Magnesium is to minerals what vitamin D is to vitamins. As the “master mineral” and superstar of over 300 key metabolic functions, it reigns supreme in the mineral kingdom.

However, not all magnesium supplements are created equal.

If high blood pressure, leg cramps, migraines, anxiety, irritability, depression, heart disease, unstable blood sugar or insomnia are still challenging your well-being, read on…

As the premiere heart mineral, magnesium is absolutely key for cardiovascular health. In fact, one study states that magnesium should be available for immediate use in all emergency departments. It is so important that many doctors and surgeons administer magnesium prior to some heart surgeries.

Magnesium’s benefits for heart palpitations can reduce the occurrence of many life threatening situations. However, up to 92% of hospitalized patients don’t have their magnesium levels tested—this is a big concern considering that as many as 80% of patients in the ICU are considered magnesium deficient!

Studies dating back 100 years confirm magnesium’s star power. Not only is this magnificent mineral essential for major metabolic functions, magnesium is also the ONLY mineral linked to all of today’s “Fearsome Foursome”—cancer, stroke, diabetes and heart disease.

Another surprising research finding shows that low magnesium (not just calcium) can lead to low vitamin D. Because low magnesium levels create resistance to some of the effects of vitamin D, many individuals taking vitamin D may not be reaping the true benefits! Individuals over 50 are especially at risk as most aren’t reaching the USDA’s daily average intake, let alone the Vitamin D Council’s suggestion of 5,000 IU/day for adults.

So why are up to 80% of Americans STILL magnesium deficient?

Your body requires around 500 to 1,000mg of magnesium a day, whereas in reality most of us only get one half of that and lose it as fast as we can.

Today, Americans depend upon magnesium to reduce depression, frequent nocturnal awakenings, food cravings, and of course, blood sugar stabilization. Even more of us are eating healthier (think green smoothies, almonds, and sea veggies) which happen to be exceedingly rich sources of dietary magnesium.

By now you may also be supplementing with this miracle molecule, but chances are you’re missing out because the type of magnesium supplement you’re taking cannot get to the right places.

How are we losing it?

First off, magnesium is a primo detox mineral. It is used up minute-by-minute to counteract stressors like food allergies and intolerances, prescription drugs, and exposure to heavy metals—especially aluminum. It also prevents kidney stone formation and even ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder).

Given our busier than ever lifestyles, the body’s main use of magnesium is simply dealing with mental and physical stress. This adaptogenic mineral is being used up faster than we can possibly take it in.

Inefficient magnesium supplements with non-ideal co-factors combined with escalating environmental assaults are leaving nearly 100% of us magnesium starved. Symptoms of magnesium deficiency range from facial twitches, to Alzheimer’s, blood clots, chronic fatigue and osteoporosis.

Unfortunately, the most popular co-factors found in magnesium supplements—oxide and citrate—function as laxatives that primarily target the GI tract.

To support stressed hearts and overworked brains, new research reveals most Americans may need more optimized magnesium cofactors. This is where carriers such as glycinate and taurinate come into play targeting specific organs not supported by standard magnesium supplements. [best magnesium supplement]

In addition, magnesium malate and orotate are gaining steam for their ability to soothe and calm tight muscles, while significantly improving stamina and long term energy throughout the day.

The Magnesium Cofactor Must Haves

Glycinate, Malate, Taurinate and Orotate are the best forms of magnesium for head-to-toe optimal health. They are more effectively absorbed to support organ systems and bodily functions than any other forms.

• Magnesium Glycinate – For Your Mind

  • Controls anxiety, irritability, insomnia, concentration and hysteria
  • Minimizes laxative effects and is the least likely form to induce diarrhea
  • Corrects long term deficiencies
  • Reduces numbness, crying and depression
  • Increases mental calmness and relaxation

• Magnesium Taurinate – For Your Heart

  • Supports healthy heart function
  • Prevents migraines
  • Suppresses heart palpitations and arrhythmias

• Magnesium Malate – For Your Muscles

  • Treats fibromyalgia
  • Calms muscle fatigue
  • Manages PMS, and headaches
  • Supports digestion (so take with meals)
  • Increases energy production

• Magnesium Orotate – For Your Body

  • Enhances athletic performance
  • Boosts DNA formation and heart repair and function

Besides taking a magnesium supplement with particular cofactors, it is also extremely important that a comprehensive magnesium supplement contains vitamin B6 (especially in the activated Pyridoxal 5 Phosphate targeted form). B6 determines how much magnesium will be absorbed by the cells in the first place.

Magnesium Sources in Food

Of course, diet remains the best supply of any mineral including magnesium. Here’s a list of the best sources to shore up your magnesium stores:

Also keep in mind that there additional methods of absorption including transdermal magnesium chloride oil spray, and of course epsom salt baths (magnesium sulfate).

Magnesium Deficiency Testing

The best assessment of magnesium levels is by far the Magnesium Red Blood Cell Blood Test aka MagRBC blood test. It provides a more accurate indication of magnesium deficiency than a regular blood serum test can offer, since an RBC test evaluates your intracellular magnesium where magnesium lives.

When you talk on your cell phone, are you holding it at least one inch away from your head? Probably not. When the conversation is over, do you carry your phone in an approved carrying case, or do you slip it into your pants pocket, maybe even your bra?

If so, you are like most people who are unknowingly violating the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) standards for cell phone radiation safety! So, why the need for cell phone radiation safety standards?

Cell phones emit radiofrequency (RF) energy, a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation that has major biological effects. According to the scientific literature, RF causes the body to emit 20 different kinds of stress hormones, can trigger blood-brain barrier leaks, and is responsible for DNA breaks, chromosome aberrations, sleep disorders, calcium dysregulation of the cell membrane, jumbled neurotransmitters and reduction of melatonin and glutathione secretion.

In a nutshell, using a cell phone is like putting your head in a microwave oven! Since 2011, electromagnetic radiation from mobile devices has been labeled a “possible human carcinogen” by the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Cell phone radiation levels have been clinically proven to increase localized glucose metabolism in the brain, which leads to the creation of free radicals that cause oxidative damage and increase our likelihood of cancer.

An investigative documentary, Mobilize explores the potential health impact from cell phone radiation levels.

Who sets the standards?

The FCC regulates all of the United States interstate and international radio, television, wire, satellite and cable communications. They create and uphold communications law, regulation and technological innovation—which includes cell phone radiation safety standards.

How does the FCC determine the “safe” amount of RF exposure?

1996 was the last time the FCC evaluated cell phone radiation safety, when there were a mere 44 million cell phones in use.

Today, more than 300 million Americans are using cell phones—and they’re not just for making calls anymore. The way that we use mobile devices, as well as the technology involved has changed dramatically since the FCC’s assessment of cell phone radiation levels.

“Powerful industrial entities have a vested interest in leading the public to believe that EMF and RFR, which we cannot see, taste, or touch, are harmless,” notes Harvard Medical School pediatric neurologist Martha Herbert, PhD, MD.But, “cell towers can exert a disorganizing effect on the ability to learn and remember, and can also be destabilizing to immune and metabolic function.”

The FCC uses Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) to measure the rate at which the body absorbs RF radiation. Currently, 1.6 watts per kilogram (W/kg) averaged over 1 gram of body tissue is the allowable SAR in the United States. The European standard is over 5 times more stringent at a level of 2.0 watts per kilogram over 10 grams of body tissue. It’s time that our standards for cell phone radiation levels here in the U.S.A. are reevaluated!

Even based on the FCC’s antiquated standards for cell phone radiation levels, mobile manufacturers are still required to include a safety statement with their phones, saying that users should not have the phone within one inch of their body while the mobile device is transmitting or receiving a signal. FYI—your phone is ALWAYS transmitting and receiving signals!

But, of course, this statement is buried in the fine print of the owner’s manual, which is—you guessed it, available only online.

This is a direct quote from the manual of an iPhone:

“iPhone’s SAR measurement may exceed the FCC exposure guidelines for body-worn operation if positioned less than 15 mm (5/8 inch) from the body (e.g., when carrying iPhone in your pocket).”

Many studies of cell phone radiation safety have been flawed—either by sole funding from the cell phone industry, or by monitoring and self-reporting on short durations of cell phone use.The long term implications of cell phone radiation levels need to be studied, as there are strong suspicions and many medical cases that point to a correlation of cell phone use with hyperactivity and anger issues in children, and even brain cancers like glioma and meningioma in adults.

Cell Phone Safe Handling Tips:

• Use speakerphone or an air-tube headset for all conversations.
• Do not carry your phone on your body! Use a purse or an approved carrying holster.
• Do not take calls or use 3G or 4G while traveling in a vehicle, as the RF increases when the phone is constantly trying to connect to new cell towers for coverage.
• Do not let young children use cell phones for entertainment.
• If possible, turn off your cell phone at night, or at least keep it out of the bedroom.

Protective Dietary Precautions:

When it comes to RF protective nutrition, add all natural whey protein powder and a natural melatonin supplement to your current regimen. Whey provides essential amino acids that act as precursors to glutathione—your body’s antioxidant powerhouse that is decimated by electromagnetic radiation.

Eating glutathione-rich broccoli sprouts will also help, as will taking a melatonin supplement to ensure optimum levels of this uber antioxidant hormone, especially at night.

RF diminishes melatonin production, impacting sleep and restoration of the body. Unlike other antioxidants, melatonin is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and neutralize free radicals that are destructive to cell membranes.

Like it or not, cell phones are this generation’s cigarettes—it will take years before we realize the full effects. Make sure you practice safe phone use now, so you don’t suffer the consequences later.

Share this blog with friends and family, and make sure to view the movie Mobilize to start the conversation about cell phone radiation safety!

Although temperatures are still plummeting with record-breaking cold, spring is right around the corner, according to the calendar.

Here are some easy fixes and home remedies that can prepare your body for spring and clear up any painful mysterious maladies along the way:

Start with Castor Oil…

Feeling blah? A castor oil pack is used to stimulate the liver and gallbladder as well as to draw toxins out of your body by triggering lymphatic drainage.

It is also used topically to remove brown spots, crow’s feet, as well as lessen the pain from neuralgia and myelin sheath degeneration. The use of castor oil packs often result in a remarkable sense of well-being, and decrease elevated cholesterol and liver enzyme levels in the process.

You will need: 100 percent pure, cold-pressed castor oil; wool (not cotton) flannel; and a heating pad.

To do the treatment, follow these easy steps:

• Fold the wool flannel into three or four layers and soak it with castor oil.
• Place the soaked flannel in a baking dish and heat it slowly in the oven until it’s hot to your touch.
• Lie down, gently rub 3 tablespoons of castor oil on your abdomen, then place the soaked flannel across your abdomen.
• Cover the soaked flannel with plastic wrap or a plastic garbage bag.
• Finally, cover the soaked flannel and plastic with the heating pad for 1 hour, and keep it comfortably hot (but not too hot).

When you finish, wash the oil from your abdomen. You can keep the oil soaked flannel sealed in plastic wrap or place it in a plastic storage bag for further use, since castor oil does not become rancid as quickly as many other oils.

Dial Down Pain and Inflammation with Cayenne Pepper…

It does much more than create a tongue-tingling meal. Known as a thermogenic spice so helpful in kickstarting weight loss,  one of Cayenne’s most promising health benefits is its little-known role in managing pain and tamping down inflammation.

How does it work?

According to orthopedic dentist, Dr. Dwight Jennings, cayenne actually helps to eliminate Substance P, the body’s pain neurotransmitter that is a signal of system inflammation. Amazingly, improper jaw alignment and TMJ issues are a primary physiological cause of Substance P which can manifest as unresolved eczema, vitiligo, seizures, neuropathy, and brain dysfunction. (Interestingly, the other substance is vanilla).

Adding a sprinkle of cayenne to your hot water and lemon in the morning or a dash in your morning smoothie will help to eliminate Substance P and reduce the cascading inflammatory response.

In addition, cayenne helps keep the heart healthy and strong. As most of us can attest, cayenne is also a diaphoretic—a sweat-inducing  substance. Its hotness comes from a high concentration of capsicum—a substance that has been firing up the circulation for centuries. It gives cayenne the power to get the blood pumping efficiently, stimulate the body’s metabolic rate, and help clean fat out of the arteries.

Cayenne is also great to reduce blood pressure. You can experience fairly rapid blood pressure-lowering results by taking one-half to one teaspoon of cayenne mixed with a glass of warm water twice daily.

Here’s a potentially life-saving cayenne pepper tip:

If you or a loved one starts to feel pain in the chest, left arm, or shoulder that signals the beginning of a heart attack, besides calling 911 and/or administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), chew an aspirin and take a tablespoon of Tabasco or two cayenne pepper capsules. The latter can help stabilize heart function until help arrives!

Have a home remedy tip? I’d love to hear it, please share!