Why is magnesium so important? Why are we all so deficient?
We’re deficient because our cells dump magnesium during stress. We actively push it out of our bodies as a way to rev up our nervous system and cope with daily life.
A revved-up nervous system is what an average modern human needs to get through an average modern day. If you work, commute, drink coffee or worry, then you are deficient in magnesium. If you live the meditative life of a monk on a mountainside, then you’re probably okay.
Magnesium helps regulate hormones
- Regulates cortisol. It calms your nervous system and prevents excessive cortisol. Your stress hormonal system—also called your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis—is your central hormonal system. When it functions well, then your other hormones (thyroid and reproductive hormones) will function well too.
- Reduces blood sugar and normalizes insulin. It’s so effective at improving insulin sensitivity that I refer to magnesium as “natural metformin.” Healthy insulin sensitivity means fewer sugar cravings and is effective treatment for weight loss and PCOS.
- Supports thyroid. Magnesium is essential for the production of thyroid hormone. It is also anti-inflammatory, which helps to quiet the autoimmune inflammation that underlies most thyroid disease. Other ways to address thyroid autoimmunity include gluten-elimination and a selenium supplement.
- Aids sleep. Magnesium is the “great sleep-promoter,” and sleep is crucial for hormone production. Sleep is when we should enjoy a beneficial surge of anabolic hormones such as DHEA and growth hormone.
- Fuels cellular energy. It’s so intricately involved with mitochondria and energy production, that we can safely say: “Without magnesium, there is no cellular energy”. Hormonal tissue has a high metabolic rate, and so requires even more cellular energy and more magnesium than other tissue.
- Supports a healthy hormone response. It aids in the manufacture of steroid hormones including progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone. It also normalizes the action of progesterone on the central nervous system, which could be why it relieves symptoms of PMDD, migraines, and menopause.
- Activates vitamin D. Without enough magnesium, vitamin D cannot do its job. Conversely, too much vitamin D supplementation causes magnesium deficiency.
- Slows aging. It prevents telomere shortening, reduces oxidative stress, and enhances the production of glutathione.
Powerful medicine
Magnesium is a big player in emergency rooms, where it treats heart arrhythmias, heart attack, and migraines. But why should it be restricted to acute care? It’s time for magnesium to take up its role in treating hormonal problems.
In addition to the big eight ways that magnesium rescues hormones, the mineral is also effective treatment for period pain, PMS, migraines, and the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. For more information, read:
- Magnesium in the gynecological practice: a literature review
- Magnesium and the menstrual cycle
- Subclinical magnesium deficiency: a principal driver of cardiovascular disease and a public health crisis
Should you test for magnesium deficiency?
No. The majority is inside your cells, so there no accurate way to measure it with a blood test (not even with “red cell magnesium”). Download your mineral deficiency questionnaire here. If you are unable to attend the clinic, on-line or telephone consultations are also available.
The best magnesium supplement
The best supplement is magnesium citrate, glycinate or bisglycinate (the mineral joined to the amino acid glycine). This is the least laxative supplement, and also the most absorbable. And it has the added benefit of glycine which has a calming effect on GABA receptors. Food sources of magnesium include leafy greens, almonds, chocolate, and mineral water.
For assistance in assessing your magnesium needs as well as the best product for your body, contact us at True Medicine on (07)5530 1863 or 0468 774 633.
