Someone recently suggested that I might be low on magnesium and that this may be causing by constant extreme fatigue. So, I started researching magnesium today and thought others might find this article interesting.
The complete article is at: http://herald-review.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/cohen/column-fatigue-not-always-due-to-low-magnesium/article_d1285aac-0d8b-11e2-becd-001a4bcf887a.html
"Magnesium or “mag” as I call it, is definitely needed for energy production, and I’ve written about the benefits of this mineral in prior columns because deficiency is epidemic. But no, I don’t agree it’s the No. 1 thing you need. Symptoms of mag deficiency include sugar and chocolate cravings (I’m not making this up), 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’s 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. See chapter 12 of “Drug Muggers” for more drug names and how to supplement. Surprise, 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! That’s a lot of bang for your buck right there. I buy Cardiovascular Research’s brand of magnesium taurate at amazon.com because it’s a specialty product, and I can’t usually find it at health food stores."
