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Magnesium and Its  Health Benefits

by Dr. Thomas K. Lo, Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center

Magnesium is a nutrient that helps the body stay healthy. Magnesium is important for many processes in the body. It helps regulate muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, blood pressure and aids in making protein, bone, and DNA. It is one of the most abundant minerals in the human body and used in over 300 different physiological processes.

What Foods Provide Magnesium?

  Magnesium is in many natural foods and is added to fortified foods. You can get the recommended daily amounts of magnesium by eating a variety of foods. These foods include legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, avocados, dark chocolate, bananas, milk, yogurt, and other milk products.

Am I Getting Enough Magnesium?

The diets of many people in the United States provide less than the recommended amounts of magnesium. Men older than 70 and teenage girls and boys are most likely to have low intakes of magnesium.

What Happens If You Do Not Get Enough Magnesium?

In the short term, getting too little magnesium does not produce obvious symptoms. When healthy people have low intakes, the kidneys help retain magnesium by limiting the amount lost in urine. Low magnesium intakes for long periods, however, can lead to a magnesium deficiency. In addition, some medical conditions and medications interfere with the body’s ability to absorb magnesium or increase the amount of magnesium that the body excretes. 

Very high doses of zinc supplements can also interfere with the body’s ability to absorb and regulate magnesium.

Some symptoms of magnesium deficiency include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. Extreme magnesium deficiency can cause numbness, tingling, muscle cramps, seizures, personality changes, and an abnormal heart rhythm.

People with gastrointestinal diseases (such as Crohn’s disease and celiac disease), type 2 diabetes, long-term alcoholism and older people are more likely to get too little magnesium.

What Are Some Effects of Magnesium On Health?

Research has shown that magnesium has positive effects on high blood pressure and heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and migraine headaches.

Magnesium that is naturally present in food and beverages is not harmful and does not need to be limited. In healthy people, the kidneys can get rid of any excess in the urine. However, magnesium in dietary supplements and medications should not be consumed in amounts above the upper limit, unless recommended by a healthcare provider.

High intakes of magnesium from dietary supplements and medications can cause diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal cramping. Extremely high intakes of magnesium can lead to irregular heartbeat and cardiac arrest.

Signs of Magnesium Deficiency

Following are some signs of magnesium deficiency. Always check with your health practitioner if you think you are having a health issue.

Poor Cognitive Processing

Are you having bouts of brain fog, poor concentration, or constant memory issues? The brain contains the highest concentration of mitochondria in the male body (females have a higher concentration in their ovaries). Mitochondria are heavily reliant on magnesium for energy production so a deficiency can hamper your brain performance significantly.

Headaches & Chronic Migraines

Sufferers of chronic migraines often have lower levels of magnesium in their bodies. Magnesium also plays the additional key role of regulating neurotransmitter production, which can also influence migraines.

Constipation & IBS

Proper magnesium intake softens stools by drawing water into the bowels, which supports healthy elimination. If stools become too hard, they move slower through the colon and become a problem. Additionally, magnesium plays a major role in regulating muscle contractions in the intestines. This is why a magnesium deficiency often results in constipation.

Fatigue

Magnesium is highly involved with energy production. As mentioned before, the mitochondria in your cells heavily rely on magnesium to produce energy. Your mitochondrial function primarily determines your energy levels. Additionally, magnesium supports the adrenal glands, which can play a part in energy production as well.

Insomnia

You can see improvement with insomnia because magnesium is involved in the production of GABA in the brain. GABA is a chemical that promotes relaxation. If you do not have enough magnesium to produce adequate amounts of GABA, your sleep may suffer.

Muscle Spasms & Cramping

Magnesium is important for proper nerve transmission and plays a vital role in muscle contraction. When magnesium is depleted, muscle contractions can become weak and uncoordinated, leading to involuntary spasms and painful cramps.

In addition, when magnesium stores are low in the body, the nervous system can become hyper-excitable (meaning easily overstimulated) which can increase muscle tension. Magnesium can play a role here by helping to elicit an overall calming effect on the mind and body while soothing and relaxing the muscles.

Heart Arrhythmia

The heart is a muscle that constantly contracts inside our bodies without needing to be consciously controlled. Just as with other muscles in the body, the heart relies heavily on magnesium for proper contractibility. This is thought to be due to its role in regulating calcium and potassium concentrations in the muscle tissue. This includes rapid heartbeats, slow heartbeats, and sudden changes in heart rhythm for no apparent reason.

Numbness and Tingling

If you often feel numbness or tingling sensations in your body, such as in the hands and feet, this is likely due to a change in nerve activity. Because of its role in healthy nerve transmission, magnesium deficiency may be partly playing a role. Some studies have shown that magnesium may be able to relieve or prevent numbness and tingling in the extremities.

Supporting Your Magnesium Levels

Follow these strategies to boost your magnesium levels.

Magnesium Rich Foods

There are great food sources that are easy to incorporate into your daily life. Pick a few high magnesium foods and incorporate them on a regular basis.

Epsom Salt Baths

Perhaps one of the most relaxing ways to get more magnesium into your body is by taking an Epsom salt bath. Epsom salts are actually a form of magnesium that can absorb into the body through the skin. 

If you are struggling with health issues, call the Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center at 240-651-1650 for a free consultation. Dr. Lo uses Nutritional Response Testing® to analyze the body to determine the underlying causes of ill or non-optimum health. The office is located at 7310 Grove Road #107, Frederick, MD. Visit the website at www.doctorlo.com.

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Sugar…Why It’s Bad

by Dr. Thomas K. Lo

Ten things you may not realize that can affect your blood sugar and tips to help you handle diabetes.

When you first found out you had diabetes, you most likely tested your blood sugar often to understand how food, activity, stress, and illness can affect your blood sugar levels. By now, for the most part, you have got it figured out. Then, something makes your blood sugar zoom higher. You try to adjust it with food, activity, or insulin, and it dips low. You are on a rollercoaster that no one with diabetes wants to ride.

Do you know all of the blood sugar triggers?

Knowledge is power! Here are some surprising triggers that can send your blood sugar soaring:

1. Sunburn—the pain causes stress, and stress increases blood sugar levels.

2. Artificial sweeteners—more research is needed, but some studies show they can raise blood sugar.

3. Coffee—even without sweetener, some people’s blood sugar is extra-sensitive to caffeine.

4. Losing sleep—even just one night of too little sleep can make your body use insulin less efficiently.

5. Skipping breakfast—going without that morning meal can increase blood sugar after both lunch and dinner.

6. Time of day—blood sugar can be harder to control the later in the day it gets.

7. Dawn phenomenon—people have a surge in hormones early in the morning whether they have diabetes or not. For people with diabetes, blood sugar can spike.

8. Dehydration—less water in your body means a higher blood sugar concentration.

9. Nose spray—some have chemicals that trigger your liver to make more blood sugar.

10. Gum disease—it is both a complication of diabetes and a blood sugar spiker.

What Makes Blood Sugar Fall?

Watch out for other triggers that can make your blood sugar fall.

1. Extreme heat—extreme heat can cause blood vessels to dilate, which makes insulin absorb more quickly and could lead to low blood sugar.

 2. Household chores—cleaning the house or mowing the lawn can lower blood sugar. Many of the chores you do every week count as moderate physical activity. Small amounts of exercise add up.

3. Food with probiotics—foods that have healthy bacteria (probiotics), such as yogurt, can improve digestion and may help you control your blood sugar. Some yogurts have added sugar and fruit, so be careful. Reach for the ones with no added sugar, and count the carbs. Your best choice is plain yogurt without extra sugar.

4. Cinnamon—a sprinkle of this spice can add flavor without adding salt, carbs, or calories. Some studies suggest it also can help the body use insulin better and may lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. Doctors need more research to know for sure. However, too much cinnamon can have negative effects.

5. Sleep—blood sugar can dip dangerously low during sleep for some people with diabetes, especially if they take insulin. It is a good idea to check your levels at bedtime and when you wake up in the morning. A snack before bed may help. For some people, blood sugar can rise in the morning—even before breakfast—due to changes in hormones or a drop in insulin.

   6. Female hormones—when women’s hormones change, so does their blood sugar. Keep a monthly record of your levels to get a better idea of how your menstrual cycle affects you. Hormone changes during menopause may make blood sugar even harder to control.

   If an activity, food, or situation is new, be sure to check your blood sugar levels before and after to see how you respond.

Tips To Find a Balance

While other factors are at work, the food you eat plays a huge role in balancing your blood sugar levels and minimizing the highs and lows. By understanding how certain foods affect your blood sugar, you can take charge of the outcome. Most importantly, you can more easily keep your blood sugar within the right range so that you can feel your best.

1. Carbs—carbs can have a big impact on blood sugar. Essentially, it is the balance of the amount of insulin in your body and the carbs you eat that determine your blood sugar. So, whether you choose whole carbs or empty carbs, you will start to see (and feel) the impact on your body.

2. Read food labels—trying to figure out the healthiest option when comparing two foods is not always easy. Learn how to decode nutrition information and packaging claims on the labels so that you can make the best decisions for your health.

3. Plan ahead—Most people with diabetes would agree: The hardest part about managing blood sugar is timing and balancing meals and snacks while still trying to live a “normal” life. Therefore, plan for the day and always have healthy snacks in case your day does not go as planned. Know where you can quickly get a healthy snack if you do not have one on hand.

If you are struggling with health issues, call the Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center at 240-651-1650 for a free consultation. Dr. Lo uses Nutritional Response Testing® to analyze the body to determine the underlying causes of ill or non-optimum health.

The office is located at 7310 Grove Road #107, Frederick, MD. Check out the website at www.doctorlo.com.