You’re probably wondering why I used an image of kelp to talk about calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... and magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo.... Kelp actually contains one of the highest concentrations of both calcium and magnesium with 1,009 mg of calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... (more than 9 times the amount of found in milk!) and 780 mg of magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... (the highest amount delivered in any food) in a 3.5 ounce serving. See? There is a method to my madness. Moving on, let’s talk about two important minerals we absolutely cannot live without and how they need to be balanced in order to function correctly. Let’s examine the yinRefers to relatively passive processes, female element, nurt... and yangRefers to relatively more active processes, male element, en... of calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... and magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo....
What are their respective roles?
CalciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... is the most abundant mineral in our bodies and makes up 2% of our body weight. We use 99% of our body calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... towards our bones, teeth, and maintaining our skeletal structure and function. The other 1% is utilized for:
- cell signaling
- blood clotting
- nerve function
- muscle contraction
- enzyme activation
- ion transport across cell membranes
- sending and receiving neurotransmitters for cell communication
- conducting electricity in our bodies crucial in maintaining a regular heartbeat, since it contains an electric charge
MagnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo..., is the fourth most abundant mineral in our bodies that regulates over 300 biochemical reactions. As one of the most common enzyme cofactors, it is necessary for:
- protein synthesis (a building block for RNA and DNA)
- muscle and nerve function
- blood glucose control
- regulating blood pressure
- energy production (generating ATP)
- glycolysisThe metabolic pathway that converts glucose, into pyruvate. ...
- oxidative phosphorylationThe metabolic pathway in which the mitochondria in cells use...
- aiding in digestion of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats
- a precursor to neurotransmitters like serotoninA monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from try...
- calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... and potassium transport across cell membranes vital in nerve conduction, a normal heart rhythm, and muscle contraction.
MagnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... is the yinRefers to relatively passive processes, female element, nurt... to calcium’s yangRefers to relatively more active processes, male element, en...
Since magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... is the mineral that moves calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... across cell membranes, it is considered the gate keeper and controls when calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... should be moved out of the cell.
This is best summarized in Magnificent Magnesium, an article published in Weston A. Price Foundation’s quarterly magazine:
“MagnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... works in concert with calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... to regulate electrical impulses in the cell—magnesium concentration inside healthy cells is ten thousand times greater than calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored..., and there are crucial reasons for this safeguard. Cellular calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... channels allow that mineral to enter the cell only as long as needed to conduct an impulse; it is ushered out immediately by magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... once its task is fulfilled. This vigilance is necessary to prevent calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... accumulation in the cell, which could cause dangerous hyper-excitability, calcification, cell dysfunction and even cell death. When excessSigns of general excess: Yang symptoms - person is robust, e... calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... enters the cells because of insufficient magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo..., muscle contraction is sustained for too long, and we suffer, for example, twitches and tics in mild cases. When magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... deficiency becomes chronic, we suffer the symptoms of heart disease such as angina pectoris, hypertensionHigh blood pressure and arrhythmia, or the spasms and contractions characteristic of asthma, migraine headache or painful menstrual cramping.”
So if we are experiencing any type of cramping, whether it is muscle cramps or leg cramps, the mineral we should be looking to for a deficiency is not calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored..., but in fact, magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo.... MagnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... is what is needed in order to move calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... out of the cell to relax our muscles. CalciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... causes contraction while magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... elicits relaxation. The article goes on to state that:
“MagnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... operates as a natural calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... channel blocker and is responsible for relaxation—counter to calcium’s contraction. Thus magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... is pivotally important to the healthy functioning of our parasympathetic nervous system. It may be hard to believe, but our bodies were actually designed to operate for the most part in a calm, relaxed parasympathetic state, rather than in the heart-pounding, stress-and adrenaline-driven mode of sympathetic nervous system dominance that is nearly constant for many of us today, and which uses up great quantities of magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo....”
MagnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... is a very important mineral in managing and dealing with stress as it is the calming mineral which opposes the excitable actions of calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored.... The more stressed we are, the more our muscles tense up and contract. Hence, when we are stressed, we need more magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... to relax our muscles. It counteracts calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... and acts as a necessary antagonist in order to maintain balance in a body function as basic as muscle contraction and as vital as our heartbeats.
What should our calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... ratios ideally be?
CalciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... and magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... need to be in balanced amounts in our body in order to carry out their roles. Researchers previously suggested that 2:1 is a healthy ratio. However, according to Dr Carolyn Dean, MD, one of the leading researchers in magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo..., this 2:1 ratio has led her to see statistics with a “700 times increase in osteoporosis in a 10-year period, even while taking calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored...”! In fact, many supplements reflect this ratio where there is 1200-1500 mg of calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... versus a few hundred milligrams of magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo.... The frightening reality is that our ratios are probably closer to 4-5:1 with our high calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... and low magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... diets along with extra calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... supplementation! A more appropriate ratio should be 1:1 and some have even postulated that a 1:2 ratio is warranted. This is because we have tipped the scales so heavily towards calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... with over-supplementing and calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... fortification of our foods.
More concerning, there have now been studies in the past several years showing that calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... supplementation may not only increase your risk of heart attack by up to 30%, but also does not slow the process of bone loss and may even increase your risk of prostate cancer! Bone is made up of at least a dozen minerals and supplementing with only calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... may actually increase your risk of osteoporosis. Other studies have shown that higher bone density in women may actually increase your risk for breast cancer by 2 fold, because bone density is a marker for life-time exposure to estrogenA group of steroid hormones that promote the development and.... (I also do not recommend taking osteoporosis drugs such as bisphophonates, as there is enough evidence to prove that they do not decrease fracture risk nor strengthen bones, but cause other deleterious side effects including bone death, liver, kidney, and digestive problems. More on this later.)
How does calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... over-supplementation cause this? When we have too much calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... in our bodies, it gets deposited into areas where they shouldn’t be. CalciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... deposits can cause kidney stones, gallstones, bone spurs, stiff joints, osteoarthritis, coronary artery disease, artherosclerosis, hypothyroidism, and obesity. It is the calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... deposits in blood vessels that actually cause hardening of your arteries (not cholesterolA steroid alcohol found in most body tissues, including the ..., which is a soft, malleable waxy substance), and may increase the risk of heart attack.
What’s worse, magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... deficiency is widespread. It is one of the most depleted minerals in our soil. Now, more and more new plant hybrids are made to survive mineral depleted soil, so our foods are already grown with less minerals. MagnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... is further depleted and even lost during harvest, refrigeration, transport and storage. For some reason, calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... is much more resilient during these processes. Maybe because it is a more yangRefers to relatively more active processes, male element, en... and robust mineral? (To review the basics of yinRefers to relatively passive processes, female element, nurt... and yangRefers to relatively more active processes, male element, en..., read here.)
In addition, processing foods continues to deplete magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo.... MagnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... in grain is lost in milling. MagnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... in nuts is lost in roasting. MagnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... is leached out into water when we cook greens. Then, eating processed foods with high sugar content, drinking alcohol, and soda also deplete the magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... in our bodies since it is needed to metabolize and detoxify these foods. According to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, “the body requires at least twenty-eight molecules of magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... to metabolize a single molecule of glucose. Phosphates in carbonated drinks and processed meats (so-called “luncheon meats” and hot dogs) bind with magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... to create the insoluble magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... phosphate, which is unusable by the body.”
What is the solution to this huge calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored.../magnesium imbalance?
The best way to get your calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... is through your diet. In fact, studies show that calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... from food sources are more effective than calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... from supplementation as our bodies absorb calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... from food sources more completely. Food sources highest in calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... include seaweed (hijiki, wakame, kelp, and kombu, which are available in most whole-food or Japanese markets), dark leafy greens (such as kale, spinach, and collard greens), nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, and brazil nuts), wild salmon, sardines and parsley. The calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... content in milk does not even come close to these foods. While calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... is necessary at all ages, certain stages require more calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... than others. CalciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... requirements ramp up during increased periods of growth and should be supplemented during pregnancy and lactationMilk secretion from the mammary glands.. I supplemented 500mg calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... daily in addition to my pre-natal when I was pregnant and nursing, then decreased to 200mg daily, once my son started solids. (My multi-vitamin, has a 1:2 (10mg:20mg) ratio of calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... to magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo....)
How do we know if we are magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... deficient? Early signs and symptoms of magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... deficiency include fatigue, nausea, headaches, loss of appetite and weakness. Signs of chronic magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... deficiency may lead to more serious symptoms of numbness and tingling, muscle contractions and cramps (as I stated above), seizures, coronary spasms, abnormal heart rhythms, and even personality changes. An easy way to find out if you are deficient is to get a magnesium RBC test. The “normal values” are between 4.2-6.8mg/dl, but you really want your levels to be 6mg/dl or higher. Once you find out your baseline, check every 3 months to make sure you are taking enough to maintain your levels. According to Dr Dean, unlike most medications, “as your body becomes saturated with magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo..., your body will need less, not more, to maintain these levels.”
What form of magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... supplement is the best and how much of it should I take?
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... for young adults is 400mg for men and 310mg for women. In adults over 30, the RDA is 420mg for men and 320mg for women. If you don’t get enough in your food, which probably applies to most people, then we need to supplement. There are many forms of magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... in the supplement market because magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... must be bound to another substance in order to be absorbed. One of the cheapest and most common forms, magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... oxide, is not absorbed very well by our bodies (4% absorbed, with the remaining 96% going through your intestines). This is what is usually used as a stool softener and laxativeA substance that promotes bowel movements., which is helpful if you have constipation.
MagnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... glycinate probably provides the highest level of magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... absorption. Metagenics comes in 100mg tablets (take 2 twice a day for a total of 400mg/day) and OrthoMolecular Products offers 235mg in 2 tablets (also taken twice daily for a total of 470mg). It is probably best to start with the recommended dosage and adjust according to your levels. Other forms, which provide less absorption include magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... chloride and magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... lactate (12% absorption) and magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... taurate, which is used for its calming effects. I will talk more about the additional health benefits of magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... in later posts!
Here’s what you need to know:
- calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... and magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... have a yinRefers to relatively passive processes, female element, nurt... and yangRefers to relatively more active processes, male element, en... relationship — calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... is the active yangRefers to relatively more active processes, male element, en... mineral, while magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... is the calming yinRefers to relatively passive processes, female element, nurt... mineral.
- we need calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... and magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... to be in constant balance in order to carry out our body functions.
- most people over-supplement with calciumThe most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% is stored... and tend to be deficient in magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo....
- you can get your magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... levels checked with a magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... RBC test to see if you are deficient.
- the most highly absorbable magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... supplement is magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... glycinate.
Do you think you are magnesiumA mineral that regulates 300 biochemical reactions in the bo... deficient?
In health and wellness,
Dr Elain
References:
Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford