It's quite common that during any given week many people will come to see us at Partners In Health Care, Naturally with the same odd symptom, and I'm always amazed by the coincidence. I remember that a few years ago, six patients came in with a muscle sprain/strain of the same very unusual muscle of the back. Odd! Why do these things happen?

 

Recently we've had several people present with muscle spasms through out their body. These can be debilitating, and many patients go through copious amounts of testing and drug treatments before coming to a naturopathic doctor as a "last resort." Muscle relaxers may give temporary relief, but are not a long-term solution. Since modern medicine often overlooks nutritional deficits, the underlying cause may be missed, and often the cause is simple:  magnesium deficiency.  

 

I read a research article that talked about how the levels of nutrients in food has changed over time. It said that to get the same amount of magnesium that was present in in one bowl of spinach in 1950, you would have to eat 57 bowls of spinach today! Yikes! I used to believe that you could get all the nutrition you needed from foods, but times have changed. 

Unless you are getting foods from a farmer who is adding glacier melt to the soil, you probably need to add some nutritional supplements to your diet. And if you're having muscle spasms or restless leg syndrome, supplemental magnesium can really help.

 

Magnesium is one of the most utilized and essential elements in your body. You can begin by adding a small of amount of magnesium to your diet every day and gradually increase the dose; your GI tract will only absorb as much magnesium as your body needs at any given time. This can be measured by the softness of your stool: once you have a loose stool, you have reached "bowel tolerance" and can decrease the dose. For example, let's say you start by adding 100 mg of magnesium before you go to bed. If there is no change in your bowel movements, increase the dose to 200 mg the next night, and continue to increase by 100 mg each night until you have a loose stool. Then decrease your dose by 100 mg and stay at that amount. The muscle spasms should resolve shortly after that.

 

If you have episodic muscle spasms (cramping in the calf muscles, eye twitches, restless leg syndrome), you can get topical magnesium oil at most health food stores. It acts fast and can resolve your spasm quickly.

 

If supplemental magnesium does not resolve cramping completely, add calcium, potassium, sodium and zinc.  It is also extremely important that your body is well hydrated.  Supplements need water to be carried through the body and to go where they are needed.  A good rule of thumb is drink half of your body weight in ounces, so a 150 lb. person needs at least 75 oz. of water per day. You will need more if you are sweating or drinking tea and coffee, which are dehydrating.

 

I hope this is helpful!

 

Blessings,

 

Dr. Susan Godman