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Re: Help with MRI

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 3:24 am
by jimmylegs
ah yes, i've used that in the past myself. the magnesium citrate is very nice at bed time, although i never tried the flavoured varieties. if you take in high enough concentrations, being the mag citrate form it still has some laxative action due to poorer absorption (so if you notice any GI differences don't be surprised ;) ). it's not the best form i've seen for absorption (magnesium glycinate tops the heap for absorption so far), but it's still a great product. i currently take one magnesium citrate caplet per day, and one magnesium glycinate powder capsule, plus eat a LOT of greens! that said...

magnesium really is best absorbed in the lower intestine, from food, and the best chance of food having traditional nutrient values is for it to be grown organically. spinach and swiss chard are excellent sources, so if you can work a 1c. serving of either organic green (boiled 3 min. to reduce oxalic acid content) then you should get a great boost from that also. when i can't get them organic i still do the same thing as often as possible (i rotate in kale as well).

another good way to increase magnesium intakes without more pills, is an epsom salts bath (they're magnesium salts). i've been posting about these so often lately, i apologize if i've already mentioned them to you.

next thing to look at is probably your dietary zinc intake, as well as intakes of food that deplete zinc status, eg bread, dairy, sugar, alcohol, excess copper or iron, etc.
high bioavailability zinc rich foods ('very good' sources) include venison, beef, lamb and scallops. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tnam ... t&dbid=115
calf's liver is the only excellent source i know of off hand, but i've tried to find it and it's not the easiest thing in the world to shop for, at least not where i go shopping!

if you decide to choose a zinc supplement, make sure it is balanced with copper. long term zinc supplementation has the potential to interfere with copper zinc balance. it's usually not a big deal right away. i recently had my mum get her bloodwork done, she takes a balanced 25mg zinc citrate with 2mg copper, every other day. her copper result was 17-something, which is okay as long as zinc is a little higher, but then her zinc level was only 13 umol/L. that's low normal, not good enough, needs to be up close to 18 or 19 to be optimal, and to make a good copper zinc ratio. she eats small amounts of bread, dairy, and sugar, and consumes very limited alcohol. so the 25mg zinc per day just is not enough to compete with her dietary choices and combinations. details details!

Re: Help with MRI

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 6:02 pm
by Laney
Wow! You definitely have the down low on all the right nutrients! I really appreciate the time you have taken with me.
I have my appt with the new neurologist for the second opinion Friday. I'm driving an hour drive one way to see this doctor. His nurse called today about getting as much of my test results together as possible before Friday for him to.start reviewing. She said my current neuro only sent them one measly little paper . That didn't surprise me. I told her I have been seeing this neuro for a year and a half and he hasn't given any answers to my issues . I have suffered with weakness and pins and needles in my left arm for over a year and he's done every test but the correct teat
He never thought to do a cervical MRI with contrast and even after it was done his PA said they determined everything looked pretty normal. Then when I said that's not what PM Dr said they changes their.tune


My PCP got back from vacation this week and saw my MRIs and is sending me back to my neurosurgeon again. Amazingly...since those MRIs were pretty normal...lol!

Re: Help with MRI

Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 3:31 am
by jimmylegs
hey there! wow, i really hope you can get in the same room as a really good specialist! if you can find someone (perhaps your naturopath?) who can order serum magnesium and zinc tests that will be extremely useful info going forward. and if you can, ensure that you have copies of any tests for your own files.

let us know if you notice any improvement using the natural calm. if i remember correctly, when prepared according to package directions, one mug per day won't quite be enough. that's when the greens and baths come into the picture :D

good luck on friday!

Re: Help with MRI

Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 4:55 pm
by Laney
Thanks, jimmylegs!
I will definitely update on Friday after my appointment.

Re: Help with MRI

Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:04 pm
by jimmylegs
you're welcome :) i'll be out of town for a few days but will check back in when i return.

guess what i had to remind my old roomie yesterday, re one of the uses of natural calm; she emailed today to say it was working already :D

Re: Help with MRI

Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 3:42 am
by Laney
Lol!
Have a safe trip!

Re: Help with MRI

Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 4:02 am
by jimmylegs
i'll be very careful re bears :D