Originally published December 6 2012
Magnesium for MS, ALS and Epilepsy
by Dr. Carolyn Dean
(NaturalNews) In a recent blog I wrote about the importance of magnesium for the nervous system. It was inspired by several emails from readers who shared their experiences. I also quoted from my book, The Magnesium Miracle about the work of Dr. Lewis B. Barnett, former head of the Hereford Clinic and Deaf Smith Research Foundation who learned that magnesium is deficient in people with epilepsy. As a result of his research, Barnett concluded that the main cause for the 3 million clinical and 10-15 million subclinical cases of epilepsy identified at the time was a deficiency of magnesium!
One person wrote: "Magnesium is literally saving my life! After several visits to neurologists and EMG testing over my entire body the diagnoses was leaning towards muscular dystrophy OR early Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). But now I'm in my fourth month of intense, self-administered, magnesium treatment - oral, topical, baths - you name it. And I will tell you, I am almost 100% cured of the multiple issues - and I mean serious issues and symptoms I've suffered for over 4 years. I thought I was not long for this world that's how bad it was. To me, it's shocking that our Neurologists are CLUELESS with respect to magnesium. It's shocking, sad and pathetic that anyone should suffer the horror I suffered because of a simple magnesium deficiency."
Another person said: "I am an epileptic and have always been paranoid and have a huge amount of anxiety before big events. I would get so scared of having a seizure that I didn't want to do much and would avoid social situations. Thanks to magnesium I am able to enjoy social situations again! I take magnesium and I am able to function and it really does help to relieve the stress and worry. It also helps that it is natural. I used to medicate myself for stress with alcohol and now, because of this product, I am a recovering alcoholic. I am able to stay truly clean, sober, and stress free without the help of alcohol and drugs like Valium or Zanax."
Allopathic medicine treats epilepsy and nerve pain with Neurontin (gabapentine). And guess what? Gabapentine causes magnesium deficiency. Whereas if you take magnesium for nerve symptoms you actually have a chance of eliminating the cause of the problem.
Drug researchers say gabapentine affects the cells' calcium channels binding to calcium receptors and thus preventing erratic electrical signals between neurons. However, magnesium binds to these same receptors and properly opens and closes these calcium channels so you don't get excess calcium and you don't get erratic electrical signals. Whereas, taking gabapentine means you are depleting magnesium and can be making your symptoms worse.
One of the side effects of gabapentine is worsening of seizure activity. You gotta wonder about the wisdom of using a drug prescribed for seizures that can cause more seizures! But now we know why; it's depleting magnesium, so your muscles and nerves go into spasms. Magnesium deficiency can cause numbness, tingling, seizures, muscle contractions, spasms and cramps and supplementing magnesium should be the first line of treatment for any of these symptoms.
Many people wrote me after reading my blog with more incredible stories about their brush with a nervous system disease only to find out it was magnesium deficiency. The most interesting one was from a woman in the UK who tried to educate her doctor about magnesium deficiency when she found it to be the cause of her symptoms.
Here's her story. "I went to my GP with MS-like symptoms gradually worsening over three weeks. I had difficulty coordinating, difficulty picking things up, choking on drinks, blurred vision, missed my cup when pouring boiling water from the kettle and forgot what I was doing half way through doing things. My GP announced that I had MS and that it was progressing quite rapidly. He prescribed a steroid, prednisolone. I asked for and took copies of all my test results home but refused to fill his prescription.
The following week I went back to see him, completely cured. I gave him lots of clues and tried to get him to diagnose what was really wrong with me and what I had used to cure my symptoms but he remained clueless. I finally told that I had severe magnesium deficiency and that I'd used transdermal magnesium chloride sprayed all over my body several times a day for the past week. I had to explain to him his mistaken diagnosis and he admitted that he was absolutely gobsmacked by all this.
I am now wondering how many poor souls have been told they have MS when in actual fact they have a 'simple' magnesium deficiency. I am appalled at my GP's lack of knowledge. In any case one would expect him to know that magnesium deficiency is more likely than MS. His attitude was that this wasn't his area of expertise. My response was 'I thought healthcare was your area?' and I asked him to remember 'First do no harm.' He had a very red face. I do hope he learned something...but I doubt it. I don't think I will ever trust my GP again!"
In further correspondence this very brave woman said "Looking at my increasing lack of coordination, I am guessing I've had a magnesium deficiency for a number of years. I had assumed my symptoms were due to gluten ataxia from the delayed celiac diagnosis. I had 25 years of ill health before I suggested to my GP that I might be celiac. I was only diagnosed 3 years ago. I had atypical symptoms: a long history of terrible migraines, period pains and lethargy and tiredness, which can also be magnesium deficiency symptoms! However, my symptoms seemed to vanish on starting gluten-free diet. But, for at least 10 years I have been unsteady on my feet and regularly dropped things and tripped over things. But not since I began magnesium and I've noticed that even my gut feels better."
With the continuing magnesium deficiency in our soil; increasing magnesium burn rate due to multiple stressors in our lives; medications that drain magnesium, and doctors uneducated in magnesium deficiency and magnesium therapy, you do have to take matters into your own hands and make sure you have enough magnesium. If you are on drugs, try and educate your doctor about magnesium and ask to be weaned off your medications when you start magnesium therapy. You can check my website Resources page to see the types of magnesium that I recommend.
About the author:
About the Author:
Carolyn Dean MD ND is The Doctor of the Future�. She is a medical doctor and naturopathic doctor in the forefront of the natural medicine revolution since 1979.
She is working on several patents on novel products including the iCell in RnA Drops. Dr. Dean is a leading expert in magnesium and she has created a picometer, stabilized-ionic form of magnesium, called ReMag that's 100% absorbed at the cellular level and non-laxative making it one of the only magnesiums that can be taken in therapeutic amounts with no side effects. ReLyte is her multiple mineral product that is also completely absorbed at the cellular level and contains the 9 minerals necessary for supporting proper thyroid function. RnA Drops help make perfect cells via RNA through Chromosome 14 affecting DNA. ReNew, which is highly concentrated RnA Drops is a powerful skin serum and ReAline is a safe detox formula with methylated B's, l-taurine and dl-methionine (the precursor to glutathione), all available at www.RnAReSet.com
Dr. Dean is the author/coauthor of 33 health books (print and eBooks) and 106 Kindle books including The Magnesium Miracle, Death by Modern Medicine, IBS for Dummies, IBS Cookbook for Dummies, The Yeast Connection and Women's Health, Future Health Now Encyclopedia, Death by Modern Medicine, Everything Alzheimers, and Hormone Balance.
She is on the Medical Advisory Board of the non-profit educational site - Nutritional Magnesium Association (www.nutritionalmagnesium.org).
Dr. Dean has a free online newsletter and a valuable online 2-year wellness program called Completement Now! at www.drcarolyndean.com/fhn. She also runs a busy telephone consulting practice and has a weekly radio show Mondays at 4pm PST on www.achieveradio.com. Find out more at www.drcarolyndean.com, www.drcarolyndeanlive.com, www.RnAReSet.com, and www.howionic.com.
About the Author:
Carolyn Dean MD ND is The Doctor of the Future�. She is a medical doctor and naturopathic doctor in the forefront of the natural medicine revolution since 1979.
She is working on several patents on novel products including the iCell in RnA Drops. Dr. Dean is a leading expert in magnesium and she has created a picometer, stabilized-ionic form of magnesium, called ReMag that's 100% absorbed at the cellular level and non-laxative making it one of the only magnesiums that can be taken in therapeutic amounts with no side effects. ReLyte is her multiple mineral product that is also completely absorbed at the cellular level and contains the 9 minerals necessary for supporting proper thyroid function. RnA Drops help make perfect cells via RNA through Chromosome 14 affecting DNA. ReNew, which is highly concentrated RnA Drops is a powerful skin serum and ReAline is a safe detox formula with methylated B's, l-taurine and dl-methionine (the precursor to glutathione), all available at www.RnAReSet.com
Dr. Dean is the author/coauthor of 33 health books (print and eBooks) and 106 Kindle books including The Magnesium Miracle, Death by Modern Medicine, IBS for Dummies, IBS Cookbook for Dummies, The Yeast Connection and Women's Health, Future Health Now Encyclopedia, Death by Modern Medicine, Everything Alzheimers, and Hormone Balance.
She is on the Medical Advisory Board of the non-profit educational site - Nutritional Magnesium Association (www.nutritionalmagnesium.org).
Dr. Dean has a free online newsletter and a valuable online 2-year wellness program called Completement Now! at www.drcarolyndean.com/fhn. She also runs a busy telephone consulting practice and has a weekly radio show Mondays at 4pm PST on www.achieveradio.com. Find out more at www.drcarolyndean.com, www.drcarolyndeanlive.com, www.RnAReSet.com, and www.howionic.com.
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