minerals. Magnesium not only plays a vital role in calcium absorption and energy production but it also helps to maintain our nervous system, cardiovascular health, healthy bones, and a healthy hormonal balance. More specifically, our bodies need magnesium to synthesize DNA, RNA, and proteins and to transport ions across bone and cell membrane surfaces, among many other tasks. “Magnesium is involved in basically 600 biochemical processes in the body,” says Maral Salerno, FDN-P, an Ann Arbor Holistic Health practitioner. “Minerals are like the spark plugs of the cells. They’re the food that helps the cells produce energy.”
Unfortunately, despite its importance, most Americans suffer from magnesium deficiency. Various factors such as large consumption of alcohol, caffeine, salt and sugar or even exposure to high levels of stress can cause magnesium deficiency. On a community scale, modern farming methods have stripped large amounts of nutrients from the soil on which our fruits and vegetables grow, causing the nutritional quality of our food to decrease. As a result, magnesium deficiency is becoming more of a prevalent problem. According to Maral Salerno, FDN-P, “The problem is that our food supply is so depleted in nutrients. If you took a science-based analysis of meats, vegetables, and fruits now versus 60–80 years ago, the nutrient composition is radically different. As a result, we’re not getting enough magnesium from our food.”
So, how do you know if you have magnesium deficiency and what can you do about it? For starters, you should stay alert for symptoms such as:
Fatigue
Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep
Headaches
Period pain
Weakness
Constipation
Twitches
Abnormal heart rhythms
Nervous tension
Muscle spasms
“Some of the most common symptoms are sleep difficulties, inability to relax, anxiety, sluggish bowel movements, mood disruptions, body aches, and cramping,” notes Maral Salerno, FDN-P.
In addition to symptoms, chronic magnesium deficiency could cause medical conditions such as depression, ADHD, Parkinson’s disease, asthma, etc. A blood test could also be administered to test for magnesium deficiency. “When clients run a blood chemistry test, magnesium is tested. If it is low then we know it is deficient, and if it is high it can tell us that it is floating around and not driving into the cells and into the body where it is being used.” explains Maral Salerno, FDN-P. “The blood test will typically confirm a client’s symptoms and let us know that magnesium support would be extremely beneficial.”
An ideal range for daily magnesium intake is 400-800 mg/d. Unfortunately, most Americans only receive about 250 mg/d from their diet. Therefore, 400-600mg/d should be gained through supplements. “When we use supplements like magnesium, it’s not a bandaid, it’s actually food for the cells and body,” says Maral Salerno, FDN-P. “The body just doesn’t have enough of it anymore.”
A variety of the natural parts of our diet, such as fruits, vegetables, and meat, provide abundant amounts of magnesium if they come from well mineralized soil or from healthy animals. Unfortunately, due to our tainted methods of production, the nutritional value of magnesium in our foods has decreased. However, if organically produced, we should include the following in our diet as good sources for magnesium: green leafy vegetables, seaweed, whole grains, legumes, nuts, natural salt, bone stock, and dairy products. Maral Salerno, FDN-P, adds, “Seeds (like chia seeds, flax seeds, and sunflower seeds) and nuts are also high in magnesium. Pumpkin seeds are one of the highest. Cashews and dark chocolate are lower, but still good.”
You should try various magnesium supplements in order to increase your body’s magnesium levels. Different supplements include different forms of magnesium – individual types are not only absorbed by our body in different ways but they also implement their own therapeutic value. Therefore, a specific form of supplement may be more effective in treating a certain symptom. “There are a lot of different forms: magnesium glycinate, magnesium malate, magnesium threonate, and more. They each have different affinities,” explains Maral Salerno, FDN-P. “Glycinate has been shown to help sleep. Malate, your gut. Threonate, your mood.”
For example, if you’re struggling with mild muscle pain and cramps, you could try magnesium chloride in the form of a magnesium lotion for quick relief. On the other hand, if you’re struggling with headaches and/or migraines, 250-400 milligrams of oral supplement in the form of magnesium citrate might be what your body needs.
Another option, whatever your symptoms, is a magnesium bath with natural Epsom salts, also known as magnesium sulfate. When buying the salt, double check to make sure that it’s a food grade and natural Epsom salt, rather than a chemically constructed substitute. Spend 20 or more relaxing minutes in your bath tub for detoxification, relaxation of muscles, calmed nervous system, etc.
If you want more information on magnesium and its impact on your health, please call 734-251-5049 to schedule a free consultation and evaluation. At Ann Arbor Holistic Health, we are known for providing professional and compassionate care. We strive to guide people towards a comprehensive and holistic healing strategy. Restoring your body to health will restore the quality of your life.
