Magnesium Deficiency – a New Epidemic?

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Magnesium Deficiency – a New Epidemic?

Written by Dr. Sandra Miranda, ND

Magnesium is one of the most abundant mineral in the human body. We need it for energy, metabolism, for hormone production, sleep and for the health of our muscles.  Unfortunately if we are eating the regular “North American” diet then chances are that we are not consuming enough foods that are high in magnesium.  In fact, processed foods and synthetic hormones makes our body excrete even more of it, worsening our deficiency.

This really concerns me because we are medicating ourselves so health problems that could just be from a nutritional deficiency.  Deficiencies in magnesium can present with overt clinical manifestations such as nausea, vomiting, hypertension, insomnia, lethargy, weakness, personality changes, tetany and tremor, seizures, arrhythmias, and muscle fasciculation, to name a few.

Magnesium and sleep

A double-blind randomized clinical trial composed of 43 elderly participants between 60-75 years of age with diagnosed insomnia was conducted. The experimental group was given 500 mg/day of elemental magnesium for 8 weeks, while the control group received a placebo for the same length of time. A statistically significant increase was seen in sleep time, sleep efficiency, and concentration of melatonin, as well as a significant decrease in insomnia, sleep onset latency, and serum cortisol level.

Food Sources of Magnesium

Foods groups high in magnesium content include green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.  Specific foods with high magnesium levels include spinach, Swiss chard, beet greens, turnip greens, pumpkin seeds, summer squash, soybeans, sesame seeds, and quinoa.

Supplementation with high-quality magnesium product or an IV vitamin Meyer’s treatment can be faster, more targeted and effective ways to reach optimal levels and fill dietary gaps. The frequency of the IV vitamin treatments or supplementation should be personalized.  Talk to your Naturopathic doctor today for more information.

If you don’t have one and would like to get assessed or if you would like to find out if you are a good candidate for IV vitamin treatments then call us today at 905-239-3900. We are happy to help!

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