ATMS Journal Winter 2024 (Public Version) | Page 37

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The body can , in contrast , absorb a lot of magnesium chloride because chloride , being the most abundant negative ion widely used in the body , is taken up readily ( with the magnesium ). The majority of people tended to enjoy magnesium chloride soaks and found them very effective to satisfy deficiency issues .
After a while , however , many people tended to get a bit lazy with magnesium soaking after their aches , pains and cramps had dissipated and the enthusiasm had waned . Some got too busy after their energy levels improved . Invariably , the cycle of magnesium deficiency symptoms would return because of excessive stress , combined with lower magnesium supply via poor diet or digestion and absorption issues , and their need for increased magnesium soaking would thus return . The body needs magnesium every day . It ’ s as important as regular intake of water for cellular function .
I realised that we needed to find a way to incorporate magnesium supplementation into easy lifestyle practices . To counteract this ‘ yo yo ’ bathing supply system we created a range of transdermal magnesium products for skin and muscle care , all made with natural and organic ingredients , infused with food grade magnesium chloride . The range caters for all skin types and age groups so that people can select products that they like to use every day , that increase their magnesium uptake and that provide anti-ageing skin care at the same time .
This was a very important pathway in that it offered psychological benefits for the user , as they did not experience any sticky , itchy or irritating residue on the skin , as is often experienced with pure magnesium oil . This strategy made it much easier to incorporate transdermal magnesium into daily lifestyle habits .
By about 2012 we started to see some competitors emerging in the marketplace , supplying magnesium oil , which is a solution of magnesium chloride and water . Their promotional message was relief of cramps and pain . So , people purchased those products and duly relieved cramps and pain . But what did they do next ? They left the bottle in the cupboard along with their aspirins and waited for the next case of cramps and pain to emerge . They treated the magnesium oil like a medication .
Why magnesium chloride ?
We treat magnesium chloride in solution as food that the body can absorb either via the intestinal lining or via skin . It ’ s mineral water that we can both drink and bathe in . The research has consistently shown that magnesium chloride salt is the most bioavailable form of magnesium . Inside cells the most common electrolytes are potassium , magnesium and chloride . Magnesium chloride , once dissolved , is already in the right form for cellular uptake without further digestion .
The difference of uptake relies on : 1 ) the concentration of magnesium chloride , and 2 ) the membrane surface sensitivity where it is absorbed ( colon or skin ). Let ’ s look at how magnesium is absorbed via the colon . When you drink magnesium mineral water , a common magnesium food , it has a light concentration of magnesium salt which easily passes across the gut wall .
If you had about 80mg of magnesium per litre of drinking water and drank 3 litres over 24 hours , you would get the majority of the magnesium accessing the interior of the body . However , if you consumed all of the 240mg of magnesium in one bolus , most would be lost in the toilet due to the sensitivity of the gut mucosal lining – which can feel especially irritated in cases of leaky gut , Crohn ’ s disease or ulcerative colitis .
In an intestinal absorption study of 2017 , researchers concluded , “ The relative Mg2 + uptake is higher when the mineral is ingested in multiple low doses throughout the day compared to a single large intake of Mg2 +.” 1
Of course , if the goal of drinking a high concentration of magnesium is to loosen stool and alleviate constipation , then that is an appropriate treatment , but remember that most of that magnesium will not be making it to the interior .
The digestive system is a very complex tract where food has to be digested and broken down , with the nutrients separated from what we don ’ t need , and absorbed from the gut to the interior of the body . There are a lot of areas where this complex machinery can have malfunctions – most particularly under stress , because stress suppresses digestion .
The more you look into the research the more you will find that stress is a fundamental precursor to all disease states , and the more stress and trauma , the more magnesium is lost in the urine , with consequent depletion of health . This applies to any kind of stress , both physical and emotional . Athletes , pregnant women , those working night shift or prone to chronic anxiety can all become particularly magnesium deficient and may need to replenish with much higher than normal amounts – as much as two or three times the average recommended intake , or well over 1,000mg per day . Oral doses at these higher rates can present potential problems for the gut .
Those with kidney issues also lose alkali salts ( including magnesium ) too quickly , making it difficult for the body to balance pH , leading to acidosis , which is always associated with low magnesium reserves . Transdermal magnesium absorption is the safest way to replenish magnesium for those with high-end needs because the body self regulates uptake via skin .
How do those with high-end magnesium needs recover their cellular cache ?
This is one of the biggest challenges facing those recovering from illness . Our food supply has become magnesium depleted over time , with less than half the magnesium content in most supermarket foods that we used to have in the 1960 ’ s . As stress and illness suppress digestion ,
JATMS | Winter 2024 | 97