According to report by the World Health Organization published in 2006, the majority of the world’s population is magnesium deficient.

Below is a list of symptoms and behaviours that can identify a need for magnesium.

1. Alcohol intake – more than seven drinks per week

2. Anger

3. Angina

4. Anxiety

5. Apathy

6. Arrhythmia of the heart

7. Asthma

8. Blood tests (low calcium/low potassium/low magnesium)

9. Bowel problems (undigested fat in stool / constipation / diarrhoea / alternating constipation and diarrhoea / IBS / crohn’s / colitis)

10. Brain Trauma

11. Bronchitis

12. Caffeine (coffee / tea / chocolate) – more than three servings per day

13. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

14. Cold extremities (hands and feet)

15. Concentration difficulties

16. Confusion

17. Convulsions

18. Depression

19. Diabetes (type I / type II / gestational diabetes)

20. Fibromyalgia

21. Food intake imbalances (limited intake green leafy vegetables, seeds and fresh fruit / high protein)

22. Food cravings (carbohydrates / chocolate / salt / junk food)

23. Gagging or choking on food

24. Headaches

25. Heart disease

26. Heart- rapid rate

27. High blood pressure

28. Homocysteinuria

29. Hyperventilation

30. Hyperactivity

31. Infertility

32. Insomnia

33. Irritability

34. Kidney stones

35. Medications (digitalis / diuretics / antibiotics / steroids / oral contraceptives / indomethacin / cisplatin / amphotericin b / cholestyramine / synthetic estrogens)

36. Memory impairment

37. Mercury amalgam dental fillings

38. Menstrual pain and cramps

39. Migraines

40. Mineral supplements (calcium without magnesium / zinc without magnesium / iron without magnesium)

41. Mitral valve prolapse

42. Muscle cramps or spasms

43. Muscle twitching or tics

44. Muscle weakness

45. Numbness of hands or feet

46. Osteoporosis

47. Paranoia

48. Parathyroid hyperactivity

49. PMS

50. Polycystic ovarian disease

51. Pregnancy (currently pregnant / pregnant within a year / history of preeclampsia or eclampsia / postpartum depression / have a child with cerebral palsy)

52. Radiation therapy, recent

53. Raynaud’s syndrome

54. Restlessness

55. Sexual energy diminished

56. Shortness of breath

57. Smoking

58. Startled easily by noise

59. Stressful life or circumstances

60. Stroke

61. Sugar, high intake daily

62. Syndrome X

63. Thyroid hyperactivity

64. Tingling of hands or feet

65. Transplants (kidney / liver)

66. Tremor of the hands

67. Water that contains fluoride/chlorine/calcium

68. Wheezing

There have been indications of magnesium deficiency being associated with the following:

i) ADD / ADHD

ii) Auto immune disorders

iii) Skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis

iv) Systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

v) Tension

vi) Ulcerative colitis

vii) Osteoarthritis

Generally speaking, you become more deficient the more hectic your life is, the more you expose yourself to stress and the less you take care of your diet. Living in an urban environment does not help either as air; light, noise and water pollution all contribute to you becoming magnesium deficient.

It is not always easy to eliminate or reduce the factors that contribute to magnesium deficiency. You need to earn a living and going through stress is often something that is unavoidable in order to bring home a pay check. Stress is not something a student can tune out during the examination periods. But the ability to deal with stress might be something that can be worked on and Magnesium can play a role in this.

Source: Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., ‘The Magnesium Miracle’, (New York: Ballantine Books, 2007) pp. 16-20

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