More Magnesium May Make Sense
SUZY COHEN SUZY COHEN Dear Pharmacist
Posted October 13, 2012
Dear Pharmacist, Dr. Oz said magnesium was the No. 1 thing for
exhaustion. Do you agree? What are the best supplements? - C.T.,
Charlotte, N.C.
Magnesium is definitely needed for energy production. But no, I
don't agree it's the "No. 1" thing you need. Symptoms of mag
deficiency include sugar and chocolate cravings, cardiac
arrhythmias, irritability, panic attacks, anxiety, muscle weakness
or spasms, tearfulness, depression, personality changes,
constipation, leg cramps, and fatigue.
Your body needs mag all day long; some of it is used to fuel
biochemical reactions, you urinate some out and require some to make
dopamine (a happy brain chemical). Here's what Dr. Oz didn't say on
that segment: Magnesium is leached by medications, something I've
termed the "drug mugging" effect. More than 200 medications deplete
mag, among them antacids, antibiotics, digoxin, heartburn/reflux
medications, birth control, methylphenidate, corticosteroids, almost
all blood pressure medications and diuretics.
There are other muggers too, including coffee, black and green
tea, green coffee bean extract, and white refined sugar. Just having
Celiac disease, Crohn's, inflammatory bowel disease and chronic
diarrhea can reduce magnesium.
Eating nutrient-dense foods is always my first choice to restore
minerals, but in this case, eating magnesium-rich foods may not be
enough to correct a serious deficiency. The best supplements are
"chelated magnesium" or "magnesium glycinate" or my favorite
"magnesium taurate." That last one provides your body with both
magnesium and taurine, and taurine is imperative for your heart
cells!
My point is that fatigue is not usually due to low mag. There's
more involved, such as iron deficiency anemia, or poor B vitamin
status. My column "Stressed Out?" can truly help you, so I've
archived it at my site tulsaworld.com/Pharmacist
info@dearpharmacist.com
© 2012 Tulsa World. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved
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