Colloidal Magnesium: Magnificent for your heart.
All life came from the sea. The chemical composition of our cells contains the code of the sea just as children contain genetic information they received from their parents. We require the balance of minerals that existed in the sea to maintain optimum health. The primordial sea contained high quantities of magnesium, among other minerals. Similarly , the waters of our cells are rich in magnesium.
Magnesium is a major factor in our bodies, comprising about 0.05 percent of our body weight. Magnesium deficiency is the most common deficiency in the U.S. diet.
FUNCTIONS AND USES
Magnesium is involved in the activation of at least three hundred different enzymes and body chemicals. It activates the B vitamins and plays a role in protein synthesis, muscle excitability, and energy release. It is mainly found in the mitochondria, the energy centers of cells. Magnesium regulates the absorption of calcium and adds to the integrity of the bones and teeth. Deficiency of magnesium can lead to bone abnormalities including brittle bones and osteoporosis. The parathyroid gland, which regulates blood calcium levels, also needs magnesium to function normally.
Concentrated eighteen times greater in the heart muscle than in the bloodstream, magnesium regulates the heart’s ability to beat. It decreases blood coagulation and acts as a calcium channel blocker, helping the heart pump more effectively. In addition, magnesium has a relaxing effect on smooth muscle and possibly blood vessels. Uterine relaxation in response to magnesium may lessen the intensity of menstrual cramps.
Magnesium is vital to energy production on the cellular level. It is also required for the proper transmission of nerve impulses.
DEFICIENCY SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Magnesium deficiency is often overlooked because it is not associated with any specific syndromes. Muscle weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, nervousness, and irritability can all be early signs of magnesium deficiency. More serious symptoms include muscle spasms and seizures.
Magnesium is intimately related to the regulation of calcium, which it often deposits in the muscles or kidneys. This can lead to kidney stones.
There is evidence that magnesium deficiency may play a critical role in many heart ailments. When Dr. Alexander Heggtveit, professor of pathology at the University of Ottawa in Canada, examined the
victims of fatal heart attacks and found that certain portions of the heart contained up to 42 percent less magnesium than heart muscle from individuals who died of other causes. Magnesium deficiency can occur after prolonged vomiting or diarrhea, with long-term diuretic and or laxative use, and after alcohol abuse. A high intake of calcium can increase excessive magnesium excretion, leading to problems such as nervousness, irritability, and tremors. Deficiency can also cause muscle contracting and may contribute to hallucinations in people going through alcohol withdrawal. The elderly population is especially at risk for magnesium deficiency due to poor absorption, excess calcium supplementation, and drug interactions.