Antiaging and Taming Yeast

By Carolyn Dean, MD, ND

"I'm no fool, no sirree. I'm gonna live to be 103." If you're old enough to remember Jiminy Cricket's ditty, you're probably a little anxious about the physical and mental deterioration that our society associates with aging. You notice I said, "our society associates with aging."

Debilitation in old age is an opinion, not a fact. And, if you're anything like the people in my life, you'll remember grandparents and other elders as very old and frail toward the end of their lives. Yet the next generation stayed hale and hearty much later into their lives. And your generation has every chance of a healthy and vigorous old age and years of extra life, with a few precautionary measures. I'd like to address the issue of magnesium deficiency and the far-reaching effects it can have on your long-term health.

Aging in our industrialized society is associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, reduced insulin sensitivity and Type 2 diabetes, among other degenerative diseases. Most of us don't know that aging is also associated with an imbalance in the levels of calcium and magnesium and dozens of other minerals almost identical with those found in people with heart disease and diabetes. Clinical studies thoroughly document the fact that people with insulin resistance (a characteristic of Type 2 diabetes) have too much calcium and too little magnesium in their cells. Interestingly, these same effects are seen as the results of "normal" aging. That fact suggests that the disturbance of calcium and magnesium ions in the cells might be the missing link for the multiple diseases associated with aging. Other clinical research shows magnesium deficiency may increase our susceptibility to heart disease and accelerate the debility of aging.

One study of nursing home residents linked low magnesium levels and two conditions that commonly plague the elderly: diabetes and calf cramps. And another study showed that people who reached the age of 100 had higher total body magnesium levels-and lower calcium levels-than the average person.

Free Radical Frenzy
Most of you are probably familiar with the concept of free radicals, those rogue oxygen molecules that not only damage and destroy healthy cells, they alter cellular DNA, so new cells are not the same as the old ones. Excessive numbers of free radicals damage all types of body structures and are known to cause at least 60 different health problems ranging form heart disease to cancer. But it may come as a surprise that current research shows low magnesium levels magnify free radical damage, and they actually hasten the rate at which free radicals are produced.

In one study of skin cells, low magnesium levels doubled the amount of free radicals produced. Another study showed animals fed low magnesium diets were more susceptible to free radical damage. Scientists agree that low magnesium damages the fatty layer in the cell membrane, making it more susceptible to damage and allowing leakage. In addition, low magnesium levels have also been linked to low glutathione levels which make cells even more susceptible to free radical damage. This problem has been implicated in Parkinson's disease. Low magnesium levels have also been associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.

The Dangers of Aluminum
Many Americans are exposed to aluminum through aluminum pots, cans, anti-perspirants, foil, tap water and even aluminum-based antacids. Aluminum has long been implicated in Alzheimer's disease. Research has shown that brain neurons in people with Alzheimer's disease have higher levels of aluminum than those with normal neurons. Other research shows people with Alzheimer's have low magnesium levels in the hippocampus, the area of the brain most damaged by the disease. Worst of all, aluminum somehow mimics the function of magnesium in certain enzyme systems in the body and in the brain. In the brain, it can actually cause calcium channels in the nerve cells to be wide open, allowing calcium to flood in and cause cell death.

Ample magnesium intake has been shown to protect brain cells from the damaging effects of aluminum and other toxic metals like beryllium, cadmium, lead, mercury and nickel. Conversely, if magnesium levels are low, the metals gain access to cells more easily. Low levels of magnesium contribute to deposits of heavy metals related to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Aluminum is also a contributing factor in the central nervous system damage that results in Parkinson's. When scientists study the soil in regions with high incidences of neurological disease like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, they find high levels of aluminum and low levels of magnesium and calcium. An epidemiological study in Guam showed the areas with the lowest levels of soil calcium and magnesium were the areas with the highest rates of neurological diseases.

At Risk
The human body's ability to absorb magnesium declines with age, so elderly people who do not eat an adequate diet and those who use prescription drugs that deplete the body's magnesium are at risk. (Studies show that the average senior citizen takes six to eight prescription medications a day!) Antacids, taken by many older people to cover up symptoms of a poor diet, is a strong brew of calcium and aluminum that depletes magnesium and adds to the neurological burden of the elderly.

Several studies show that severe neurological problems result from extremely low levels of magnesium in the brain that can be caused by the chronic use of diuretics, which millions of people use to control high blood pressure. A diuretic, usually the first line treatment for high blood pressure specifically drains potassium as well as magnesium from the body. Most doctors prescribe potassium to replace the loss but forget about magnesium.

Excessive amounts of aspartame and MSG in the diets of elderly people can also cause dementia, which is magnified when magnesium levels are low. Neurological symptoms associated with toxic levels of aluminum can sometimes be reversed with high doses of intravenous magnesium.

Dan Healy, a NY Assemblyman who wrote Politics of Healing talks about his recovery from a paralyzing stroke by using IV magnesium and hyperbaric oxygen. Dan was wheeled in to his first appointment and two weeks later was walking and fully functioning.

Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency

• anxiety
• excessive emotionality
• fatigue
• headaches
• insomnia
• light-headedness
• dizziness
• sensation of a lump in the throat and/or blocked breathing
• pins and needles in the extremities
• cramps
• muscle pain
• cramps
• chest pain
• shortness of breath
• palpitations

Treatment
The government's recommended daily magnesium intake for adults is 400 milligrams (mg.), but therapeutic doses in the range of 2,500 mg. are considered safe. However, all this research is predicated on the fact that most minerals from the soil are only 1-10% absorbed. Angstrom-sized minerals in liquid form are the best source of minerals. They are virtually 100% absorbed through the angstrom-sized mineral channels in cells. You can find them at www.pureaquahealth.com.

Magnesium in foods is the best way to get magnesium and the best absorbed, but not always possible. A diet abundant in magnesium-rich foods comes from mineral rich soil that is regularly fertilized with magnesium and other trace minerals. Only then are green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts of all kinds, whole grains, and dairy products good sources of magnesium.

The food highest in magnesium is seaweed.
A more thorough list can be found in The Magnesium Miracle (Ballentine, 2007). Even so, magnesium contents lists represents the ideal amount of magnesium, however, our food supply is sadly deficient in magnesium because the soils have been stripped of this crucial mineral and fertilizers don't replace it.

Take these steps to manage aluminum intake:

Use only filtered water that guarantees removal of aluminum. Drink 8 glasses per day. But don't forget to take a source of trace minerals to replace those stripped by the filtering process. The best source is called Balanced Life, an angstrom-sized mineral available at www.pureaquahealth.com.

• Avoid antacids containing aluminum.
• Use natural antiperspirant deodorants that do not contain aluminum.
• Avoid cooking in aluminum pots.
• Do not drink soft drinks or juices from aluminum cans.
• Get checked for heavy metal toxicity through urine testing or hair analysis. If you have toxic levels, pursue oral or intravenous chelation.
• If you have mercury amalgam fillings, have them removed by a qualified dentist. If it is done incorrectly, more mercury can be released into the tissues.
• Clean out all the chemicals in your home and immediate environment.
• Eat organic food as much as possible.
• Exercise regularly.
• Take regular saunas.
• Cut back on sugar consumption and substitute stevia.
• And keep reading and researching to create the future you really want!

As a physician, I have found that reducing sugar intake is one of the most important ways to control hypoglycemia, diabetes, and intestinal yeast. Reduce your sugar intake by supplementing your tea, water, and other beverages with Stevia.

Dr. Carolyn Dean MD ND
Dr. Dean is the author and coauthor of 15 books including eBooks. Proficient in both conventional and alternative medicine, Dr. Dean is the medical director of VidaCosta Spa el Puente in Costa Rica (2010), President of VidaCosta Academy, U.S., and offers customized telephone consultations for health through her website: www.drcarolyndean.com.