Today I’m going to start to go over the natural medications I take daily, one by one and their reasons why I take them. That way you can choose for your own selves if there are ones you would like to implement for a certain ailment, after you check it out with your doctor or naturopath that is. These remedies have worked wonders for me but everyone takes different medications, or have different ailments so it’s always best to check in with a professional first. Okie Dokie, now that that is said again lets move on.  When I go over my remedies I will also give other reasons for implementing them not just for migraines, in case you may be for example a muscle pain sufferer, there’s all kinds of reasons for many rememdies.

So lets get to it.

(I feel like “Joy” right now from “Inside Out” when she is playing the accordion and is on bust, well, that is me right now singing my “happy, happy, joy, joy” song…lol)

First on the list has to be… MAGNESIUM CITRATE.

This was my first and most vital mineral.  Without magnesium today I know I would crash. There are several minerals that are building blocks in our bodies that we need to survive and when we don’t have an adequate supply of them our bodies let us know real fast. First of the group is macrominerals, which our bodies need in large amounts. They include phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur and chloride We also need trace minerals but in much smaller amounts they include copper, manganese iron, iodine, zinc, cobalt, selenium and fluoride.  Some fluoride compounds are causing many debates on the toxicity of how we receive it, so until further research this is a mineral you would want to limit. It is fluorine that is a better mineral and is found in our foods which is different then the chemical compounds of fluoride we ingest.  Fluorine is safer for our bodies to use. I will put into my notes about this trace mineral to do another blog on as well, giving up to date information on findings. These minerals do many important jobs in our bodies like regulating heart beat, body temperature making various hormones, building bones, keeping our teeth strong along with many more reasons we will get into in a Mineral Blog, but for today I really want to concentrate on Magnesium.

In a previous blog “My First Line Of Defense” I had explained the different types of magnesium that are better for our bodies to absorb. I’ll paste that back in here now before we go further.

So I hunted down Magnesium, but first I had to learn about the different types of magnesium. So, you can purchase magnesium sulfate but the body only absorbs about 4% of the magnesium so its kind of a waste. Magnesium oxide has a very strong laxative effect so that one is not the best for everyday use. There are a few more magnesium compounds but a couple need more research besides Magnesium Glycine this is another one which is less of a laxative effect but the only way I have found it in my neck of the woods, is in a powder form and it didn’t taste as nice as the Big Daddy Magnesium I’m about to talk about.

 The Magnesium Daddy you want is MAGNESIUM CITRATE. Your body absorbs 90% or more of the magnesium. It has a laxative effect but only with higher quantities.

 Magnesium is needed in our bodies for many biochemical reactions that happen daily without us even realizing. We need magnesium for the movement of our muscles, to help us produce energy, for nerve transmissions, to regulate heartbeat, body temperature, to keep our heart and brain healthy and functioning to its best ability, to relax the blood vessels for smooth flow of blood through out our bodies, production of hormones calming our moods, we need magnesium for bone and cell growth, density and composition. Studies have shown that magnesium helps our bodies to fight cancer from forming and also has shown to reduce up to 70% in incidents of mental health challenges in new born children, if the mother is taking a supplement during pregnancy, (refer to the Journal of American Medical Association).  It also decreases pain and severity of symptoms of Premenstrula Syndrome, calms COPD respiratory ailments, and IBS. It has been studied to show a decrease in mood swings in those who suffer with mental challenges such as ADHD, Dyslexia, and Depression, Personality Disorders, helps to decrease the severity of Sleep Apnea and Insomnia.

A decrease in magnesium has be linked to anxiety, muscle cramping, trouble sleeping and staying asleep, high blood pressure, heart condition, face and eye twitches, seizures, irregular heart rhythms, migraines, headaches, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, depression, cavities, asthma, behavioural issues in your children and adults, anorexia, nausea, weekness, tremors, impared coordination, vertigo and the lists go on and on. It is a major building block that has gone under-detected for quite some time. Aproximately 75% of our population is deficient in magnesium.

We can usually get magnesium from our food sources. Choosing foods that are high in fiber will get you foods that are high in magnesium such as; beans, peas, bananas, apricots, peaches, avocados apples, brown rice, grapefruit, leafy green vegetables dandelion, lemon grass, parsley, garlic, most dairy, fish, seafood, meat, molasses, nuts, tofu and I’m sure there are many more.

Magnesium helps our blood vessels and muscles to relax and become stronger which is why most studies show that magnesium helps to lower blood pressure, help with strokes, migraines, heart arrhythmias, stomach illness,(it helps to reduce high acid production giving the stomach a chance to help repair itself), indigestion, acid reflux, and helps to increase neurotransmissions so our bio chemical production increases, and our body receives more of the necessary hormones we need to function.

Supplementing with magnesium is not an easy “oh just take “this” amount”. Our body chemistry and deficiencies are all different, but make no mistake, we all have a deficiency, unless your name is Thumper. Most cases the lower limit of magnesium intake is around 350mgs, but depending on your ailment you can take up to 1200mg and may be more depending on advice from a naturopath or doctor. The kidneys help to regulate and disperse the amounts of magnesium you will need and then when it has had enough for the day, your body gets rid of it in waste. If you take too much you may have a loose bowel movement or two, but nothing crazy, just enough to say “opps I best cut back one capsule” letting you know that you have met your maximum amount that your body will need. Over time it could fluctuate depending on your diet or other medications you are taking with the magnesium, and that is ok.

There are also magnesium rubs, creams and sprays for applying to the skin to help with muscle soreness and bruises. Your body will also absorb the magnesium from the rubs but at a lower percentage.

I wrote in one of the blogs, that if you are still having pain then you are not taking enough magnesium. I have learned this tidbit to be true. I have recently tried this theory out myself. Seeing how I am a migraine suffer and that I still have pain throughout the day no matter the amount of pain medications taken, so I decided to increase my magnesium at lunchtime now as well. In the beginning I tried one extra capsule, 150mg, and found a decrease in the afternoon pain but still not completely gone. So after a week to two weeks I increased one more which will now bring me to 300mg breakfast, lunch and supper. I am happy to say my level of pain in the afternoon has decreased to something I can handle a lot easier and without extra medication. I’m sure I could increase more but before doing so I will ask the advice of my naturopath before doing so. You don’t want to take too much that you throw off the balance of the other macrominerals.

There are many sources of magnesium as listed above and some comments have shown some people liking magnesium glycinate, and that it works to help them sleep as well. They take it before bed which helps them with their sleep deprivation, chronic pain and migraines. Sometimes it is a matter of trying one or two just not the oxides because they are not assimilated well in our bodies.

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Some medication and magnesium do not mix well.

Taking an antacid could reduce the effects of magnesium and if one is taking magnesium for a laxative you may need to take more magnesium.

There are certain antibiotics that taken with magnesium can affect your muscles, so be sure you talk to your doctor or naturopath to make sure you are not on one that increases that effect.

Certain medications for high blood pressure and magnesium together can give too low of a blood pressure reading, so you must let your doctor know you are taking magnesium as well. It is more then quite possible over a period of time you may not need such a high dosage of your blood pressure medicine, or you could also be able to increase your magnesium and not need high blood pressure medication at all, but once again this needs to be discussed with your health care provider.

Along with heart medications, there are also medications that make the heart beat faster. If you are in this category and taking magnesium, you need to know that magnesium helps the heart muscles to relax, and not have to work so hard, so taking both can be counter intuitive.

Talking anticoagulant medication to help slow blood clotting, with magnesium, can increase the slowing of the blood clotting effect, so that is definitely not wanted. It’s a matter of choosing the right balance or even the right path you want to choose, either Western or Alternative.

Magnesium and muscle relaxants can increase the muscle relaxing outcome, making your muscles feel very tired.  So, just keep that one in mind if you are taking magnesium you really do not need the muscle relaxer because that is the job of the magnesium, in a more natural way, with less drug effects on your body and organs.

I think the last one is about Water pills.  They can increase the magnesium levels in the body, not all water pills, but some.  You will want to bring that point up with your doctor as well, just incase you are taking both.

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For the most part magnesium is a safe mineral to take on a daily basis. You mainly just have to keep in mind that you may need less medication due to the effects of the magnesium, and that is always a better outcome then extra chemicals in our bodies giving our liver more work to weed out the toxins. It is a major mineral our bodies need substantial amounts of. These are just precautionary measures for you to talk about the next time you visit your doctor.

Also keep in mind not a whole lot of doctors really push supplements, some believe that you get what you need from our food supply. But unfortunately this day and age any nutrient dense foods are not the same as nutrient dense foods from decades ago. With the use of contaminants to reduce bugs on plants, genetically modified crops and the overuse of the soil it has depleted many nutrients that we need. Be sure to look up a local naturopath in your area you will not disappointed.

I have taken magnesium with beta blockers, antidepressants, large amount of pain relievers, acid reducers, migraine medication, etc, etc, etc, and so far no adverse side effects, other then reducing pretty much all the medication and increasing the magnesium. The magnesium has helped my stomach to heal itself and reduce the acid reflux, the nausea has decreased from the vertigo part of the vestibular migraines, it has reduced the pain in my blood vessels and muscles, the increase of magnesium has helped to increase my hormones giving me greater amounts of serotonin and dopamine to calm the effects of migraines, my moods are more rational even with pain and this has all happened because I found magnesium. Something we need to begin with and the problems more then likely happened due to deficiencies to begin with.

I hope you find great results if you happen to implement this great mineral into your daily routine. In the words of KUSHANDWIZDOM

THE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE MOST PAIN TEND TO BE THE ONES WHO ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO MAKE OTHERS SMILE.

 SO I HOPE MAGNESIUM CAN HELP TO MAKE YOU SMILE AGAIN.

Here’s to being pain free my friends…xoxoxo