Magnesium deficiency facts

Here we will try to explain the facts about the magnesium deficiency, including causes, signs and treatments regarding this problem. This health problem is primarily caused by lower amounts of magnesium in the body. We need certain substances so that our body could perform well and function in a healthy way. One of these substances is magnesium and it is involved in about 300 biochemical reactions in our body.

Causes of magnesium deficiency

This problem is a result of a poor diet, which means that people who experience this disorder eat food that doesn’t contain magnesium. In the USA, only about 39% of the people take enough magnesium through their daily diet. There are other causes for the lack of magnesium such as some other illness that can have magnesium deficiency as a consequence. For example, individuals who drink alcohol a lot can experience magnesium deficiency. This condition can even be caused by reoccurring throwing up and watery bowel movement.

Signs of magnesium deficiency

The necessary daily dosage of magnesium is something that is hard to determine in general, because it depends on the gender and age. If our body doesn’t have enough magnesium, chemical reactions that require that substance are blocked and the body suffers, which is why our organism develops symptoms and they can be physical and psychological. Symptoms related to our body are tiredness, inability to sleep, headache and muscle cramps. On the other hand, psychological signs are problems with learning, disarray and irritability. These signs can be mild at the beginning, but they have the tendency to become more severe as the time goes by. Individuals with magnesium deficiency can even develop problems like panic attacks and even hallucinations.

Treatment

There are different test that can reveal whether or not you have enough magnesium in your body. That is probably a better solution than to wait and see if the symptoms will appear first. In the tests your blood and urine is needed in order to see how much magnesium your body has. When you have the magnesium deficiency diagnosis, you have to do something about it. Usually the doctors recommend supplements and food that contains a lot of magnesium, but in rare cases, an intravenous supplementation can be needed. It is also important to know that you can overdose if you take a lot of magnesium and that can negatively affect your health. The best thing to do is to eat food that contains this mineral and react in advance to prevent it.