This article does not contain medical or health advice. The information contained in this article is provided for general information and educational purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment - full disclaimer here.
Ionic Magnesium
You may have read a lot about magnesium and how good it can be for the body but how do you decide whether you should take magnesium supplements, and if so, which type of magnesium should you take?
In this article I'll be looking at what magnesium does in the body, the reasons why you might be deficient, examine the conditions that low magnesium can cause and review a form of ionic magnesium called ReMag.
Is magnesium important for the body?
There is more than enough evidence already from thousands of word-wide studies to recommend magnesium as an essential supplement.
Yet, despite the obvious benefits to both men and women's health that taking it could bring and the potential relief from a host of common conditions, the calls are just for more studies.
I know from personal experience the benefits that magnesium can bring (more energy, lower blood pressure, better sleep, calmer moods) so why are we not told about them and why the reluctance to accept the existing evidence?
The medical profession quite readily accept that magnesium is essential for health but pharmaceutical and medical companies study symptoms and in most cases look to pump money into developing a drug to treat the symptom not the cause of a disease. This ensures that they keep patients on their highly profitable drugs. There is no money in researching a mineral that can't be patented.
This may sound a tad cynical but I recommend you read the Sunday Times best seller Bad Pharma: How Medicine is Broken and How We Can Fix It by Ben Goldacre if you want to know what really goes on in the drugs industry.
The Magnesium Miracle by Carolyn Dean
I already knew a huge amount about the benefits of magnesium supplementation so was surprised to find out exactly how much I had to learn on the subject when I read The Magnesium Miracle by Dr Carolyn Dean.
After I read the book and started to take ReMag, a form of ionic magnesium, I experienced a huge range of health benefits (see ReMag Review below).
Magnesium - the mineral
Magnesium is the 4th most common mineral in the human body. It is an essential element, being necessary for the correct working of about 700 - 800 enzymes and this is why there are so many health problems that can be attributed to a lack of magnesium. Most people know magnesium as a supplement to take for muscle contractions (cramp), to fight fatigue, help recover from exercise and to feel calmer and sleep better, but there is so much more to this magnificent mineral than that.
What causes magnesium deficiency?
10 reasons why the majority of the population are deficient in magnesium
A shocking 70% - 80% of us are deficient in magnesium. There are many reasons why but some of the main ones are:
Poor diet and possible low magnesium levels in our food due to overuse of potassium fertilisers on the soil and flooding/water run off which washes nutrients out of the soil.
We eat too much calcium (supplements, dairy products and fortified foods). Calcium depletes magnesium so needs to be kept in balance. Too much calcium and not enough magnesium can also lead to constipation.
Most people are unable to take enough oral magnesium supplement because of the laxative side effect.
Many medications deplete magnesium in the body. Studies show that magnesium deficiency is a major factor in chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, migraines, IBS and heartburn to name but a few but most of the drugs that are used to treat these conditions deplete magnesium stores further.
Some eating plans, such as the Paleo diet, mean the body uses higher amounts of magnesium to digest the increased protein intake.
Diets high in sugar put you at risk of a magnesium deficiency as large amounts of magnesium are required to break down and process sugar. There are many 'hidden' sugars in everyday foods such as sauces, mayonnaise and most processed foods so it's not just cakes, biscuits and sweets you need to worry about. Magnesium is required to metabolise fruit sugars too so consuming frequent fruit smoothies can also be a huge drain on your magnesium stores.
Certain foods in the diet can block magnesium when taken in excess such as black tea and coffee, oxalic acid (found in things like spinach, kale, rhubarb and swiss chard) and phtyic acid (found in beans, legumes, nuts and seeds).
Junk foods - processed foods lack magnesium. Many processed foods such as meats and hot dogs contain phosphates which bind with magnesium to make magnesium phosphate, a substance that is not absorbed by the body.
Athletic performance - some people who exercise strenuously may deplete their magnesium stores.
High doses of vitamin D. Magnesium is required in many aspects of the vitamin D metabolism, meaning that if you take extremely high doses of vitamin D you can make yourself magnesium deficient. Many people start taking high levels of vitamin D and feel worse and can't understand why, the probable cause is that their magnesium levels have plummeted.
Given that so many of the population have a low dietary magnesium intake it is hardly surprising that magnesium deficiency has been implicated in many chronic diseases and a raft of other conditions that you would not even consider. There are so many conditions that magnesium supplementation can improve.
What Health Conditions may be helped by Magnesium?
25 conditions that may be helped by magnesium supplementation (and details of some interesting studies)
high cholesterol
diabetes (The effects of oral magnesium supplementation on glycemic response amoung Type 2 Diabetes Patients. Wafaa A ELDerawi, Ihab A Naser, Mahmmoud H Taleb, Ayman S Abutair 2018)
obesity
anxiety/panic attacks (you might be interested in the different types of anxiety and their symptoms or tools to manage and treat anxiety without medication.
depression (Magnesium and Depression. Anna Serefko, Aleksandra Szopfa, Ewa Poleszak 2016)
restless leg syndrome
arthritis
asthma
chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
cystitis
headaches and migraine
indigestion/acid reflux
insomnia
heart palpitations
neck and back pain
eye twitching and tongue biting
adrenal fatigue
angina
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
kidney stones
muscle cramps/spasms (you might be interested in The Best Ways to Relieve Lower Back Pain)
fibromyalgia
nerve problems
Supplementing with Magnesium
I am a big believer in trying to take charge of your own health in the first instance so if you decide to start with a magnesium supplement for a particular condition I'd say try an ionic magnesium supplement called ReMag. From what I have researched and my personal experience in taking ionic magnesium (and that of medical professionals I have spoken to who also take it), I believe that ionic magnesium is far superior to oral magnesium.
ReMag Magnesium - an ionic magnesium
Re-Mag is the name of a type of liquid magnesium developed by Dr Carolyn Dean, a clinical researcher and author of The Magnesium Miracle.
Picometre Magnesium
ReMag is a picometre ionic form of magnesium. It sounds complicated but it just means that it gets absorbed directly into your body's cells and because of the way it is absorbed, there is no laxative effect.
Using Re-Mag you can start to take enough magnesium to slowly build up your stores. Depending on how low your magnesium stores are and your diet and lifestyle (see reasons why you may be deficient in magnesium above), it could take up to a year or two to get your levels up to normal, although you can start to feel the benefit in days.
What is ionic magnesium?
The ReMag form of ionic magnesium is made from a pure source of magnesium chloride and designed so that it gives the body a form of stabilised magnesium ions that are similar in size to plant magnesium. This means ReMag ionic magnesium itself is smaller in diameter than the body’s mineral ion channels.
This form of magnesium gets absorbed directly into cells before it gets to the intestine therefore avoiding the rather unpleasant laxative effect that most magnesium tablets can give.
How do you use Remag ionic magnesium
I would really recommend you read The Magnesium Miracle by Dr Carolyn Dean first before starting to use ionic magnesium. I found it an amazing book, easy to read and understand and it gives you a full overview of the conditions that can be helped and also explains why and how ionic magnesium can help, along with giving details of the dosage requirements.
There appears to be very little downside to supplementing with ionic magnesium (although Dr Dean states that people with certain conditions which are listed in the book such as kidney disease or failure, excessively slow heart rate, bowel obstruction and myasthenia gravis should not use magnesium). If you are taking any other medications you should always check with your doctor or pharmacist first before embarking on any course of supplements.
How much ReMag should I take
Re-Mag comes with full instructions on how to take it and I have listed the instructions from Dr Dean's website below for information:
Dosage: Adult Dose: Do not take undiluted. ReMag® magnesium is a powerful mineral concentrate and should not be placed directly into your mouth. Place a 1/2 tsp. [2.5 ml] in 4 ounces of water and consume in one sitting or put into 1 litre of water and sip throughout the day. For optimum results take at least two or more servings a day as needed or as directed by your healthcare provider. May be taken with or without food.
Note: If you seem to be highly magnesium-deficient or have been eating an unhealthy diet, begin slowly to allow your body to adjust. Some people may want to take even less than 1/4 tsp in a litre of water to begin their treatment. You can put a few ounces of ReMag® magnesium in a dropper bottle and start with 2 to 4 drops in a litre of water.
If you are a veteran magnesium-taker, you can begin with the maintenance dose: ½ teaspoon twice a day; ½ tsp equals 150 mg elemental magnesium. If your lifestyle or diet tends to drain a lot of magnesium, you may want to increase your dosage to ½ to 1 teaspoon, two to three times a day to increase your magnesium saturation. It is best to put the full day's dose into a litre of water and sip through the day (along with ReMyte and sea salt)*.
* ReMyte is a liquid mineral supplement that you can take with ReMag but is not essential. Dr Dean recommends adding 1/8 - 1/4 of a teaspoon of high quality trace mineral sea salt to every pint of drinking water.
ReMyte
Taking ReMyte with ReMag
Dr Carolyn Dean also mentions taking ReMyte (an oral electrolyte solution) with ReMag. ReMyte is designed to be far superior than most other electrolyte solutions as it provides 12 different minerals, again in a stabilised picometer size, that gets into cells quickly.
ReMyte contains sodium, calcium, iodine, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, potassium and boron. The boron, copper, chromium, iodine, selenium, and zinc play important roles in the body from blood health and thyroid support to heart function, and immune system support.
ReMag on a keto or low carb diet
If you are on a keto or low carb diet you may find that you start to suffer from symptoms such as:
Heart palpitations
Muscle spasms and cramps
Sleep problems
Low blood pressure
Headaches
Feeling light headed
Anxiety
Nausea
This is probably because many magnesium rich foods are avoided on low carb diets, such as whole grains and beans. You could also get low potassium as this is found in high carbohydrate vegetables. Dr Dean recommends that people on a keto diet take 300 - 400mg of magnesium a day.
ReMag Magnesium Review
I noticed the difference on the first day I took ReMag. For a start I was calmer and more relaxed which was a first! Continued use showed profound benefits for me, better sleep, calmer moods, heart palpitations (which I had thought were menopausal) disappeared, muscles were more relaxed and exercise became easier and recovery quicker. No more leg cramps in bed at night, a feeling of general relaxation and well-being. It also helped lower my blood pressure significantly.
I understand that there will be many people out there who are suspicious of the whole magnesium supplementation advice with ReMag because it was the author of the book that developed the product.
What I would say is if you have any of the conditions mentioned above and would prefer to try and treat them without resorting to drugs, then read the book, look at the research, try supplementing with ReMag and then make up your own mind. ReMag ionic magnesium is unlike any other magnesium supplement I have ever tried.
ReMyte mineral solution review
I take ReMyte with ReMag and sea salt as recommended by Dr Carolyn Dean. I have been taking it for over a year now and can honestly say I don't feel I need anything else on the supplement front.
The only way I can describe feeling is completely balanced. I find ReMag and ReMyte really easy to take, I just make up the solution first thing in a morning and drink it throughout the day. I put it in a bottle and take it out with me if I go anywhere, just like I would take normal water. Feeling this good I honestly wouldn't stop taking them now.
Conventional medicine most certainly has a place for the seriously ill but perhaps there is another way for the majority of chronic illnesses. Wouldn't it be better to try and balance the body first in a more natural way with remedies and supplements which the body may be crying out for and look for the cause of the symptoms instead of just trying to mask them?
ReMag and ReMyte availability in the UK
Both ReMag and ReMyte are available in the UK from Amazon and other online health retailers.
You may also be interested in my review of Innermost Relax Capsules, a vegan food supplement said to relieve stress, reduce anxiety, promote relaxation and aid a good night's sleep.
Don't miss out - sign up to The Happy Sage today for exclusive content!