Few things conjure up bigger grimaces and more dread than migraines. For sufferers, the effects are debilitating, the prevention is expensive and ineffectual, and pinpointing causality is very challenging.

What Is a Migraine?

Migraines are still being studied and aren’t fully understood. Originally thought to be a vascular condition, neuroscientists are now learning that it’s not quite that simple. Migraines seem to be more nervous system related than they originally thought. What scientists do know is that during the onset of a migraine, there are some electrical changes that take place across brain tissue.

First, there is an initial wave of excitation, which basically means that there’s an electrical wave that passes over the brain before the vessels begin to contract and then subsequently become inflamed. The rapid change in pressure is what causes unbearable pain.

This rapid contraction and inflammation of the blood vessels has been observed primarily in migraine patients who present with an aura and is believed to be strongly linked to those effects.

Migraines can last anywhere from 2 to 72 hours and typically present as an intense, pulsating pain on one side of the head. Symptoms vary wildly between patients, with sufferers experiencing intense symptoms often associated with strokes and seizures.

Migraines typically occur in stages. Long before the pain starts, many sufferers experience neck pain, tension, mood swings, and a general lack of focus. Without intervention, the migraine may progress to the aura stage, and then on to the pain stage, which can last for days.

What is a Migraine with Aura?

Migraines can either be a simple combination of nausea and intense pain, or they can include a series of symptoms characterized as “aura”. Migraines with aura may include any combination of the following symptoms:

• Partial temporary loss of vision (blind spots, fuzziness)
• Visual anomalies, like zigzag lines, white spots, and in some cases, colorful lines and spots
• Numbness and tingling in the extremities
• Dizziness and disorientation
• Difficulty with speech and comprehension
• Intense nausea and vomiting
• Extreme sensitivity to light and sound

Migraines with aura present with a series of interesting neurological electrical patterns that scientists use to study them. Without an MRI, they can sometimes be confused with strokes or seizures. The symptoms are intense and often very alarming for the patient. Experiencing a migraine with aura can be terrifying.

The Difference Between a Migraine and a Headache

This is where things get a little grey. There is a simple distinction between migraines and headaches, and knowing the difference can help reduce their frequency.

Though tension and sinus headaches can concentrate in a certain part of the body, (like the neck, forehead, or sinuses), the pain of a migraine is almost always focused on one side of the head.

The Causes of Migraines

Common migraine triggers:

• MSG
• Carrageenan
• Gluten
• Energy drinks, caffeine, nicotine, and other stimulants
• Artificial dyes, flavors, and sweeteners
• Stress
• Lack of sleep
• Hormonal imbalances
• Alcohol
• Poor kidney function
• Hypertension
• Dehydration
• Sluggish endocrine system
• Leaky gut
• Chronic constipation
• Hypothyroidism

Conventional migraine treatment and prevention don’t consistently work. Prevention involves expensive daily medication, and the efficacy of these drugs vary wildly. The side effects of these drugs are often intense, and patients are faced with deciding whether the tradeoff is worth it.

Side effects can run the gamut from mild to pervasive and include everything from nausea to memory problems. Some report weight loss, weight gain, nausea, eyesight disturbances, and even numbness and a disturbing loss of motor function. In short, migraine prevention drugs are expensive, and generally not worth the side effects.

Magnesium – The Miracle Mineral

For many people, magnesium is the simple, cheap, and effective home remedy they’ve been looking for.

Magnesium is astounding in its importance in the human body. This mineral is used in more than 300 enzyme systems in the body that regulate everything from protein synthesis to blood pressure. Magnesium is required for bone development and structure and DNA and RNA synthesis. It even plays a crucial role in heart rhythm and muscle contraction.

Magnesium is arguably one of the most crucial minerals for our bodies’ health and well-being, and yet it’s estimated that 80% of Americans suffer from magnesium deficiency. The vast majority doesn’t even know it.

Magnesium deficiency is very common due to the increasingly processed diet so many people in the developed world consume. There’s plenty of magnesium found in nuts and greens but none found in potato chips and bread.

Why Magnesium Can Stop a Migraine in Its Tracks

So what makes magnesium one of the most effective ways to prevent and treat migraines? Though the evidence of users is still largely anecdotal, the consensus seems to be that it’s magnesium’s effect on the nervous system and the role it plays in muscle function that makes it such an effective migraine prevention and treatment.

Magnesium gets the body’s systems moving. It is frequently used as an anti-inflammatory treatment by athletes and is frequently recommended by physicians for conditions like restless leg syndrome.

Over the decades, only a few studies have been conducted to determine the efficacy of magnesium. Results have varied. Researchers have discovered that test subjects show low levels of magnesium during a migraine.

Salome Range, a certified holistic health coach says,

After looking into information about magnesium supplementation for my own health, I also read about how low magnesium levels can be linked to numerous ailments, including migraines and morning sickness. I happen to know many people affected by both and started offering a topical magnesium body butter which was received with high praise.”

Her custom butters take advantage of magnesium’s easy absorption into the skin.

The more and more people who come back to me and tell me it’s been a lifesaver convinces me of the efficiency and importance of magnesium. I have also experienced major relief from chronic pain with regular magnesium supplementation.”

Though more studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and effects of magnesium on sufferers of migraine attacks, regular use and application during a migraine headache have been reported to reduce and even completely stop migraines in their tracks. It’s definitely worth a try.

Using Magnesium for Migraine Prevention

Magnesium is available in several different mineral compositions and forms. As with most vitamins and minerals, the best way to get it into the body is through a healthy, balanced diet. Minerals in foods are usually accompanied by what the body needs to adequately absorb them. If not, other needed nutrients will be available through a wholesome, unprocessed diet.

Ditching the sweets and chips and reaching for salads and sprouted raw mixed nuts are good ways to increase magnesium intake. Greens, legumes, nuts, and seeds are good dietary sources of magnesium. A spinach salad with some garbanzo beans and walnuts makes a nutritious, magnesium-rich lunch. The benefit of getting magnesium from a variety of whole foods is that nutrients stay balanced. Foods contain all the cofactors and co-nutrients in the amounts for best digestion, assimilation, and optimal health. When you’re using supplements, you need to become a bit more savvy about how nutrients influence and synergistically affect each other.

Chlorophyll, which enables plants to capture solar energy and convert it into metabolic energy, has a magnesium atom at its center. Without magnesium, in fact, plants could not utilize the sun’s light energy. ” – The Need For Balance by Michael Spencer

Some Foods High in Magnesium: 

• Seaweed, agar, dried (770 mg)
• Coriander (dried) (694 mg)
• Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened (499 mg)
• Flaxseed (392 mg)
• Almonds (247mg)

Though choosing the “right” formulation of magnesium can certainly impact how well the body actually absorbs this mineral, studies have shown the greatest factor in mineral absorption varies with individual organ and body chemistry. Kidney function, for example, plays a tremendous role in how well the body stores and distributes magnesium. Since the body stores and redistributes magnesium as needed via the kidneys, so it makes sense for some to supplement when dietary intake cannot provide and maintain adequate levels.

In addition to oral supplementation, topical application of magnesium oil is a fast way to get magnesium into the body. Since magnesium is stored primarily in muscle tissue and bones, the best bet for immediate migraine relief is to rub magnesium directly into the closest available muscle tissue.

Using magnesium oil or magnesium butter on the neck is the most effective way to use magnesium to treat a migraine headache. It can also be rubbed into the scalp and forehead.

Magnesium injections are another alternative that some physicians offer. As regular readers know, OLM does not recommend this method.

Magnesium Supplementation

As a migraine sufferer, my M.O. with magnesium is to kick migraines in the teeth long before they become an issue. If you suffer from migraines and you know you’re not a salad munchin’, nut crunchin’ kinda person, start supplementing daily. I like this one. Before shopping, here’s what to know about picking the right kind:

If for whatever reason you decide you need a supplement, be aware that there are a wide variety of magnesium supplements on the market, which includes Magnesium glycinate, Magnesium carbonate, and Magnesium citrate. Courtesy of the fact that magnesium must be bound to another substance. There’s simply no such thing as a 100% magnesium supplement.  The substance used in any given supplement combination can affect the absorption and bioavailability of the magnesium, and may provide slightly different, or targeted, health benefits – Dr. Mercola

Magnesium glycinate is a chelated form of magnesium that tends to provide the highest levels of absorption and bioavailability and is typically considered ideal for those who are trying to correct a deficiency.	Magnesium oxide is a non-chelated type of magnesium, bound to an organic acid or a fatty acid. Contains 60 percent magnesium, and has stool softening properties.
Magnesium chloride / Magnesium lactate contains only 12 percent magnesium but has better absorption than others, such as magnesium oxide, which contains five times more magnesium.	Magnesium sulfate / Magnesium hydroxide (milk of magnesia) are typically used as a laxative. Be aware that it’s easy to overdose on these, so ONLY take as directed.
Magnesium carbonate, which has antacid properties, contains 45% magnesium.	Magnesium taurate contains a combination of magnesium and taurine, an amino acid. Together, they tend to provide a calming effect on your body and mind
Magnesium citrate is magnesium with citric acid, which has laxative properties	Magnesium threonate is a newer, emerging type of magnesium supplement that appears promising, primarily due to its superior ability to penetrate the mitochondrial membrane, and may be the best magnesium supplement on the market

The doc goes on to say that it’s important to maintain balance with magnesium, calcium, vitamin K2, and vitamin D.

For example,  Lack of balance between these nutrients is why calcium supplements have become associated with increased risk of heart attacks and stroke, and why some people experience vitamin D toxicity.”

I take it in conjunction with a whole-food multivitamin and an otherwise fairly balanced diet, and some vitamin D and calcium. If my diet is particularly crappy one week, I double up on my dose, but if I’m doing a good job of eating my vegetables, I may even be bold enough to skip a dose. To each their own.

When it comes to symptoms of an oncoming storm, immediate intervention is needed. I keep magnesium butter on hand that my good friend, Salome, concocted and massage it into the left side of my neck where the trouble usually starts. This always (knock on wood) stops migraines in their tracks.

Magnesium oil is a good way to get magnesium into the body fast. If you’re in a particularly tight spot and feel a migraine coming on, start working it into your scalp and even try for your forehead. Though these spots will be less effective, as long as you have adequate circulation, it should still help. Maximize the effect with a plunge into an icy shower to get your blood flow up. On that note, check out Hot and Cold Hydrotherapy.

A hot bath with bath salts detoxifies the body, and it’s a great way to destress. It’s also a great way to absorb lots of magnesium in your body. All natural bath salts contain magnesium and many other minerals, coupled with the benefit of your pores opening in the hot water which increases absorption into the blood stream. This is not the most bioavailable way to consume the mineral, but it is a good supplement to a broader supplementation routine and an enjoyable way to escape a migraine. It also makes sense to use oils and baths for those with impaired digestion, which is the case with most who suffer from migraines.

Related Reading:

• Homemade Calcium and Magnesium
• Natural Remedies For Migraines That Work Fast
• How to Cure Lyme Disease and Virtually Any Other Bacterial Infection, Naturally
• How to Detoxify and Heal the Lymphatic System
• Hypothyroidism – Natural Remedies, Causes, and How To Heal the Thyroid

Related Products:

• Magnesium
• Bath Salts
• Shillington’s Nerve Sedative
• Cayenne Pepper Liquid Extract
• Shillington’s Pain & Headache Formula
• Lavender Essential Oil
• Peppermint Essential Oil
• Vitamin D
• Calcium

Epsom salt is not actually salt; it is a mineral compound, magnesium sulfate. It looks like large salt crystals, dissolves easily in water, and has many uses for health, beauty, and the garden.

There are different grades of Epsom salt, one for agricultural and one for personal use. For personal use, look for USP or the “drug facts” list on the label.

Why Take an Epsom Salt Bath?

Epsom salt baths are relaxing and therapeutic. They are a long known treatment for skin issues like eczema and acne, muscle soreness (well known within the bodybuilding community!), inflammation, bruising, swelling, and strained or torn muscles and ligaments. Epsom salt baths are also a wonderful aid for detoxing and an easy means to up your intake of both magnesium and sulfate.

Why We Need Magnesium

Magnesium is crucial to our health. It is a key mineral for metabolic processes that play a role in more than 300 chemical reactions in the body. It helps the body regulate enzymes and aids in electrical impulses, toxin elimination, muscle control, and more. The University of Maryland Medical Center site states, “Every organ in the body, especially the heart, muscles, and kidneys, needs magnesium. This mineral also contributes to the makeup of teeth and bones. Magnesium activates enzymes, contributes to energy production, and helps regulate levels of calcium, copper, zinc, potassium, vitamin D, and other important nutrients in the body.”

It is believed that most of us do not get as much magnesium as we need from our diet due to depleted soil and municipal water, which is stripped of minerals during the purification process.

How to Properly Take an Epsom Salt Bath or Soak

You will commonly see directions suggesting 2 cups to a normal size bath, more for an oversized bath, with a 12-15 minute soak. David Jockers DC, MS, CSCS, suggests a much more individualized measurement and a much longer soak. He recommends the amount be determined by the individual’s weight. The following is for a standard size bathtub:

• Children under 60 lbs: ½ cup
• Individuals between 60-100 lbs: 1 cup
• Individuals between 100-150 lbs: 1½ cups
• Individuals between 150-200 lbs: 2 cups
• For every 50lbs more – add an additional ½ cup of salts.

As for soaking time, he says the first 20 minutes pulls out toxins while the second 20 minutes allows the body to soak up the magnesium and sulfate.

He also cites the following contraindications: pregnancy, open wounds or burns, or cardiovascular disease (without your healthcare practitioners knowledge).

For muscle soreness an Epsom salt bath is one of the best things you can do, but if your goal is detoxification, first do a dry brush rub to remove dead skin and open up your pores. This takes about five minutes. Take your time. When you finish soaking, consider hot and cold hydrotherapy.

Combine Epsom Salt With Other Ingredients

You can add additional ingredients to your Epsom salt bath such as essential oils, baking soda, olive oil, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, and more.

Essential oils are a natural compliment. The usual suggestion is 3-10 drops. Remember essential oils are medicinal. For recipes google “essential oils plus Epsom salts.” You will generate more than 400,000 hits.

Dr. Jockers suggests adding from 1 teaspoon to ½ cup of ginger or cayenne to “increase heat levels, which help you to sweat out toxins.” These herbs not only enhance the detoxification process, they are full of antioxidants as well.

Use Epsom Salt to Make a Compress or a Foot Bath

You can make a compress to relieve muscle pain. Start by dissolving Epsom salt in cold water with a ratio of 2 tablespoons for each cup of water. Use a cotton washcloth to soak up the solution and apply to affected area.

To create a footbath, use one cup of Epsom salt to a basin of warm water. Soak your feet to alleviate tired aching feet, sprains, and fungal infections of the feet or toenails. Footbaths also allow the body to soak up magnesium and release toxins (though perhaps not as much as a full body soak).

Use Epsom Salt as a Laxative

Epsom salt can be used as a laxative, though care must be taken. It is possible to overdose on magnesium that is ingested and there are several contraindications for this use. Check out this article on Drugs.com for more information and pertinent warnings.

Use Epsom Salt in the Garden

Epsom salt is used as a fertilizer and an insect deterrent in the garden and for houseplants. Roses, peppers, and tomatoes, in particular, tend to benefit from its use. A trail of Epsom salt sprinkled around an area deters slugs and raccoons.

Additional Uses of Epsom Salt

There are many ways to use Epsom salt. Here are a few:

• Remove a stubborn splinter. (Soak area for a few minutes prior to removal to decrease inflammation and swelling and to soften the splinter.)
• Clean out washing machine. (Pour 1 cup into machine and run through normal cycle.)
• Clean bathroom grout. (Use equal amounts of Epsom salt and dishwashing detergent.)
• Use as an abrasive to clean pots and pans.

But there’s nothing better than an Epsom salt soak when your sore. If you experience muscle soreness due to an autoimmune disease, check out Hypothyroidism – Natural Remedies, Causes, and How To Heal the Thyroid and Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases.

Related Products:

• Bath Salts on Green Lifestyle Market
• Omega-D3 – Nordic Naturals
• Fibrenza Systemic Enzyme (500mg) – HCP Formulas
• Boswellia – Pure Encapsulations

Further Reading:

• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Reduce Muscle Soreness
• Homemade Calcium and Magnesium
• What Causes Cronic Inflammation and How to Stop it For Good

Sources:

• The Health Benefits of Epsom Salt Baths – OLM
• What is Epsom Salt? – Epsom Salt Council
• Magnesium – World’s Healthiest Foods
• Magnesium – The University of Maryland Medical Center
• Health Benefits of Epsom Salt Baths – Care 2
• Fertilize with Epsom Salts – National Gardening Association

You’re sound asleep or floating in that delicious half dreaming, half aware state of limbo. Suddenly you are jolted awake as a white-hot, searing pain rips through your calf. You scream. You cry. You try to stretch out your leg or you force yourself to stand up and limp around in circles until the pain subsides. Sanity returns as the muscle relaxes and you collapse back into bed. But what caused that muscle to twist itself into a knot?

To relieve a cramp right now, stretch the muscle. The muscle cramping needs to be elongated. A bit of unrefined sea salt under the tongue followed by eating a banana can keep them from coming back for the time being, but if you get muscle cramps regularly it’s time to put a stop to them with a holistic approach that addresses the cause.

Causes of Muscle Cramps

Dehydration, mineral deficiency, or muscle strain are common causes of a muscle spasm also known as a charley horse. Poor circulation, nerve compression, or an adverse reaction to a prescription medication may also be to blame.

How To Avoid Muscle Cramps

Too often we look at one symptom and try to resolve it with medications instead of looking at the body from a holistic viewpoint. If you move away from the conventional medical model and realize that there is one disease – cellular dysfunction with its many symptoms, you will change your approach to health. You can heal the individual cells through detox, exercise, and nutrition. In other words, give the body what it needs, remove the interfering toxins, and it will heal itself.

Dehydration

Your body needs plenty of pure, clean water each day. The rule of thumb is ½ ounce to 1 ounce per pound. If you weigh 150 lbs., that’s 75 to 150 ounces of water per day, roughly half a gallon to a gallon a day. If you weigh 200 lbs, that’s 12 .5 to 25 cups of water or ¾ gallon to a 1 ½ gallons a day. Hotter weather and more exercise puts you on the high end of the range, whereas cooler weather and a more sedentary lifestyle lowers your requirements.

Cranberry Lemonade Recipe from The One Gallon Challenge

• Glass gallon jar
• Safe, clean, spring water or distilled water
• 1 cup of unsweetened, organic cranberry juice, not from concentrate
• 3 organic fresh lemons
• A citrus juicer
• Liquid stevia
• Liquid cayenne

Fill the jar to about 85% capacity with spring water (or distilled water). Squeeze the lemons and pour the juice into the water. Add cranberry juice. Add stevia to taste and then add cayenne to taste. The amount of cayenne used is up to you, but the more the better.

Nutrition

You can easily increase nutrition through raw fruits and vegetables. Muscle spasms can be caused by low levels of magnesium, potassium, calcium, and sodium. If you eat a truly healthy diet consisting of 80% fresh, raw, organic produce, you will increase your overall health.

Foods rich in magnesium include pumpkin seeds, spinach, Swiss chard, sesame seeds, quinoa, cashews, black beans, cashews, sunflower seeds, and navy beans.

Foods rich in potassium include beet greens, Lima beans, Swiss chard, bok choy, sweet potato, potatoes, spinach, avocado, pinto beans, and lentils. Of course, bananas are a good source as well, but compare their 422.44 mg of potassium per serving to beet greens at 1,308.96 mg per serving. Greens really pack in nutrients.

Greens alkalinize the body and keep calcium levels up in the body as well. Collared greens, spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, beet greens, and bok choy are all excellent sources of calcium. Try to eat a large salad every day with lots of greens, plenty of other colors, garlic, cilantro, ginger, and more.

 

Exercise

The body needs exercise to maintain muscle strength and limberness, bone density, lymphatic movement, and blood flow. All are vital for health. In order for the body to dispose of waste and toxins, blood and lymph must move through the tissues. Exercise and massage aid in circulation of blood and lymph.

Chiropractic and Massage

If muscle spasms are a regular occurrence, especially if you maintain a healthy diet and get good exercise, it’s a good idea to check in with your chiropractor, your masseuse, or both, to relieve any impinged nerves that may be contributing to the problem.

Stretch Properly

Lightly stretch after your muscles are warm, and take care not to injure yourself as you build up flexibility. Incorporate Dynamic stretching with your workouts. Dynamic stretching means your body is still continuously moving while you elongate, or stretch, the muscles, like with stiff-legged deadlifts and high kicks. Use static, slow-and-hold stretching to grow and maintain your flexibility after your workout when your muscles are hot, not before when the muscles are cold. Doing static stretches at the end of a workout will help reduce muscle soreness the next day and allow your muscles to heal faster due to the increase in blood flow to the muscles.

Supplementation

Shillington’s Total Nutrition Formula and Sunwarrior’s Liquid Light  are excellent for daily supplementation. It’s best not to take potassium or magnesium by themselves unless recommended by a doctor who has verified a deficiency. There are many good liquid multi-mineral formulas on the market (and a lot of bad ones), but not many great whole-food supplements like Shillington’s formula (you can also get the recipe here).

Conclusion

When you embrace a healthy lifestyle and reject processed foods, replacing them with whole healthy foods and an alkaline diet (which is very easy to do with whole foods), and you drink plenty of clean water, exercise, and get good rest, healing begins. Muscle spasms, along with other aches and pains or symptoms attributed to age or other circumstance, simply disappear. If you get cramps in your feet, look into  hypothyroidism.

Recommended Reading:

• Hypertension – How To Lower Your Blood Pressure Quickly and Naturally
• Understand Hypothyroidism – Prevention and Natural Remedies
• Joint Pain – What Causes it? How to Stop it Naturally

Recommended Supplements:

• Shillington’s Total Nutrition Formula
• Sunwarrior’s Liquid Light
• Liquid Magnesium – 8oz • Drs Advantage
• Shillington’s Body Balance+
• Magnesium Complex Liquid

Sources:

• Charley horse – Medline Plus
• Water and Your Diet: Staying Slim and Regular With H2O – Web M.D.
• Magnesium – The World’s Healthiest Foods
• Potassium – The World’s Healthiest Foods
• Calcium – The World’s Healthiest Foods

Many health fanatics are determined to live a healthy lifestyle. They monitor their eating habits and exercise routines carefully. While this is great, it isn’t always enough.

Even the healthiest eating plans – like the Paleo diet and veganism – might not be as great as you think. Many people suffer from nutrient deficiencies, and they don’t even know it.

Check out the three most common nutrient deficiencies. Are you at risk?

Iodine Deficiency

Iodine is a trace mineral. Its primary role is to maintain the health of our thyroid. Previously, iodine deficiency was believed to be a health issue that was confined to third-world countries. However, the deficiency is becoming more prevalent in developing countries too.

There are several symptoms of an iodine deficiency:

• Goiter – Iodine is tasked with thyroid development. If iodine levels drop, the thyroid’s health will be affected. Many times, the gland will expand, causing a visible lump.
• Hypothyroidism – Iodine is necessary for proper thyroid hormone production. Without iodine, hormone levels will dip. This usually causes weight gain, loss of hair, various skin conditions, erectile dysfunction, infertility, and much more.
• Cretinism – If pregnant moms don’t get enough iodine, the baby could be born with a neurological birth defect.

There are two main causes of an iodine deficiency. First, most people don’t eat enough iodine-rich foods. If you’d like to increase your iodine levels naturally, try cooking up some fish. Grilling retains more of the iodine than boiling. Also, egg yolk is a great source of iodine.

Secondly, many health nuts cut salt out of their diet. While this may, in theory, be a good idea, you are robbing yourself of a primary source of iodine – iodized salt.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency

This is one of the most common – yet severely under diagnosed – nutrient deficiencies. Why is it prevalent and undetected at the same time?

Most people don’t go looking for a vitamin B12 deficiency. And fewer doctors routinely test for it. If you eat even a marginally healthy diet, it is assumed you are getting enough vitamin B12.

When symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, anxiety and depression start emerging, vitamin B12 levels might get checked. Usually, testing isn’t the go-to response until something major like dementia and autism spectrum disorder (in children) start showing up.

A vitamin B12 deficiency is one of the few deficiencies that cannot easily be “fixed” with the diet. Usually supplementation is needed.

If the nutrient is taken via oral pills, the body will have to first absorb it into the bloodstream before it can be used. The vast majority of the nutrient is actually lost during this process. On the other hand, vitamin B12 shots ensure the full dose is utilized.

Which populations are most susceptible to a vitamin B12 deficiency?

The first population is anyone who has another health issue that is impairing the body’s ability to absorb the vitamin B12. For example, Crohn’s disease or celiac disease make it nearly impossible for the body to utilize the consumed nutrient.

Another population segment that is commonly afflicted with a B12 deficiency is vegetarians and vegans. Since they don’t eat animal products (the only source of vitamin B12), they often need alternative sources.

Lastly, senior citizens are very susceptible to vitamin B12 deficiencies. As we age, our bodies struggle to produce intrinsic factor—a necessary ingredient in the B12 absorption process.

If you don’t mind eating animal products and your digestive system is functioning properly, try eating foods rich in vitamin B12 – like liver, salmon, or sardines.

Magnesium Deficiency

Studies show a mere 25% of all Americans reach the recommended daily intake of magnesium. This lack of magnesium consumption can lead to major health concerns like:

• Diabetes
• Osteoporosis
• Heart issues
• Asthma and other respiratory issues
• Colon cancer

While the deficiency is still in the beginning stages, individuals can expect to experience:

• Severe headaches
• Restless leg syndrome
• Cramps
• Fibromyalgia
• Constipation

There are three main reasons why the general population suffers from a magnesium deficiency. First, our water is too clean! When purifying drinking water, magnesium is usually removed.

Second, there isn’t enough magnesium in the soil. Since magnesium is generally found in plant foods (not animal foods), the soil needs to be rich with magnesium in order to pass it along in the foods we eat.

Third, few of us eat enough magnesium dense foods. For example, when was the last time you sat down to a large serving of Swiss chard or spinach?! Fortunately, there are other sources, too – like nuts, seeds, espresso (yum!), dark chocolate (double yum!) and halibut.

Living a healthy lifestyle is admirable. But if you want to truly take care of your body, you’ll assess your eating habits and foods at the nutrient level.

Sources:

• Ancient Minerals – Magnesium Deficiency
• Do You Have a Vitamin B12 Deficiency? -Amino Pharmaceuticals 
• Iodine in Diet – Medline Plus
• How putting magnesium in tap water could help prevent hundreds of hip fractures each year – Daily Mail
• Cretinism – Wikipedia
• Micronutrient deficiencies – World Health Organization

Bonus – How to Eat Raw Eggs Safely

For decades, the need for Calcium and Magnesium for growing and maintaining a healthy body has been well established. Absorbing these nutrients isn’t so easy. Most mineral supplements come from inorganic matter that is not bioavailable. In fact, taking a calcium or a calcium magnesium supplement will often do you more harm than good.

The fact is that most supplements on the market are toxic. It doesn’t matter how many milligrams of calcium a supplement has if it causes kidney stones. And while supplementing your diet with calcium can rid the body of many common health ailments, taking the wrong kind of calcium overtaxes the body and can actually cause arthritis and many other degenerative diseases. The only inorganic Cal-Mag formula to date that I know of that benefits the human body comes from this lemon-egg recipe. All the rest are junk.

Lemon Egg Recipe – the best organic calcium supplementation

1. Carefully place whole, clean, uncooked, uncracked, organic eggs in a clean wide-mouth jar or glass container. How many eggs is up to you, but the lemon juice needs to cover the eggs.
2. Cover the eggs with freshly squeezed organic lemon juice (concentrated lemon juice is pasteurized and should never be used as a substitute).
3. Cover the jar loosely and place it in the refrigerator. A few times during the day, gently – very gently – agitate the liquid in the jar. As the Calcium from the shells is leached by the lemon juice, bubbles will appear around the eggs.
4. Approximately 44 to 48 hours later, when the bubbling has stopped, carefully remove the eggs from the jar, being sure not to break the egg membranes. Replace the lid tightly on the jar containing the liquid and shake the mixture. You now have “Lemon Egg”. I love to drink it straight or mix 2oz in my smoothies. It can also be used for recipes calling for lemon juice as well. If there is no more than twice as much lemon juice per egg volume I take a tablespoon to two of the lemon mixture and up to six if I don’t eat enough vegetables.

One whole medium sized eggshell yields about 750 – 800 mgs of elemental calcium plus other microelements, including but not limited to magnesium, boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, sulphur, silicon, zinc,  (27 elements in total). The composition of an eggshell is very similar to that of our bones and teeth.

Calcium-magnesium is not the only homemade supplement you can make. Check out our Homemade Vitamin C article.

How to Eat Raw Eggs Safely

If you’re looking for a way to eat raw eggs safely, without the risk of salmonella, this recipe can double as egg safety protocol! The lemon juice kills the salmonella leaving you with just the egg itself (like in the picture). Great for smoothies and any other recipe that calls for raw eggs.

It should be noted, we do not recommend the consumption of factory farmed eggs under any circumstances, raw or cooked. Salmonella is not an issue in healthy eggs produced by healthy, trulycage-freee, organic chickens.

Alternatively, instead of discarding shells after cooking eggs, as long as the shells weren’t cooked (no boiled egg shells for this), you can put those in lemon juice as well (thank you AeRhee Lee at Healing Foods to Go).

 

Recommended Supplements:

• Total Nutrition Formula

Further Reading:

• Bullet Proof Your Immune System
• Total Nutrition – Make your own Homemade Multivitamin and Mineral Formula
• Homemade Vitamin C