It has been known for many years that magnesium is an analgesic. It is found both in the blood and in the spinal fluid, and is the only electrolyte found in higher concentration in the spinal fluid than in the blood. This is an important fact for two reasons:

First, testing for a deficiency of magnesium in the spinal fluid is easily done by taking a blood test and deciding what the magnesium level in the blood is. Scientists have found that the lower the blood level, the lower the spinal fluid level.

Second, the reason for the high magnesium content in the spinal fluid is that the mineral is necessary for balancing the stimulant effect of body hormones. The purpose of thyroid, gonadal, adrenal and other hormones is to charge up or excite the body. Magnesium and some other substances tend to slow down and relax the system, thus regulating the hormones and achieving a happy medium.

When magnesium deficiencies occur–and there are a number of reasons why this can happen–there is no regulation. Among the dangerous results of this state listed in medical literature are heart damage, osteoporosis, periodontal disease, and epilepsy. Another is hyperirritability. “A great many people have a magnesium deficiency manifesting itself in hyperirritability,” Barnett said. These people may often have a metabolic rate 125 percent higher than normal, he says.

Their bodies and minds are greatly overactive, and they are constantly irritated. This is undoubtedly a partial explanation for the high rate of juvenile delinquency, divorce, and emotional instability rampant in modem society.  (Read More)