I am often asked, “What is one supplement you would recommend for POTS patients, if forced to choose?”
Understanding that we are all different, this can be a tough question. Considering commonalities in symptoms for many of us, and giving special attention to the safest things first, I would have to pick magnesium.
Years ago, I learned that most patients with hypermobility are found to be deficient in magnesium, when tested INSIDE their cells. Back then, word was spread of this finding, and most of us jumped on magnesium. And as time went by, most of us tended to drop off (we try so many things to improve our health and who can take all of these pills, right?).
Having come full circle, I continue to see the benefits of magnesium in myself and others, and often recommend “pulsing” it, should a patient get into a major health funk. Pulsing is much like a loading dose of medication – you double or triple the typical daily amount for 2-3 days, then back down. Some of us can get back to baseline by doing this, yet it can be easy to forget such a basic electrolyte.
The benefits of magnesium are numerous, and a periodic review of magnesium deficiency can be beneficial. Symptoms of deficiency can affect the central and peripheral nervous systems and include seizures, headaches, vertigo, light sensitivity and anxiety. The musculoskeletal system is affected by twitches, cramping, TMJ and even bone pain. Poor digestion, palpitations, fatigue, itchy skin and slow healing are additional symptoms of low magnesium (among many others).
Personally, I experienced some of these symptoms recently when I was out of town. My intracranial pressure went up and I was in a major funk, symptom-wise. I was afraid my trip would be ruined but I wondered if low magnesium could possibly be involved. Triple dosing magnesium brought me back to normalcy within hours, and the trip was great. Whew. I made a mental note to share with others how easily this can happen to us, and I remain amazed by how much magnesium my body needs.
Remember, there is no good blood test to analyze magnesium levels with accuracy (99% of our magnesium is inside of our cells and tissues), so we must recognize it by presentation. Are you in a medical funk? Consider magnesium.
For more advice on POTS, you may enjoy the free brochure here: www.POTSCare.com.
Have questions? Join us at the forum!
I’ll see you there,
Dr. Diana
For more information:
Magnesium Fact Sheet from the National Institutes of Health: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
Journal of Magnesium Research: http://www.magnesiumresearch.com/index.phtml
Magnesium in the Central Nervous System: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/press/titles/magnesium/magnesium-ebook.pdf
Magnesium and connective tissue: http://www.jle.com/en/revues/bio_rech/mrh/e-docs/00/03/FA/53/article.phtml
Magnesium, stress and neuropsychiatriac disorders: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1844561
Headache due to photosensitive magnesium depletion: http://www.jle.com/en/revues/bio_rech/mrh/e-docs/00/04/0F/78/article.phtml