Magnesium is needed in the body for regulating muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure. Magnesium is also needed to make protein, bone, and DNA.(1) When I was suffering from migraines I saw a naturopathic neurologist who put me on a group of supplements, one of them being magnesium.
There is an interview with Dr. Mark Hyman where he calls magnesium the relaxation mineral. He said that things that deplete our magnesium levels are caffeine, sugar, alcohol and stress. Signs of magnesium deficiency are muscle cramps/twitching, anxiety, insomnia, constipation, heart palpitations, headaches, irritable bowel and the list goes on! (2) He suggests taking an epsom salt bath which is magnesium sulfate, it helps your muscles relax and recover.
According to recent studies, most people are not getting enough Magnesium. Many nutrient deficiencies are becoming more common these days because of the soil depletion in much of the U.S. Because of this we need to be checking our levels with the help of our healthcare team to see what supplements might be helpful for optimal health.
The best way to get magnesium is from organic foods like nuts, seeds, beans, grains, green vegetables, avocado, seaweed and dark chocolate. Taking electrolytes when sweating helps you maintain your levels. Most of us, due to poor soil conditions and the processed foods in our diets cannot get what we need, so supplementation is key. Dr. Hyman also states in the interview that you need vitamin B6, vitamin D and selenium to work together with magnesium.
My favorite Magnesium Supplement is from BiOptimizers. I have tried many Mg supplement brands and this is definitely the winner. This brand contains vitamin B6 along with magnesium propionate, magnesium chelate, magnesium bisglycinate, magnesium malate, magnesium orotate, magnesium taurate, magnesium citrate, manganese and more. As of the time of writing this post, there is an extra 10% off when you use Subscribe and Save.
I hope that you can work with your healthcare team to get the optimal levels of magnesium. According to Dr. Hyman, unless you have kidney disease you can’t overdo it with magnesium. At the very least, learn to relax as much as possible, add an epsom salts bath to your routine, ditch the processed foods and eat as many of the magnesium rich foods as you can get your hands on!
*If you purchase through these links, I will receive a commission at no additional cost to you.
Bibliography:
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-Consumer/
- On YouTube: The WARNING SIGNS Your Body Is Deficient in This Nutrient & How To FIX IT ASAP | Dr. Mark Hyman
Thank you so much for your blog. I am in some crazy part of life where not only am I dealing with a hypothyroid but I’m also going thru peri menopause and have Reynauld Syndrome. All of this is based on my own research because I have no health insurance. I know that you’re probably not a doctor and won’t feel comfortable giving medical advice but I’m hoping that because you know how to navigate around a kitchen you may be able to share some advice about foods to eat and besides the obvious processed and sugar loaded foods what foods should I steer clear from? I research constantly and seem to get conflicting answers everywhere. I appreciate the time you spent creating your blog and I hope to hear from you soon!
Hello Christina,
Thank you for checking out the blog! You are correct that I am not a doctor and cannot give medical advice. I’m sorry you are going through this.
Did you happen to see the post that I wrote about my experience getting off of thyroid medication? https://homeawaycafe.com/2023/09/09/getting-off-of-thyroid-medication/ The supplements that I write about there were essential to getting off the medication successfully. Food-wise I almost completely stopped eating anything that I don’t cook myself. When you are cooking you can control all of the ingredients and ensure there are no inflammatory oils getting into your body.
For foods to eat, I heavily rely on the information from The Medical Medium, he suggests cherries, cranberries, mangoes, oranges, papaya, asparagus, celery (I juice every day and it has made me feel amazing), cruciferous vegetables, potatoes, microgreens.
He says to avoid dairy for hypothyroid and Raynaud’s as well as eggs and canola oil for both until you feel better and then you can try to add them back and see how they make you feel. Also avoid “natural flavors”.
For the perimenopause I follow gorgeouesther on instagram- that is her specialty and she suggests prioritizing protein and strength training among other things.
I hope you feel better soon and if I learn anything else I will add it here!
All the best,
Julie