Fwd: Rapid Recovery from Depression Using Magnesium Treatment

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From: "JoAnn Guest" Thu, 23 Sep 2004 23:42:24 -0000 Rapid Recovery from Depression Using Magnesium TreatmentRapid Recovery from Depression Using Magnesium Treatment JoAnn Guest Sep 23, 2004 16:25 PDT http://coldcure.com/html/dep.htmlGeorge Eby -NOTE: To avoid my spam filters read this pageRevised: February 28, 2003Welcome! This is the first (and best) of over 100,000 web pageslisted in Google.com for "magnesium and depression".Naturopathic MedicineVITAL! Collected Thoughts on DosageSum It Up In a Nutshell George Eby!---DEPRESSION: It

needlessly sucks happiness and joy out of a person and may even suck the life out too if it can't bebrought under control.I believe that curing stress- and/or diet-induced depression is extremely simple and quick using magnesium rather than drugs for many people - fortunately!Read my story and check out the facts in the links. Many links are directly to medical articles in the National Library of Medicine (PubMed) and other authoritative sources. You may find my story to be important to you.Remember my point of view that depression, and particularly stress-and/or diet-induced depression, and many other "diseases" discussedbelow are often symptoms of magnesium deficiency (either directly orindirectly through excess stress) and not diseases.The National Institute of Health (NIH) reports that a sign ofmagnesium deficiency is depression. NIH defined magnesium deficiency symptoms have three

categories:Early symptoms include (one or more) irritability, anxiety(including Obsessive Compulsion Disorder (OCD) and Tourettesyndrome), anorexia, fatigue, insomnia, and muscle twitching. Othersymptoms include apathy, confusion, poor memory, poor attention andthe reduced ability to learn.(NOTE: If this essay appears difficult to understand, consider your magnesium status.)Moderate deficiency symptoms can consist of the above and possiblyrapid heartbeat, irregular heartbeat and other cardiovascularchanges (some being lethal).Severe deficiency symptoms can include the one or more of the abovesymptoms and one or more severe symptom including full bodytingling, numbness, and a sustained contraction of the muscles,along with hallucinations and delirium (including depression) andfinally dementia (Alzheimer's Disease).If the NIH knows this, why don't doctors use magnesium to treatdepression and other

mental (and physical) disorders??? In 1989, C.Norman Shealy M.D., Ph.D. demonstrated that 99% of depressed patients have one or more neurochemical abnormalities; and that epression is a chemical disease as is diabetes, not a psychiatric disease. It seems to me that not using magnesium to treat depressionis pure malpractice! We could rebuild and save lives! Magnesium ions are shown involved at the very heart of neural synaptic activity inthis figure. Are you magnesium depleted or deficient?See this wonderful quick quiz by Dr. Pricilla Slagle, M.D., a magnesium expert very interested in helping people with magnesium problems.Also, visit Dr. Hertert C.Mansmann, Jr., MD at THE MAGNESIUMRESEARCH LABORATORY, another very interested magnesium expert.Magnesium deficiency is a major risk factor for heart problems anddiabetes and many other health issues, including sudden death. "The Magnesium

Factor" by Mildred S. Seelig, MD, MPH and Andrea Rosanoff,PhD is an outstanding new book by the world's leading magnesiumresearcher and is highly recommended reading for learning how toprevent high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and otherchronic conditions.Many of today's "diseases" are acually "symptoms" of magnesium deficiency, and are not diseases.For another eye opener, see this amazing list and thoroughdocumentation of hundreds of "diseases" that are often nothing morethan magnesium deficiencies. What would happen to "medicine",pharmaceutical company income, and public health if these "diseases"were treated with magnesium before trying side-effect laden drugs?Wouldn't this approach to improving public health be more ethical?Unfortunately, for space reasons, this essay is restricted to mentalhealth issues reasonably related to depression, but the health risksresulting from magnesium deficiency are

very broad and need muchexploration.Depression DefinedDepression is an extremely common condition that affects more than 1in 20 people in any one year in Western society. It is one ofseveral hyperemotional states. A sudden loss of interest in lifecombined with a feeling of worthlessness may be associated withdepression. Normally joy, sadness and grief are parts of everydaylife. While a short period of depression in our response to dailyproblems is normal, a long period of depression and sadness isabnormal and is called "clinical depression". Depression can run infamilies, partly because families tend to eat the same foods andpass from one generation to the next similar eating patterns, andpartly through genetics. Concerning genetics, I have found noevidence in the medical literature of a "depression" gene, but muchevidence for a search for one. I suspect that the strong geneticcomponent will be found

to involve improper or inadequate magnesiummetabolism.Depression may be associated with a variety of symptoms, including but not limited to:Persistent sadness and pessimismFeelings of loneliness, guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, orhopelessnessLoss of interest or enjoyment in nearly every aspect of lifeDiminished ability to think or lack of concentrationInsomnia or oversleepingPoor appetite associated with either weight gain or lossFatigue, lack of energyPhysical hyperactivity or inactivityLoss of interest in sexPhysical symptoms such as headache, backaches, stomach troubles,constipation and blurred visionAnxiety, agitation, irritabilityThoughts of suicide or death (90% of suicides result fromdepression)Slow speech; slow movementsDrug or alcohol abuseA drop in school performanceMost depressive episodes are triggered by stressful personal eventsuch as loss of a loved one or

change of circumstances, anddepression over a short period is a normal coping mechanism. Long-term stress-induced depression often, if not always, results when mgnesium levels fall to dangerously low levels in the body bybiochemical stress reactions discussed below. Magnesium deficiencyrelated depression is a fixable biochemical problem and notnecessarily a physiological problem.Depression can also be due to many other factors such as underlyingdisease (particularly hepatitis C), brain chemical imbalancesrequiring antidepressant drugs of one type or another, hormonalimbalance (particularly hypothyroidism and low testosterone), lowcholesterol, Wilson's Disease, food allergy (particularly glutenintolerance), and adverse reaction to medications, each of whichrequires professional care.Magnesium deficiency is not necessarily the only cause of depression, but it can be very useful inrecovering from depression

because the blood and body often becomedepleted of magnesium in depression, particularly stress-induced ordiet-induced depression. Often, depression that does not respond toSSRI's (classical antidepressants) will respond best to treatmentwith magnesium.Symptoms listed for paying for magnesium serum level tests to detecthypomagnesemia (low blood levels of magnesium) by a major UnitedStates insurance carrier include depression.However, magnesium is a intracellular cation, and its only valid measurement is throughIntracellular spectroscopy testing, or red blood cell (not wholeblood or serum) testing. A huge list of diseases and healthconditions meriting magnesium status testing is here.Not too certain what your problem is? If you are interested inknowing generally about mental health issues generally, look throughthe Mental health Net site. If you are interested in what life as amanic depressive (bi-polar) is

like, You can test yourown level of mania on the Goldberg Depression Inventory here, anddepression here.MY STORYFrom early 2000 to summer of 2003, this essay focused upon magnesiumglycinate as the preferred source of magnesium. Now, in late summerof 2003, I have shifted emphasis from magnesium glycinate tomagnesium taurate, which appears superior to all other forms ofmagnesium in treating treatment resistant depression. Othereffective magnesium compounds mentioned throughout this essay areranked well behind magnesium taurate and are not recommended unlessmagnesium taurate can not be obtained.Also, I have majorPRECAUTIONS at this link concerning ineffective and harmfulcompounds of magnesium for treating depression. After years ofstudy, I remain truly amazed at the tremendous benefits of magnesiumand other nutrients in treating and preventing depression. Inparticular, I see

magnesium as an important research topic forsurvival considering its limited availability from our Western dietsand its ability to inexpensively cure and prevent many expensivediseases, life threatening or not. As you will see from this essay,our dietary choices and our overconsumption of certain foods arecontributing to massive illness, including depression.I know how bad depression can be, because I spent September of 1999through April of 2000, in a clinical depression that worsened fromthe beginning. By Christmas the depression suddenly became muchworse, nearly suicidal in intensity, and remained that way for fourmore months. I had always thought that I was a mild hypo manic-depressive, not a suicidal idiot. In my highs I was capable of deep,insightful thought and amplified abilities in general which Iconsidered to be an advantage. Never did I think that things couldgo so wrong with my biochemistry that it would cause me

to havesuicidal thoughts and tendencies. How wrong I was. I had been takingZoloft (an antidepressant) since 1987 which seemed to take care ofmy depression. I lived on Zoloft, but by September of 1999, itstopped working, - and I knew that something was really wrong.My depression was preceded by many years and accompanied by majorstress from over-work, treatment responsive depression, anxiety,hypomania, fibromyalgia, infrequent panic attacks, anger, stress,poor diet, overwhelming emotional feelings, night time musclespasms, paranoia, asthma, prickly sensations in hands, arms, chestand lips. I wanted to sleep all day and had trouble getting up inmornings. Occasionally my lips felt that they were going to vibrateor tingle off my face. I even saw a spider disappear into my armonce. about 10 years ago, I had a very painful bout with calciumoxalate kidney stones, a recognized sign of magnesium deficiency. Afew weeks

before I was hospitalized in January of 2000, I had verylow energy, mental fogginess, depression with strange suicidalthoughts and I was under enormous stress. Now, I can recognizethese "mental" symptoms as symptoms of magnesium deficiency and/orcalcium toxicity. I won't bother you with the details of myhospitalized depressive episode, except to say that I was put onnearly every antidepressant drug known and had severe side effectsto all of them and felt sicker and sicker. None worked. I lost a lotof weight, and I was extremely constipated. I also had a cardiacarrhythmia. Being disgusted with the treatment provided, I wenthome. I couldn't work and about all I did was sleep, eat cheese,hard candy, fatty foods, bread, ice cream, tapioca pudding, drink alot of milk, consume other bad-for-you high-calcium delicacies,watch TV and read. Maybe I secretly figured that if I didn't dieslowly and agonizingly from

depression, maybe I would die quicklywith a heart killing diet.My reading preferences are in the biomedical field. At home, Iresearched medical journals, books and everything medical that Icould find on depression and manic depression. I learned nothing ofusefulness, at least nothing that my doctor had not already told me.I did find that certain foods like wheat and high carbohydrate dietscan trigger dysphoric rage and depression, so it seemed to me thatcorrecting nutritional problems should be beneficial, and thatnutritional research would be worthwhile. On April 12, 2000, Ilooked like I was dying to several people important in my life. Mypsychiatrist agreed and took me off all antidepressant medicationsand put me on a tiny amount of lithium carbonate (150 mg twice aday).NOTE: At the end of each following section of this essay, I haveplaced a link concerning my rules for success, and the

affirmationthat "Depression is not a psychosis.". I apologize ahead of time forbeing terribly redundant. My rules and my understanding of mooddisorders as a magnesium deficiency are so commonly ignored, that Idecided they were too important not to heavily emphasize.Cured with Lithium or Magnesium?Shortly later, I picked up a 1975 copy of Nutrition Almanac, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, and happened to open it to themagnesium section. I was interested to find that magnesium was lowin the serum of people who were suicidally depressed and others whowere seriously depressed. The article indicated that magnesiumdietary supplements had been effective in treating depression. Also,a person with a magnesium deficiency is apt to be uncooperative,withdrawn, apathetic, nervous, have tremors... essentially lots ofneurological symptoms associated with depression. I was fascinatedto notice that cardiac arrhythmias,

heart attacks and kidney stoneswere also mentioned as magnesium deficiency related. Ah-ha! Theselooked like good clues, but definitely not convincing.That same day, I found the next clue in my library. It was in a 1995textbook in which I had a published article about zinc lozenges andthe common cold. In Handbook of Metal-Ligand Interactions inBiological Fluids - Bioinorganic Medicine, volume 2, Marcel Dekker,Inc., New York, there is a chapter by Durlach et al,entitled "Diverse Applications of Magnesium Therapy". Its authorsassert that in their clinical and open trials they found symptoms ofchronic magnesium deficiency in neuroses to include anxiety, hyper-emotionality (could this be crying, grieving or other forms ofdepression?), fatigue, headaches, insomnia, light-headedness,dizziness, nervous fits, lump in throat, blocked breathing andrespiration, cramps, strong tingling, pricking, creeping feeling onthe

skin having no real cause, chest pain (either of a cardiacnature or not), palpitations, dysrhysthmias, Raynaud's syndrome, andmore including latent tetany, constipation, and myocardialinfarction. Some of these symptoms were stated as occurring as partof panic attacks, sometimes with the feeling of imminent death. In apaper by the same group, Durlach showed that aging was a risk factorfor magnesium deficiency. In another Durlach article, magnesium deficiency and "dementia" were equated as being one and the same. In another paper, Singh et al. showed that magnesium status wasinversely associated with prevalence of coronary artery disease.I had a calcium oxalate kidney stone a few years ago and was told thatI needed to increase my dietary intake of magnesium.I didn't butnow wish that I had because it is established that magnesiumprevents calcium oxalate kidney stones.Of significant interest was

Durlach's statement that chronic primarymagnesium deficit affects about 15 to 20 percent of the Westernpopulation, while other sources more recently place the deficit muchhigher at nearly 70 percent. One reason given for the deficit isthat magnesium-rich foods are rich in energy (fattening), and theyare being avoided in an effort to maintain weight, and because weare eating more junk food void of magnesium.Wow! This magnesium/depression hypothesis is coming together! Just afew months previous to the onset of my depression, I had beenhospitalized for chest pain, cardiac dysrhysthmia and an inabilityto take in more than about 1/5 my normal breath.The hospital foundno cardiac problems, and the internist gave me an IV drip ofmagnesium sulfate solution. A few hours later all of those symptomsvanished as rapidly as they had come. What I was beginning to seewas that nearly all illnesses in my adult life were

magnesiumdeficit related.From which foods do we get magnesium? According to my NutritionAlmanac, a cup of peanuts or almonds would satisfy the RDA formagnesium, while only 1/4 cup of kelp would be needed. Organic bran flakes, whole wheat, raw brown rice, avocado, wheat bran, shrimp, tuna, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, sesame seeds, walnuts and collard greens also supply significant dietary magnesium. In the audio Bible, Genesis 1:29 -"God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, whichis upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which isthe fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." Imarvel at the similarity of Biblical teaching to the above list offoods containing large amounts of magnesium. Succeed! Depression is not a psychosis!NIH Table of Food Sources of MagnesiumThe National Institute of Health has prepared the following foodtable showing the

best sources of magnesium in the U.S. diet. Lookat it! They are nearly all highly fattening foods. I would rathernot get fat and just take my magnesium supplements to handle mydepression problems. The very idea of loading up on these fatteningfoods should make anyone depressed. The government is a robot sayingover and over "cut down on fattening foods" for your health! BS! Forus manic depressives and depressives, following the NIH dietaryguidelines suggested in the NIH link on keeping magnesium intake lowis suicidal, not just because they limit our intake of magnesium,but of other extremely critical nutrients including taurine, boronand Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) such as the Omega-3 EFAs. Even so,the NIH admits that a sign of magnesium deficiency is depression.Even though the NIH list appears accurate, it may be misleading forus because many of these foods have much more calcium thanmagnesium.

Excess calcium over magnesium inhibits absorption ofmagnesium from the diet.A list of foods in this web page havingmore magnesium than calcium is here.Food Milligrams %DVKelp 100 grams (Warning! very high in glutamate) 760 190Alfalfa 100 grams 230 58Avocado, Florida, 1/2 med 103 26Wheat germ, toasted, 1 oz 90 22Almonds, dry roasted, 1 oz 86 21Cereal, shredded wheat, 2 rectangular biscuits 80 20Seeds, pumpkin, 1/2 oz 75 19Cashews, dry roasted, 1 oz 73 18Raw nuts, 1 oz 66 17Spinach, cooked, 1/2 c 65 16Bran flakes, 1/2 c 60 15Cereal, oats, instant/fortified, cooked w/ water, 1 c 56 14Potato, baked w/ skin, 1 med 55 14Soybeans, cooked, 1/2 c 54 14Peanuts, dry roasted, 1 oz 50 13Peanut butter, 2 Tbs. 50 13Bran (pure), 2 Tbs 44 11Vegetarian baked beans, 1/2 c 40 10Potato, baked w/out skin, 1 med 40 10Avocado, California, 1/2 med 35 9Lentils, cooked, 1/2 c 35 9Banana, raw, 1

medium 34 9Shrimp, mixed species, raw, 3 oz (12 large) 29 7Tahini (from sesame seed), 2 Tbs 28 7Raisins, golden seedless, 1/2 c packed 28 7Cocoa powder, unsweetened, 1 Tbs 27 7Bread, whole wheat, 1 slice 24 6Spinach, raw, 1 c 24 6Kiwi fruit, raw, 1 med 23 6Hummus, 2 Tbs 20 5Broccoli, chopped, boiled, 1/2 c 19 5*DV = Daily Value. DVs are reference numbers based on theRecommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). They were developed to helpconsumers determine if a food contains very much of a specificnutrient. The DV for magnesium is 400 milligrams (mg).The percentDV (%DV) listed on the nutrition facts panel of food labels tellsadults what percentage of the DV is provided by one serving. Evenfoods that provide lower percentages of the DV will contribute to ahealthful diet.Wow! I am lucky to be alive! My diet had excluded all magnesium richfoods for months. I wonder if people who go on diets

delete thesecritical foods from their diet, start to feel a bit low, andrightfully decide to forget dieting. It is well known that somepeople must eat fattening foods simply to feel well.Is magnesiumdemand from fattening foods the link between fat people anddepression avoidance? I know that I am not as hungry using magnesiumsupplements. Actually, I think the cure for hunger is magnesium,because the foods (mainly wheat) that used to be our main source ofmagnesium and other nutrients are no longer good sources for them.A few days after digesting what I had learned, I checked MedLine forsome backup. I looked up "magnesium" AND "depression". Sure enoughit was there. Calcium/magnesium imbalances with magnesium being lowwere found in depressed patients that had attempted suicide. Otherarticles supported the concept too. For example, high serum andcerebrospinal fluid calcium / magnesium ratios were found

inrecently hospitalized acutely depressed patients. The further Ilooked on the web, the more exciting and proliferate the became -which, hopefully, is reflected in this page. Another book in mylibrary, The Dictionary of Minerals, Thorsons Publishing Group, NewYork, point-blank read,"Therapy with magnesium has been used totreat ...mental depression...". Magnesium has recently beenmedically demonstrated to reduce severe therapy resistant mania.That was enough evidence for me. That same day I purchased magnesiumglycinate, a non-toxic dietary supplement found in a local healthfood store. How much should I take each day? Was it safe? I reallydidn't know and didn't much care.I made a decision to start outwith about 3 times the 400 mg/day RDA for magnesium, with 400 mg inthe morning, 400 mg mid afternoon and 400 mg at bedtime. I usedCarlson's chelated magnesium glycinate (200 mg magnesium

elemental)product. I was an optimist by this time so I bought 3 bottles.What did it taste like? To me the first few times I used magnesiumglycinate it tasted strangely metallic. But taking it with milk itdidn't taste metallic at all. This is an important observation thatmerits explanation. There are chemicals in milk fats and other foodfats that bind magnesium and other bioactive minerals tobiologically inactive state. That may be a reason why fatty foodsare bad for the heart. One might consume enough magnesium to fulfillthe RDA, but if the magnesium is bound so tightly to a stearate oroleate that it is non soluble and is excreted through the feceswithout being absorbed into the blood, what good is it?What happensto the heart? Heart attack!I think this is why some in the FDAthink the RDA for magnesium should be raised to about 900 mg perday. Other people using magnesium glycinate

have not noticed anystrange metallic taste.Within a few days to a short week, I felt remarkably better, mydepression lifted noticeably, but I was getting a bit of diarrhea.Yeah! I didn't need that damned lithium corkscrew anymore!! (justkidding). Oh, the taste of those tablets! I needed some coatedmagnesium glycinate tablets. Actually, the taste was bad during thefirst few weeks only, after that the taste was not noticeable. Whoknows what that means.Within a week to 10 days of starting magnesium, I felt close tobeing well. I looked so well, that my psychiatrist thought I lookedbetter than he had ever seen me. One interesting fact from TheDictionary of Minerals is that lithium intake is associated with anincrease in magnesium, calcium and phosphate blood serumconcentrations. A possible explanation for these findings is thatLi+ displaces Mg2+ from intracellular binding sites. As I improved,I

lowered my dosage of magnesium to find the best dosage for me. Ilowered it too much and symptoms rapidly came back. Eventually, Istabilized the dosage at four 200-mg elemental magnesium (asmagnesium glycinate) tablets a day. Four hundred mg is the RDA formagnesium for men. Succeed! Depression is not a psychosis!June 7, 2000My depression is completely, totally, absolutely gone, gone, gone! Iam active and can function mentally, emotionally, and physically atmy best again. No more cardiac arrhythmia! Not only that, my visionand bowels have also returned to normal - finally. I consider myselfto be back to my good old normal self - although my critics willnever admit that I am normal and have never been normal. Whatevernormal is. Yet, a strange anxiety that the depression would returnremained unabated.What caused my rapid recovery after being a treatment resistant, non-responder for many months? Did going off those

antidepressant medscause it? Was it my imagination? Would I have gotten well anyway?Was it just the lithium? I seriously doubt it. My bet is onrepletion of magnesium, both by dietary supplementation and actionby lithium in increasing blood serum levels of magnesium. I can nowsee that my diet has been deficient in magnesium for years. My dietdid not include high-in-magnesium foods listed above. Worse, I hadbeen on a magnesium depleting diet from eating fatty foods andingesting too much calcium. If I hadn't realized my magnesiumproblem, I probably would have died of a heart attack, like theseguys warn. I repleted my body with magnesium, but did not use agreat excess of magnesium as such might be toxic.If you have time, search the above link's depression links, and do asearch or two for "depression", "suicide" and "serotonin". When Iconducted a mini search, I was overwhelmed with relating

magnesiumdeficiency with mental illness. Succeed! Depression is not apsychosis!Stress as Ultimate Cause of DepressionIf you are a medical or science type you might like to readMechanisms of Action on the Nervous System in Magnesium Deficiencyand Dementia.One paragraph in this link is so important that Iquoted it here: "Although a neurosis pattern due to magnesiumdeficiency is frequently observed and simply cured through oralphysiological supplementation, neuroses are preeminentlyconditioning factors for stress (thus increasing demand formagnesium). Neuroses may therefore very frequently produce secondarymagnesium depletion. They require their own specific anti neurotictreatment and not mere oral magnesium physiological supplementation,but both genuine forms of neurosis due to primary neural magnesiumdeficiency and magnesium depletion secondary to a neurosis mayexist. These two conditions may

be concomitant and reinforce eachother. In these stressful patients it may be difficult to establishthe primacy of one or the other. In practice, physiological oralmagnesium supplements may be added to psychiatric treatments, atleast at the start." I interpret this to mean that magnesium alonecan prevent stress from resulting in neuroses.Stress intensifies release of two major classes of "stresshormones", the catecholamines and corticosteroids, which normallygreatly increase survival of well animals when their lives arethreatened.Catecholamines are chemically similar small molecules derived fromthe amino acid tyrosine. The major catecholamines are dopamine,norepinephrine, and epinephrine (old name: adrenalin). Dopamine is aneurotransmitter (a chemical used to transmit impulses between nervecells) found mainly in the brain. Norepinephrine is the primaryneurotransmitter in the sympathetic

nervous system (controlsthe "fight or flight" reaction) and is also found in the brain.Epinephrine is not only a brain neurotransmitter, but also a majorhormone in the body. Epinephrine is secreted from the adrenalmedulla in response to low blood glucose, exercise, and variousforms of acute stress (in the latter case, the brain stimulatesrelease of the hormone). Epinephrine causes a breakdown of glycogento glucose in liver and muscle, the release of fatty acids fromadipose tissue, vasodilation of small arteries within muscle tissue,and increases the rate and strength of the heartbeat. All of thecatecholamines are metabolized by their target tissues or by theliver to become inactive substances that appear in the urine: Forexample, dopamine becomes HVA, norepinephrine becomesnormetanephrine and VMA, and epinephrine becomes metanephrine andVMA. Consequently, a urine test for elevated catecholamines is

bothsimple and available.Corticosteroids are group of natural and synthetic analogues of thehormones secreted by the hypothalamic-anterior pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, more commonly referred to as thepituitary gland. These include glucocorticoids, which are anti-inflammatory agents with a large number of other functions;mineralocorticoids, which control salt and water balance primarilythrough action on the kidneys; and corticotropins, which controlsecretion of hormones by the pituitary gland. They have beenthorougly researched and developed as drugs in the treatment of manydiseases. Corticosteroids are used to provide relief for inflamedareas of the body. They are extremely strong drugs. They lessenswelling, redness, itching, and allergic reactions. They are oftenused as part of the treatment for a number of different diseases,such as severe allergies or skin problems, asthma, arthritis

andcertain cancers and leukemias. They have many well-known sideeffects.When magnesium deficiency exists, stress paradoxically increasesrisk of cardiovascular damage including hypertension,cerebrovascular and coronary constriction and occlusion,arrhythmias, sudden cardiac death (SCD), asthma, anxiety anddepression. Dietary imbalances such as high intakes of fat and/orcalcium (Ca) can intensify inadequacy of magnesium, especially underconditions of stress. Thus, stress, whether physical (i.e. exertion,heat, cold, trauma - accidental or surgical, burns), or emotional(i.e. pain, anxiety, excitement or depression) and dyspnea(difficulty in breathing) as in asthma increases need for magnesium.Magnesium deficiency intensifies adverse reactions to stress thatcan be life threatening. Such reactions are mediated by excessrelease of the stress hormones, catecholamines and corticosteroids,which are

increased by low magnesium and high calcium levels, andwhich further lower tissue magnesium in a feed back fashion, andsuppress testosterone production.More on the consequences of magnesium deficiency on the enhancementof stress reactions; preventive and therapeutic implications is hereand in the following figure. Genetic differences in magnesiumutilization may account for differences in vulnerability tomagnesium deficiency and differences in body responses to stress.There are so many stressors in our active lives that adverselyaffect magnesium reserves; it is a miracle that we can live on ourpuny magnesium deficient diets without vastly more cardiac andpsychiatric problems.Magnesium is a required nutrient for people to handle stress ingeneral and stress in neuropsychiatric disorders. Not gettingsufficient dietary or supplemental magnesium during medicaltreatment for stress related disorders such

as anxiety anddepression is bound to fail. A short and easy to read summary ofmagnesium and its stress relief action is presented here by Dr. LeoGalland. He points out that stress depletion of magnesium is oftenso intense that dietary sources are insufficient, andsupplementation is required.Measure your level of stress here. These effects and aggressivebehavior are easily observed in the mouse model. Magnesium is nowmarketed as an anti stress mineral. Stress, diuretics, fluoride,refined flour, chemotherapy, too much sugar, antibiotics, largeamounts of protein, and high fat foods decrease absorption ofmagnesium, as do foods high in oxalic acid (mainly fresh spinach andpossibly tea in excess) which deplete magnesium in the body, whichin turns lowers one's resistance to stress and depression (afeedback loop). Overweight and obese people are usually low inmagnesium, a mineral necessary to metabolize

(burn) fat.Peopleworking outside in high temperatures and high humidity often becomemagnesium deficient and have stress related problems.What blows my mind is that there has already been an extraordinaryamount of work collecting data that shows magnesium to be aprofoundly important nutrient in preventing and treating hundreds ofillnesses and conditions, particularly those illnesses related tostress. It seems that magnesium deficiency in our diet isresponsible for many forms of bad health and early death. Don't takemy word for it, rather visit Paul Mason's site and see his huge listof magnesium treatable disorders.Also, the Health-World web site has a growing but still incompletelist of magnesium deficiency symptoms, which include(alphabetically) acute heart attacks, agoraphobia, anxiety, anginapectoris, asthma, back aches, breast tenderness, cardiacarrhythmias, chronic fatigue syndrome, can't take a deep

breath,carbohydrate craving (especially of chocolate) and carbohydrateintolerance, chest tightness, chronic cardiovascular disease,chronic fatigue syndrome, coronary artery disease, cramps,depression, diabetes, difficulty swallowing, eclampsia of pregnancy,feeling uptight, frequent sighing, epilepsy, headaches, high bloodpressure, hyperactivity, insomnia, jaw joint (TMJ) dysfunction, lumpin the throat-especially provoked by eating sugar, menstrual cramps,muscle soreness, muscle tension, mitral valve prolapse,musculoskeletal disorders, neck pain, numbness, palpitations, panicdisorder, pre-eclampsia, premenstrual irritability, photophobia,panic attacks, restlessness with constant movement, salt craving,tingling, twitches, urinary spasms, zips, zaps and vibratorysensations.I remain amazed and perplexed that magnesium deficiency remains, forthe most part, ignored, neglected, and forgotten. There is onemedical journal

Magnesium Research that reports the subject verywell, but it is a very difficult journal to find in nearly allmedical libraries. It is the official organ of the InternationalSociety for the Development of Research on Magnesium. Their firstpublication date was July, 1988, which makes it a johnny-come-latelyamong medical journals. The publisher is John Libbey and Company inLondon. Typically, magnesium researchers find that their work findsno interest by other journal editors, and they end up submittingtheir work to Magnesium Research simply to get it published, whereit is totally ignored by establishment medical doctors and, untilrecently, remained the subject of academic curiosity. Fortunately,independent-minded physicians and citizens can research the NationalLibrary of Medicine's PubMed index and find these precious life-sustaining journal articles. Paul mason is trying to bring muchoriginal research on

magnesium and health to the Internet.The fulltext of many vital magnesium and health articles can be directlyviewed at this vital link. It seems to me that by ignoring thesemagnesium deficiency disorders, that medicine has a guaranteedretirement fund.What do I mean? Look at the above list, and othersimilar lists carefully and you will see that much of medicine isdedicated to developing medications for, and treating these specificsymptoms and not treating the underling cause (magnesiumdeficiency). Consequently, patients remain ill and return todoctors' offices for more expensive drugs. Folks, billions ofdollars of pharmaceutical drug company income and physician incomeis at stake! Be warned!Can I be so obtuse as to say that magnesium supplementation hadnothing to do with my recovery? Can I be so callous as to notrecommend magnesium to others who are suffering from depression, bi-polar disorder, or any

of the anxiety related symptoms listed above?Or any of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency listed here? Duh!!!I am positive that all suffering from clinical depression wantrelief - NOW! No waiting for a med to kick in 4 to 8 weeks! You wantit now!!! However, without sufficient magnesium, recovery will mostlikely be very difficult and prolonged.Succeed! Depression is not apsychosis!January 19, 2001 Update and Miscellaneous MusingsLooking back over the last year, I now realize that the increases inlithium that I was prescribed (a gradual increase from 300 to 1050mg lithium carbonate per day) was associated with progressivereductions in feeling of well being (sort of a placid zombie-likefeeling) and pending damage to thyroid function (excess lithiumcauses hypothyroidism). On December 5, 2000, I decided that it wasimperative for me to stop lithium because I did not want to have tobe dependent upon

thyroid extract for the rest of my life due to thetoxicity of lithium. Even though lithium is a mineral element, it isnot found in the human diet except in trace amounts (which arerelated to even temperament). However, magnesium is a vital to lifeessential human nutrient. I.E. there is no RDA for lithium (or anydrug), but there is for magnesium! Actually, lithium is a drug thatis being used to sustitute for a nutrient, magnesium! How tricky ofthose docs! What a way to drum up business!Surprisingly, I began to feel better, even better than I felt inJune when I first started taking low-dose lithium and high-dosemagnesium. After several months off of lithium, people say I lookten years younger. I feel much sharper and my mental capabilitieshave returned to what is normal for me. I hope that I will neveragain take lithium. I now strongly suspect that the main biochemicalfunction of lithium is to raise magnesium

levels in the blood asmentioned above, with the mental benefit coming not from lithium butfrom lithium induced increased magnesium blood levels. This ideacould account for the 40 percent failure rate of lithium inpreventing future depressive episodes. That is to say, if dietarymagnesium intake is so low that not even lithium can return it tonormal levels, then one succumbs to depression or other magnesiumdeficiency disorders.I remember meeting people (in group therapy classes and elsewhere)that looking backward seem likely to have been magnesium deficient.I remember a bright young lady that was terribly suicidal. She wastotally resistant to all known antidepressants. She was so thin thatshe was nearly skin and bones and obviously was malnourished. Shewanted to commit suicide so badly that she was under constantsupervision.I can't help but wonder if she was misdiagnosed,meaning that she was severely, gravely

magnesium depleted. Iremember meeting many other people who were depressed; one was asingle female registered nurse, who was overwhelmed by her stressfulhospital duties and her desperate family child care situation. Iremember a lovely young suicidal woman whose favorite tune was thetheme from M*A*S*H. Apparently, she had no idea of the lyrics to thesong "Suicide is Painless". She had been pounding out that song onpiano for years. I wonder if she would have been there had herfavorite song been something else. A 40ish man who could no longeraccept that he was, in his opinion, a failure in his business. Alawyer who couldn't handle further domestic abuse.Aninternationally acclaimed scientist and editor who was overwhelmedby his time-line oriented job. Young children who were sad all ofthe time for no apparent reason, even if they were given all thetoys they wanted. There was a young gay who desperately didn't wantto be gay.

Each of these people, and I suspect most depressives,share one thing common in their lives. STRESS! Magnesium deficiencycan be brought on by diet too.I know a wonderful young lady whofelt that she was too fat for her husband and went on a 1-monthstarvation diet. She lost enough weight, but became extremelymagnesium deficient; and developed very difficult to treat multiplecardiac and depression symptoms causing enormous stress in her life.The strange part about stress is that magnesium deficiency andstress reinforce and build upon each other, resulting in a difficultto manage, unstable downward spiral.Succeed! Depression is not a pychosis!FURTHER RESEARCHWhen I purchased my first bottle of magnesium glycinate, it was notfrom intelligence that I chose that particular compound ofmagnesium. It was just what was available on the shelf at the storeI visited. After considerable research, I found that the

storeprovided the second best form of magnesium that I could have chosento treat depression.Only magnesium taurate (a form of magnesiumthat decreases chances of diarrhea) is superior to all other formsof magnesium. Both glycine and taurine have been used to effectivelytreat depression. Also taurine (the ligand in magnesium taurate) hasbeen shown to be low or absent in 100 percent of people withdepression and chronic pain according to Shealy.I quit taking and quit recommending magnesium glycinate becauseglycine, in the doses taken and while taken for a protracted periodof time, will damage its delicate balance with another amino acid,taurine. Taurine is vital to mental and cardiac health and must notbe disturbed, while glycine is ubiquitous and appears highlyunlikely to be bothered by too much taurine. For example, diets withup to 1% as taurine had no adverse effect on these animals. Longterm high doses of

glycinate will eventually cause ever worseningcardiac arrhythmias and will never allow total recovery fromdepression or other mood disorders, although most people will findthat it works miracles for them in the short-term. Also, bothmagnesium and taurine have been proven to be low in depression inabout 80% and 100% of cases respectively. Read Shealy's articlestarting here. See sentence immediately before the Discussionsection. This does not mean magnesium glycinate is harmful in theshort- or near-term, it just means one shouldn't use it year in andyear out, and it must be IMMEDIATELY stopped if side effects,particularly cardiac arrhytmias (PVS and/or PACs) occur.Glycine (the second component of magnesium glycinate) chelates(removes) mercury from the body, and may be supeior to evenmagnesium taurate for people with heavy metal posioning in the short-or near-term. Citric acid and cysteine also remove mercury

andappear safer for long term use than glycine. The first stabilityconstants for glycine, cysteine and citric acid are in the log 10 tolog 14 range, which are vastly stronger bindings than can be brokenby any natural biology or chemistry event occuring in the body.Glycine is a non-essential amino acid, but for people with mercurypoisoning, it, cysteine and citric acid may be highly important.Because of these amazing chelating, sequestering or binding powers,if they reacted with mercury in any form in the body, they should beable to bind them much more tightly, making mercury biologicallyunavailable in the body. Perhaps, consumption of large amounts ofthese amino acids from high quality protein sources, and consumptionof citrus help protect from the toxic effects of mercury. Mercury isextremely toxic and can cause depression and many symptomsassociated with depression. These symptoms include,

insomnia,nervousness, memory loss, dizziness, anxiety, loss of self-confidence, irritability, drowsiness, weight loss, tremors,paraesthesia (numbness and tingling), hallucinations, headaches,fatigue, muscle weakness, hearing difficulties, emotionalinstability, skin inflammation, incoordination and kidney damage.The common areas where mercury is found are: auto exhaust emissions,used motor oils, pesticides, fertilizers, dental amalgams (silverfillings), drinking water (tap and well), leather tanning chemicals,felt, bleached flour, processed foods, fabric softeners, fish (tuna,swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tile fish), calomel (mercurychloride contaminant in talc, body powder), paint pigments andsolvents, cinnabar (mercury sulfide - used in red jewelry items),inorganic mercury laxatives, mercurochrome/methiolate anti-infectives, cosmetics (mascara), floor waxes and polishes, woodpreservatives, water plumbing &

piping, adhesives, batteries, usedair conditioner filters (better here than in the air), brokenthermometers, and some electronic equipment. Consequently,supplementing several grams of these chelating agents daily is agood idea regardless of current mental health. Succeed! Depressionis not a psychosis!Collected Thoughts on DosageNow, more than 3 years after my very rapid recovery, I still ponderthe correct dosage for magnesium, perhaps because this is the numberone question asked by readers. What are the facts? There are some inthe FDA who believe the U.S. RDA of 400 mg for men and 350 for womenis too low, and that many persons need as much as 900 a day in theirdiet for a normal life. Canada, who pays for its citizen's healthcare, has a RDA of 600 mg magnesium for adults.Dosage depends on the ligand, the thing to which the magnesum isattached. In the case of magnesium taurate, the ligand is

"taurate".Absorption is largely a property of contact of the magnesium ionwith the lining of the stomach and intestines. If magnesium islightly bound to the ligand, then the acidity of the stomachcan "ionize" the magnesium from its ligand and convert it tomagnesium chloride (from the stomach acid hydrochloric acid) andfinally into a positively charged ionic form for transfer into theblood where it is then picked up by various other ligands fortransport to cells. Stomach acid can reduce the magnesium compoundto the ionic form for metal complexes that have low to modestchemical stability, releasing both the magniesum ion and the ligand.The following magnesium compounds have sufficiently low stabilitythat they offer very high absorption and are well tolerated.Magnesium acetate, chloride, citrate, gluconate, glycinate, lactate,malate, succinate, sulfate, tartrate and taurate are all very good,ionizable sources of

magnesium. Intravenously, hospitals givemagnesium sulfate. Magnesium chloride would be best, but it is veryhygroscopic and difficult to properly package. On the other hand,magnesium oxide, magnesium hydroxide and magnesium carbonate aretotally useless because they are too tightly bound together for thestomach acid to dissociate into ionic form. They will not workexcept in much larger doses, which greatly increase risk ofdiarrhea. In fact magnesium hydroxide is used to treat constipation(Milk of Magnesia). All of the useful, ionizable compounds ofmagnesium taste bad. On the other hand magnesium carbonate, oxideand hydroxide have no taste. These compounds are so tightly boundnot even the taste buds are affected by them. Always taste-test eachbottle of magnesium to detect improperly labeled products.Improperly labeled magnesium products do exist in the United Statesand they do cause many people to complain that "magnesium

didn'twork". Obviously, neurotoxic-to-us ligands (glutamate and aspartate)must be avoided.Much of this essay relates to and asks why one needs so muchsupplemental magnesium to maintain mood? Normally, people don'tconsider magnesium as a part of their nutrition, even thoughmagnesium is the second most prevalent mineral inside their cells(potassium is first). Have you ever seen magnesium on a foodingredient label? Not likely. I know I haven't, except for Planters®nuts. Clearly people with mood disorders leak or do not properlyabsorb magnesium. Consequently, without supplements of magnesium weare in desperate condition. There is an important section in thisessay that explores in depth the question of why we leak magnesiumand can't properly absorb it. Please read that section to see whichfactors might be involved in your personal situation. You willprobably need to discuss these factors with your physician.

Briefly,there are two main reasons, kidney (urinary) and gastrointestinal(fecal) losses. Some losses are caused by damage to these two organsby common drugs, usually prescription drugs like steroids, birthcontrol pills, antifungals, laxatives and antibiotics. Other causesof damage include poor diet, endocrine disorders, parasites,infection and many other shown in this link.In my case, I knowmedicines damaged my gut by treating a yeast infection first withprescription antibiotics (improperly prescribed) and then withsteroids (a potentially dangerous medicine). Did that furtherpredispose me to depression? I think so.There are four very important dietary causes of low magnesium, whichare: (1) "Leaky gut Syndrome" - inadequate intestinal bacteria, (2)insulin / sugar problems and (3) improper calcium / magnesium ratio,and (4) low bile production. During our youth, we are usually immuneto each of these

problems, but as we age (either in years or fromtoxins such as drugs or abuse of sugars and calcium), our ability todefend ourselves from these factors declines, sometimes to the pointof illness. We will now discuss the main underling non-medicalreasons for low intracellular magnesium, which cause depression (andmany other common illnesses)."Leaky Gut Syndrome"The answer to the question, "How much should I take to cure mydepression?", closely relates to what caused the magnesiummalabsorption or leakage. In nearly all cases severe stress(metabolic, psychological, environmental, physical) is involved as apredisposing factor. However, "Leaky Gut Syndrome" may be the mostfrequent cause of our inability to absorb magnesium. In nearly allcases, improving digestion by any means possible, such as use ofstomach acidifiers (AC Vinegar), enzymes, CoQ10, soluble fiber, andcorrecting "Leaky Gut Syndrome" are easy and should

be our highestpriorities for rapid recovery. How? First, we must realize thatinsufficient stomach acid prevents absorption of minerals includingmagnesium, and that anything that irritates or damages ourintestines impairs our ability to absorb magnesium. If magnesium isnot absorbed through the walls of the stomach, in the largeintestines magnesium ions attract vast numbers of molecules of waterand promote retention of water - the usually accepted cause of itslaxative effects. However, inadequate production of bile and theresultant diarrhea may be far more important in our inability toabsorb sufficient magnesium.We must also realize that magnesiumwhen present in the gut in sufficient concentration acts on ourintestinal flora in the same way as an antibiotic - a definite gutirritant! This action may be because magnesium ions (especially asmagnesium chloride - the form of magnesium present in our bodies asresult

of hydrochloric stomach acid) have strong, wide-spectrumantibiotic action. The antibiotic action of magnesium ion, usingEpsom Salt, is well appreciated in veterinary medicine, and is useddaily in treating topical wounds in animals, particularly abscessesin hoofs of horses. Also, Walter Last recounts its early use inhumans as an antibiotic here. Why magnesium ion is not used as abroad spectrum antibiotic in people today is unclear, but probablyhas little to do with efficacy and much to do with economics.Regardless, if sufficient magnesium gets into the large intestines,it can and often does disrupt the normal flora of the gut causing aform of "Leaky Gut Syndrome" in the absence of adequate bile. Thiseffect results in inadequate absorption of magnesium, calcium andmany other nutrients which can cause many disorders includingdepression. Treating "Leaky Gut Syndrome" therefore becomes a novelway to treat

depression.How is "Leaky Gut Syndrome" treated? First, identify and avoidthings that irritate the gut such as food allergens, alcohol,caffeine, sugar (excesses cause intestinal yeast overgrowth) anddrugs. Second, probiotics (life-sustaining bacteria normal andrequired in the intestines) such as acidophilus lactobacillus(available at pharmacies, health food and grocery stores) are neededto maintain and replace intestinal flora killed by excess magnesiumion. Only the strongest, fresh (refrigerated) available should beused, in a sufficient amount (6+ billion viable microorganisms perdose) and at a frequency (3 to 5 doses a day) to terminate diarrheanearly overnight.Taking probiotics at times of the day differentfrom magnesium only makes sense. Just like we would never takeantibiotics at the same time of taking probiotics, we must not takemagnesium with probiotics. There seems to be zero risk of overdosageusing

quality products, but mixed probiotic cultures may not beuseful particularly if un refrigerated, because they have the habitof killing each other in warm environments when stored for a longtime. If you want to get really serious about GI health, do what Ido, use refrigerated 450 billion bacteria VSL#3 packets severaltimes a day. Gas may be a side effect until the body adjusts. Askthe store clerk which probiotics have been shipped and maintained ina refrigerated state and which are the strongest. Third, psylliumhusk fibers or bars without added sugar are very helpful inproviding intestinal bulk and harborage for the intestinal flora.Some researchers say that damage to the gut repairable usingprobiotics takes from 3 to 6 months, even though diarrhea canusually be terminated within a few days. Consequently, we must avoidthe temptation of early withdrawal from these life- and health-sustaining agents. We need to

remember that diarrhea is notnecessary for there to be "Leaky Gut Syndrome". Diarrhea is only onesymptom of this disorder. Also, learn more about how and whytreating "Leaky Gut Syndrome" is vital to general health recoveryand other related treatments of value.The amount of magnesium that we ingest is not as important as theamount we absorb. Many times magnesium tablets do not quicklydissolve in the stomach, resulting in entire tablets getting intothe intestines where they always cause diarrhea. Allowing a tabletto dissolve in a glass of water or in the mouth will reveal problemswith tablet dissolution rates. In cases of slow dissolution, tabletscan be crushed and dissolved in a small glass of water with solublefiber. I have an indelicate pallet, and I chew the tablets to apowder. I don't know if others can do the same. If you find amagnesium product and it does not taste bad, it probably will notwork!!!What is

the result of curing "Leaky Gut Syndrome" in the treatmentof depression with magnesium? Perhaps most importantly, the totaldaily amount of magnesium required to improve mood is lowered. Onoccasion, repair is so complete that supplemental magnesium may bediscontinued after a few months without recurrence of depression.Importantly, if we can cure "Leaky Gut Syndrome" and our moodimproves to normal, we can be assured that we have fixed a seriousproblem using a very simple and harmless technique that allows us torule out more complicated causes for our problems with mood. Whocould say that treating depression with probiotics is not betterthan treating depression with Prozac®?Taurine - The Perfect-Poop Maker!Inadequate production of bile, which is made in the liver and aidsin proper digestion of fats, probably is ten times more responsiblefor diarrhea and malabsorption of magnesium than any other singlefactor while

taking therapeutic doses of magnesium. How can we getour bile production high enough to improve our absorption ofmagnesium? Cottage cheese, low in calcium and very high in taurine(1700 mg per cup), is a good food source. Taking taurine supplementsalong with various ionizable magnesium compounds (such as magnesiumacetate, chloride, citrate, gluconate, glycinate, lactate, malate,succinate, sulfate, tartrate), or magnesium taurate (1:10stoichiometric ratio), seems to do the trick, because both result inperfect poop. Loose stools normally attendant with daily 1200 mgmagnesium dosage (split into 200 to 300 mg doses), appearedcompletely preventable by taking ten times the dosage of taurinewith the magnesium doses (for example: for each 200 mg magnesiumdosage, 2000 mg of taurine is ingested). Taurine is a conditionalessential amino acid for humans, well known to be essential in humaninfants, but not in adults. Its other main function

is in preventingcardiac arrhythmias (palpitations) and regulating cardiac rhythmgenerally, by supporting potassium metabolism too. Since I have hadan increasingly severe problem with cardiac arrhythmias (PACs andPVCs), such is the reason I experimented with taurine. Although thearrhythmias were slowly benefited over a one month period andfinally disappeared, the poop issue became immediately evident thefirst morning after my initial taurine dosage. I searched theInternet and PubMed for and found only that "excess taurine acts asa diuretic and laxative". I disagree. Perhaps such is true forpeople not taking large amounts of magnesium, but not true for thosethat are taking large amounts of magnesium taurate with CoQ10.Taurine is supposed to be one of the most abundant amino acids inthe body. It is found in human and animal central nervous systems,skeletal muscles and is very concentrated in brain, heart and eyetissues. It

is synthesized from the amino acids methionine andcysteine, in conjunction with vitamin B6. Animal protein(particularly seafoods) is a good source of taurine, but it is notfound in vegetable protein. Vegetarians with an unbalanced proteinintake, and therefore deficient in methionine or cysteine will havegreat difficulty manufacturing taurine. Dietary intake is thought tobe more important in women as the female hormone estradiol depressesthe formation of taurine in the liver.Taurine functions in electrically active tissues such as the brainand heart to help stabilize cell membranes. Taurine seems to inhibitand modulate neurotransmitters (like glycine and GABA) in the brainand helps to stabilize cell membranes. It also has functions in thegallbladder, eyes, and blood vessels and appears to have someantioxidant and detoxifying activity. Taurine aids the movement ofpotassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium in and out of cells

andthus helps generate nerve impulses. Zinc seems to support thiseffect of taurine. There have been reports on the benefits oftaurine supplementation for epileptics. It has also been found tocontrol motor tics, such as uncontrollable facial twitches. InJapan, taurine therapy is used in the treatment of ischemic heartdisease.Low taurine and magnesium levels have been found in patients afterheart attacks. Like magnesium, taurine affects cell membraneelectrical excitability by normalizing potassium flow in and out ofheart muscle cells. Supplements decrease the tendency to developpotentially lethal abnormal heart arrhythmias after heart attacks.People with congestive heart failure have also responded tosupplementation with improved cardiac and respiratory function.Taurine is necessary for the chemical reactions that produce normalvision, and deficiencies are associated with retinal degeneration.Besides protecting

the retina, taurine may help prevent and possiblyreverse age-related cataracts. Low levels of taurine and othersulphur containing amino acids are associated with high bloodpressure, and taurine supplements have been shown to lower bloodpressure in some studies. Other possible uses for taurinesupplementation include eye disease (including scleritis and retinaldisease), cirrhosis, depression and male infertility (due to lowsperm motility) and hypertension, and as a supplement for newbornsand new mothers. It is vital in maintaining the correct compositionof bile and the solubility of cholesterol. It has been found to havean effect on blood sugar levels similar to insulin.Very interestingly, taurine and glycine exist in the presence of atime- and dose-dependent exchange mechanism. After administeringglycine to rats, researchers discovered that it produced a notablesuppression of hepatic taurine content in the liver. Yet,

thistaurine decrease was not found in other taurine-rich organs such asthe brain, heart or kidney. The mechanism for hepatic concentrationof these two amino acids serves to alter liver concentrations ofthese amino acids without adversely affecting the rest of the body.The significance of this is very high, because as glycine goes upand taurine goes down in the liver, bile production is impaired andintestinal absorption of magnesium becomes greatly impaired, helpingto explain why diarrhea resulting from magnesium taurate isessentially non-existant. In some people sensitive to this reaction,magnesium glycinate would be contraindicated, while magnesiumtaurate would be very helpful. Further, I believe that my PAC andPVC cardiac arrhythmias were caused by too much glycine, and that bychanging from magnesium glycinate to magnesium taurate they areprevented.Like all nutrients, taurine enhances or decreases the action

ofother nutrients. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt ofthe amino acid glutamic acid. If glutamic acid supplementation isgiven, as is sometimes done with alcoholics, it tends to reducetaurine. MSG itself can also reduce taurine levels. The amino acidsbeta-alanine and beta-hypotaurine, as well as the B-vitaminpantothenic acid, may also interfere with taurine's functions. Zinc,on the other hand, enhances taurine's effects. Zinc deficiency andcombined vitamin A and zinc deficiency are associated with anincreased excretion of taurine in the urine and with depletedtaurine levels in the tissues where it is normally found. Cysteine(found in meat) and vitamin B6 are the most critical nutrients tosupport the manufacture of taurine in the body of human beings orthose species that are able to synthesize enough.Taurine is an important regulator of cellular ion transport andosmotic balance, aspects that are pivotal to

renal function. Thekidney not only regulates body taurine status, but emerginginformation also suggests that body taurine status is of consequencefor renal function. While reduction in endogenous taurine stores canattenuate renal excretory function, exogenous taurinesupplementation is kidney-protective and augments kidney function inseveral conditions that are associated with reduction in diuresisand natriuresis. Thus taurine treatment may be of potential benefitin conditions that are associated with impaired kidney function andthe accompanying dysregulation of body fluid and electrolytehomeostasis. I say that anything that improves kidney function isvital to us.Taurine supplementation is now recommended for the prevention andtreatment of diabetes. In order to determine the effects of taurinesupplementation or depletion on the morphological changes ofpancreatic beta-cells in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats,

ratswere fed diets supplemented with 1, 2 or 3% taurine or 5% beta-alanine in their drinking water for 7 weeks. After 3 weeks, diabeteswas induced by streptozotocin injection (50 mg/kg body-weight).Pancreatic morphology was observed by transmission electronmicroscopy. The pancreatic beta-cell of the non-diabetic (CO) grouphad the many secretory granules, rough endoplasmic reticulum and rodshaped mitochondria. However, the beta-cells of non taurine-supplemented diabetic (EO) group were severely damaged, showingdepleted secretory granules. In the 1% taurine-supplemented diabeticgroup, the beta-cells were less damaged compared to the EO group andhad some apparently normal secretory granules, but most of roughendoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria was destroyed. The beta-cellof 2% taurine-supplemented diabetic group had swollen roughendoplasmic reticulum, round-shaped mitochondria and some apparentlynormal secretory

granules. The beta-cell of 3% taurine-supplementeddiabetic group was little different from that of non-diabetic group.The pancreatic beta-cell of taurine-depleted diabetic group was notdestroyed but had many small secretory granules which appearedimmature. This was reflected in the blood glucose concentrations ofthis group. Therefore, taurine may prevent insulin-dependentdiabetes by protection of the pancreatic beta-cell and may alsopreserve normal secretory granules._________________JoAnn Guestmrsjo-DietaryTi- www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes Please pass this message or article on to someone else so that they may learn also.Community Newsletters.http://www.alternative-medicine-newsletter.infoCommunity Message Boards.http://www.alternative-medicine-message-boards.info"Do not let either the medical authorities or the politicians mislead you. Find out what the facts are, and make your own decisions about how to live a happy life and how to work for a better world." - Linus PaulingGetting well is done one step at a time, day by day, building health and well being..list or archives: :........ - post:............. alternative_Medicine_Forum digest form:...... -digest individual emails: -normal no email:......... -nomail moderator:........

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