I’ve spent the last few weeks learning about magnesium chloride. To say I’m shocked at what I found is an understatement. Here are 5 important reasons why you need magnesium chloride.
What Is Magnesium Chloride?
First, let’s have a quick chemistry lesson. Magnesium chloride is made up of 1 magnesium and 2 chloride ions. It’s a salt, highly soluble in water and is very important for the normal functioning of your cells, nerves, muscles, bones and heart. If you’re over 50, an athlete or simply exercise moderately every day, most likely you are deficient in magnesium.
Magnesium chloride is so critical to your body’s proper functioning that your blood will leach it from your cells. A healthy magnesium level is crucial for approximately 300 enzymatic reactions in the body. Chances are when you take a magnesium blood test, the results will show being within a “normal” range.
So, let’s talk about why you need magnesium.
Reason One: Better Heart Health
Who doesn’t want a healthy heart? Magnesium chloride is essential to healthy blood pressure, vessels and tissue function. Jennifer Dawson, in writing for LifeExtension.com, talks about the research between heart health and magnesium chloride:
Even a moderate magnesium deficiency can cause profound changes in how the heart, blood vessels, blood cells, intestinal tract, and other tissues function.6 This is because magnesium is critical for tissues that have electrical or mechanical activity, such as nerves, muscles (including the heart), and blood vessels.5,7,8
In addition, low magnesium levels make platelets “stickier,” increasing the risk of a destructive or fatal blood clot forming, and thereby increasing the likelihood of a dangerous heart attack or stroke.61
Healthy levels of magnesium decrease your chances of heart attack and stroke and promote a properly functioning cardiovascular system.
Reason Two: Managing Diabetes
As in the case of heart health, low magnesium levels can lead to obesity, high triglycerides (cholesterol) and a high percentage of body fat. Low magnesium levels seem to raise insulin resistance which can lead to diabetes. Amy Campbell, MS, RD, LDN, CDE writing for DiabetesSelfManagement.com says the evidence points to preventing diabetes through magnesium supplementation:
More and more evidence points to the role of magnesium in helping to prevent Type 2 diabetes. In fact, results from three very large studies—the Nurses’ Health Study, the Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study, and the Iowa Women’s Health Study (which together involved over 150,000 men and women)—indicate that people who consume a diet rich in magnesium have a lower risk of getting Type 2 diabetes. While most of the studies looking at magnesium and diabetes risk have involved white women and men, a new study of approximately 41,000 African-American women enrolled in the Black Women’s Health Study showed that those who consumed a high-magnesium diet were less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.
She goes on to say:
So, what if you already have diabetes? Is there a link between magnesium and diabetes? Magnesium helps control blood glucose levels in the body by regulating insulin secretion from the pancreas. While there’s no evidence that magnesium from food or supplements will help lower blood glucose levels, there is evidence that people with uncontrolled diabetes tend to have low magnesium levels in their blood. High blood glucose levels can cause magnesium to be lost in the urine. Furthermore, low magnesium levels can lead to high blood pressure, which is more common in people with diabetes than in people without. And people who have heart disease or who have had a heart attack often do better, clinically, when given magnesium supplements.
Reason Three: Reducing Stress, Anxiety and Depression
Some of my top sellers at Scented Balance include aromatherapy products for stress, anxiety and depression (pain is also in the mix). So when I read about magnesium deficiency and these three concerns, my antennae went up!
Since so many clients live with these concerns, the more information I have available, the more I can help you live more gracefully. AnxietyHack.com has an interesting take on magnesium deficiency:
Interestingly, research has found that magnesium deficiency (hypomagnesemia) has negative effects on feelings of well-being and can even induce anxiety.[7]
The mechanisms behind how magnesium plays a role in anxiety remain unclear at the time of this writing, but preliminary data suggest it has ties to the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis.
The HPA axis is a key regulator of stress hormones (i.e. catecholamines) production, thus making it a major factor in anxiety and depression.
It is plausible that magnesium promotes proper cortisol rhythms, as irregularities in the secretion of this particular hormone are associated with panic attacks and high levels of anxiety.[8]
When you live with any long-term or chronic concern, I have found (very unscientifically) that stress and depression are usually in the mix. I’ve learned a lot about stress, anxiety and depression simply by asking questions as a holistic life coach.
If you’re on medication for any of these concerns, do NOT stop taking them without talking to your qualified medical professional. Yes, magnesium is amazing and you need it, but don’t depend on it to be a miracle cure!
Reason Four: Workout Recovery
Anyone who exercises, whether moderately or strenuously, loses magnesium through profuse sweating. You know how sometimes you have the after-effect of feeling achy and tired and you can’t seem to recover as quickly as you should? That’s a sign of magnesium deficiency.
Whenever you sweat, you’re losing precious magnesium through your pores and by urination. If you’re magnesium deficient to begin with, then it’s even harder to replenish. Any time you have physical exertion, high levels of energy expenditure and profuse sweating, you increase the magnesium requirements in your body.
Magnesium is critical for producing energy in your body. If you’re like me, you practice cardio and strength training every morning. When you change routines (I do quite often), muscles ache and maybe you’re moving j-u-u-s-t a bit slower.
Handy dandy magnesium chloride to the rescue! I use magnesium oil and spray it directly on my sore muscles after a hot shower. The soreness goes away and I have more energy.
If you have leg cramps (especially at night), try spraying magnesium chloride directly on the cramp and gently massage the area.
Reason Five: More Reasons to Use Magnesium
There’s so many good reasons to use magnesium chloride that it would take up more space than we have. Here’s the short version:
- Strengthens your immune system
- Helps prevent osteoporosis by making calcium work better
- Aides in preventing kidney stones
- Assists digestive regularity
- Optimizes brain, nerve and muscle function
Magnesium chloride does so much good for your overall health.
Possible Magnesium Side Effects and Warnings
Magnesium is not without its cautions. If you live with constant diarrhea, experience kidney disorders (in particular renal failure) and ulcerative colitis, you need to stay away from magnesium – talk with your medical practitioner before you do anything.
Other side effects can be:
- dizziness
- weakness
- upset stomach
- severe diarrhea
While you can take magnesium chloride orally, think about this: who really needs to take yet another pill? Wouldn’t it be easier to simply spray magnesium oil on your skin? By spraying it directly on your skin, your absorption rate skyrockets. Spraying directly on your skin is called transdermal absorption. That means you really need to know where the magnesium chloride comes from.
Scented Balance Magnesium Oil is handcrafted with magnesium chloride flakes mined from the ancient Zechstein Sea located in the Netherlands. They are pure and unadulterated – perfect to spray on your skin!
I use magnesium spray every single day (usually 2 or 3 times). It is odorless and it’s really not an oil, but a “brine” that feels a little slick. It absorbs super quick – one more word of caution: don’t spray this on your freshly shaven legs. It tingles BIG TIME – just trust me on this!
Thank you for stopping by this week! If you have any questions about magnesium chloride, please fill out the short contact form and let’s talk!
Blessings,
Melissa
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