Should You Take Supplements?

I am inspired to write this post by Dr Ben Kim's recent blog about synthetic vitamins. Just when I think I am convinced that supplements are possibly dangerous and a total waste of money (immiating Mother Nature is impossible) I stop and think about my own palpitating heart.

I first took Pharma Mag, a magnesium supplement at the suggestion of Kirsten Tremlett, an excellent naturopath and herbalist healer in Sydney, Australia. She thought it would help the distressing symptoms of tachycardia that I suffer from time to time. It did. Maybe it is the power of suggestion but it worked wonders. As long as I take 2 tablets, twice a day, my tachycardia goes away completely. I suffer from supraventricular tachycardia...aka SVT...it is benign as described by the cardiologist but extremely scary when it happens. Other magnesium supplements simply do not have the same effect. When I tried to find something similar at the Organic Pharmacy, they told me that this is a particularly strong dose and they knew of nothing like it.

I have not been able to find Pharma Mag outside of Australia and my search produced nothing comparable. So when I run short of supply I don't waste my money on supplements that don't work. I make sure I get my daily dose of magnesium rich nuts (cashews, almonds, brazil nuts) and then I just take a deep breath and ride out the palpitations.

I think that ultimately the best and most effective source of minerals and vitamins is your diet and it is so easy to eat a delicious, healthy and vitamin rich diet. The more organic foods you can eat the better. Eat more raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, grains and seeds. And cut the junk food. It will kill you.

(You cannot buy Pharma Mag just anywhere. If you want more information about where to get it, contact the Editor at Inward Bliss via this contact page.)

Magnesium and Clogged Arteries

Research suggests that there is a link between a magnesium deficiency and atherosclerosis. If you have clogged arteries then you must know what atherosclerosis means. But for those who don't it is hardening of the arteries, a build up of a plaque in blood vessels, specifically arteries.

Magnesium is another one of those minerals that is good for the heart. Good for lots of other things too. Migraines. Sleep. Muscle cramps. But when it comes to the heart, it is especially good. The man who wrote Dead Doctors Don't Lie categorically said that magnesium is an essential heart mineral that is now missing from today's common diet...a diet of processed foods with fruits and veggies grown in soil that is over used, leached of important nutrients. Crops grown in leached soil are equally devoid of nutrients. This is a prime reason for buying organic (and isn't it irritating that organic costs more? Revolt. Grow your own.)

You can take magnesium supplements but it is better and safer to get magnesium naturally from a good healthy diet. I could go into a long discussion about the danger of taking supplements but I'd rather focus on the positive step of eating healthy foods to prevent the buildup of plaque in your arteries.

Eat foods rich in magnesium. Here is a list.

Oatmeal, millet, kamut, amaranth, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, prawns, oysters, blackstrap molasses, brewer's yeast, wheat germ, nuts (brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts, cashews), sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seed, salba, bananas, black currants, rhubarb, ginger, cider vinegar, honey, and dark green veggies (spinach, watercress, swiss chard, parsley, wheatgrass, alfalfa sprouts).

Learn also about foods high in antioxidants. Antioxidants are also an important ingredient in the battle against heart disease.


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