Magnesium, Mg
Mg with atomic number 12, occurs naturally in combination with other elements and is found to be the eighth most abundant mineral in the Earth’s crust. An estimated 50 percent of Americans are also said to be deficient in this essential mineral. A number of contributing factors such as diets too high in protein, phosphorus and fat, low HCL in stomach, caffeine, birth control pills, alcohol, diuretics, liver disease, and high calcium intake limit the absorption of Mg.
A lot of emphasis has been given to educating the public on the need for calcium, while other nutrients are downplayed. If a person increases calcium intake it is essential to also increase magnesium.
Therapeutically, Mg is useful for preventing and assisting disorders, depression, kidney stones, menstrual problems, muscle cramps, sudden cardiac death (which we see on the global rise), inflammation, insomnia, asthma, anxiety, ADHD. The alkaline mineral is needed by every body system for homeostasis and required by 300 different enzymes that we know of now.
Nerve transmission, regulating heart beats, protein and carbohydrate metabolism are all just a few of the mineral’s important biochemical functions. Toxicity from dietary sources is very unlikely, however someone with kidney disease would want to be mindful of taking too much Mg.
Large aging stars in the cosmos produce this mineral by the sequential addition of three helium nuclei to a carbon nucleus. When they burst, these minerals are recycled and become apart of new star systems. Voila! Remember the seeds, star people.
