This is Our Year to SHINE in 2009 with Carolyn Dean, ND, MD

By Shannon Leone

Here at RawMom, we have grown in ONE year to 10,000 readers!  This year, we are powerfully moving forward, with some exciting little surprises sprinkled in all over the place! As usual, we want to offer our readers fresh and exciting perspectives on HEALTH, RAW FOODS, DIET, PARENTING, all in a holistic, and empowering way. AND, to spice things up I will be posting up interviews and articles with the movers and the shakers who inspires us all; rawsome BEAUTY expert, TONYA ZAVASTA, Master Herbalist BRIGITTE MARS, Raw veteran RHIO, Green Smoothie Queen VICTORIA BOUTENKO, Raw Restaraunteurs KAREN CALABRESE and SARMA MENGALIS, Water expert DANIEL VITALIS, IBS author and coach and publisher DAVE KLIEN, Yoga Dvd goddess RAINBEAU MARS, ANGELA STOKES and MANY MORE.

TODAY I am thrilled to tell you about a personal SHERO of mine, who is a fabulous expert to have in your toolkit…  For those of you who have read my manual RAISING CHILDREN RAISING US that accompanies my documentary Dvd by the same name, you already know of Carelyn.  Her name is actually spelled CarOlyn, but to me, her name says it all about the energetic quality of her life.  She is a medical doctor, a Homeopathic doctor and a Naturopathic doctor, but she is so much more, a living legend.  Her CV is so extensive, literally pages and pages long of credits and accomplishments.  She has written a dozen books, my personal favourites are : WHEN YOU CAN’T REACH YOUR DOCTOR, DEATH BY MODERN MEDICINE, IBS FOR DUMMIES, THE COMPLETE NATURAL GUIDE TO WOMEN’S HEALTH and THE MAGNESIUM MIRACLE. Carelyn has written countless articles, and appeared on zillions of panels like CODEX trying to keep our rights to supplements and natural foods in our hands, and has appeared on the VIEW with Barbara Walters, and been asked to appear on OPRAH (which didn’t pan out when the producers discovered Carelyn’s mostly anti-drug stance which contradicted the commercials that they run during that time slot by their sponsors- yep, there is a connection) not to mention radio and magazines all over the world.  She is in the same circles as DEEPAK CHOPRA, CHRISTINE NORTHROP and DR OZ, yet remains true to form and refuses to go commercial and dilute her views on sugar as a drug, the importance of a natural diet and supplementing with magnesium or other nutrients when needed.  Currently, a 5-star medical SPA is being built for her in Costa Rica of which Carelyn will be the director, which will be THE place to go for the cutting edge in optimal health and happiness.  I will be living there part-time teaching raw food there as Carelyn LOVES my recipes!

When I met Carelyn, my single mom had suddenly died and I was just 16.  I became her patient as my health was frail and my psyche even weaker.  She offered to become my legal guardian to ‘sign legal stuff for school’ as she put it, but we she did more than that.  Although I lived on my own and took care of myself financially, Carelyn helped so much by offering me a job as a MEDICAL SECRETARY in her office, which included doing editing of her research.  I learned TONS form this position- it was a huge key in the unfolding of my health journey.  Also, I noticed EVERYWHERE we went together, people would stop her to HUG her and THANK her for something she had done for them or a family member- just like in her office, LOVE was all around her!  Unlike most doctors, Carelyn always spent hours counseling her patients on diet, always educating them to empower themselves- and she didn’t get paid for the majority of this time as our health care system OHIP doesn’t cover more than about 15 minutes per visit.  Using homeopathy, and acupuncture, two ancient health modalities that most doctors here in the West shun, Carelyn helped thousands of people regain their health without prescribing drugs whenever possible.  Over the years, I noticed her habits, her disciplines, her ways, and I can say she is the wisest person I know.

Sooooo, I am very happy to have her contribute her broad knowledge on the topics of children and women’s health here at RawMom!  Here is an article she wrote on the importance of magnesium on a women’s overall well-being, which definitely has helped my nerves and sleep (and next time one on children’s health):

WOMEN NEED MAGNESIUM-by Carolyn Dean, MD, ND

Even though magnesium is the most important mineral in our body, farming practices have depleted the soil of magnesium, making our food and our bodies magnesium-deficient. Farmers do not remineralize their soil and fertilizers mainly replace nitrogen and potassium. We are told that medicine has advanced to the stage of miracle cures, yet it’s not technology that we’re lacking but basic nutrients that power our bodies and give us health.

Magnesium regulates more than 325 enzymes in the body, the most important of which produce, transport, store, and utilize energy. Many crucial aspects of cell metabolism are regulated by magnesium, such as DNA and RNA synthesis, cell growth, and cell reproduction. Magnesium’s numerous physiological roles include nerve action, heart activity, neuromuscular transmission, muscular contraction, vascular tone, blood pressure, and peripheral blood ?ow. Magnesium modulates and controls the entry and release of calcium from the cell, which determines muscular activity. If you have too much calcium and not enough magnesium your muscles and nerves go into spasm. Excess calcium seems to be the norm today with women taking enormous doses of poorly absorbed calcium and hardly any magnesium. Instead of two parts calcium to one part magnesium, many researchers are finding that two parts of magnesium to one part calcium is a healthier balance.

I know magnesium works, it works for me and it works for my readers. After taking magnesium supplements, many women have contacted me describing the reversal of their PMS, painful periods, improvement in symptoms of chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, muscle spasms, and greater enjoyment of sexual activity.

When I wrote The Magnesium Miracle, I was fortunate to have it forwarded by Drs. Burton and Bella Altura, two magnesium researchers who have produced over 1,000 research papers on magnesium. The Alturas are scientists who had never written a forward for a popular press book. However, when I approached them, they said that in spite of their enormous body of research, the message about rampant magnesium deficiency in the population was never translated into clinical application and they wanted the message to get out. They especially wanted to alert women to the dangers of magnesium deficiency that can begin in the womb.

Although I knew about the need for magnesium in our diet even before I entered medical school, I received a very dramatic lesson in my second year. I was observing in the obstetrics ward when a young woman in the final stage of labor developed rapidly elevating blood pressure and began convulsing. This was a true medical emergency. Already skeptical about the antihypertensive and anticonvulsant drugs, which have so many side effects and variable results, I wondered what could possibly work that would not be dangerous for the baby. Clearly, this woman needed something both powerful and effective.

The attending physician called out for an ampule of magnesium sulfate and immediately injected it into the patient’s IV. Within minutes the woman’s convulsions had ceased and her blood pressure was returning to normal. I was amazed, and I’ve never forgotten that miracle of magnesium, which also reinforced my belief that there are safe, effective alternatives to prescription drugs for pain and chronic disease.

Having enough magnesium during pregnancy can improve the health of our children. Magnesium can prevent premature contractions, eclampsia and greatly reduce the risk of a child suffering cerebral palsy and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Magnesium in effective dosages should be a required supplement for pregnant women. Because there are magnesium deficiency symptoms in pregnancy and childbirth means that these women are not being given enough magnesium. Magnesium can even help women with fertility problems because it relieves fallopian tube spasm that can prevent egg implantation!

The following list of conditions that are associated with magnesium deficiency affect men and women but women seem to carry the greater burden of its lack.

1. Anxiety and panic attacks 2. Asthma 3. Blood clots 4. Bowel disease 5. Cystitis 6. Depression 7. Detoxi?cation 8. Diabetes 9. Fatigue 10. Heart disease 11. Hypertension 12. Hypoglycemia 13. Insomnia 14. Kidney disease 15. Migraine 16. Musculoskeletal conditions  17. Nerve problems 18. Obstetrical and gynecological problems 19. Osteoporosis 20. Raynaud’s syndrome 21. Tooth decay

It is very important for women to assess their need for magnesium. The following 100 factors in 68 categories can help you recognize a possible magnesium de?ciency. If you have any additions to this list, please let me know. A client recently told me that her chronic hiccoughs went away when she started supplementing with magnesium. There’s no way of knowing how many factors correlate with any one person’s magnesium de?ciency, but if you ?nd yourself ticking off a few dozen, you may want see how many of your symptoms improve when you take magnesium supplements.

1. Alcohol intake-more than seven drinks per week 2. Anger 3. Angina 4. Anxiety 5. Apathy 6. Arrhythmia of the heart 7. Asthma 8. Blood tests a. Low calcium b. Low potassium c. Low magnesium 9. Bowel problems a. Undigested fat in stool b. Constipation c. Diarrhea d. Alternating constipation and diarrhea e. IBS f. Crohn’s g. Colitis 10. Brain trauma 11. Bronchitis, chronic 12. Caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate), more than three servings per day 13. Chronic fatigue syndrome 14. Cold extremities 15. Concentration dif?culties 16. Confusion 17. Convulsions 18. Depression 19. Diabetes a. Type I b. Type II c. Gestational diabetes 20. Fibromyalgia 21. Food intake imbalances a. Limited in green leafy vegetables, seeds, and fresh fruit b. High protein 22. Food cravings a. Carbohydrates b. Chocolate c. Salt d. Junk food 23. Gagging or choking on food 24. Headaches 25. Heart disease 26. Heart-rapid rate 27. High blood pressure 28. Homocysteinuria 29. Hyperactivity 30. Hyperventilation 31. Infertility 32. Insomnia 33. Irritability 34. Kidney stones 35. Medications a. Digitalis b. Diuretics c. Antibiotics d. Steroids e. Oral contraceptives f. Indomethacin g. Cisplatin h. Amphotericin B i.Cholestyramine j. Synthetic estrogens 36. Memory impairment 37. Mercury amalgam dental ?llings 38. Menstrual pain and cramps 39. Migraines 40. Mineral supplements a. Take calcium without magnesium b. Take zinc without magnesium c. Take iron without magnesium 41. Mitral valve prolapse 42. Muscle cramps or spasms 43. Muscle twitching or tics 44. Muscle weakness 45. Numbness of hands or feet 46. Osteoporosis 47. Paranoia 48. Parathyroid hyperactivity 49. PMS 50. Polycystic ovarian disease 51. Pregnancy a. Currently pregnant b. Pregnant within one year c. History of preeclampsia or eclampsia d. Postpartum depression e. Have a child with cerebral palsy 52. Radiation therapy, recent 53. Raynaud’s syndrome 54. Restlessness 55. Sexual energy diminished 56. Shortness of breath 57. Smoking 58. Startled easily by noise 59. Stressful life or circumstances 60. Stroke 61. Sugar, high intake daily 62. Syndrome X 63. Thyroid hyperactivity 64. Tingling of hands or feet 65. Transplants a. Kidney b. Liver 66. Tremor of the hands 67. Water that contains the following a. Fluoride b. Chlorine c. Calcium 68. Wheezing

When asked why doctors don’t know more about magnesium and recommend it for all the conditions I talk about, it’s because doctors only learn how to diagnose disease and treat with drugs. We don’t learn about nutrients in medical school, presumably because drug companies support medical education and patented drugs, not unpatented nutrients. Also, magnesium is it’s own worst enemy because it’s found in such low concentration in the blood that it’s hard to get an accurate measurement of total body magnesium. Only 1 percent of the body’s magnesium is in the blood and that crucial level must be maintained at all costs -stripping magnesium from bones and tissues. Therefore, when doctors do a magnesium blood test, they can get a “normal” reading while the rest of the body may be starving for this important nutrient. Without a “test” to show doctors that magnesium is necessary, the whole topic is shelved, patients’ symptoms are shelved, and patients suffer the consequences.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for magnesium is between 350 and 400 milligrams per day, which is just enough to ward off outright deficiency. But for optimal health and for the twenty-one conditions that are triggered by magnesium deficiency, perhaps twice as much magnesium is needed. One hundred years ago we obtained 500 mg of magnesium in our diet, now we are lucky to get 150 mg. We can eat more nuts, seeds, seaweed, dark leafy vegetable but we still don’t get enough magnesium from out diet so we have to rely on magnesium supplements.

Forms of Magnesium
Magnesium oxide is the cheapest form of magnesium but it’s only 4 percent absorbed, the rest goes through the intestines making it a great laxative. Magnesium citrate is powder form is the most commonly used and the least expensive. Magnesium glycinate, magnesium taurate, magnesium malate, dimagnesium malate are taken for their less laxative effect.

Magnesium oil is a form that can be sprayed on the body and is used by those who want no laxative effect whatsoever. Actually, the laxative effect of magnesium is your guide to how much to take. Anything above the amount needed by the body will be eliminated through the bowels, kidneys, or through sweat.

Since the last edition of The Magnesium Miracle, I found a form of magnesium that is 100% absorbed. It’s called angstrom minerals. Since the cell-ion channels that allow entry of minerals into the cell are 4-5 angstroms in diameter, the size of mineral molecules must be at the angstrom level for complete absorption. The dose for this form of magnesium is about 10 times lower than most other minerals because of its high absorption. People who suffer from IBS-diarrhea, Crohn’s and colitis can use angstrom magnesium without affecting their bowels.

The only contraindications to magnesium are for people with outright kidney failure, bowel obstruction, Myasthenia gravis, or heart block. Also, if you have a heart condition you may find that taking magnesium can lessen the need for heart medication and you should be under doctor’s supervision to guide this process. If you are on medication of any kind, in The Magnesium Miracle you will find hundreds of reference that you can show your doctor to emphasize the fact that you need to be taking magnesium. Good luck on your magnesium journey!

Carolyn Dean MD ND has been in the forefront of health issues for 30 years. She graduated from Dalhousie Medical School in 1978, holds a medical license in California, and is a graduate of the Ontario Naturopathic College, now the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto. She is the author/coauthor of 15 health books and Medical Director of VidaCosta Spa el Puente, a health spa in Costa Rica opening in 2010. Dr. Dean President of Hallmark-Dean Academy, U.S. a licensed school that trains Laboratory Technicians and Wellness Guides in a unique, licensed, functional, computerized, urinalysis lab test. Her book titles include ebooks and print books that can be viewed on her site www.drcarolyndean.com. Dr. Dean assists individuals with all types of illness at any stage or degree of severity through her Telephone Wellness Consulting practice.