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Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Health Newsletter November 1, 2002 Issue Vol. 2 No. 14 In This Newsletter Introduction*** The Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Health Newsletter is written monthly, solely for information to help seniors, baby boomers and anyone who may have an interest in staying healthy, living a vigorous, active lifestyle and combating the aging process. It does not constitute the practice of medicine and is not meant to prescribe treatments. It is offered strictly as an educational aid. Any medical problems you may have, we recommend that you seek the help of your physician or other healthcare professional. Discussing your intentions with your doctor is always the proper procedure. The newsletter also includes know-how in the form of useful tips and links to more extensive material on the Internet. You may wish to share this newsletter by sending a copy to a friend, neighbor or relative and suggesting they subscribe to it. Website: http://www.doctorsexercise.com How to subscribe: Click Newsletter on left menu at website for more info and to subscribe or browse directly to: http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/dsenews E-Mail address: newsletter@doctorsexercise.com Healthfully Yours*** Magnesium, The Forgotten Mineral”. In our last newsletter we wrote about Calcium and how important a mineral it is. Equally important is the mineral Magnesium. Unfortunately, you don’t hear people saying, “I better make sure I’m getting enough magnesium in my diet”. Many researchers have attributed a magnesium deficiency as being a major cause of heart disease in our country. Lacking the proper amounts of magnesium in our diets can lead to many other conditions, other than heart disease. A variety of symptoms will and can be attributed to low magnesium intake. A magnesium insufficiency will cause the heart to beat irregularly. This irregularity causes our arteries to become less pliant, causing them to constrict, and the blood pressure will rise. As the pressure rises, blood may start to accumulate in portions of our arteries and a clot may form. Blockage of an artery can of course lead to a heart attack or stroke. Other signs and symptoms start to develop directly in response to the above scenario, and to other responses due to a reduction in the daily magnesium requirement. The need for magnesium is basic to literally every organ and cell in our body to carry out the normal daily functions. Without enough magnesium, the cells can become irritable and hyper. They can cause hormonal imbalances. This in turn can lead to muscle spasms if this imbalance targets a particular muscle such as the gastrocnemeous (calve) muscle, or any other muscle or group of muscles. Magnesium plays an important role in releasing the energy in the body to make cells and genetic material. If the lowered magnesium requirements cause the cells in the pancreas to react, the production of insulin may be affected by causing a reduction in the insulin, resulting in a rise of blood sugar and diabetes can be the end result. Magnesium insufficiency and its repercussions do not end here, due to the fact that magnesium literally affects every muscle, bone, nerve, organ, tissue and cell in the body. I can’t impress upon you the major impact that magnesium’s role will play in the body’s daily normal functions. In my last Newsletter on calcium, I stated how important calcium was for bone health and for the prevention of osteoporosis. I also mentioned the importance of the minerals that were necessary in the addition to the calcium. If you load yourself up on calcium and neglect these other minerals you are defeating the purpose and may do you more harm than good. Taking large amounts of calcium tends to leach out magnesium so you must be sure that you are getting an adequate amount of magnesium to offset this process. The end results in magnesium deficiency are far reaching as you can see. All the conditions spoken of above are only the tip of the iceberg. Many other symptoms can and will usually develop. Irritability, headaches, stress, sleeplessness, pain, is related affects. Having these symptoms for an extended period of time leads to a loss of vigor that can and will affect the quality of your life. The aging process accelerates and you become older than your chronological age. Here is a condition that is easily preventable. By watching the diet and eating foods that are high in magnesium content, can and will prevent many of the horrific scenarios depicted above. Taking a good supplement can be very helpful in augmenting the diet itself. See that the supplement also contains the trace minerals, manganese and copper. Look for the foods that will “Give you more bang for your buck”, that are high in magnesium. For finding these foods, read on in the “Health Hints” below. Health Hints*** Knowing your daily requirements should be the starting point in making sure you get the magnesium needed in your foods, and knowing what foods and the quantities of magnesium they contain. The recommended daily requirement for men is 420 mg and for women the recommended daily requirement is 320 mg. As stated above, calcium taken without enough magnesium can reduce the body’s supply of magnesium. It is best to take calcium in a 2 to 1 ratio to magnesium. A side affect of taking magnesium for some individuals may be diarrhea. Taking the magnesium in divided doses throughout the day will prevent this side affect. Getting enough magnesium in your foods is the best way to get your minimum daily requirements, however, most of us do not eat the proper foods. Here are some of the foods high in magnesium to add to your diet. Fortified cereals and breads made from whole-grain. Cereals such as: All Bran, 100% Bran, Raisin Bran, and Wheat Germ, Oat cereals and Cornflakes. Legumes: Baked beans, Beans, Lentils, and Chickpeas. Nuts and seeds, such as, Peanuts, Almonds, Walnuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower kernels, Cashews and Pistachio nuts. Vegetables: that will include the green leafy variety, spinach, white potatoes, broccoli and Avocados. Seafood: Salmon, Shrimp, Scallops and Oysters. Also include Tofu and Dates. Of course not everyone will eat every one the foods mentioned above, but there is enough of a variety to eat a proper diet that will increase your intake of magnesium. It would still be wise to add a supplement to insure that you are getting the required daily minimum. When taking your supplement, it is best to take it about one half hour before your meal. If you are taking 300 mgs or more daily, it is best to take it in divided doses. Taking it in divided doses throughout the day will prevent the side effect of diarrhea. There are four different forms of magnesium. 1. Magnesium oxide. When this form is taken, do not use antacids as they will prevent it’s absorption. 2. Magnesium sulfate: Found in Epsom salt and is used as a laxative. 3. Magnesium chloride: Comes in liquid form and should be diluted, and taken with food. 4.Magnesium citrate: An acidic form that is more easily absorbed. When using a supplement, use a company with a good reputation. Read the label and check the source of the magnesium and use the guide above to guide you. Adding a magnesium supplement to your diet could be analogous to putting gasoline in your car. It keeps it running, and magnesium can do the same for your body without any of the above symptoms we discussed. Doc Cane Copyright, Disclaimer, and Trademark information Copyrightă 1997-2002 Emanuel M. Cane. All rights reserved. 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