In the preface to Transdermal Magnesium Therapy Mark Sircus, OMD said to his readers that
the book that they held in their hands contains information that could quite literally save their
life. It certainly will extend your existence and save you and your loved ones from a
considerable amount of pain. It will help you get to sleep if you are an insomniac, increase
your energy levels and performance in sports if you are an athlete and help you avoid the
major plagues of our time, i.e., diabetes, cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders and
strokes. If you do not fall to one of these diseases your life will be extended.
Below is a list of different malfunctions or health conditions where the use of Magnesium is
very important.

Dr Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. says

Magnesium deficiency triggers or causes the following 22 conditions; the introduction of
magnesium, either by a high-magnesium diet, with green drinks, or magnesium supplements,
can help alleviate these conditions:

• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Asthma
• Blood clots
• Bowel disease
• Cystitis
• Depression
• Detoxification
• Diabetes, Syndrome X,
and Metabolic Syndrome
• Fatigue
• Heart disease
• Hypertension
• Hypoglycemia
• Insomnia
• Kidney Disease
• Liver Disease
• Migraine
• Musculoskeletal conditions
• Nerve problems
• Obstetrics and Gynecology--premenstrual syndrome, dysmenorrhea (cramping pain during
menses), infertility, premature contractions, preeclampsia, and eclampsia in pregnancy,
lessens the risk of cerebral palsy and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

• Osteoporosis
• Raynaud's Syndrome
• Tooth decay

Science and medicine have both turned their backs on magnesium. Science opts out because
the scientific methodology is defined by being able to test one thing at a time ending up with
one result. it is responsible for the correct metabolic function of over 350 enzymes in the
body. The creation of ATP (adenosine triphospate) the energy molecules of the body, the
action of the heart muscle, the proper formation of bones and teeth, relaxation of blood
vessels, and the promotion of proper bowel function are all under the guidance of magnesium.

Why Don't We Hear More About Magnesium?
Medicine has turned its back on magnesium because most of the funding for medical research
now comes from drug companies. Magnesium is not a patented drug and therefore will not be
studied by drug companies, except to try to disprove its action.
While researching my book, The Magnesium Miracle, I found that doctors have been
prescribing magnesium for heart disease since the 1930s. A review of seven major clinical
studies showed that magnesium reduced the odds of death by more than half in patients
suffering acute myocardial infarction (heart attack). One study, LIMIT-2, developed a
protocol for giving magnesium as soon as possible after onset of the heart attack and before
any other drugs. If those criteria were followed, heart muscle damage was greatly reduced,
and neither hypertension nor arrhythmia developed.

Magnesium and the Heart
During and after a heart attack, people can suffer the following:
• Extension of the area of heart damage as calcium floods into the muscle
• Blood clotting, which blocks blood vessels in the heart muscle
• Decreased blood flow as blood vessels go into spasm
• Arrhythmia as the areas where muscle contraction in the heart originate are damaged

Magnesium is able to
• Dilate blood vessels
• Prevent spasm in the heart muscle and blood vessel walls
• Counteract the action of calcium, which increases spasm
• Help dissolve blood clots
• Dramatically lessen the site of injury and prevent arrhythmia
• Act as an antioxidant against the free radicals forming at the site of injury

One of the main reasons that heart drug digoxin becomes toxic is because there is not enough
magnesium in the body.
A drug trial called ISIS sought to disprove the effects of magnesium. In the ISIS trial the
protocol was not followed in that magnesium was not the first drug given, and often it was not
given for many hours or days after a heart attack was well established, causing widespread
damage and blood clotting. Yet, drug reps can dutifully tell their doctor clients that ISIS
proved that magnesium is worthless for heart disease! Since the LIMIT-2 and ISIS trials,
another smaller trial with only 200 people who were given magnesium at the onset of a heart
attack, experienced a 74 percent lower death rate.

In spite of the fact that heart drugs, mainly diuretics, have the bad habit of depleting
magnesium--along with potassium and even though magnesium is absolutely required for
stabilizing heart muscle activity--magnesium is not utilized properly by conventional
medicine.

Magnesium's Role in a Healthy Body
A small group of international magnesium researchers, however, have continued, against all
odds, to prove the importance of magnesium not only as a nutrient for thousands of body
processes but also as a medicine to treat magnesium-depleted health conditions. Drs. Bella
and Burton Altura are two hard-working magnesium heroes! They have performed laboratory
research and clinical research to the tune of about 1,000 studies over the past 40 years. The
Alturas personally confirmed that the 22 magnesium-related conditions, listed at the
beginning of this article, have a solid basis in science.

Dr. Burton Altura said that during his 40 years of research he was appalled at the lack of
attention given to this life-saving nutrient. He has all but given up on conventional medicine
recognizing the need for magnesium in its protocols for dozens of diseases and welcomed
books such as mine to help spread the word. Without million-dollar marketing budgets that
drug companies have for their latest drugs, nutrient research plods along--proving over and
over again their worth but never being able to get that information out to the public.
Up to 80 Percent of Americans are Magnesium-Deficient. Another reason that Dr. Altura felt
magnesium was not given its due is because there has been no lab test that will give an
accurate reading of the magnesium status in the tissues. Only one percent of magnesium of
the body is distributed in the blood, making a simple sample of magnesium in the blood
highly inaccurate. That's why most doctors who rely on blood tests for magnesium and not
magnesium deficiency signs and symptoms and realization that up to 80 percent of the
population is deficient, will miss an important diagnosis.

There's even more to the actual way magnesium works. It exists in the body either as active
magnesium ions or as inactive magnesium complexes bound to proteins or other substances.
A magnesium ion is a group of atoms that is missing an electron, which makes it excitable as
it searches to attach to something that will replace its missing electron.
Magnesium ions constitute the most physiologically active fraction of magnesium in the
body; they are free to join in biochemical body processes and are not attached to other
substances. Most clinical laboratories only assess total "serum" magnesium, which mixes up
both active and inactive types.

The Alturas took it upon themselves to develop and research a method that would test
specifically for magnesium ions. It came about in 1987 and is called the Blood Ionized
Magnesium Test. Its accuracy has been confirmed countless times with sensitive digital
imaging microscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy and the magnesium fluorescent probe.
With this test it is now possible to directly measure the levels of magnesium ions in whole
blood, plasma and serum using ion-selective electrodes. The Alturas have used the ionized
magnesium test in hundreds of research trials on dozens of different conditions proving, for
example, that the 22 conditions listed above are related to magnesium deficiency.
Unfortunately, I'm not able to tell you that the ionized magnesium test is readily available.
The Alturas do ionized magnesium tests at their laboratory at SUNY in New York and the
testing equipment is available through an outside manufacturer to interested labs.

How to Get Enough Magnesium
How do I get enough magnesium is a question that I'm frequently asked. If there is enough
magnesium in the soil where green leafy vegetables, nuts, and seeds are grown then we have a
chance to obtain magnesium from our diet. Organic foods may have more magnesium, but
only if farmers replenish their soil with magnesium-rich fertilizers. Most fertilizer used on
factory farms relies heavily on nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium to make plants grow and
appear healthy.

However, if magnesium and other minerals and micronutrients are not introduced the plants
may look good but are not packed with the nutrition we need. Growers should be required to
use top-quality fertilizers and should test their crops for the long list of nutrients we need to
stay healthy.

In general, to get as much magnesium as possible in the diet, eat plenty of organic leafy green
vegetables, nuts and seeds every day. Adding green drinks to your menu will help you
achieve a higher magnesium status.

However, if you are suffering from the following
symptoms you may need supplemental magnesium:

• muscle twitches
• tics
• spasms
• "Charlie horse" (the muscle spasm that occurs when you stretch your legs)
• stiff and aching muscles
• headaches
• cluster headaches
• migraines
• diabetes
• PMS
• depression
• chronic fatigue syndrome
• stress
• anxiety
• nervousness
• high-strung
• hyperactivity
• hypertension
• high blood pressure
• constipation
• heart attack
• stroke
• angina
• irregular heartbeat
• weakness
• kidney stones
• attention deficit disorder
• confusion
• muscle weakness
• seizures
• exhaustion from exercise
• back pain
• hypoglycemia
• osteoporosis
• aging
• aggressive behavior
• hiccups
• insomnia or restless sleep
• bones and joints that need continued chiropractic
• eczema
• psoriasis

Directions for the use of Magnesium: