MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY & SUDDEN DEATH

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MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY & SUDDEN DEATH

http://www.drgrisanti.com/magnesium.htm

Written and Researched by Ronald J. Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O.

 

An athletic 20 year man is playing basketball and suddenly collapses on the

court and dies.

 

On a hot July day, a young and vibrant college football player suddenly makes

a great tackle and never gets up.. only to be pronounced dead 5 minutes

later.

 

High School track runner dies after finishing second in a race.

 

The sad truth is 1 out of 50,000 young adults will fall victim to Sudden

Death.

 

Most sudden deaths have been linked to a thickened, enlarged heart called

hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), or by a condition that disturbs the rhythm of

the heart called an arrhythmia.

 

When one sweats, a significant amount of magnesium is lost. Magnesium is the

most under-recognized electrolyte disorder in the U.S. Dr. Mildred Seelig, one

of the country's leading authorities on magnesium suggests that 80%-90% of

the population is deficient is magnesium.

 

It is beyond the extent of this article why the public is being denied the

truth of the seriousness of magnesium deficiency and sudden death. The amount of

medical research could fill a book, but it is unfortunately being ignored.

 

According to Micheal A. Brodsky M.D., associate professor of medicine at the

University of Medicine and the director of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Service at

the University of California.. mineral imbalances interfere with the heart's

normal nerve function.

 

While most athletes have been conditioned to drink a potassium rich drink

after sweating.. very few have been educated on the dangers of a magnesium

deficiency. Dr. Brodsky states that arrhythmia therapy should focus on

replenishing

two key minerals: potassium and magnesium.

 

Almost all physicians have known for some time just how vital potassium is

for normal heartbeat. Magnesium is an entirely different story, however.

According to Carla Sueta M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine and

cardiology

at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine

" apparently, many doctors still don't realize how important a role this mineral

can

play in some heart patients. In fact, most never check the magnesium level. She

has shown through her research that magnesium reduced the incidence of several

types of ventricular arrhythmia by 53 to 76 percent.

 

Magnesium deficiency can be induced by the very drugs meant to help heart

problems. Some types of diuretics (water pills) cause the body to excrete both

magnesium and potassium, as does digitalis. And magnesium deficiency is often at

the bottom of what's called refractory potassium deficiency. The amount of

magnesium in the body determines the amount of a particular enzyme that

determines the amount of potassium in the body, " he explains. So if you are

magnesium-deficient, you may in turn be potassium-deficient, and no amount of

potassium

is going to correct this unless you are also getting enough magnesium.

 

The Best Test To Determine Your Level of Magnesium

 

Although most physicians rarely check this important mineral, the few that do

usually rely on test called Serum Magnesium. Unfortunately, this test only

measures approximately 1% of the magnesium in your body.. a poor test at best.

The " Gold Standard " and the most accurate test is the RBC Minerals or more

commonly called Elemental Analysis in Packed Erythrocytes. This test examines

the

levels of eight minerals and seven toxic heavy metals. The erythrocyte is the

red blood cell that floats in our serum to carry oxygen to our cells. The

minerals this test analyzes from inside the red blood cell includes magnesium,

manganese, molybdenum, potassium, selenium, vanadium and zinc. Another test

which

has proven to be extremely valuable in detecting magnesium deficiencies is

called the Urine Magnesium Loading Test. In this test, the patient collects a

24-hour urine sample and the total magnesium is measured. The patient is then

given a dose Magnesium Chloride 18% and another 24-hour urine specimen is

collected. The magnesium is again measured. If the body retains more than a

certain

amount of magnesium, then it is concluded that the body is magnesium

deficient.

 

Common Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency

 

The most common symptoms include back and neck pain, muscle spasms, anxiety,

panic disorders, Raynaud's spastic vessels, arrhythmia, fatigue, eye twitches,

vertigo, migraines.

 

Best Sources of Magnesium

 

The best way of insuring enough magnesium is to eat a variety of whole foods,

including whole grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables, preferably food grown on

naturally composted soil. The green color of green vegetables is due to

chlorophyll, which is a molecule that contains magnesium. Avoid refined

processed

foods, especially white sugar and white flour products, as most magnesium is

removed from them.

 

Dr. Grisanti's Comments:

If you are suffering with a heart problem and have not had your magnesium

checked, then I want to urge you to have your physician order the two tests

listed above. Unless you have proof that your magnesium is within normal levels,

I

want you to realize that you are playing with your health!

 

 

References

1:Eisenberg MJ, Magnesium deficiency and sudden death (editorial), AM Heart J

1992 Aug; 124(2):544-9

 

2:Magnes Res 1994 Jun;7(2):145-53

 

3:Tzivoni, Dan, M.D. and Keren, Andre, M.D., " Suppression of Ventricular

Arrhythmias by Magnesium " , The American Journal of Cardiology, June 1,

1990;65:1397-1399.

 

4:Miner Electrolyte Metab 1993;19(4-5):323-36

 

5:Keller, Peter K. and Aronson, Ronald S., " The Role of Magnesium in Cardiac

Arrhythmias " , Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, May/June

1990;32(6):433-448.

 

6:Biochim Biophys Acta 1993 Oct 20;1182(3):329-32

 

7:Biochim Biophys Acta 1994 Jan 11;1225(2):158-64

 

8: " Practical Briefings: Clinical News You Can Put Into Your Practice Now.

Ventricular Arrhythmias and Magnesium " , Patient Care, October 15, 1990;16-20

 

9:Magnes Res 1993 Jun;6(2):191-2

 

10:Hennekens (1987) Epidemiology Medicine, p.54-98

 

11:Schriftenr Ver Wasser Boden Lufthyg 1993;88:474-90

 

12:Am J Cardiol 1992 Oct 8;70(10):44C-49C

 

13:Fiziol Zh SSSR Im I M Sechenova 1992 Jul;78(7):71-7

 

© 2001 Ronald J. Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O

NOTICE: This information is provided for educational purposes.

Any medical procedures, dietary changes, or nutritional supplements discussed

herein should only be undertaken on the advice of a qualified physician.

 

Ronald J. Grisanti, D.C., D.A.B.C.O

The Grisanti Center of Integrative Medicine

4200 East North Street, Suite 14 • Greenville, SC 29615

(864) 292-0226 • FAX: (864) 268-7022