Lack of Magnesium Linked to Aging and Calcification The average American consumes only 40% of the RDA of Magnesium. 90% of the North American population is magnesium deficient. Magnesium is useful in preventing unwanted calcification in the kidneys, bladder, and in the joints. If a diet is high in phosphorus (common in meats and soda drinks), the phosphate binds up the magnesium into magnesium phosphate, which isn't absorbed.  The higher the protein you consume, the more magnesium is needed. When large amounts of calcium are consumed, you need more magnesium. Rabbits just can't take a high cholesterol diet.  Their blood fat level goes up, and they get severe arteriosclerosis/atherosclerosis.  However, if you feed them five times the recommended daily allowance of magnesium, their cholesterol goes down and they don't get arteriosclerosis. In many cases of individuals suffering from irritability, the blood has shown low values for magnesium. Magnesium ensures the strength and firmness of the bones and makes the teeth harder. Children with magnesium deficiency are very often mentally backward. Heart palpitations/arrhythmia usually clear up quite dramatically with 500mg. magnesium one to two times a day. The chemical reaction of magnesium is alkaline (acid binding).  It regulates the acid-alkaline balance of the body. Without sufficient magnesium one cannot control the adrenals.  This lack of control can result in diabetes, hyperexcitability, nervousness, mental confusion and difficulty coping with simple day-to-day problems.  Depressed and suicidal people often display inadequate levels of  magnesium. Magnesium is one of the nutrients needed to lose weight.  It helps induce passage of nutrients in and out of cells and thus affects the life process.  It also controls metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, resulting in more normal nutritional levels. Japanese investigators have discovered that magnesium will relieve asthmatic attacks.  They give it intravenously for acute asthma and orally for prevention. Human Cell's Power Plant The power plant of a human cell is called the "mitochondrion".  This is what generates energy for the cell to use.  A problem arises when the cell is low in magnesium, relative to calcium.  Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the "energy currency" of the cell, is magnesium dependent.  This means it is obvious that the calcium pump at the cell membrane is also magnesium dependent.  The low levels of available magnesium inhibit the generation of energy, and the low levels of energy inhibit the calcium pump. The end result is that the mitochondrion, the powerhouse of the cell and the entire body, becomes calcified.  This is the beginning of aging.  It all starts in the cell.  First the cells age.  This leads to organ aging, and after organs  age, individual aging occurs.  This means that every function of your body can be inhibited when the mitochondria calcify.  It's like going through life with the emergency brakes on. Calcium is the brake; magnesium is the accelerator.  To be in optimal health, there must be a balance between them.  Balance is Key Andre Voisin in his book, "Soil, Grass and Cancer", wrote: "Calcium content cannot be considered separately  without taking the other mineral elements into account.  It is the equilibria, and not the individual elements, that govern the phenomena of life." Calcification can cause a thousand illnesses.  As the body grows, the calcium migrates from the hard tissues (bones) to the soft tissues in your body.  Few understand the full scope of this program.  It is the most prevalent clinical finding in industrial cultures. Where the calcium buildup occurs depends upon your individual biochemistry.  Calcium deposits in the joints are called arthritis; in the blood vessels it is hardening of the arteries; in the heart it is heart disease, and in the brain it is senility. The calcification process develops slowly.  It occurs gradually over 10, 20, 30 years or more.  It can begin in childhood.  There is almost no soft tissue in the body that is immune from calcification, including your glands. REF:  Condensed from article by Dr. H. Ray Evers, in the Spotlight Role of Magnesium Magnesium is a vital catalyst in enzyme activity, especially the activity of those enzymes involved in energy production.  It assists in calcium and potassium uptake. A deficiency of magnesium interferes with the transmission of nerve and muscle impulses, causing irritability and nervousness. Supplementing the diet with magnesium can help prevent depression, dizziness, muscle weakness and twitching, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and also aids in maintaining the body's proper pH balance. Magnesium is necessary to prevent the calcification of soft tissue. The essential mineral protects the arterial linings from stress caused by sudden blood pressure changes, and plays a role in the formation of bone and in carbohydrate and mineral metabolism. With vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), magnesium helps to reduce and dissolve calcium phosphate kidney stones. Recent research has shown that magnesium may help prevent cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and certain forms of cancer, and it may reduce cholesterol levels.  It is effective in preventing premature labour and convulsions in pregnant women. Magnesium combined with vitamin B6 may prevent calcium oxalate kidney stones. Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency Possible manifestations of Magnesium deficiency include confusion, insomnia, irritability, poor digestion, rapid heartbeat, seizures, and tantrums. Often a magnesium deficiency can be synonymous with diabetes. Magnesium deficiencies are at the root of many cardiovascular problems. Magnesium deficiency may be a major cause of fatal cardiac arrhythmia, hypertension, and sudden cardiac arrest, as well as asthma, chronic fatigue, chronic pain syndromes, depression, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, and pulmonary disorders. Sources of Magnesium Magnesium is found in most foods, especially dairy products, fish, meat, and seafood. Other rich food sources include apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, blackstrap molasses, brewer's yeast, brown rice, cantaloupe, dulse, figs, garlic, grapefruit, green leafy vegetables, kelp, lemons, lima beans, millet, nuts, peaches, blackeyed peas, salmon, sesame seeds, torula yeast, watercress, wheat, and whole grains. Herbs that contain magnesium include alfalfa, bladderwrack, catnip, cayenne, chamomile, chickweed, dandelion, eyebright, fennel seed, fenugreek, hops, horsetail, lemongrass, licorice, mullein, nettle, oat straw, paprika, parsley, peppermint, raspberry leaf, red clover, sage, shepherd's purse, yarrow, and yellow dock. In supplement form, amino acid-chelated magnesium and calcium in perfect balance (half as much magnesium as calcium) is the preferred form. Can be purchased as magnesium oxide (250 mg. strength equals 150 mg. per tablet).  Also is available in multivitamin and mineral preparations.  Supplements of magnesium should not be taken after meals, since the mineral does neutralize stomach acidity. Notes: The consumption of alcohol, the use of diuretics, diarrhea, the presence of  fluoride, and high levels of zinc and vitamin D all increase the body's need for magnesium. The consumption of large amounts of fats, cod liver oil, calcium, vitamin D, and protein decrease magnesium absorption. Fat-soluble vitamins also hinder the absorption of magnesium, as do foods high in oxalic acid, such as almonds, chard, cocoa, rhubarb, spinach, and tea. According to Michael O'Brien, renowned international enzyme expert, there is no mechanism in the body to store magnesium. REF:  Condensed from Prescription for Nutritional Healing Dr. James F. Balch, & Dr. Phyllis A. Balch