Understanding Magnesium Oil

Magnesium oil may be one of the most important supplements you'll ever learn about. It's relatively new, so the word hasn't gotten out yet - but it will. Magnesium oil is not swallowed, but is applied to the skin, allowing magnesium to be absorbed transdermally. To understand the importance of magnesium oil, you must first understand why magnesium deficiency may be one of the greatest health crises of our age.

Magnesium and Human Health

Magnesium is a basic mineral of the Earth, and indeed of our bodies. Doctors say it is the key element in our cells that transports electrical signals throughout our nervous system. Magnesium is necessary for the production of over 325 important enzymes we produce, used for cell creation and other aspects of normal functioning. It is also needed by muscles to operate properly. Muscles contract and relax. Magnesium is needed to properly relax. Our heart is one big muscle and our arteries have smooth muscle lining the pathways.

When we are low on magnesium, too much calcium is allowed to enter our cells, causing many problems. Without sufficient levels of daily magnesium, our cells become over-calcified, our arteries harden, and our heart doesn't work efficiently. Over calcification also causes our bones to become brittle. And the list goes on and on. Our bodies require magnesium, just as we require air to breathe.

Hundreds of studies worldwide have linked magnesium deficiency to Heart Disease (America's #2 killer), Diabetes, Hypertension, Depression, and many other modern illnesses. A compelling quote attests to this: "Most modern heart disease is caused by magnesium deficiency. A vast and convincing body of research, largely ignored, has convinced us and many colleagues of this fact." -Dr. Mildred S. Seelig, MD, MPH, author of "The Magnesium Factor"


Magnesium Was Once Plentiful

In the year 1900, magnesium was plentiful in our food and water. Since that time, our daily dietary intake of magnesium has dropped steadily through the years to the point where Americans now consume less than half of the daily magnesium we did 100 years ago. Modern large scale farming techniques have diminished magnesium from our soils and most fertilizers don't contain magnesium to replenish the ground. Also, modern water treatment plants remove magnesium from our drinking water during the filtration process, leaving us with "clean" water, devoid of vital minerals.

The result is that Americans can no longer get even the daily U.S. RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of magnesium, let alone the higher levels which many researchers think necessary to maintain proper health.

The World Health Organization and other health agencies now believe that 75-80% of the population in the industrialized world is magnesium deficient. With so many people consuming less than 50% of the daily recommended intake, is it any wonder that many of us are dying from diseases that rarely existed in the 19th century? Take heart disease for example. In the year 1900, heart disease was so rarely seen that there weren't even any doctors at that time specializing in the field. Heart specialists didn't really become prominent until the 1960s.


Most Magnesium Supplements Don't Work

Compounding this problem is the fact that our bodies don't store magnesium for later use. So we need a constant daily supply. Unfortunately, magnesium supplements taken orally (through the mouth) are only absorbed by our body at 5-15% levels as they pass through our digestive system. And if we try to increase our dosage to make up for the low absorption rate, we get diarrhea.

Researchers believe that our bodies evolved on a diet heavily laden with magnesium in the meats, fruits and vegetables we ate. Because there was so much of it present in the food and water, our bodies became efficient at eliminating excess magnesium. Unfortunately, over the last century, our diets have changed (reduced magnesium), but our bodies still absorb only a small percentage of the magnesium that passes through our digestive tract.


Magnesium Oil

Now that we have established the importance of daily magnesium, and the problems with current magnesium supplements, we can take a closer look at magnesium oil and why it's different.

Magnesium oil is not actually an oil but rather magnesium chloride in a water base. It's referred to as an oil because it feels slippery to the touch. The best quality magnesium oil is currently coming from the underground Zechstein seabed in Europe. What makes magnesium oil so unique is that it enables us to absorb magnesium through the skin. This absorption through the skin (transdermal uptake) allows us to get high levels of bio-available magnesium into our bodies using a very efficient method - a method which bypasses our digestive system and therefore doesn't result in absorption reductions or the common side effect of diarrhea.

Magnesium oil is rubbed into the skin like a skin cream. Within a minute, the magnesium gets absorbed and your skin no longer feels oily. Once the magnesium is absorbed by your skin, it is carried by the blood stream to areas within the body that are most in need.

The type of magnesium within the oil is magnesium chloride. Recent studies have indicated that magnesium chloride may be the most "human friendly" of all magnesium supplement forms available. Since magnesium chloride is the type of magnesium most abundant in sea water, the original source of all life on Earth, it follows that magnesium chloride would be recognized by our bodies as something natural and be easily assimilated.

Dr. Norman Shealy MD, PhD, Neurosurgeon and renowned expert on pain management, has completed studies on the impact of transdermal (skin) application of magnesium chloride oil. For his study, Dr. Shealy had 16 patients spray magnesium chloride oil on their body and take a 20 minute foot soak. This regimen was undertaken daily for 4 weeks. After the 4 week study was completed, 75% of the patients had significant improvements in intracellular magnesium levels. In fact, many of the patients saw their magnesium levels go to near the top of the reference range.

Dr. Shealy explains why these findings are so important, "Deficiency of magnesium is associated with virtually every known disease: heart attacks, diabetes, depression, cancer, etc. Oral magnesium supplements are not easy to assimilate and many take five years or longer to give results."


Zechstein Magnesium Oil

Magnesium oil coming from the Zechstein seabed in Europe appears to be the highest quality and purest available to date. The Zechstein seabed is located approximately 1,600 meters underground. This 250 million year old ancient seabed is unique in that it has not been polluted by human contaminants, so the magnesium oil coming from this source is very clean. This magnesium oil can be identified by the clear color of the oil when held up to a light.

In contrast to the pure Zechstein sea magnesium oil, there are many magnesium oil products derived from "living seas" such as the Pacific ocean or lakes. Magnesium taken from these living seas can have high levels of Mercury, Arsenic and Iron. These living sea magnesium oils usually have a rusty yellow or orange tint. These higher levels of heavy metals can produce an itch or rash when the oil is applied to the skin.

So that consumers can identify authentic magnesium oil which has been sourced from the Zechstein Seabed, the primary mining company which produces the magnesium oil has established a seal of authenticity which displays the logo "Zechstein Inside".

The following distributors are currently authorized to sell magnesium oil which has the "Zechstein Inside" identifier:

United States:
Company: Magnesium Direct
Product: DermaMag
Website: Magnesium Oil or Magnesium Chloride
http://www.magnesiumdirect.com




About the Author
Bill Johnson is a self-educated authority on supplements and vitamins. Having read dozens of books on nutrition and personally tried hundreds of health care products, supplements and vitamins, he brings a unique layman's perspective to his writings in the alternative health field. Bill enjoys golf and raising his two children.