A LITTLE ABOUT MAGNESIUM
By now, most of us have heard about magnesium and its health benefits. If you’ve done a bit of reading, you’ve most likely read that most oral magnesium supplements are destroyed in the digestive tract and that transdermal magnesium oil is the way to go.
But just as a refresher course - or in case you’re just beginning to learn about magnesium - here are some bullet points:
Magnesium is necessary for over 800 functions in our bodies. I can’t even think of 800 bodily functions off the top of my head - can you?
MUSCLES AND MAGNESIUM:
Our muscles - including our hearts - need calcium to contract, and magnesium to relax. If you’ve ever had a muscle contraction, you know what I’m talking about when I say we want that thing to relax, and fast!
Magnesium will do that - and even prevent a painful contraction. Same with twitchy muscles and eye tics. Keep your magnesium handy, and people won’t wonder why you keep winking at them.
ANXIETY, STRESS & MAGNESIUM:
Magnesium is the calming mineral: remember how it helps our muscles to relax? It also helps our emotions to relax.
Chronic anxiety is a sure sign that we need to be reaching for the magnesium bottle.
And who among us lives a stress-free life? Even good stress is stress: new job, new home, new marriage, new baby - our bodies react not only to ‘bad stress’ but also to these ‘good times’ in our lives.
Stress is a fact of life even for the most relaxed among us - and stress robs us of magnesium. You can read more about it here.
DIABETES AND MAGNESIUM:
Magnesium lowers your risk for Type II diabetes. And if you already have diabetes, it helps to regulate glucose and insulin metabolism.
DIGESTIVE ISSUES & MAGNESIUM:
Not to sound like a broken record, but there’s that ‘contract and relax’ thing again. Magnesium helps to relax your intestinal walls in the case of constipation, and it draws water into the stool, making it easier to pass. (Take note: if you’re getting plenty of calcium and not enough magnesium, that’s one cause of constipation.)
Magnesium is also the main ingredient in pretty much any laxative. Enough said.
Diarrhea and problems with absorption also rob our bodies of magnesium.
MIGRAINES AND MAGNESIUM:
Magnesium deficiency can be one cause of migraines, if not THE cause. During a migraine, blood vessels are constricted along with muscle tension.
Everyone say it with me: ‘magnesium relaxes muscles and blood vessels.’
IN THE MEANTIME,
we’ve already discussed that most oral magnesium gets destroyed in the digestive tract, and can cause diarrhea and cramping.
So what’s a body to do? Glad you asked, because transdermal magnesium oil is the thing we’re talking about today.
Transdermal magnesium oil is just magnesium that you rub on your skin. Whatever goes on our skin goes into our systems, so be careful what you’re rubbing in.
The good news is that magnesium oil goes straight into our system, bypassing the digestive tract, enzymes and juices, and gets to work for us without the pesky cramping and diarrhea.
If you’ve ever spent a day at the beach in the salt water, you’ve probably noticed your skin feels a bit gritty or salty afterwards. The same thing happens when we rub magnesium oil on our skin.
Some people don’t mind it and some people do. For those that don’t like the feeling, just wait at least 20 minutes after applying it before washing it off.
Most of us who’ve already been using magnesium oil have noticed perhaps a tingly sensation after rubbing it in. The feeling goes away after a few applications.
It’s not unpleasant for most people, but if you find it annoying, you can dilute your oil with a little bit of water or coconut oil.
Big word of caution: don’t get it near cuts or sensitive areas. I once discovered a paper cut on my hand that I didn’t know I had until I got some magnesium oil on it.
A good rule of thumb is to use a minimum of one teaspoon a day (30 sprays), every day. Most of us need at least double that, and if you have some chronic physical problems, you’ll probably want to use a whole lot more for awhile.
Rub it wherever it hurts, or wherever you’re tight or sore, or rub it into the soles of your feet. It’s going to take a few minutes to rub it in, so plan for that.
The body starts to enjoy the effects of the oil right away - and you may notice the benefits right away - but it also can take awhile to build up your magnesium levels, so be patient and be consistent to use your oil.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
These are just some bullet points on magnesium and why we need it, but if you’d like to read a bit more about how magnesium helps in so many other ways, subscribe to our mailing list to get our free ebook:
