Magnificent Magnesium

by Dennis Goodman

  In addition to PPIs, many other types of drugs drain magnesium from the body. Suzy Cohen, who is known as “America’s Most Trusted Pharmacist,” has identified the following drug classes that deplete magnesium:

  Acid Blockers: Besides the proton pump inhibitors listed above, this class of drugs includes cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid and Pepcid Complete), nizatidine (Axid), and ranitidine (Zantac).

  Antacids: Commonly used antacids include aluminum and magnesium hydroxide (Maalox, Mylanta), aluminum carbonate gel (Basaljel), aluminum hydroxide (Amphojel, AlternaGEL), and calcium carbonate (Tums, Titralac, Rolaids).

  Antibiotics: Drugs in the class include amoxicillin (Amoxil), azithromycin (Z-Pak), cefaclor (Ceclor), cefdinir (Omnicef), cephalexin (Keflex), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), clarithromycin (Biaxin), doxycycline (Doryx), erythromycin (E.E.S.), levofloxacin (Levaquin), minocycline (Minocin), sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim (Bactrim, Septra), and tetracycline (Sumycin).

  Antiviral Agents: Commonly prescribed antiviral drugs include delavirdine (Rescriptor), foscarnet (Foscavir), lamivudine (Epivir), nevirapine (Viramune), zidovudine/AZT (Retrovir), and zidovudine and lamivudine (Combivir).

  Blood Pressure Drugs: Blood pressure medications include hydralazine (Apresoline); ACE inhibitors such as enalapril and HCTZ (Vaseretic); angiotensin II receptor blockers such as valsartan and HCTZ (Diovan HCT); diuretics such as bumetanide (Bumex), etacrynic acid (Edecrin), furosemide (Lasix), and torsemide (Demadex), digoxin, and any combination drug that contains HCTZ (hydrochlorothiazide).

  Central Nervous System (CNS) Stimulants: The main drug is this class is methylphenidate (Metadate, Ritalin).

  Cholesterol Drugs: cholestyramine (Questran) and colestipol (Colestid) are two drugs to pay attention to in this class.

  Corticosteroids: Commonly prescribed corticosteroids include betamethasone (Diprolene, Luxiq), dexamethasone (Decadron), hydrocortisone (Cortef) methylprednisolone (Medrol), mometasone (Elocon), prednisolone (Pediapred Liquid), prednisone (Deltasone, Liquid Pred, Sterapred), and triamcinolone (Aristocort cream). Inhaled corticosteroids also deplete magnesium and include flunisolide (Nasarel, Nasalide), futicasone (Flonase), and triamcinolone (Azmacort inhaler).

  Immunosuppressant drugs: Drugs in this class include cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral) and tacrolimus (Prograf).

  Nonsteroidal Aromatase Inhibitors: Drugs in this class are used to treat breast cancer in women who have entered menopause. They include anastrozole (Arimidex), exemestane (Aromasin), and letrozole (Femara).

  Oral Contraceptives and Hormone Replacement Therapy Drugs: Drugs in these classes include diethylstilbestrol (DES), estradiol (Activella, Climara, Combipatch, Estrace, Estraderm, Estring, EstroGel, Femring, Menostar, etc.), conjugated estrogens Premphase, Prempro), esterified estrogens (Estratab), estropipate (Ogen), and ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel, both of which are found in many birth control pills.

  Osteoporosis Medications: Drugs in this class are used to treat and prevent osteoporosis and include alendronic acid (Fosamax), ibandronic acid (Boniva) and raloxifene (Evista).

  Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs): SERMS are another class of drugs used to treat breast cancer in both premenopausal and menopausal women. The drugs in this class are raloxifene (Evista), tamoxifen (Nolvadex), and toremifene (Fareston).

  Sulfonamides: Drugs in this class include sulfa antibiotics, such as sulfacetamide (Klaron, Ovace), sulfadiazine (Silvadene), sulfadoxine (Fansidar), sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra, Sulfatrim), and sulfisomidine (Elkosin), and certain diabetic medications, such as acetohexamide (Dymelor), carbutamide (Glucidoral), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glibenclamide (DiaBeta, Glynase, Micronase), and tolazamide (Tolinase).

  If you are on any of the above medications, or have used them in the recent past, it is likely that your magnesium levels have been negatively affected. Take a blood test to determine your magnesium status, and then supplement as needed.

  Diarrhea and Other Gastrointestinal Problems

  Chronic diarrhea and other gastrointestinal complaints, such as vomiting, poor absorption, overreliance on laxatives, inflammatory bowel disease, and celiac disease, can cause a significant loss of all nutrients, including magnesium. Ironically, such conditions are often due, at least in part, to magnesium deficiencies. That’s because lack of magnesium can contribute to leaky gut syndrome, a condition in which unhealthy bacteria and waste matter that belongs in the intestines until the body can eliminate it passes through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract into the bloodstream, to cause a variety of health problems.

  Magnesium helps to prevent and reverse leaky gut syndrome by reducing the permeability of the intestinal walls so that the contents of the GI tract stay where they belong. If you suffer from chronic GI problems, be sure to see your doctor, and increase your magnesium intake as needed.

  Sweating

  If you regularly engage in exercise or other physical activities, you are losing magnesium, along with potassium, sodium, and other minerals, through your sweat. Basketball fans may remember game four of the 2012 NBA Finals, during which Miami Heat superstar LeBron James collapsed to the floor and had to be helped off the court. At first, it was feared that LeBron had injured himself, but it turned out he was suffering from severe leg cramps. Leg cramps are often caused by the loss of electrolytes—that is, minerals in the blood that carry an electric charge—of which magnesium is a particularly important member.

  LeBron was lucky; he was able to return to the court before the game ended. Not so lucky are the runners who suddenly die every year while engaged in training or races. Severe dehydration can cause mineral and electrolyte depletion, leading to arrhythmias that can produce fatal heart attacks.

  For this reason, I recommend taking a “full-court press” of magnesium supplements on a daily basis, particularly before and after any sort of physical activity. While you exercise, don’t replenish your electrolytes with a commercial sports drink; instead, use mineral-rich coconut water, or add some mineral drops to pure, filtered water.

  COMMON WARNING SIGNS OF MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY

  Although magnesium deficiency is increasingly prevalent today, it often goes undetected until more serious health problems arise. Fortunately, your body can provide you with clues as to whether you need more magnesium. The following is a list of possible warning signs:

  •Back and/or neck pain

  •Impaired coordination

  •Involuntary eye movements

  •Muscle cramps

  •Muscle spasms

  •Muscle tension or weakness

  •Muscle tremors

  •Palpitations

  •Tics

  •Vertigo (dizziness)

  Fatigue or low energy can also be another common sign of magnesium deficiency. As explained above, magnesium plays a central role in your body’s ability to produce and use energy. Magnesium is also needed by your body to metabolize carbohydrates and fats, two primary food groups for energy production in the body. People with low magnesium levels will see a decline in their energy levels, becoming more easily fatigued than people who have adequate magnesium levels.

  If you lack magnesium, you may also suffer from migraine, cluster, and tension headaches, particularly if they are frequent and other causes have been ruled out. Approximately 70 percent of all tension headaches are due to muscle tension caused, at least in part, by magnesium deficiency. Studies have shown that lack of magnesium plays a role in both cluster headaches and migraine.

  Insomnia or difficulty staying asleep during the night is another possible sign of magnesium deficiency. Other warning signs include feelings of anxiety or irritability, hyperactivity, memory problems and impaired cognitive function, menstrual cramps and premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and unexplained respiratory problems, especially asthma.

  Exaggerated responses to external stimuli can also be an indication of low magnesium. Such responses include a heightened intolerance to noise or the sensation that light is too
bright. Feelings of nervousness in response to these stimuli, or being “on edge,” are other possible reactions and early warning signs.

  Finally, and most importantly, low magnesium levels can cause high blood pressure or trigger signs of other possible heart conditions. Early warning signs in this category include chest pain or pressure, irregular heart rate, or a racing heartbeat. If you experience any of these symptoms, seek prompt medical attention.

  Because many doctors today do not screen their patients for magnesium deficiency, knowing and paying attention to these early warning signs can help you become aware of your body’s need for more magnesium before its deficiency progresses and causes more serious health problems.

  CONCLUSION

  Hopefully, the information in this chapter has revealed just how important magnesium is to your health, and also how easily it can be drained from your body by a wide variety of stressors. Now that you are aware of the early warning signs of magnesium depletion, you will be able to determine when to increase your intake of magnesium. In Chapter 6, you will learn how to begin and maintain a magnesium supplementation program, and detail the very few risks associated with this marvelous mineral. First, however, let’s explore how your heart and circulatory system actually work. By establishing a strong foundation for understanding cardiovascular disease, you will be better equipped to appreciate the many advantages of using magnesium in the fight against America’s greatest epidemic.

  3

  Meet Your Heart

  Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects

  everything you do.

  PROVERBS 4:23

  In this chapter, you will be introduced to the most important organ in your body—your heart.

  Your heart is the centerpiece of the cardiovascular system, the traffic director at the hub of a vast network of blood vessels that serves as the highway for the transport and exchange of oxygen, nutrients, hormones, antibodies, and waste products. Governed by a complex electrical system, the heart pumps blood to all areas of your body, making it possible for you to receive the ingredients you need to lead a healthy life.

  To provide context for this miraculous organ, this chapter first describes the function and components of the cardiovascular system. Then it delves into a more detailed discussion of the heart, explaining how it circulates blood and how that circulation is regulated by a special electrical system. Finally, you will get a closer look at the biochemical workings of the cells that comprise the heart itself.

  By obtaining a solid foundation of knowledge about the heart and cardiovascular system, you will be better equipped to understand both what happens when something goes wrong within that system (as with the heart conditions discussed in Chapter 1) and how magnesium is thus essential for the proper support of it.

  THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

  Also known as the circulatory system, the cardiovascular system works to pump blood throughout your body, providing it with the oxygen and nutrients it needs in order to function properly, while simultaneously removing waste products such as carbon dioxide. The cardiovascular system has three components: blood, blood vessels (including veins, arteries, and capillaries), and the heart. Each component will be explored separately here.

  Blood

  Blood is a fluid whose primary function is to transport all the essential substances that your body needs in order to operate. Your body contains about four to six liters (five to six quarts) of blood, which must be constantly circulated throughout your system in order to maintain proper functioning. Most of your blood cells are made by your bone marrow, the soft, spongy material at the center of your bones; bone marrow continuously replenishes each type of blood cells, as each type of cell has a lifespan ranging from 10 to 120 days.

  Blood is made up of four basic ingredients: plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Plasma accounts for 55 percent of your blood; it is a yellowish, watery substance in which all the other blood cells are suspended. Although plasma is mostly understood as a medium of transport for these other blood cells, it also serves to convey electrolytes—dissolved salts and minerals, including calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. As you’ll see later on in this chapter, these electrolytes will prove significant for the proper functioning of your heart and for your body at large.

  Red blood cells form the bulk of plasma’s cargo, making up 40 to 45 percent of your blood’s volume. Red blood cells carry out the most important task of any blood cell: distributing oxygen to your body. Without oxygen, your organs would quickly cease to work; your body would shut down and death would ensue in minutes. Each red blood cell is biconcave—shaped somewhat like a doughnut, with a flattened center surrounded by raised sides—and quite flexible, capable of twisting and turning itself in order to squeeze through the narrowest of blood vessels. Red blood cells contain a protein called hemoglobin, which binds to oxygen and allows it to be carried throughout your system. It is from this hemoglobin that the red blood cell—and thus blood itself—gets its characteristic color.

  White blood cells account for about 1 percent of your blood’s volume. White blood cells defend your body from infection and invasion, either by engulfing foreign invaders and destroying them, or by producing antibodies that latch onto these invaders and disarm them. While white blood cells are integral to your immune system, an unusually high number of them can indicate the presence of a more serious infection or disease.

  Finally, a very small proportion of your blood’s volume is occupied by platelets. Platelets are tiny disk-shaped cells that are essential for blood clotting. They accumulate at the sites of injuries and stick together, forming a barrier between your body and the outside environment and preventing you from bleeding to death.

  As you can see, blood is an indispensable substance, without which life as we know it would not be possible.

  Blood Vessels

  Blood is conveyed throughout your body by a network of hollow, elastic tubes called blood vessels. There are three principal types of blood vessels: arteries, veins, and capillaries, each performing a specific function.

  Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart and toward the rest of your body. All the major arteries in your body originate from the dorsal aorta, the biggest and most powerful artery of them all, which is attached to the left ventricle of the heart. After branching off from the aorta, the arteries reach out to the outer limits of your body—arms, legs, neck, and head—where they then subdivide into even smaller arteries, which in turn branch off into arteries that are even smaller still, called arterioles. From the arterioles, blood passes into the capillaries, where the oxygen, nutrient, and waste product exchange actually takes place. Because they must transport large volumes of blood and withstand high pressure from the pumping of the heart, the arteries are the widest, thickest, and most muscular of the blood vessels. In fact, arteries contribute to the pumping action initiated by the heart, using the muscles contained in the vessel walls to assist in pushing blood through your body. When you take your pulse, either by touching your wrist or along the side of your neck, you’re actually feeling the throb of an artery as it expands and contracts to help propel blood to your extremities!

  Veins are essentially the darker twins of arteries, their function mirroring or complementing that of the arteries. If arteries convey oxygen-rich blood away from the heart and toward the capillaries, veins provide the return trip, taking blood that has lost its oxygen and nutrients back from the capillaries and transporting it toward the heart. Just as all arteries stem from a larger artery attached to the heart (the aorta) and branch off into smaller and smaller arteries, ending in the arterioles, so too do all veins stem from two larger veins attached to the heart (the vena cavae), subdividing into smaller and smaller veins that culminate in venules. Veins are similar in structure to arteries, but because their load of deoxygenated blood exerts comparatively less pressure on the vessel walls, veins tend to be slightly thinner and less muscular than arteries. Veins are al
so unique in that they contain valves, which regulate the flow of blood and keep it moving toward the heart. Due to the way light is refracted through the layers of the skin, the deoxygenated blood that travels in your veins tends to look blue from the outside, although it is actually dark red.

  The capillaries are the tiniest of the blood vessels—measuring only one cell wide—but their thin, highly permeable walls allow them to perform the oxygen and nutrient exchange that is the true purpose of the entire cardiovascular system. From the arterioles, the capillaries receive red blood cells containing oxygen and nutrients, which are then released through the capillary wall to the tissues surrounding them. After the tissues have finished processing the oxygen and nutrients, the capillaries then take any resultant carbon dioxide and waste products and absorb them back into the red blood cells, which then begin the return trip to the heart via the venules. For every artery, there is a vein running parallel to it; the capillaries provide a network or interface for transactions between these two larger blood vessels and the tissues they serve.

  If all of your body’s blood vessels were stretched out from end to end they would make a continuous chain about 60,000 miles long—that’s more than twice the circumference of the earth! This fact is even more amazing when you realize that your heart moves the approximately six quarts (5.6 liters) of blood that are contained in the adult human body through this entire network an average of three times every minute of your life (once every twenty seconds). All this is made possible by an incredible powerhouse of energy—the heart.