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TickedOffAtLyme
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| Joined: | Sat Apr 14th, 2007 |
| Location: | Kyle, Texas USA |
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Posted: Wed Apr 18th, 2007 07:50 pm |
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WHAT IT DOES
Magnesium is necessary for normal function of bone, protein, and fatty acid formation, making new cells, activating B vitamins, relaxing muscles, clotting blood, nerve conduction, cardiac function, immune function and the production and transfer of ATP - the muscle's energy source. Chronic deficiency can produce long-term damage and can be fatal. Magnesium is one of the most important nutrients for Lyme Disease sufferers to supplement.
SOURCES OF MAGNESIUM
Dietary sources include chocolate (yay!), nuts, seeds, green vegetables such as spinach, nuts, and whole grains. Most refined and processed foods are usually low in magnesium. Whole-wheat bread, for example, has twice as much magnesium as white bread because magnesium-rich germ and bran are removed when white flour is processed. You can also use magnesium-rich salt and bottled water that is rich in magnesium (also, hard water contains more magnesium than soft water). Since minerals can also be absorbed through the skin, try putting Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) in a hot bath and taking a long soak.
COMMON CAUSES OF MAGNESIUM DEPLETION
It's estimated that as many as 85% of Americans are deficient in magnesium. The average American diet is magnesium deficient and the soil contains almost no magnesium. Stress depletes magnesium levels, as does chronic pain or illness, diarrhea, thyroid disorders, gluten intolerance, food allergy reactions, caffeine and sugar.
All diuretics will cause loss of magnesium, alcohol, coffee, and tea (even some herbal teas). Hyperventilation makes you lose magnesium in the urine (hyperventilation induces respiratory alkalosis, the body excretes bicarbonate to compensate, but each bicarbonate is negatively charged and carries a positively charged cation with it – in this case magnesium). Heavy exercise also makes you lose magnesium in the urine. This explains why long-distance runners may suddenly drop dead with heart arrhythmias.
Additionally, Lyme bacteria are unique in that they utilize magnesium instead of iron in their life cycle, which depletes the body's stores of magnesium. Do NOT try to "starve" the bacteria by withholding magnesium supplementation. This just causes the bacteria to convert to a cyst form and wait indefinitely - while your body becomes significantly weakened and impaired from the deficiency. Increasing magnesium intake causes cyst forms to convert back to spirochetes to retrieve the magnesium which is more readily available in the bloodstream, allowing them to be attacked by antibiotics or other treatment protocols.
WHY IT MAY HELP
Studies show that Magnesium supplementation may help relieve or improve fatigue, sleep, muscle aches, cramping, restless legs, and "brain fog". As magnesium is inexpensive and essentially non-toxic (the primary side effect of too much is diarrhea) it doesn't pose a significant health risk. Magnesium is also used in ER's for stabilizing arrhythmias and stopping migraines. A wonderful vasodilator (keeps blood vessels open), it increases energy, warms hands and feet, leads to fewer headaches and heart palpitations, and increases blood flow to the brain. Many studies show it is more critical in preventing osteoporosis than calcium. Lack of magnesium impairs utilization of calcium for bone building, resulting in calcium deposits in soft tissue rather than bone. When enough magnesium is taken, calcium levels rise near normal even without supplementation. When magnesium levels are low, calcium is also drawn from the parathyroid gland, an already weak area in the chronically ill.
BLOOD LEVELS
Unfortunately, magnesium deficiency is not easily detected as serum levels do not reflect levels in tissues. About half the body's magnesium stores are found inside cells of body tissues and organs, and half are combined with calcium and phosphorus in bone. Only 1% is found in the blood!
Lab values of vitamins and minerals are questionable at best. Most lab values are for healthy people, not the chronically ill. Magnesium levels cannot be truly measured by a simple serum blood draw. Just because a substance is at what's considered "normal" doesn't mean your body is capable of utilizing it at that level. Blood tests, though commonly used, are really not accurate. Your blood is so important that part of your body's job is to keep it "stable." This means that if you do have problems, the blood is the LAST place it will show up. The body may and can steal magnesium and other minerals from other areas of your body where it should be doing lots of different kinds of work and put that magnesium in your blood.
Some significant studies have demonstrated that FMS/CFS patients do not utilize magnesium in the energy cycle and intra-cellularly as they should. Therefore, many believe they need to maintain blood levels in the high range of normal in order to, hopefully, improve on this action.
WHAT FORMS & HOW MUCH TO TAKE
Magnesium supplements can be taken as oral tablets, liquid, or intramuscular injections. The oral form is easy to take, but poorly absorbed. Best absorbed forms include Mg ascorbate, aspartate, citrate, chloride, gluconate, malate, and taurinate. Forms with worst bio-availability include Mg carbonate and oxide, which are generally cheapest but most poorly absorbed. Liquid forms may help if pills don't (forms include citrate, chloride, gluconate). Magnesium chloride has a good track record. Additional forms of magnesium offer additional advantages and synergism, so many Lyme Disease sufferers take several forms of the mineral, including citrate, glycinate, taurinate, succinate, aspartate, and others.
Begin by following instructions on the container and slowly adjust dosage upwards to a comfortable level. Take enough for relief but not so much that you get side effects. As a rule of thumb, take it until you get diarrhea, then back off. If "flaring" or under stress, adjust the dose upwards to shorten length of flare, then go back to usual amount. Taken a few hours before bedtime without calcium helps sleep and pain. Frequent dosing throughout the day (ie - 2-8 doses per day) helps keep the mineral at steady levels in the blood.
Magnesium sulfate injections are painful (it is a concentrated solution) and more time consuming than taking an oral dose at home. However, injections are best absorbed and seem more reliable at improving symptoms. Available by prescription only, the usual dose is 1gm/2mls intramuscularly (1gm of 50% contains 100mgs elemental Mg) weekly for 10 weeks. After this, some patients may benefit from an injection every 1-4 weeks. It's best given at room temperature or blood heat either into triceps or deltoid, slowly over 1-2 minutes.
SOME HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BRANDS
Mag Glycinate or Mag Citrate from Metagenics at http://www.metagenics.com;
Mag-Tab SR from Niche Pharmaceuticals at http://www.niche-inc.com;
Magnesium Chloride or Magnesium Citrate from Nutricology at http://www.nutricology.com
Natural Calm from Natural Vitality at http://www.petergillham.com;
Pro-Mag from Douglas Laboratories at http://www.douglaslabs.com;
Slow-Mag from Purdue Products at http://www.slowmag.com
Many of these can be purchased locally as well as online - please visit the above websites to search for local distributors.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Patients have taken 1,000 mg daily for extended periods (1 yr+) without toxicity. RDAs for magnesium are based on 4-5 mg per kg body weight (approx 1.8-2.2 mg/lb) as adequate for optimal status. The real American diet typically provides 1.2-1.5 mg/lb. However, many experts believe optimum Mg intake, especially under stressful life conditions, is more in the range of 6-10 mg/kg body weight (approx 2.7-4.5 mg/lb). Ideally, Mg intake should be divided into 2-3 doses with meals. Those with chronic insomnia might try taking 50-200 mg before bedtime.
SUMMARY
Magnesium appears safe, inexpensive and effective in helping patients with a variety of health problems.
REFERENCES AND ARTICLES
Myhill, Sarah, M.D. "Magnesium Deficiency and Its Role In Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)", at http://www.ImmuneSupport.com. 11-14-2000.
And many other articles in the Immune Support Library at http://www.immunesupport.com/library/
Excerpt from article by Dr. William Crook who wrote The Yeast Connection books. To see entire article, go to http://www.price-pottenger.org/Articles/ChrFatigue.htm
I.M. Cox, M.J. Campbell & D. Dowson, "Red Blood Cell Magnesium and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome," The Lancet, 337:75760, 1991.
Rogers, S.A., M.D. "Unrecognized Magnesium Deficiency Masquerades as Diverse Symptoms: Evaluation of an Oral Magnesium Challenge Test," International Clinical Nutrition Review, 11, 3:117-29, July 1991.
Rosner, Bryan. "The Top 10 Lyme Disease Treatments: Defeat Lyme Disease With The Best Of Conventional And Alternative Medicine". BioMed Publishing Group, 2007.
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Rus2yrules
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Posted: Sat Nov 3rd, 2007 12:57 am |
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Hello,
I was wondering if you could provide any help. My husband is supposed to give me an I.M injection every week of magnesium, but I gotta tell ya, IT HURTS LIKE HELL and I go many weeks in between because of the pain! My arm burns sooooo bad, then goes numb and my upper arm gets a lump (huge) almost like the medicine is still sitting in my muscle and not being dispursed I rub my arm after and immediatly have to put ice on it. It is not this way when he gives me my B-12 injection with the same guage needle. I could really use some help with this and my doc and pharmicist just say it will hurt. I certainly hope that is not the case. Any help you could give would be GREATLY appreciated. Many thanks in advance,
Cindy
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rivergem
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Posted: Fri Nov 9th, 2007 07:02 am |
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| I wish I could help you, but have never had to inject magnesium. I guess you tried the "room temperature" and "blood heat" (whatever that is) suggested above?
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wainwright
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| Joined: | Sun Nov 18th, 2007 |
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Posted: Mon Nov 19th, 2007 01:40 am |
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Hi Cindy
Magnesium injections usually hurt a lot less in the glutes, because they are bigger muscles. There are 2 gluteal sites--the ventrogluteal and the dorsalgluteal, and I find very little or no pain from them. Ask your doctor for help finding them, or look them up on the net. There are also IM sites in the lateral quad muscles, but they hurt much, much worse than the deltoids (arms).
Good luck.
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TickedOffAtLyme
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| Joined: | Sat Apr 14th, 2007 |
| Location: | Kyle, Texas USA |
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Posted: Tue Aug 12th, 2008 11:47 pm |
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I apologize for not posting this information publicly... I did PM it to Cindy back when she asked the question, but now I realize that others would like to know more about it also. This was my reply to her:
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I know this is not very comforting, but your experience is normal! EVERY single person I have ever talked to about IM mag shots say that they are extremely painful (to the point that people wondered whether the pain was worth the benefit). Many people choose IV for this reason, because it works more quickly and is less painful. However, the cost and insurance companies are sometimes a battle when it comes to IV anything.
I am not a doctor and have never had the shots myself, so please bear that in mind!
Some people have tried injecting the mag slowly, over a period of several minutes, and felt that method helped make it a little less painful. Some take a hot shower or apply hot compresses to the injection site immediately afterwards, and also felt that provided some relief. (The heat may also help get the mag circulating). You want to be sure you are switching your injection sites each time, not only to give the muscle a break but to prevent the formation of scar tissue. Try to primarily inject into the hip or buttocks rather than the arm.
If you can get your doctor to help by writing you a prescription, you can get the magnesium mixed with xylocaine (a numbing medication generally given prior to getting stitches, related to novocaine!) One woman told me that she draws up 1/2 ml of xylocaine first, then draws up the magnesium in the same syringe. The xylocaine has to be stored in the refrigerator, so she draws ups the meds and then lets them sit in the syringe at room temperature for 10 minutes before injecting.
There is also now a topical magnesium, but I do not know much about it. You might want to "google" it or talk to your doctor and check it out.
Anyway, I hope something in here is useful to you, because I want to encourage you to keep taking the magnesium! If you have a fairly cooperative doctor, call him or her and see if they will call you in a prescription for the xylocaine. They should not even need to see you in an office visit for something like that. (I am surprised the pharmacist didn't mention it)
Let me know if it gets any better, and best of luck to you!! And kudos to your husband also... mine would NEVER give me shots, LOL!
Best wishes,
Susan Williams
Vice-President, TXLDA
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