Magnesium: The Most Important Mineral & Why You're Probably Mag-Deficient

Magnesium is arguably the most important mineral you can take. And yet, most people are deficient: nearly 80 percent of the population is lacking magnesium. The body doesn’t make magnesium on its own, so you have to get it in your diet and/or through a supplement, but getting enough magnesium in your diet can be difficult. 

Why is magnesium so important? It's necessary for bone formation, energy production, regulating blood pressure and to maintain a healthy heart. Magnesium is also essential for breaking down glucose and fat, protein synthesis, producing the antioxidant glutathione, nerve function, regulating cholesterol production and producing proteins and antioxidants. BMC Bioinformatics published a study that showed the human body has nearly 4,000 magnesium binding sites. That means magnesium's benefits are far greater than we once thought.

Since your body uses magnesium for many different functions, you can become low in magnesium quickly -- especially if you are not consuming enough high-magnesium foods.

Studies show that a magnesium deficiency can lead to:

Some things also contribute to a magnesium deficiency, including:

• Taking calcium supplements or consuming large amounts found in calcium-rich foods

• Cigarette-smoking, regular pot-smoking

• Consuming a lot of sugar or phytic acid

• Excessive alcohol consumption

• Leaky gut or Crohn's Disease

• Fibromyalgia

• Menopause or taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

• Getting older

• Taking certain medications like antacids, acid blockers, diuretics, blood pressure medicine, antibiotics, corticosteroids, asthma medication, chemotherapy drugs and insulin

• Constant stress

• Consuming refined processed foods

• Just having major surgery

So why aren't people talking about magnesium deficiency? Only 1 percent of magnesium is found in your blood (it's primarily stored in your bones and organs), rendering blood tests for magnesium rather useless. It's also a reason why magnesium deficiencies are often overlooked.

How can you reverse a magnesium deficiency to help prevent chronic illness and keep your metabolism running smoothly? Two services we offer at Radiance Float + Wellness -- Float Therapy and IV Nutrient Therapy -- are especially effective for correcting magnesium depletion.

Float Therapy

Our float rooms have 1,000 pounds of pharmaceutical-grade magnesium sulphate (Epsom salt) in each room. Floating for an hour helps your skin absorb magnesium. In fact, this is one of the best ways to get magnesium into your bloodstream and tissue.

IV Nutrient Therapy

As one of the only places in St. Louis that offers IV vitamin drips, most of our formulas are rich in magnesium. IV Nutrient Therapy bypasses the gastrointestinal tract, so nutrients are immediately utilized, making it the fastest way to correct a magnesium deficiency and regain your energy levels.

Want to go from mag-deficient to magnificent? Schedule your float therapy or IV Nutrient Therapy appointment? Call us at 314-736-4736 or book your appointment online today (www.radiancestl.com).