Team GR's Dr. Jared Skowron On A Simple Autism Treatment - Magnificent Magnesium
NOTE We suggest you bookmark the Generation Rescue blog as a great resource.
Team GR: Magnesium is a essential mineral we keep in our supplement cabinet. How critical is it for individuals with autism? We brought in one of our supplement experts, Jared Skowron, ND, to help us crack down the importance of taking magnesium!
Magnesium — Don’t Forget About Me!
Written by Dr. Jared Skowron
Sometimes, we forget about the old things; the classics, the foundations, like magnesium. We get excited about new things in the hopes of finding the magic bullet. Sometimes when we get wrapped up in all things new, we lose sight of pillars of importance. We must remember the foundations of health and illness: Genetics, Nutrition, Toxicity.
Where to Begin
Where do we start our journey? In the past or in the present? Looking into the future? Do we first reflect on our health and life today, or reach back into our old photo albums of sepia stained square polaroids? I think today, I’m in the mood to rewind the clock 80 years….
I found an article from Berkeley Medical School published around 1937. This was an animal study analyzing symptoms of magnesium deficiency in the diet, especially related to calcium levels and Vitamin B2 levels (which they used to call Vitamin G back in the day). What interests me is the understanding of nutrition at that time. Here’s a couple quotes:
“A fixed value cannot be given for the minimum requirement of a given element. The amount required will be found to vary with varying conditions of life,…and also in relation to the intake of other components of the diet.”
“A high content of calcium in the diet increases the severity of magnesium deficiency and raises the amount necessary to meet the minimal magnesium requirements.”
Even back then, insights were given to individuality. I listen to so many parents who want to know the perfect dose, the exact number, and frankly it depends on your child. The need varies based on the individual’s health and genetics. While 100mg is right for some, 400mg is right for others. We must follow the response to a therapy individually. Read more here.
dude, I'm not personally involved with any biomedical forums, but in addition to Generation Rescue, there is quite a lot of info at these sites and maybe there is a local TACA chapter where you are?
http://www.autismone.org/
https://www.tacanow.org/
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | December 17, 2017 at 02:15 PM
Are there any good forums not associated with that whole autism normalizing clique? I was wondering what I can do on a budget of $840 per month total income and medicaid. And I don't see any good places to ask. Two forums I looked at didn't even have security for the password.
Posted by: dude | December 17, 2017 at 12:43 PM
The best magnesium supplement we've found is Dr Dean's ReMag -- high bioavailability, low gut irritation. We tried about 10 other forms, none of them worked for all of us.
For someone who can tolerate white vinegar, another good form is magnesium acetate: mix 1/8 tsp magnesium carbonate with 2 tsp of white vinegar to get about 140mg of Magnesium as acetate. The acetate is healing for your gut and helps reduce bacteria count in the small intestine.
Posted by: Tim Lundeen | October 24, 2017 at 01:02 PM
My two cents.
Because magnesium does not absorb in the digestive tract, it's best to get through the skin. Dr. Carolyn Dean is the queen of Mg and has a most excellent and comprehensive book 'Magnesium Miracle'. She lists a solid supplementation regimen on her website at https://drcarolyndean.com/2013/10/dr-deans-supplement-recommendations/. Her ReMag and ReMyte are awesome products, the most bioavailable you can get. Don't forget the essential minerals, which are typically depleted in their attempt to bind up heavy metals and other toxins.
My doctors are all big fans of Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) baths (Mg and Sulfur). I also use Magnesium Chloride flakes (both from Ancient Minerals), together with Vitamin C tablets for bath (dechlorinates the water). If you don't have time for a bath, Mg absorbs best through the bottoms of your feet, so a foot bath is a good option. For a quick fix, Mg Chloride spray on the bottoms of the feet, which I do 2x a day. You can put in on other parts of your body, but it typically burns a little, particularly if your body is Mg deficient.
For a more aggressive approach worthy of serious consideration is the Myer's Cocktail IV. Good on general principle, even more worthy when you're in great need of a boost.
Posted by: David Fielding | October 24, 2017 at 12:32 PM
Magnesium l-threonate is what our family takes (that is the letter l, not the number 1). It crosses cell walls and is therefore better absorbed, if I remember correctly. I personally noticed a big difference when taking it versus regular magnesium. Both Life Extension and Source Naturals carry this. For cost efficiency, I order online from Life Extension. 3 capsules per day is the recommended dose, which works well for us.
Posted by: Laura Hayes | October 24, 2017 at 11:15 AM
A simple measure might be to change to sea salt for table and cooking. This contains magnesium chloride as well as sodium chloride. Sea salt also contains calcium chloride, which would benefit children on a non dairy diet. Tastes good too.
Posted by: Jenny Allan | October 24, 2017 at 08:54 AM