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Children's Health Information See also: Books and other Resources for Hyperactivity, ADD & ADHD
How would you know if your child needed more magnesium? Blood tests are unreliable. Blood magnesium often remains within the normal range even when cellular levels are unusually low. According to the late Adelle Davis, a nutritionist who received her M.S. in biochemistry from the University of Southern California Medical School, symptoms of low magnesium include hyperactivity, irritability, sensitivity to noise, muscle spasms, muscle twitches, muscle weakness, insomnia and depression. When the deficiency is severe, symptoms include confusion, disorientation, belligerent behavior, convulsions, and hallucinations. Many children get only 75% of the RDA, which is 400 mg. per day for children over 4 years of age. Good sources include seeds, nuts, whole grains, and cooked green leafy vegetables. Magnesium is lost when the water from cooking vegetables is discarded, or when foods are overcooked. It is also wasted when too much sugar or salt is consumed. Calcium and magnesium need to be in a 2:1 ratio. If your child consumes excessive calcium, a magnesium deficiency is created. Many children consume lots of milk but few whole grains or cooked greens. Children who obtain little calcium will also have magnesium deficiency as a result. Soils east of the Mississippi River are usually low in magnesium, and chemical fertilizers make the magnesium in the soil unavailable to the plants. Antibiotics can waste a remarkable amount of magnesium, especially when high or prolonged doses are taken. I have personally experienced frightening auditory and visual hallucinations while taking antibiotics. Fortunately, the symptoms quickly abated when I took 300 mg. of powdered magnesium oxide. In the most severe occurrence, I had to also take 50 mg. of B6, which works together with magnesium, before I felt completely better. The relief begins within minutes in my experience, although it can take several hours. Another factor to consider is the RDA. What does it really mean? According to "Problem Nutrients in the United States", a pamphlet published by the U.S.D.A. in 1981, they are not intended as recommendations for individuals. According to the Food and Nutrition Board, the RDAs are "set high enough to meet the nutritional needs of practically all healthy persons." Is a hyperactive child, or one with chronic allergies considered healthy? In addition, the pamphlet admits that their calculations for some nutrients, including magnesium, were based on food values which are known to be unreliable. Even assuming that the mineral was in the food to begin with, and that it had been preserved during cooking, 16% of children ages 3 - 8 got less than 70% of the RDA. In teenagers about 43% of males and about 50% of females got less than 70%. The study did not include magnesium obtained from supplements. Most children's supplements contain relatively small amounts of magnesium. According to the 1970 edition of Adele Davis' Let's Eat Right to Keep Fit children's diets are severely lacking in magnesium. Sadly, more recent studies show no improvement in the intake this essential mineral. The usefulness of magnesium in children with severe to moderate asthma was investigated in a double-blind study at Harvard Medical School. Thirty-one children, ages 6 to 18, were involved. One group was given intravenously 25 mg. of Magnesium per kg. of body weight, up to a maximum of 2 grams. The second group was given saline intravenously as a placebo. The children which received the magnesium had "significantly greater improvement" without significant changes in blood pressure, and were more likely to be discharged from the Emergency Department than the control group. Such studies will help to increase interest in magnesium within the medical community, and to "validate" its usefulness. In the meantime, you can calculate your children's intake of magnesium and make sure they get the RDA either through food or supplements. Consult your child's physician before considering adding more than the RDA of magnesium. An excess can be as harmful as a deficiency. And make sure that the physician knows that blood levels of magnesium are poor indicators of cellular levels.
Provide exercise opportunities at home for you child.
Daily exercise is important to physical health. It also
enhances emotional stability and improves mental abilities.
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