Here’s another good source of Magnesium info too:-
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
It talks about the difficulty in measuring our Magnesium Status, to quote:-
“Assessing magnesium status is difficult because most magnesium is inside cells or in bone. The most commonly used and readily available method for assessing magnesium status is measurement of serum magnesium concentration, even though serum levels have little correlation with total body magnesium levels or concentrations in specific tissues.”
So for those who have simply had a ‘blood test’ to measure their Magnesium status, it can leave you thinking you are ‘ok’ – when you are NOT! as was the case for me.
The document goes on to say:-
“Other methods for assessing magnesium status include measuring magnesium concentrations in erythrocytes, saliva, and urine; measuring ionized magnesium concentrations in blood, plasma, or serum; and conducting a magnesium-loading (or “tolerance”) test. No single method is considered satisfactory.”
So again, if all we’ve had is a blood test, this alone is inadequate.
It continues:-
“Some experts but not others consider the tolerance test (in which urinary magnesium is measured after parenteral infusion of a dose of magnesium) to be the best method to assess magnesium status in adults. To comprehensively evaluate magnesium status, both laboratory tests and a clinical assessment might be required.”
So, being a government document, I doubt that the doctors could argue, if you went back and asked for additional testing. It would be interesting to find out which test is more useful for those suffering with our type of condition. It might help us to narrow down what’s going wrong.
Regards
Barbara
(UK)