Magnesium Linked To Aging Mystery &
Calcifications
By Dr. H. Ray Evers
The average American consumes only 40 percent of the
recommended daily allowance of magnesium. This has serious
consequences, including death, in many people, according to
magnesium expert Dr. Mildred Seelig. Eighty to 90 percent of the
U.S. population is magnesium deficient.
Dr. John Prutting said in an issue of "Family Circle" that 70
percent of Americans had mismanaged their diets enough to have
some degree of magnesium deficiency.
Magnesium activates 76 percent of the enzymes in the body
according to Dr. Sonni Alvarez. Potassium is primarily concerned
with the way we use calcium and sodium.
Every doctor knows about the dangers of potassium deficiency,
but few recognize that almost half of the patients with a
potassium deficiency will also be depleted of magnesium In fact,
the low potassium state often cannot be easily corrected unless
magnesium is also given.
Most mineral deficiencies stimulate an appetite for the
deficient mineral, but there is no "specific appetite" for
magnesium Although intravenous magnesium is the drug of choice at
the onset of a heart attack, it is not mentioned in the section
on arrhythmias in the 1989 "Compendium of Drug Therapy."
Magnesium is useful in preventing unwanted calcification in
the kidney, bladder and in the joints.
If a diet is high in phosphorus (common in many meat dishes as
lunchmeats, hot dogs, etc. and also in soda drinks), the
phosphate binds up the magnesium into magnesium phosphate, which
isn't absorbed. Thus, you need more magnesium for complete
balance.
In disease and stress states, more magnesium is needed. If a
person is using diuretics (water pills), he should make sure his
magnesium intake is adequate. Potassium supplementation is
usually needed also. The higher the protein you consumer the more
magnesium is needed. When large amounts of calcium are consumed,
you need more magnesium.
Rabbits just can't take a high-cholesterol diet. Their blood
fat level goes up, and they get severe
arteriosclerosis/atherosclerosis. However, if you feed them five
times the recommended daily allowance of magnesium, their
cholesterol goes down and they don't get arteriosclerosis.
Magnesium is a very important ingredient of the green coloring
matter in plants (chlorophyll). Magnesium helps in the use of fat
in the diet. In many cases of individuals suffering from
irritability, the blood has shown low values for magnesium.
Normal development apparently depends on the presence of
magnesium. Approximately 70 percent of the magnesium in the body
is found in the skeletal system. At least half of the magnesium
in the body is combined with calcium and phosphorus in the bones.
The remainder is in the muscles, red blood cells and the other
tissues of the body.
Magnesium ensures the strength and firmness of the bones, and
it makes the teeth harder. Adequate intake of magnesium
counteracts acidity, poor circulation and glandular disorders.
Children with magnesium deficiency are very often mentally
backward.
Influences On Absorption
The absorption of magnesium from the intestines may be
influenced by (1) the parathyroid hormone, (2) the condition of
the intestines, (3) the rate of water absorption, and (4) the
amounts of calcium, phosphate and lactose (milk sugar) in the
body.
Recent studies have shown that magnesium deficiency is found
in 25 percent of eating disorders, such as obesity and anorexia
nervosa. Symptoms such as weakness, leg cramps, anxiety and
confusion will often clear up with magnesium therapy. A magnesium
deficiency in humans can occur in patients with diabetes, chronic
diarrhea or vomiting.
Heart palpitations, "flutters" or racing heart, otherwise
called arrhythmias, usually clear up quite dramatically on 500
milligrams of magnesium citrate (or aspartate) once or twice
daily or faster if given intravenously.
The optimal daily requirement for children of 20 kilograms of
body weight is 0.25 grams (a kilo is 1,000 grams, equal to 2.2046
lbs). A child of 20 kilos would weigh 44.09 lbs, and for an adult
of 70 kilos the requirement is 0.35 grams. The recommended daily
allowance is approximately 200 to 300 mg for men and 300 mg for
women, although specific requirements depend upon body size.
High-Calcium Dangers
A diet which is high in calcium increases the body's need for
magnesium and also may increase the excretion of phosphorus and
calcium; however, dietary intake of magnesium remains relatively
low. The chemical reaction of magnesium is alkaline (acid
binding). It regulates the acid-alkaline balance of the body.
Magnesium is one of the nutrients needed to lose weight.
Undulant fever is said to clear up if above-adequate amounts of
magnesium and manganese are given.
Without sufficient magnesium, one cannot control the adrenals,
and this lack of control can result in diabetes,
hyperexcitability, nervousness, mental confusion and difficulty
coping with simple day-to-day problems. Depressed and suicidal
people often display inadequate levels of magnesium.
Magnesium helps induce passage of nutrients in and out of
cells and thus affects the life process. It also controls
metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, resulting in
more normal nutritional levels. Japanese investigators have
discovered that magnesium will relieve asthmatic attacks. They
give it intravenously for acute asthma and orally for
prevention.
Human Cell's Power Plant
The power plant of human cell is called the "mitochondrion."
The mitochondrion is what generates energy for the cell to use.
What everyone refers to as "energy" is derived from the oxidative
reduction of the cellular respiration. This is done through the
mitochondria.
But the problem arises when the cell is low in magnesium,
relative to calcium. Adenosine triphosphate, the "energy
currency" of the cell, is magnesium dependent. This means it is
obvious that the calcium pump at the cell membrane is also
magnesium dependent.
Without enough "biologically available" magnesium, the
cellular calcium pump slows down. Thus a vicious cycle is
established. The low levels of available magnesium inhibit the
generation of energy, and the low levels of energy inhibit the
calcium pump.
The end result? The mitochondrion, the powerhouse of the cell
and the entire body, becomes calcified. This is the beginning of
aging. It all starts in the cell. First the cells age. This leads
to organ aging. And after the organs age, individual aging
occurs. Since calcium is readily accumulated by mitochondria,
this ion is potentially capable of antagonizing the activating
influence of magnesium on many intramitochondrial enzyme
reactions.
This means that every function of your body can be inhibited
when the mitochondria calcify. It's like going through life with
the emergency brakes on. Calcium is the brake. Magnesium is the
accelerator. To be in optimal health, there must be a balance
between the two.
Balance Is Key
Both minerals are vitally important, but there must be that
critical balance.
Andre Voisin in his book "Soil, Grass and Cancer" wrote:
"Calcium content cannot be considered separately without taking
the other mineral elements into account. It is the equilibria,
and not the individual elements, that govern the phenomena of
life." That's the magic word - "equilibria."
Everyone today is concerned with their chronological age. But
they should be equally concerned with their "biological" age. The
ratio of calcium to magnesium within your cells is your
"biochemical age."
Tragically, in many cases, children are now starting to show
high cellular calcium levels. For many people, eating a diet high
in calcium and low in magnesium amounts to "cellular
suicide."
Calcification can cause a thousand illnesses. As the body
grows, the calcium migrates from the hard tissues (bones) to the
soft tissues in your body. Few understand the full scope of this
program. It is the most prevalent clinical finding in industrial
cultures.
Where the calcium buildup occurs depends upon your individual
biochemistry. Calcium deposits in the joints are called
arthritis; in the blood vessels it is hardening of the arteries;
in the heart it is heart disease, and in the brain it is
senility.
The calcification process develops slowly. It occurs gradually
over 10, 20, 30 years or more. It can begin in childhood. There
is almost no soft tissue in your body that is immune from
calcification, including your various glands.
All of this fits so well with my basic belief in medicine,
which rests upon the word "balance" - mental, spiritual and
physical balance. If we have perfect peace of mind and soul and
eat a nutritional poison-free diet, we will have no disease,
because, after all, each of us in a scientific sense, is a
chemical factory.
This page was first uploaded on October 20, 2002
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Healthy Water
Association--USA