HEALTHY WOMEN AND CHILDREN - Healthy living guide

Healthy Women and Children - I received only two hours of nutrition classes during my four years in medical school and magnesium was never discussed. Neither did it come up in my clinical work in the hospital—except once. In my third year, I was observing in obstetrics and a young woman was about to deliver twins. The problem was, her blood pressure was rising, she was bloated, and she was convulsing because of excess fluid in her brain. I wondered what they could possibly give her to stop the seizures, bring down her blood pressure, get rid of the edema—and not harm the baby.

Before I knew it, the attending physician ordered an IV bag of magnesium to drip into her veins. In short order, her blood pressure came down, she stopped having seizures, and she started eliminating fluid. It was a monumental experience for me knowing that the mother and baby were safe and it was due to magnesium. Since I was already studying nutrition on my own, I began wondering why magnesium wasn’t the first line of therapy for fluid retention, high blood pressure, and seizures for everyone. When I asked about this, I was told that there were perfectly good drugs to use for everyone else and we didn’t have to bother with magnesium!

Magnesium and a Healthy Baby

Magnesium is a vital component of a healthy pregnancy and delivery. Having enough magnesium during pregnancy can improve your baby’s health from day one. But the need for it begins even before birth. Many studies suggest that magnesium can prevent premature contractions, eclampsia, and greatly reduce the risk of a child suffering cerebral palsy and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). I believe that—like folic acid—magnesium, in effective dosages, should be a required supplement for pregnant women.

Many symptoms in pregnancy, such as constipation, leg cramps, backaches, fluid retention, irritability, and insomnia, are really the symptoms of magnesium deficiency. I’ve even seen magnesium help women with fertility problems get pregnant because it relieves fallopian tube spasms that can prevent egg implantation!