Magnesium tops the list as the number one supplement for anyone because it’s crucial for your health, it’s simple to take, it’s inexpensive, and it’s effective in the proper forms whether you have IBS-C or IBS-D.
Magnesium is necessary for the proper function of more than 325 different enzymes in the body, and maintaining adequate magnesium levels can ease the pain and spasms of IBS symptoms and make having such an illness a little less uncomfortable.
The symptoms of magnesium deficiency include muscle spasms, palpitations, hypertension, insomnia, migraines, PMS, depression, and anxiety and panic attacks. Another major symptom is moderate fatigue — not just general tiredness but rather a distinct lack of energy that, when coupled with IBS, compromises your body’s healing resources.
Most people don’t think of having a magnesium deficiency because the symptoms are associated with so many other conditions. But being deficient in magnesium can affect your overall health because you’re operating your body without all its vital components. And most doctors don’t recognize a magnesium deficiency because no test in standard lab work accurately identifies it.
Magnesium is a great natural laxative, so it’s very helpful if you have IBS-C to take a magnesium citrate powder in water or a magnesium dimalate tablet if you would rather swallow a pill. Recent research has also turned up two forms of magnesium that work for IBS-D: magnesium oil and angstrom-sized magnesium. The following list covers these and other helpful forms of magnesium.
Magnesium oil: Although it’s not technically an oil, magnesium chloride highly concentrated in distilled water has a slightly oily consistency. You spray or rub the oil on your skin, so it doesn’t reach your intestines and cause a laxative effect (unless you bathe in a few gallons of it). Research shows that applying a solution of magnesium oil to your skin restores levels within your tissues in four to six weeks.
The minimum daily dose is 400 milligrams or about 20 sprays if you’re using a spray bottle. You can dilute the oil with distilled water if it burns or tingles slightly; leave the oil on all day, or wash it off after at least 30 minutes if you prefer.
Angstrom minerals: Good things come in small packages, and the smaller the magnesium particle, the more likely it’s able to pass through the miniscule openings in the cell walls. Fortunately, magnesium and other minerals come in atom-sized packages called angstrom.
The dosage for angstrom minerals is between five and ten times less than the common brands on the shelf. It comes in liquid form, and a dose is about 40 milligrams (2 tablespoons) twice a day taken with or without food in a small glass of water.
Magnesium from food: Seaweed and chocolate both have very high amounts of magnesium. We know how exciting the chocolate part sounds, but remember that we’re talking about the 100-percent raw, bitter chocolate called cacao.
Other foods rich in magnesium are nuts, seeds, deep green leafy vegetables, and whole grains. You may think that these foods are off limits, but that’s not the case. Deep green leafy vegetables may be a stretch for you but consider juicing greens or even blending your salad to a consistency that your tummy can tolerate.
