Originally published February 16 2010
Increase Magnesium Levels for Optimum Brain Functioning
by Paul Fassa
(NaturalNews) Magnesium is a vital mineral for our overall health, and now a Chinese study has discovered that higher magnesium levels dramatically improve brain health. Guosong Liu, Director of the Center for Learning and Memory at Tsinghua University in Beijing stated, "[E]levating brain magnesium content via increasing magnesium intake might be a useful new strategy to enhance cognitive abilities."
The Effect On The Brain
Byron Richards,CCN and author of Fight for Your Health, explains that the Chinese study showed magnesium's effect on the brain cell's synaptic plasticity: "... a key feature of nerve architecture that enables your brain to tolerate stress, recover from trauma, and make actual changes. Synaptic plasticity is based on having well-nourished and properly energized brain cells - compared to inflamed brain cells that have become damaged and 'stuck in their ways'."
Due to topsoil depletion from improper farming practices, most of the population is magnesium deficient. As we get older, less magnesium is present in our cells. Yet it takes around twice the amount of magnesium recommended for body health to enhance and preserve the brain's optimum cognitive and memory functions.
While consuming 400 mg of magnesium is considered adequate for most general health purposes, nutritionist Richards recommends up to 1000 mg for optimum brain health.
About You and Magnesium
Within the cells is where 80 percent of magnesium's activity as a catalyst and synthesizing agent occurs. That's why Dr. Otis Woodward, MD, a holistic physician who calls magnesium "the master mineral" recommends a red blood cell (RBC) test over a simple blood test to determine magnesium levels. "It can look good in your blood, but if it is not in your cells you won't get the benefits."
If RBC testing is not available or within your budget, kinesiology or muscle testing could also help determine your magnesium needs. So many symptoms of magnesium deficiency resemble so many others, fatigue, muscular tension, and irritability among others, that it's difficult to determine by symptoms alone. It's important to realize that long term magnesium deficiency is associated with many diseases, including cancer.
Magnesium is critically involved with over 300 cellular metabolic functions. Mark Sircus, OMD, in a Natural News article (source below) calls magnesium the "Lamp of Life", as it is the major constituent for producing chlorophyll in plant life. Without that, plants could not interact with the sun and survive.
Obviously, organic green vegetables should be heavily consumed for a substantial magnesium intake. It is claimed that organic vegetables have up to ten times more magnesium than non-organic. Super foods such as Chlorella that contain high amounts of chlorophyll will help overcome magnesium deficiencies. Fulvic (not folic) acid, black strap molasses, and unprocessed sea salt are high in magnesium too.
Commercial table salt and white processed sugar, as well as foods that contain white bleached flour should be avoided. These items actually leech magnesium out of your body. You may find it best to supplement with a magnesium powder, often mixed with calcium, in water with a splash of organic apple cider vinegar or a squeeze of lime or lemon to help absorb the magnesium. A calcium to magnesium ratio of 2:1 is good, but unnecessary if your calcium intake is already high.
It's also possible to supplement magnesium transdermally by soaking in salts high in magnesium or applying magnesium oils. Unless one has serious kidney problems, it takes a lot to overdue magnesium supplementation. But it's easy to notice. Like Vitamin C, too much magnesium manifests as diarrhea, a threshold that varies with each individual.
Sources for more information include:
Mark Sircus, OMD - Magnesium: The Lamp of Life
http://www.naturalnews.com/024847_magnesium_...
Magnesium Boosts Brain Function by Byron Richards
http://www.wellnessresources.com/health/arti...
Synaptic Plasticity by Byron Richards
http://www.wellnessresources.com/health/arti...
Magnesium the Master Mineral by Dr.Otis Woodward, MD http://otiswoodardmd.typepad.com/my_weblog/2...
About the author
Paul Fassa is dedicated to warning others about the current corruption of food and medicine and guiding others toward a direction for better health with no restrictions on health freedom. You can visit his blog at http://healthmaven.blogspot.com
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