Primal Diet and Magnesium

[raw-al]

How would one know that Mg deficiency was an issue?

[Fermenter Zym]

For those of you interested in Magnesium Supplementation, these two articles will surely be helpful:
http://www.westonaprice.org/vitamins-and-minerals/magnificent-magnesium
http://www.cheeseslave.com/how-to-make-magnesium-oil/

Make sure to read the second article to learn about supplementing through your skin with "Magnesium Oil."

[TylerDurden]

How would one know that Mg deficiency was an issue?

By looking at the symptoms of magnesium deficiency and checking therefrom.

[raw-al]

Touche.
I did, but I saw a list the length of my arm, which probably overlaps every other list of every other deficiency.

It looks like the Pharmaceutical Vademecum.

I was interested in hearing what others had experienced so I could compare notes.

[Dorothy]

Holistic physician informed me a long time ago that women need a higher magnesium to calcium ration than men do - so gals - 2:1 might not be enough. If what she told me was true, then women might have a harder time with this whole thing than men.

[raw-al]

interesting article
http://naturalallopathic.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74&Itemid=116

[raw-al]

I decided to try eating foods which are rich in magnesium and taking a Mg supplement. I did this for a few weeks. Then I started getting these incredible cramps in my feet etc. so into the trash bin for that idea.

After doing some studying of books I am led to the conclusion that supplementation is a bit of a snake oil industry. The symptoms that I saw listed as being indicative of Mg deficiency are also listed as being the results of Mg toxicity. They are also listed in a huge amount of other illnesses. hmmmmmm

[raw-al]

Interesting thing I found

http://www.iherb.com/Nature-s-Way-Boron-Chelate-3-mg-100-Capsules/1854

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/894.html

[Dorothy]

I decided to try eating foods which are rich in magnesium and taking a Mg supplement. I did this for a few weeks. Then I started getting these incredible cramps in my feet etc. so into the trash bin for that idea.

After doing some studying of books I am led to the conclusion that supplementation is a bit of a snake oil industry. The symptoms that I saw listed as being indicative of Mg deficiency are also listed as being the results of Mg toxicity. They are also listed in a huge amount of other illnesses. hmmmmmm

Yes Al - that is the issue - but that doesn't mean it's snake oil - besides - you taught me that snake oil is actually good for you!

Magnesium deficiency and overdose have similar symptoms and magnesium is used in so many functions that the symptoms are broad - but do not include everything.

With magnesium usually, if you increase the dosage SLOWLY the first symptom you will get will be diarrhea to let you know that you have hit the threshold and then you back off slightly.

[raw-al]

After doing some studying of books I am led to the conclusion that supplementation is a bit of a snake oil industry. The symptoms that I saw listed as being indicative of Mg deficiency are also listed as being the results of Mg toxicity. They are also listed in a huge amount of other illnesses. hmmmmmm

As Dorothy reminded me, I wrote this before I read the real story on 'snake oil'. I should have known.

Turns out that there really was/is snake oil and it really is effective, From Nenah Sylver's book "The Rife Handbook" page 56 is the following explanation. This is yet another example of the early allopathic drug companies trashing things they knew nothing about, or essentially trashing the competition. Similar to what they do nowadays with Quackwatch...

"Snake oil originally came from China, where it was used to alleviate inflammation and pain in rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis and similar conditions. Chinese labourers, on section gangs doing the grunt work involved in building the railroad tracks to link North America coast to coast gave it to Europeans with joint pain (bursitis and arthritis). When rubbed on the skin above the pain, snake oil brought relief, so the story goes. Patent medicine men ridiculed the claim. [Hence, today people refer to the remedy that doesn't work as "snake oil".]

In 1989, a nutrition-oriented medical doctor from California decided to find out what snake oil contains. He obtained a sample of the oil from San Francisco's Chinatown, had it analyzed, and found that [out of the 1/4 that is not carrier oil]... 25% of the product is oil from Chinese water snakes, which contains 20% of the important Omega 3 derivative eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) as well as 48% myristic acid, 10% stearic acid (18:0), 14% oleic acid, and 7% linoleic plus arachidonic acids. At 20% EPA, Chinese water snake is the richest known natural source of the parent of the series 3 prostaglandins, which inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory series 2 prostaglandins. Like Essential Fatty Acids and their other derivatives, EPA can be absorbed through our skin. Salmon oil, the next best source of EPA, contains a maximum of only 18% EPA. Other fish oils contain less.

The bottom line is that the traditional snake oil is natural and therapeutic. The snake oil salesman is vindicated." Nehnah Sylver PHD / The Rife Handbook

[reyyzl]

note to self:
I know where to get water snakes. I saw many recently.

Raw-Al, does it matter if they are sea snakes or fresh water snakes? I'm thinking sea snakes for the primal diet.

[raw-al]

note to self:
I know where to get water snakes. I saw many recently.

Raw-Al, does it matter if they are sea snakes or fresh water snakes? I'm thinking sea snakes for the primal diet.

They said Chinese water snakes.

[reyyzl]

They said Chinese water snakes.

Thank you

[Chris]

What do Primal dieters do to maintain a proper balance of magnesium and calcium from eating large amounts of calcium in dairy?

Fish and Sea Vegetables (kelp, dulse, ect) for magnesium. Dairy is not Paleo. But, many people still use it in this forum. Personally it's unnecessary, and causes more problems than it's worth. IMO

[Dorothy]

I just supplement the soil of my garden with magnesium. That way when I eat the young yam leaves (one of the highest magnesium levels of any vegetable/leaf) they will have taken that good magnesium into the leaves to feed us.

But I still think that my husband has always had a problem absorbing magnesium so he takes a supplement 2 - 3 times a day as well as our vegetables and seaweed and seafood. Maybe if he was raw paleo all along things would be very different. It's a challenge starting good diets when you're already an old fart!

Btw, adding raw dairy to our diets is part of what really messed up our magnesium levels and pushed Brian over the edge.  It took 2 - 3 years for the negative effects of dairy to be noticed by either of us - but were quite apparent when they did show up and for me started to reverse quickly once the dairy was removed.

If you have cancer or an extreme condition dairy can be useful (like with the Budwig protocol) - but otherwise I agree with Chris at this point in my journey that dairy was quite unnecessary and did cause more problems than it was worth.   

[raw-al]

If you have cancer or an extreme condition dairy can be useful (like with the Budwig protocol) - but otherwise I agree with Chris at this point in my journey that dairy was quite unnecessary and did cause more problems than it was worth.   

Funny how that goes, for us dairy is a Godsend. We consume lots and do not seem to have issues.

Just goes to show, to each his own.

[Dorothy]

Yes, there are many that have said that dairy was a godsend for them. At first I really felt the same! I was very disappointed because I just adore the taste and the variety it added to my diet. 

[TheHealingForests]

Magnesium is a huge issue on this diet, drinking lots of milk will deplete it. Good to get magnesium sources.