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Carolyn Dean MD

The Magnesium Miracle (Revised and Updated Edition) Paperback – December 26, 2006

by Carolyn Dean (Author)

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REVISED AND UPDATED 2014 EDITION

Magnesium is an essential nutrient, indispensable to your health and well-being. By adding this mineral to your diet, you are guarding against—and helping to alleviate—such threats as heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, diabetes, depression, arthritis, and asthma. But despite magnesium’s numerous benefits, many Americans remain dangerously deficient. Updated and revised throughout with the latest research, featuring an all-new Introduction, this amazing guide explains the vital role that magnesium plays in your body and life. Inside you will discover

• newly available magnesium supplements that the body absorbs more efficiently
• how calcium can increase the risk of heart disease—and how magnesium can lower it
• a magnesium-rich eating plan as delicious as it is healthy
• information on the link between magnesium and obesity
• vitamins and minerals that work with magnesium to treat specific ailments
• why paleo, raw food, and green juice diets can lead to magnesium deficiency
• recent breakthroughs in magnesium’s medical and public perception

The Magnesium Miracle, now more than ever, is the ultimate guide to a mineral that is truly miraculous.

Praise for The Magnesium Miracle

“Dr. Carolyn Dean has the best credentials for bringing solutions to those suffering from the hidden magnesium disorders that affect most of us. This book needs to be read by anyone wishing to improve their quality of life.”—Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D., author of The Sinatra Solution: Metabolic Cardiology

“Clearly written and packed with information . . . a comprehensive and well-referenced guide to the myriad benefits of magnesium.”—Carolyn DeMarco, M.D., author of Take Charge of Your Body: Women’s Health Advisor

“Throughout this volume and with utmost clarity, Carolyn Dean presents invaluable recommendations—based on the latest magnesium research. Virtually every American can benefit.”—Paul Pitchford, author of Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition

“Physicians and therapists have paid scant attention to this very important element, which is also involved in maintaining our good health. The massive evidence is here in this important book on magnesium. I am pleased to have been taking magnesium for so many years.”—Abram Hoffer, M.D., author of Putting It All Together: The New Orthomolecular Nutrition

Print length

400 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Ballantine Books
Publication date

December 26, 2006
Dimensions

5.2 x 0.86 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

034549458X
ISBN-13

978-0345494580
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Dr. Carolyn Dean has the best credentials for bringing solutions to those suffering from the hidden magnesium disorders that affect most of us. This book needs to be read by anyone wishing to improve their quality of life.”—Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D., author of The Sinatra Solution: Metabolic Cardiology

“Clearly written and packed with information . . . a comprehensive and well-referenced guide to the myriad benefits of magnesium.”—Carolyn DeMarco, M.D., author of Take Charge of Your Body: Women’s Health Advisor

“Throughout this volume and with utmost clarity, Carolyn Dean presents invaluable recommendations—based on the latest magnesium research. Virtually every American can benefit.”—Paul Pitchford, author of Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition

“Physicians and therapists have paid scant attention to this very important element, which is also involved in maintaining our good health. The massive evidence is here in this important book on magnesium. I am pleased to have been taking magnesium for so many years.”—Abram Hoffer, M.D., author of Putting It All Together: The New Orthomolecular Nutrition

About the Author

Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., is a medical doctor, naturopath, acupuncturist, homeopath, herbalist, and certified clinical nutritionist, and a regular guest on radio and television programs. She has written three other health books and is contributing editor to Natural Health magazine.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

PART ONE The History of Magnesium

CHAPTER 1 The Case for Magnesium: The Personal History of an Element

Mary joked that she felt as though she was constantly being run over by a slow-moving bus. Cramping in her legs startled her awake at night, making her an insomniac, and she had heart palpitations daily. Her doctor also found that she had high blood sugar-not bad enough to need injections of insulin, but he prescribed pills to try to stimulate more insulin production. Finally, frightening panic attacks came out of nowhere and made this vibrant, fun-loving woman afraid to go outside.

To try to relieve her leg cramps, Mary began taking calcium at night, having read that it was good for cramps and sleep. At first, the calcium seemed to help, but after a week or two, the pains got worse. If she yawned and stretched in bed, her calf muscles would seize up and catapult her to the floor, where she would lie frantically massaging her muscles to try to release the spasm. All the next day, she would limp about with a very tender, bruised feeling in her calf.

Although Mary's heart palpitations had improved somewhat after she'd given up her three cups of coffee a day, they too resumed after a few weeks. Every time the palpitations occurred, which was several times a day, they made her cough slightly and catch her breath. She found it frightening, even though her doctor said her stress tests for heart disease were fine and she didn't need further testing with an angiogram.

Both Mary's parents had had adult-onset diabetes, and Mary knew that she should watch her diet, but she was overweight and craved sugary and high-carbohydrate foods that were hard to resist. When the panic attacks hit on top of everything else, Mary knew she had to seek help, and came to my office. She was only fifty-three, far too young to be feeling so bad, and was worried about her future health.

Sam was only forty-nine and experiencing chest pains. At first, he thought they were indigestion, but sometimes the pains would occur in the middle of the night. Concerned, he went to a cardiologist, who found two slightly blocked arteries, not serious enough for bypass surgery. Sam's cholesterol was somewhat elevated, as was his blood pressure, which he attributed to his high-stress occupation and the fact that he had not exercised regularly for the past six months, when he was sidelined with back pain. The cardiologist observed that his arterial blockage would almost inevitably worsen over time and eventually necessitate surgery. The doctor offered him medication for his high cholesterol, told him not to eat butter or eggs, and gave him nitroglycerine to take whenever he had the pain. If the symptoms got worse, he would prescribe other medications. Sam couldn't imagine having to wait to get worse before doing something about his chest pain; he knew there must be something more he could do to avoid surgery and came to me for advice.

At thirty-five, Jan had actually begun to look forward to going through menopause. That's how bad her PMS symptoms were. As soon as those horrible feelings lifted, she was hit by the sledgehammer of menstrual cramps. She also had migraines, which for years had come before her period but now were occurring once or twice a week. She was so miserable that she was considering a complete hysterectomy, with removal of her hormone-producing ovaries, but wondered whether the migraines, since they were happening all month, were not actually hormonal.

Different as their symptoms are, Mary, Sam, and Jan all suffer from magnesium deficiency. While women and men seem equally susceptible to magnesium deficiency, women may become deficient faster than men due to hormonal fluctuations because pound for pound, they have fewer circulating red blood cells, which carry magnesium, and so perhaps less magnesium available. There are a few other gender differences. Because of magnesium's effect on hormonal regulation and vice versa, women can have deficiencies in pregnancy, when breast-feeding, with premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and with dysmenorrhea (painful periods). Osteoporosis, which affects more women than men, is evidence of a deficiency of both calcium and magnesium. An overactive thyroid, which afflicts more women than men, increases the metabolic rate, which uses up magnesium-requiring ATP (adenosine triphosphate-the energy packets made in each cell in the body. Without magnesium, ATP would not be produced). Let's follow Mary, Sam, and Jan and see how they overcame their magnesium deficiencies. When Mary visited me, I charted her health history in detail, according to procedures commonly used by naturopathic doctors, and found several symptoms of magnesium deficiency. In her case it had been made even worse by too much calcium, however, so simple magnesium supplementation wouldn't be enough for Mary. Her diet and lifestyle needed a complete overhaul. I gave Mary a list of magnesium-rich foods that she needed to start eating, which included nuts, beans, greens, and seeds such as sunflower and pumpkin. Mary realized that she'd been avoiding almost all of these foods: She thought nuts were fattening, beans gave her gas, and greens never seemed fresh enough at the supermarket. She had never even thought about eating seeds. After a week of enthusiastically eating a lot more magnesium-rich foods, Mary felt somewhat better. To make sure she could get fresh organic greens regularly, she tracked down a local community-supported agriculture (CSA) program and bought a share in a neighboring organic farm. Mary also learned how to soak and cook beans to prevent them from causing gas, and began eating nuts and seeds rich in magnesium and healthy oils, such as almonds, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. After her second visit I recommended that she begin taking magnesium supplements. Starting with a dosage of 200 mg a day, we added another 200 mg every two days to build slowly to 600 mg. I cautioned her that it could take months to eliminate magnesium deficiency symptoms and that not all her symptoms would necessarily respond. Within two months, however, Mary was singing the praises of magnesium. Her palpitations and panic attacks had disappeared. Her cravings for sweets were fewer, she was able to control her blood sugar with diet alone, and tests for blood sugar were normal. Her leg cramps were gone, and with them her insomnia. At three months we added calcium along with magnesium so that she would not develop an imbalance of the two. Mary's internist was quite surprised at her improved health and told her to keep up the good work with her diet and supplements. Sam had an inquiring mind, and I encouraged him to start reading about heart disease. He found that up to 30 percent of angina (chest pain) patients do not have badly blocked arteries but may be suffering from an electrical imbalance that is driven by mineral deficiency, most commonly magnesium.1 An astonishing 40 to 60 percent of sudden deaths from heart attack may occur in the complete absence of any prior artery blockage, clot formation or heart rhythm abnormalities, most likely from spasms in the arteries (magnesium is a natural antispasmodic).2,3,4,5 Moreover, he found that magnesium deficiency has been linked to sudden cardiac death. Sam didn't want to wait around for that to happen to him; he was determined to find out what was causing his problem and treat the cause. The more he read, the more intrigued he became. When he read that magnesium deficiency is also associated with muscle pain, especially back pain, that really got his attention, since he had begun having back pain four or five months before he began to develop chest pain.6

With a packet of information on magnesium, Sam went back to his cardiologist. Before the doctor saw him, however, a nurse took Sam's blood pressure; it was unusually elevated, even though at home it was usually only a few points above normal. (Doctor-induced hypertension is commonly reported by patients.) The cardiologist swept into the room and immediately began talking about blood pressure medication. Sam countered with magnesium. The cardiologist visibly cooled and said that magnesium was used to control hypertension that occurred in pregnant women because there were no side effects, but that there were plenty of effective drugs for everyone else. When Sam said he would rather not have side effects either, the cardiologist gathered up his file and told him to come back when he was ready to take medications for his heart disease.

When Sam came back to see me, he was still pretty upset by this encounter; he didn't like the specialist refusing to discuss a possible magnesium deficiency as part of the picture. Sam and I agreed that magnesium seemed the best treatment for him to initiate at this time since he was not willing to take medications.

Sam began adding magnesium to his diet by eating magnesium-rich foods. After a week he felt much calmer, but he still had chest and back pain. So he added magnesium and calcium supplements, and in about three months he felt almost normal.

Among the studies Sam read was one that looked at the correspondence between type A personalities and magnesium deficiency. From the description, Sam realized he was a type A, an aggressive guy who lived on adrenaline, time pressure, and stress. This type of behavior drains the body of magnesium and leads to disorders such as heart disease, muscle spasms, hypersensitivity, and irritability.7 Prolonged psychological stress raises adrenaline, the stress hormone, which depletes magnesium.8 Both Sam's back and chest pain would hit when he was under stress. So Sam worked on ways to control his stress and added more magnesium when he knew he couldn't avoid it. On days when he exercised, Sam added an extra 200 mg of magnesium to his diet, since sweat loss during heavy exercise (cycling and jogging) and working in the heat deplete magnesium. Just drinking water won't replace all the minerals lost. By paying attention to the many factors that affected his mind-body health, Sam lowered his cholesterol and stress levels and reduced his chance of a heart attack and of needing surgery to unblock his arteries.

Jan heard that yoga might help her PMS and painful periods, and she really needed to learn to relax, so she took classes at a local health club. The teacher also ran regular detox and cooking classes, which Jan decided to join when she realized she didn't have to "give up everything" and become a vegetarian. One of the first things Jan learned in the detox class was the importance of having regular bowel movements. Jan was lucky if she had one a week. If the bowel doesn't empty once a day, toxins can be reabsorbed back into the body from the colon. The longer debris sits in the colon, the more fluid is reabsorbed, making stools solid and difficult to pass. PMS and endometriosis, which causes painful periods, are considered by some natural-health experts to worsen with constipation and toxicity.9

During cooking classes, Jan faced the fact that she was a junk food addict. Magnesium is necessary in hundreds of enzymes in the body but is almost totally lost during the processing of packaged and fast foods. The older women in her class were suffering from a variety of problems that included cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis. Is that how she would end up in ten or twenty years if she didn't take care of her health now? Learning how many basic nutrients she had lacked in her diet made her marvel that she wasn't even more ill. Her new diet included greens, beans, nuts, and seeds, which cleared up her constipation and almost eliminated her PMS and painful periods. When she came to see me on the advice of her yoga teacher, it was clear she was on the right track. I recommended that she begin taking a magnesium supplement along with calcium and a multiple vitamin; with all her lifestyle changes, she felt like a new person.

MAGNESIUM, THE SPARK OF LIFE

In a poetic reference to magnesium's crucial role in evolution, Dr. Jerry Aikawa of the University of Colorado calls magnesium the ur-mineral, the most important mineral to man and all living organisms.10 It is critical to the metabolic processes of lowly one-celled living organisms and is the second most abundant element in all cells involved in basically metabolic pathway. Magnesium existed at the beginning of life and was involved with all aspects of cell production and growth. When plants evolved to use the sun as their energy source, magnesium played a pivotal role in the development of chlorophyll. So in both plants and animals, magnesium became an essential mineral involved in hundreds of enzyme processes affecting every aspect of life.

Presently, seventeen minerals are considered essential for human life, and it is quite possible that more minerals will be found to be indispensable as we take more time to study life's mineral connection. Ninety-nine percent of the body's mineral content is made up of seven macrominerals: sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, chlorine, sulfur, and magnesium. The other 1 percent comprises ten trace minerals. As with most minerals, the element magnesium occurs in nature combined with other elements. It joins naturally with sulfur to make Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate), with carbon to make magnesium carbonate, and with calcium to make dolomite. Magnesium is also found in partnership with silica in talc and asbestos. Like calcium, it is an alkaline mineral, which neutralizes acid, and some magnesium compounds are antacids used to treat heartburn.

My first encounter with magnesium was in high school chemistry. Each student was given a thin strip of magnesium and told to light one end carefully. The previous week we had learned that magnesium is the eighth most abundant element, constituting approximately 2 percent of the earth's crust and 1.14 percent of seawater. By comparison, calcium makes up 3 percent of the earth's crust but only 0.05 percent of seawater. There are 4-6 tsp (20-28 g or 2 oz) of magnesium in the body, comprising about 0.05 percent of the body's weight. This information in no way prepared us for the dynamic effect of lighting the magnesium strip. It flared up like an electric sparkler and disappeared in a flash. This effervescent property serves as an important reminder of magnesium's versatility as the spark of life, constantly igniting metabolic reactions throughout the body.

THE BODY IS ELECTRIC

The impulses for any and all movement in the body arise from electrical transmission. These microcurrents of electricity that pass along the nerves were first measured in 1966. Scientists soon discovered that the conductor for these bodily electrical currents was calcium and that magnesium was necessary to maintain the proper level of calcium in the blood.11 More recent research indicates that calcium enters the cells by way of calcium channels that are jealously guarded by magnesium. Magnesium allows a certain amount of calcium to enter a cell to create the necessary electrical transmission, and then immediately ejects the calcium once the work is done. Why? If calcium accumulates in the cell, it causes toxicity and disrupts cell function. Too much calcium entering cells can cause symptoms of heart disease (such as angina, high blood pressure, and arrhythmia), asthma, or headaches. Magnesium is nature's calcium channel blocker.12,13,14

About 60-65 percent of all our magnesium is housed in our bones and teeth. The remaining 35-40 percent is found in the rest of the body, including muscle and tissue cells and body fluids. The highest concentrations are in the heart and brain cells, so it is no wonder that the major symptoms of magnesium deficiency affect the heart and brain. These are also the two organs that have considerable electrical activity measured by EKG (electrocardiogram) and EEG (electroencephalogram). Our blood contains only 1 percent of the body's total magnesium.

Magnesium mostly works inside our tissue cells, producing ATP energy packets for our body's vital force and triggering production all the body's protein structures by revving up messenger RNA. It is also a requirement for the production of DNA, our genetic code. Both of the basic building blocks of life, RNA and DNA, are dependent on magnesium to maintain stable genes.15 In addition to its stabilizing effect on DNA and the structure of chromosomes, magnesium is an essential cofactor in almost all enzyme systems involved in the processing of DNA. Research shows that without sufficient magnesium, DNA synthesis becomes sluggish.

WHAT DOES MAGNESIUM DO?

Magnesium's hundreds of activities in the human body can be divided into five essential categories:16

1. Magnesium is a cofactor assisting enzymes in cata- lyzing most chemical reactions in the body, including temperature regulation.

2. Magnesium produces and transports energy.

3. Magnesium is necessary for the synthesis of protein.

4. Magnesium helps to transmit nerve signals.

5. Magnesium helps to relax muscles.

1. COFACTOR IN CHEMICAL REACTIONS

Enzymes are protein molecules that stimulate every chemical reaction in the body. Magnesium is required to make these enzymes work.

2. PRODUCING AND TRANSPORTING ENERGY

Magnesium and the B-complex vitamins are excellent examples of energy nutrients, because they activate enzymes that control digestion, absorption, and the utilization of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Because magnesium is involved with hundreds of enzymatic reactions throughout the body, deficiency can affect every aspect of life and cause a score of symptoms. Of the 325 magnesium-dependent enzymes, the most important enzyme reaction involves the creation of energy by activating adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the fundamental energy storage molecule of the body. ATP may be what the Chinese refer to as qi or life force. Magnesium is required for the body to produce and store energy. Without magnesium there is no energy, no movement, no life. It is that simple.

3. SYNTHESIZING PROTEIN

Magnesium is used in synergy with dozens of other vitamins and minerals to create structural components of the body. Under the direction of magnesium, enzymes and nutrients modify the building blocks from food to create the body. Without magnesium, there is no body. RNA and DNA, which contain the genetic blueprints for the formation of all the protein molecules in the body, are also dependent on magnesium.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books; Updated edition (December 26, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 034549458X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0345494580
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 0.86 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #63,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #23 in Vitamins & Supplements (Books)
- #1,328 in Alternative Medicine (Books)

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Carolyn Dean
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Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., is a medical doctor, naturopath, acupuncturist, homeopath, herbalist, and certified clinical nutritionist, and a regular guest on radio and television programs. She has written three other health books and is contributing editor to Natural Health magazine.
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Carolyn Dean MD
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Carolyn Dean MD ND has been on the forefront of the evolving natural medicine community for over 40 years offering practical strategies to improve health, vitality, and well-being the natural way. As a medical doctor, naturopath, certified clinical nutritionist and master of many modalities including acupuncture and homeopathy, Carolyn Dean MD ND has authored over 33 books and publications including The Magnesium Miracle, 2ndEdition available exclusively at amazon.com.
In addition to the recognition lavished on her by her many customers, clients, and radio show audience, Dr. Dean has received several prestigious awards including “The Arrhythmia Alliance Outstanding Medical Contribution to Cardiac Rhythm Management Services Award 2012” at The Heart Rhythm Congress organized by The Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), Sept 23-26, 2012 and the Integrative Medicine Award presented at the Sacred Fire Gala in September, 2014.
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Linda G. Shelnutt

MAGNESIUM, what it's needed for: Everything. Likely most of us is deficient.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 19, 2010

Verified Purchase

For me, the most important insights from of this book were: 1. How particular drugs used for various ailments deplete magnesium, which is needed to cure the ailment. As Dr. Dean says, we aren't deficient in drugs; we're deficient in nutrients, especially magnesium. 2. How magnesium is counteracted by especially calcium and phosphorus, but also by fluoride, aspartame, and other ingested products. A visit to Dr. Dean's web site confirmed what I have believed for quite a while, that it is vital that Magnesium's intake be higher than Calcium (and other minerals).

Before purchasing THE MAGNESIUM MIRACLE, I read the editorials and the 29 customer reviews posted on the Amazon buying page. That collection provides an excellent synopsis of this book; instead of repeating what's been said, I'll focus on personal reactions to this life saving information.

I wanted to read a detailed, reliable source on the symptoms, causes, and cures of magnesium deficiency, and I wanted to read it on my Kindle Wireless Reading Device (with its in-house dictionary and free Google capacity for searches). I also wanted to learn how to get magnesium absorbed and functioning, and to learn about varieties and effectiveness of oral and transdermal applications of this mineral, which I had believed for decades to be one of the most vital nutrients. Over the years I had periodically taken oral tablets and worked to get high magnesium foods into my diet, but I had never felt adequate results from either of those methods. I was also curious about how magnesium deficiency could be tested accurately, since I had read that blood tests give misleading readings.

All the above and more was covered in easily comprehensible detail from the general chapters which I read first, deciding to focus on those before the chapters specific to certain diseases, especially the conditions I hadn't developed. (For background on that see my review of Swanson Ultra Magnesium Oil 8 fl oz (237 ml) Spray ). From the general chapters I learned about varieties of oral and transdermal forms of magnesium and how they compared as effective sources of elemental magnesium.*

I learned that a simple saliva test for Mg level adequacy could expose much more than a basic blood test, and why. I learned a bit about the history of magnesium studies and uses.

What surprised me was how much useful information I found in the chapters on different diseases, about how they are caused by magnesium deficiency, aggravated by drugs prescribed specifically to each ailment, and cured by having magnesium retained and working properly within cell structures.

One part of the book I question slightly [for myself] is the recommendation to follow a diet regimen. [Update: 2/26/10: Recent info from Dr. Dean indicates she is currently advising a more individually intuitive approach to food choices, moving away from what she terms dietary dogma, to which I say, "YES!" Check her web site blog.]

Prior to reading this book, I had studied which foods are high in magnesium, and Dr. Dean's information contributed well to that background. What I've learned through Google searches recently, however, is that many Mg rich foods are also high in calcium and phosphorus, minerals which, if present in excess can defeat magnesium from being absorbed or used. Some of this was detailed in previously read books like Obesity Cancer & Depression: Their Common Cause & Natural Cure .

Dr. Dean explains how magnesium can be defeated if other minerals are too high in comparative percentages, and how our soils have been depleted of magnesium. At the same time, magnesium experts strongly push dietary recommendations. My concern is that it's nearly impossible to know the percentages of magnesium to calcium, phosphorus, and other Mg depletion agents in the foods I specifically purchase, prepare, and swallow. Pro and con arguments can be read on every health issue related to foods (or related to anything, for that matter). I've read reports which give opposite information on a particular food being high or low in magnesium (or in increasing acidity or alkalinity in one's system). Some foods recommended for magnesium content are listed elsewhere for low bio-availability of that magnesium content.

In view of the contradictions of nearly every food promoted as a cure all in one study and a death warrant in another, and due to my belief that we were given taste buds for a reason, I had long ago decided that the best way to health for me was to avoid "medicine" as much as possible and to eat what sounds good at the time of being ready to eat, then savor the flavor. I follow cravings, yet am observant enough to discriminate healthy vs. unhealthy cravings. Basically, a healthy craving satisfies without the need to gorge, and an unhealthy craving never seems to get any type of satisfaction, even when I eat enough to be "stuffed." I've noticed that I crave a certain food for a while, eat it regularly, feel satisfied with a reasonable amount, then suddenly one day feel I don't want that food any more. When I do Google searches on what a craved food contains, I see how that food filled a temporary deficiency. There are studies pro and con on salts, various types of fats, sugars, coffees, teas, flours, etc. I don't avoid any of those foods because I don't believe they are harmful unless or until I begin to have a distaste of them, which I have at times, in which case I avoid that food. Determining what will nourish comes through my tongue and palate.

Even so, I continue to study what foods contain and to read pros and cons on their potential value or detriment, then make up my own mind. Especially during evening meals, I tend to eat leafy green vegetables and fruits because I believe they are generally healthy, but mostly because I like them and they satisfy. I like most of the foods Dr. Dean lists as good Mg sources, and which I had read before as being such. However, most mornings in my current habit I have coffee, a cinnamon roll with (real) butter, and bacon (cured with heavenly natural SALT brine instead of phosphates or citric acid, etc.).

The only supplement I take, orally or transdermally is magnesium.

Calcium is abundant in many foods which I and most people eat frequently by taste rather than by prescribed diet, and through interjection in prepared foods due to the past decade's belief, with the best intentions, that Calcium is the Olympian mineral. After taking magnesium by tablet and transdermal applications for several months, my body is still working to rid itself of calcium deposits. I love dairy products, but have cut back on them slightly, and will not begin eating cheese freely again until I the magnesium presence in my system elevates to what it needs to be.

Possibly what I admire most about Dr. Dean is that, as wise and well studied and experienced as she is she doesn't suffer from a Goddess complex. She has admitted on her web site (not in these words, but to this effect) that she realizes she might discover along the way that what she believed yesterday, based on what seemed to be the best science, might be proven wrong today... and that what she believed to be harmful yesterday might be proven the first true futuristic "snake oil."

Only one thing is certain, for me. MAGNESIUM is the INDEX! And given current cultural conditions, transdermal is a KEY. Related to that, I highly recommend this book, too:

Transdermal Magnesium Therapy: A New Modality for the Maintenance of Health

I agree with other reviews which have noted: Everyone would do well to read THE MAGNESIUM MIRACLE, especially medical professionals. Dr. Dean, you're doing a great good for the human race. I salute you!

Linda Shelnutt

*[I feel that that all the evidence is not yet in on bioavailability, and believe that Dr. Dean would agree there. Though transdermal application seems to be getting results quicker than oral, I still prefer Magnesium Oxide Powder 8 Ounces as my source of oral mg. Mag oxide might not be as good a choice for others, though, because it can cause a type of diarrhea in higher doses. In my unique situation that aspect appears to be working multiple benefits for me in vital ways which I'd like to record at some point.]

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DIY Mom

MINDBLOWING!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 18, 2014

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Where have I been my whole life? under a rock? .
Maybe the information was what was hidden, not me-but none-the-less,This BOMBSHELL necessity for health and overall balanced nutrition has been eluding me for years even after extensive research! NOW I CAN BREATHE-I feel like I have that missing piece. I think this is the information I needed to complete my life's health goals-information that would have GREATLY helped me my WHOLE LIFE!
After reading this book-just the intro-I saw everyone I knew flashing through my thoughts along with their various ailments that were so obviously deficiencies instead of chronic diseases as they believed! I reached out to my family and friends the next day when I finished the book and suggested they all read it-take magnesium and if they didn't I'd buy the book for them and possibly the magnesium too.
I've been actively taking natural calm since I got morning sickness a month into my pregnancy- it only took a day for the symptoms to completely subside! I got a tip on pinterest about magnesium and morning sickness and thank God I did! I had AWFUL morning sickness with my first pregnancy, I had every sort of complication-I started keeping a journal out of disbelief at how miserable all my symptoms were! I felt cheated and lied to by all these women-my mother included-that told me how easy and symptom free their pregnancies had been. I was just miserable! Yet-here I am pregnant again-I've been on a healthy diet (Weston A Price style as mentioned in the book- also think 'nourishing traditions' recipe book) since the beginning of 2013 and since the advent of taking the magnesium have had an INCREDIBLE, AWESOME, near-SYMPTOMLESS pregnancy so far (4&1/2 months now) I have added epsom salts and magnesium chloride flakes to my biweekly baths for almost a year now too.

The author recommends GOOD dietary advice and guidelines, minutely different than my own, but so appropriate for almost everyone to improve their health aside from magnesium supplementation. LISTEN to her dietary recommendations! Similar guidelines and diet has changed me from miserable to in awe of my health and vitality! I feel better than I ever did and I'm pregnant!

This book resonated with me since it directly affects nearly everyone I know/knew as well as me! I personally have struggled with irritability and anger issues since I can remember-10, 12? I always worried it was because I might be bipolar/had a bad relationship with my dad who is bipolar(really probably just magnesium deficient but BIPOLAR is his official diagnosis)...but since taking magnesium-I am sooooo mellow-my husband noticed within a week of me taking natural calm-how easy to deal with I had become. I have had so many deficiency symptoms-I am so glad to know how I can eliminate them and provide my children with enough magnesium for healthy growth and maximum genetic development!

My favorite qoute--probably because it has been stated often in much of the health literature I've been reading-is
"the most important environment surrounding genes is the co-factor for biochemical processes--vitamins and minerals"
I believe we are not at the mercy of our family's "hereditary" ailments-that with proper nutrition and supplementation, our (children's) genes will develop to their full potential, safe-guarding them from the deteriorating health we or our relatives experience.

This information feels like the final huge puzzle piece in my research for optimum health per generations of examples in traditional cultures. Now, Knowing intricacies about vitamins and interactions and amounts and absorption information about magnesium-I feel EMPOWERED to reign in the health in my home-for myself and my children!

This book relays very advanced information on so many fronts-it may have been simpler to write a book about what magnesium doesn't do and can't help. The specificity in certain conditions-such as the recommendations for supplementation and dietary guidelines per specific type of deficiency and the inclusion of unusual treatments-such as magnesium in the ear for deafness due to calcification (something my sister was getting surgery for in a month but is now going to attempt to resolve with magnesium) exceeded my expectation in an informational book about magnesium's processes in the body. The high dose vitamin D information really stood out as I have really been trying to boost my vitamin D-but had NO idea I needed magnesium to supplement it! I immediately ordered ionic magnesium for my son, husband and I.

I truly appreciate how much ground the book covered and how persistent the author is in updating her information, revising it and adding to her knowledge-therefore our knowledge. I personally am disappointed when I read a great book but its information/statistics and cultural climate are so outdated. Authors who take the time to write such important information once, should endeavor to maintain its legitimacy/legacy by remaining current as this author has done so well. We are all lucky this author continues her efforts to help us all.

Let me just finish and stop rambling by saying that this book will teach you how much magnesium does for everyone, how you can benefit now from using it, what kind to use, offers you encouragement and information to take control of your health, provides excellent nutritional sources and advice; its the knowledge you have been living without that could save your life-and at the very least improve it. It doesn't preach, it doesn't postulate, it won't guilt trip you or make you feel stupid, it doesn't skirt uncomfortable issues-its about RELAYING MEDICAL FACTS and HELPING YOU in your quest for better health!

Magnesium isn't patented, comes in many forms/applications, it isn't terribly expensive, it can be added into any lifestyle and should never be ignored or taken for granted again!

Updates: Since taking ionic Liquid Ionic Minerals Magnesium (96 Servings at 100 mg Elemental - plus 2 mg fulvic acid) magnesium for just 2 weeks in addition to my baths and magnesium oil & lotion, I have noticed diminished fatigue (like hardly anything when I usually get super sore and exhausted) when I do lots of hard yard work, my usually (nomatter the weather, season) dry lips which always have dry, chapped skin are smooth and hydrated. The other night, I woke up with leg cramps (after consuming lots of sugar) and used magnesium oil/took some ionic magnesium, and they completely prevented any further cramping...a fungal infection which causes my scalp and face to peel has subsided- no more flaky hair line...I have all sorts of little differences in my life I never expected to change or knew what caused them.

You really have no idea what you're missing out on until you read this book and take magnesium/restore your mag levels.

86 people found this helpful

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Ann

Great reference for magnesium use.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 20, 2022

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It is a small encyclopedia about the benefits and uses of magnesium. It doesn't have to be read from front to back. You can find the specific topic you need and read that section.

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Grania Haigh

Life changing book for me

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 2, 2017

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Read this, now take 2 heaped tsp magnesium citrate powder every morning and spray on magnesium oil every evening - result? Now I sleep every night and am no longer suffering chronic anxiety symptoms. Never had this kind of result from a supplement/dietary change before. Life changing.

18 people found this helpful

Tracy Fallon-Topham

Excellent - must buy, you will learn how to help yourself.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 18, 2015

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I have been ill for so long and on generic prescribed painkillers and medication - I have read this book and can now understand why I feel so ill - poisoned by medication. I have ME/Fibromyalgia and am hoping to get better with the help of this book and a Nutritional therapist. An extremely interesting read, eye opener - hail alternative medicine.

15 people found this helpful

RF.

Insomnia Cure.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 18, 2017

Verified Purchase

After years of insomnia _ only 3-4 hours of sleep a night, one 400mg tablet at bedtime is the perfect cure and I now get 7 or 6 hours.
It was necessary for me to buy this book to understand the science behind it before buying the tablets. The detail given by Dr Carolyn Dean is fascinating as well as reassuring.

7 people found this helpful

Richard Plowden

Essential reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

Essential reading. The warnings against high doses of vitamin D are worth the book alone. I suffer from schizophrenia and have found magnesium most helpful against depression, anxiety and insomnia.

14 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Excellent information - wish I'd had this years ago

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 25, 2014

Verified Purchase

I wish I'd had this information a few years ago when having chemo. I'm sure that the side effects of muscle problems would have been helped by Magnesium. More recently, cramps in my feet and calves plus heart palpitations stopped within days after starting using magnesium.
The first half of the book which updates the original, which can be found after the updates is rather a heavy read but persevere! It's worth it!

7 people found this helpful

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The Magnesium Miracle (Revised and Updated Edition) Paperback – December 26, 2006

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Carolyn Dean

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