John Arts Abundant Living www.johnarts.co.nz

As a nutritional medicine practitioner, magnesium is one of my most commonly prescribed supplements.

This is because it is involved in numerous body processes and can help problems in a number of different tissue types and body systems.

The most common reason to supplement with magnesium is for muscle cramps, especially at night.

Before I supplemented with magnesium I remember getting cramps in my legs and having to get up and jump around the bedroom to unlock seized muscles.

A high-grade magnesium supplement taken before bed will usually eliminate these problems. This means that the magnesium is at maximum benefit during the first part of the night to help relax muscles and nerves. It can be helpful for those with restless legs.

I also advise a good multi-mineral as low calcium and potassium can also contribute to cramp. Additionally, medications like diuretics can reduce levels of these important minerals.

Magnesium is one supplement that requires experimentation. Unfortunately many magnesium supplements are one-a-day products making dose experimentation almost impossible.

In my experience the dosage of magnesium needed differs a lot. Many supplements also use low-grade oxide which is harsh on the digestive tract.

The only real downside of magnesium supplements is they can cause diarrhea. However this laxative effect can be helpful for those that tend towards constipation. I use three different forms of magnesium.

Two of these are amino acid chelates where amino acids are bonded to magnesium. These chelated forms are well-tolerated and are very well-absorbed as they are absorbed via protein pathways.

I also add non-chelated citrate as it is highly soluble. I deliberately formulate the capsules to have a dosage range. Normally two capsules will suffice but short term doses of four capsules can be used. For more information give me a call or email john@abundant.co.nz. You can read back issues at www.abundant.co.nz

John Arts is a qualified nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health. Contact John on 0800 423 559. To read more go to www.sunlive.co.nz