Up to 80% of Americans may be deficient in Magnesium. However, we don’t hear much about that, but rather we hear a lot about being sure to get enough calcium, but most Americans do get enough calcium. Excess calcium without the nutrients to process it properly can be harmful, usually depositing in places where it shouldn’t be, like joints, causing lots of trouble. Magnesium, Vitamin D‑3 and Vitamin K-2 are some of the more important nutrients needed to properly utilize calcium.
The following is a personal account of ways which I perceive that magnesium has helped me. I am not a doctor so I specifically disclaim giving medical advice. I also want to thank God for providing us with nutrients which give us good health, and for leading me to magnesium and a number of other healthful nutrients. Some of the results seem very remarkable to me, but I certainly don’t want to brag about any of this as it is God’s gift to me. But I don’t think I should selfishly keep this information to myself either. If anyone is going to benefit from my experience, I must tell it as accurately as I can.
I don’t remember exactly, but it was about the year 2003 that I read an article on the Internet about the benefits of nutrient magnesium. I started with magnesium chloride (recommended by the article), but after a while I found that didn’t seem to agree with me (maybe too much chloride), so I switched to magnesium citrate and found that better. The form of magnesium taken is important, because for example the absorption of the popular magnesium oxide is very low. Also, it is possible that taking magnesium alone, and not in combination with a good selection of other God-given nutrients, that one may not expect to see as much benefit as I have experienced.
I was beginning to suffer high blood pressure, and one of the claimed benefits of the article was lower blood pressure. So, I immediately began supplementing with magnesium chloride, and my blood pressure went from 170 or more down to around 140 in two days. Two weeks later it was down in the 120’s. In fact, it appears that you can get your blood pressure as low as you want, even down to zero (and you are dead), by taking enough magnesium, since a symptom of overdosing on magnesium is low blood pressure.
About ten years ago I started noticing poor vision under high-contrast situations, also called glare disability. This is a sign of cataracts beginning to form. I tried lots of different vitamins, etc. with some varying benefits. But when I started taking magnesium, immediately there was a noticeable improvement, and over the years, there has been a gradual improvement until now my night vision is as I remember it when I was much younger. This was an unexpected benefit of supplementing with magnesium.
Another totally unexpected benefit was that starting with taking magnesium, my eyeglass prescription has gradually improved from a nearsighted minus 3 diopters to about minus 1.5 diopters, and continues to improve gradually. Something I have wondered is whether this effect works in only one direction. If my eyes get to normal, will the change continue until I am farsighted? Maybe not, because I recommended magnesium to a farsighted friend, whose vision has become less farsighted by about .25 diopters over maybe 6 months. So, this is a small bit of evidence that maybe magnesium will normalize one’s vision, whether farsighted or nearsighted.
One of the most important and unexpected improvements from magnesium is that my elevated intra-ocular pressure (chronic glaucoma) has normalized.
Before starting magnesium, I noticed some hearing impairment. I found it difficult to understand people talking when there was lots of background noise, like other people talking, like at a party or banquet. This has cleared up almost completely, though possibly more than magnesium is involved.
Something else I credit to magnesium is eliminating sore joints. My shoulders and wrists suffered varying amounts of pain, sometimes to the point that I could not lift my elbow as high as my shoulder, and I could not bend my wrists back like you would do putting your hands on a table to support some of your weight. These problems are no longer noticeable. However, in this case I suspect that the magnesium received a big boost from taking kelp, a seaweed with lots of iodine and other minerals.
Another perceived benefit has been more physical stamina like when I am doing yard work.
A person with mild fibromyalgia to whom I recommended magnesium has reported that symptoms have disappeared.
It takes a long time to grow an oak tree, but it is a very strong tree. Trees which grow faster are not nearly as strong. As I said, these benefits have accrued to me gradually over several years, so it is not a quick fix like pain killers, but the benefits have been much greater.
In Conclusion, I have noticed that many people treat vitamins like medicine. That is, they take only one or two vitamins targeted for a specific condition, and when they feel better they stop. By contrast, I started sporadically taking quality multi-vitamins when I was in my early 30’s. The benefits I noticed spurred me to be more consistent as the years progressed, and I also began consuming more nutritious whole foods. So, I believe it is quite possible that my experience with magnesium might not have been nearly as good if I had not been taking a wide spectrum of vitamins and other nutrients, and consuming genuinely healthy food and avoiding unhealthy food. (There is lots of disinformation on what is healthy food, so you need to study to some depth to get to the truth.)