Before looking at magnesium supplements, are you doing all you can to get more magnesium in your system? In addition to eating magnesium rich foods, have you cut down on your consumption of alcohol, fat, soft drinks and other things that reduce your body’s ability to absorb magnesium? Have you even tried bathing with Epsom salts? (Yes, the magnesium is absorbed through your skin that way.)
Still, many conditions can cause a magnesium deficiency – as can many prescription drugs.
In a study of the diet of 564 adult Americans, male and female, the average intake of magnesium was found to be less than two-thirds of the RDA for men and less than 50% of the RDA for women. Add to this that many doctors believe the RDA to be less than half what is really needed, and that puts most people in the magnesium deficient category.
If you believe you need help in the form of magnesium supplements, we can take a look at some here. First, let’s look at what the Mayo Clinic lists as the official RDA for magnesium in both the USA and Canada:

USA                             Canada

Infants up to 3 years old:         40-80 mg                20–50 mg
Children 4 to 6 years old:         120 mg                    65mg
Children 7 to 10 years old:      170 mg                    100–135 mg
Adolescent to adult males:      270–400 mg        130–250 mg
Adolescent to adult females:   280–300 mg        135–210 mg
Pregnant females:                        320 mg                    195–245 mg
Breast-feeding females:             340–355 mg         245–265 mg

This chart is for “normal” people. If your body is expelling more magnesium than it should, you will need higher doses.

But taking supplements, you should consult a doctor. It is possible to get too much magnesium when you are using most supplements. Also, if you are taking any medication at all, you should confirm with your doctor that magnesium supplements with not interfere with them. If you have heart disease or kidney problems, check with your doctor as well about these.

With that in mind, lets look at how to add magnesium to your body.

First off, most magnesium supplements can be enhanced by taking additional vitamins that aid in magnesium absorption. Starting with chelated magnesium (the kind that is best absorbed by the body) you can aid your magnesium supplements by the following:

? Calcium (one or two parts calcium for one part magnesium)
? Vitamin C (helps your body utilize magnesium)
? Take your supplements with food
? Avoid taking vitamin D, which can interfere with magnesium

If you miss a does of magnesium, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, just skip the missed does. In other words, do not double dose.

Next up….which supplements to take?

This is where I get a bot stuck. The fact is, oral supplements do not absorb well. On top of that, they affect the digestive tract and could increase the chance of diarrhea. For some things, oral supplements, but for magnesium I highly doubt their efficacy.

On the other hand, the effectiveness of epsom salt baths are well established. Going on this, I tend to believe that transdermal (absorbed through the skin) supplements may be the way to go. I put a banner on the front page, just above the list, and also provide a link here to what may be the best option so far as this goes – from a distributor called Ancient Minerals.

I am still open to hearing more, and encourage comments from other people who have tried magnesium oils for skin applications. So far, they seem far superior to magnesium supplements.