Epilepsy in Teenagers linked to Severe Magnesium Deficiency

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If in doubt, try nutrition first. "

(Roger J. Williams, PhD, in Nutrition Against Disease)

www.doctoryourself.com

 

Sarah and her fiancé Richard wanted to have children as soon as they were

married. Sarah had just been diagnosed with epilepsy, however, and was offered

Phenobarbital as therapy. She and Richard read up on the drug, and now knew, as

did their doctor, that pregnancy while taking a barbiturate was not ideal.

 

" So we want to look into other options, " Sarah said to me in the office. " Could

vitamins replace the drug? "

 

" I'm not sure, " I said. " My mother has been medicated for grand mal epilepsy for

over 50 years now and it's a really long shot to think that a nutrient could be

enough. Still, Sarah, you have the advantage of being young.

 

 

There is evidence that epilepsy in teenagers can be connected with magnesium

deficiency. You've had blood tests done? "

 

" Oh, yes, " she said. " Tons of them, and here's the latest. "

 

She handed me a copy. No one had even looked for serum magnesium.

 

" O.K. then, " I said. " Ask your doctor to check your blood magnesium levels, and

let me know what they find. "

 

So they did check. Sarah's serum magnesium levels were so low as to be actually

unmeasurable.

 

" The doctor was a bit surprised at that, " Sarah said next time we talked. " So

now what? "

 

" Let's try a large quantity of magnesium, starting with a supplement of 800

milligrams a day. That's just over twice the RDA, so it is not unreasonable.

Then you can gradually work up from there if need be. You'll know if you are

taking too much: the biggest side effect of too much magnesium is diarrhea.

You've heard of milk of magnesia? "

 

" The laxative, sure. "

 

" That is a magnesium preparation. Your supplement will be better absorbed,

though. Especially if you take the right form, take it often, and really need

it. Then your body will soak it up like a sponge. Try magnesium citrate, or

magnesium gluconate. Divide your daily intake over four or more doses, at least.

Then let's see what we get. "

 

A few weeks later, we met again. Sarah had new bloodwork results in hand. Her

magnesium level was just barely measurable... and she was taking 1,200 mg a day.

 

" Wow! Where's it all going? " Sarah asked. " I've had no loose bowels at all. "

 

" Your body is evidently using it. This suggests a real, long-standing deficiency

on your part. Of course, nearly 99% of young women do not even get the US RDA of

magnesium. But this is beyond that. You have a special need for this mineral.

The tests confirm that. "

 

" But wouldn't the blood levels go up more than that little bit? " Sarah said.

 

" You'd think so, but not necessarily. You are more than your blood, important

though blood certainly is. Serum tests fail to indicate how much of this or that

is actually inside your body's cells. There are, after all, some 40 trillion of

them.

 

Magnesium is involved in over 2,000 chemical reactions throughout your body. It

is needed everywhere and always. Oddly enough, the cells can be critically low

in magnesium and some of the mineral will often still show up in the serum. In

your case, it's more the other way around. Now that you are supplementing with

magnesium, your cells must be getting it, and there's not much left in the blood

that transports it. There are a lot of tanker trucks on your highways, but

they're empty. The cargo is delivered and now the fuel is in every home. "

 

" So it looks like I need more magnesium than most people, " said Sarah. " Well, if

I do take lots of it, will I need less of the drug? "

 

" That's the idea. Do you want to run it by your doctor? You could ask him if

he'd consider try gradually decreasing your dose of Phenobarbital down to the

minimum that keeps you symptom free. "

 

She did, and he did. Sarah ended up on the lowest possible dose of the drug and

a very high maintenance dose of magnesium. This was not an landslide victory for

nutrition, but it points to a greater good: an optimally-nourished body may need

very little medication.

 

What are the long-term consequences of millions of Americans taking less of each

of their many drugs? Healthier people, greater safety and greater savings. Only

the pharmaceutical companies could possibly object.

 

And they do, of course. The US Food and Drug Administration shares the

industry's concern that it might lose its therapeutic monopoly. Here is a direct

quote from FDA Deputy Commissioner for Policy David Adams, at the Drug

Information Association Annual Meeting, July 12, 1993:

 

" Pay careful attention to what is happening with dietary supplements in the

legislative arena... If these efforts are successful, there could be created a

class of products to compete with approved drugs. The establishment of a

separate regulatory category for supplements could undercut exclusivity rights

enjoyed by the holders of approved drug applications. "

 

And a quote from the FDA Dietary Task Force Report, released June 15, 1993:

 

" The task force considered many issues in its deliberations including to ensure

that the existence of dietary supplements on the market does not act as a

disincentive for drug development. "

 

When is the last time you saw a calendar, pen, ad or prescription pad in your

doctor's hand that said " Magnesium " on it?

 

Keep looking. It will be in some quack's office, no doubt.

 

Or not. L.B. Barnett, MD was onto this some 40 years ago. He wrote " Clinical

Studies of Magnesium Deficiency in Epilepsy, " published in Clinical Physiology

1(2) Fall, 1959. But who cares about old papers? Our society prefers new lamps

for old. New drugs invariably preempt old minerals. Too bad, when the old lamp

or the old research may hold the genie.

 

Copyright C 1999 and prior years Andrew W. Saul. From the books QUACK DOCTOR and

PAPERBACK CLINIC, available from Dr. Andrew Saul, Number 8 Van Buren Street,

Holley, New York 14470.

_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

DietaryTipsForHBP

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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