Up to 60% of Australians, Americans and Europeans are deficient in Magnesium, a mineral that is essential for so many different metabolic pathways and bodily functions that it should really be a public health priority.
Athletes know to take extra doses of Mg after a marathon or an intense training session – to prevent painful muscle spasms and exhaustion. Children who are running and jumping all day long use up a lot of Magnesium as well and may get painful muscle cramps which are sometimes mistaken for growing pains.
Rather than filling yourself or your child up with laxatives that may have side effects (such as reducing the absorption of nutrients from your food), treat the cause of the constipation, which may be a combination of too little fibre and water in the diet, low Mg, and abnormal gut flora.
Eating more vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes can address all of those issues at once; they are high in fibre, Mg and promote healthy gut flora (in part due to the insoluble fibre that acts as a prebiotic, or food for beneficial gut bacteria).
Body temperature regulation depends on Magnesium. If you always have cold hands and feet this may be due to low Mg. Try increasing your Mg intake and see if it helps – by improving blood flow through the small vessels in your fingers and toes. In fact, Magnesium affects blood flow in every artery and vein – as these contain muscles. When they are contracted the blood flow stops, when they are relaxed, blood flows. This applies to the heart as well. Heart function and blood flow through the coronary arteries that provide the heart with nutrients and oxygen depends on Mg.
One of the most common problems I see in children is that they do not sleep enough. Many struggle to fall asleep; are anxious; have nightmares; wake in the middle of the night; or are restless and move around all night long in their bed. A child who struggles with sleep makes for exhausted parents. Mg deficiency can be a cause of sleep problems and I have seen many children's sleep improve and their parents' happiness increase once they had enough Mg in their system.
As you can see Magnesium is incredibly important for many different aspects of your and your children's health. If you want to help your children sleep well, be calm, happy, not constipated or fidgety, begin by making sure that they get enough Mg in their diet.
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Magnesium creams and lotions can do the same: rub them into your skin and they get absorbed into the body.
Dr Leila Masson is a paediatrician specialized in nutritional and environmental medicine. She has a practice in Bondi Beach, Sydney www.drleilamasson.com