It doesn’t get as much attention is vitamin heroes like vitamin C but getting enough of the mineral magnesium is essential to your health. A magnesium deficiency can seriously affect your health.

It’s best known as the supplement that can help ease up muscle cramps. But, that’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of magnesium’s long list of ‘jobs’. Sure, it plays a role in nerve and muscle function but it’s also important for your bone health, blood sugar, hormonal balance, metabolism and more. In fact, magnesium plays a role in over 300 of your body’s metabolic functions!

Magnesium deficiency and getting enough

Ideally, we should be consuming at least 300mg of magnesium a day. You can find it in foods like dark leafy greens such as spinach and kale, seeds and nuts, beans, fruits like avocados and bananas and vegetables like peas and green beans. (You can even find magnesium in raw cocoa so that slab of 99% dark chocolate should count as medicine, right?)

Unfortunately, not everyone gets as much magnesium as they need, and this isn’t always linked to poor diet. Type 2 diabetes or the use of diuretics cause an increase in urination which can result in an increased loss of magnesium. Then there’s your gut. As we get older our gastrointestinal tracts aren’t able to absorb the nutrients they used to, particularly magnesium. Also, if you’re suffering from a condition like dysbiosis (an overgrowth of unhealthy bacteria in the gut), leaky gut (when the gut becomes permeable and food, including nutrients, escape into the bloodstream) or Celiac disease. The result of these could be a chronic magnesium deficiency.

So, what are the symptoms of magnesium deficiency?

You can have a magnesium deficiency for a while and experience no symptoms, but they will eventually creep up on you. Here are a few to look out for.

– Tingly fingers and toes

Magnesium and nerve health go hand in hand. You might feel a tingle in your extremities or like your limb has fallen asleep.

– Cramps

Ever been woken up by a calf that’s gone into a spasm? It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re low on magnesium but if it happens all the time there’s a good chance you are. Also, while the cramp often occurs in the legs, in can affect any muscle. Doctors suspect it’s caused by an increased flow of calcium into the nerve cells which overexcites them.

– A faux flu

A loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and muscle weakness are often associated with having the flu or even food poisoning. However, if they don’t go away it could be low magnesium related.

– You’re feeling moody

Low magnesium levels can also affect your mood and increase your risk of depression. If you’ve been feeling ‘weepy’ or ‘numb’, more anxious than usual or simply out of sorts don’t discount the power of nutrition, or a lack of it, as a cause.

– Listen to your heart

A lack of magnesium may cause your potassium levels to plummet with it. As a result, this can affect the cells of your heart muscle. If you feel like your heart is beating faster or slower than usual, or even skipping a beat, be sure to talk to your doctor.

Beat it

Getting enough magnesium from your diet is ideal. But, if you’re struggling to get enough balanced meals on the table, consider a magnesium supplement. However, if your deficiency is related to poor gut health, a supplement isn’t going to help. Great news though, you can bypass your gastrointestinal tract entirely. Invest in an intravenous (IV) infusion therapy.

It’s the easiest way to get exactly what you need. IV infusion therapy delivers optimal nutrition directly to your bloodstream and bypasses all the organs. Several different IV infusion cocktails are available at Health Renewal. These IV infusions make use of magnesium, among other vital nutrients.

After an initial consultation, a doctor will be able to prescribe the ideal cocktail best suited to your needs. Chances are you’ll need several of them, not just one. However, you can make the appointment something to look forward to by including an add-on pampering treatment like a mini mani or pedi. Taking good care of your health never sounded quite so indulgent!

In conclusion

Getting enough magnesium is essential. Knowing the signs of a deficiency is important because then you can take the best measures to ensure you’re consuming the right amount. Whether it be via your diet, supplementation or IV infusion therapy that completely bypasses the gut to ensure optimal nutrition through supplementation.