WPADE.org

By Annette R. Karnash, R.N., M.N.

Of all the essential minerals necessary to maintain life, magnesium is perhaps the most important for preventing and reversing signs of neural and neuromuscular overexcitement. Magnesium is a key element in stabilizing the nerve cell. Without it, the nerve would be in a constant state of excitement, known as tetany.

Magnesium is usually part of a salt such as magnesium hydroxide, or “milk of magnesia” and Magnesium sulfate of “Epsom salts” both of which are used in treating disorders of the G.I (gastrointestinal) tract. Magnesium carbonate is a key ingredient in arthritic strength Bufferin.

Magnesium gets its name from the Greek city of Magnesia where large amounts of magnesium carbonate, used as a laxative during the Italian Renaissance, were located. Magnesium is the central element in the chlorophyll molecule, just as iron is central in the hemoglobin molecule. In fact, hemoglobin and chlorophyll are almost essential substances, except for the magnesium-iron substitution. It is possible to equate iron and magnesium as the two most fundamental elements in the two most important life cycles on the planet. Magnesium plays a central role in regulating the distribution of electrolytes and nutrients throughout the body. Magnesium had been successfully used to prevent heart attacks and Congestive Heart Failure, and magnesium deficiency is definitely associated with such conditions. A deficiency of magnesium may produce convulsions, vasodilatations, tremors, depression, muscles twitch and increase the incidence and severity of leg and muscle cramps, especially “jumpy leg syndrome”, a common complaint of the aging individual. All of these are symptoms of an unstable neural membrane, whether in the heart, brain, G.I. tract, muscle or blood vessels.

Conditions which may cause magnesium deficiency include severe stress, sleep loss, use of antibiotics, diabetes, cirrhosis, arteriosclerosis, fasting and dieting, diuretic abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, chronic diarrhea and vomiting. In today’s world, where so much emphasis is placed on obtaining adequate calcium, it is important to increase magnesium intake if additional calcium is taken to prevent osteoporosis. Magnesium and calcium compete for the same absorption sites in the G.I. tract so that high concentrations of one or the other usually results in poor absorption of the lesser. If calcium consumption is high, magnesium consumption must also be increased. Whereas calcium is an activator, as in muscle contraction and nerve excitability, magnesium is a depressor, as in nerve and muscle relaxation. They counterbalance each other.

The normal recommended daily does of magnesium for adults is 400mg. The typical American diet provides only about 120 mg daily. Magnesium can be found in whole grains, nuts, beans, green leafy vegetables, milk, potatoes, meat and eggs. Cooking in boiling water however, results in the heavy loss of magnesium.

By Annette R. Karnash, R.N., M.N.

Most people between the ages of 30-40 lose about a quarter pound of muscle every year. By age 80, they have lost about one third of their muscle mass. The loss of muscle as we grow older is called sarcopenia. Muscle is the center for being healthy, vital and independent as we grow older. And it burns more calories than fat burns. Muscle is where most of the blood sugar goes. When you eat food, glucose goes into the bloodstream and most of it gets deposited in the muscles as stored glycogen.

We are seeing an epidemic of type 2 diabetes because people are not eating well, but also because they are not activating their muscles. When muscles are not used, their cells become resistant to the insulin that the pancreas secretes. That is, the insulin does not do its job. If the muscles are resistant to insulin, you have a higher risk of heart disease. And if resistance leads to more glucose going around in the bloodstream, that can cause diabetes. In a study of 62 older men and women with diabetes, those who had 16 weeks of strength training became stronger, gained muscle, lost body fat, improved their blood glucose levels, and lowered their blood pressure.

By Annette R. Karnash, R.N., M.N.

Baked potatoes are a healthier alternative but you need not abandon regular potatoes. High glycemic foods contain lots of easily digested carbohydrate that can rapidly raise blood sugar; some evidence suggests that a high glycemic diet may increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. A regular potato’s glycemic load is very high, while a sweet potato’s is roughly average. Moreover, sweet potatoes are higher in fiber and most nutrients than regular potatoes. Still, the regular kind can add variety as well as more foliate than a sweet potato and moderate amounts of other nutrients. So an occasional baked potato can still be a good nutritional choice, especially if the rest of the diet contains relatively few high glycemic foods, notably sugar and refined flour.

By Annette R. Karnash, R.N., M.N.

Depression and a demanding insulin regime can affect a person with diabetes, ability to control diabetes. Duke University studied 1000 person’s with diabetes and found that those who were depressed, who administered 3 injections daily had a greater risk of poor control than those requiring less or no insulin and advised these individuals to pay attention to symptoms of depression.

Those individuals requiring more insulin have less residual pancreatic activity and more difficulty regulating glucose levels. Their metabolic control is more vulnerable to disruption by behavioral and neuro-endocrine factors and gets thrown further off balance by depression.

By Annette R. Karnash, R.N., M.N.

A glycosolated hemoglobin is a protein molecule in red blood cells that has sugar attached to it, analogous to a glazed donut. It provides an index of the average blood sugar of the previous 3-4 months. The hemoglobin molecule carries oxygen through the blood stream and delivers oxygen to all the cells in the body. IF high levels of sugar are present in the bloodstream, the sugar sticks to the hemoglobin for the duration of the RBC’s life (approximately 90 – 120 days) the molecule’s structure or function may change when it contains a large amount of sugar. Glycosolation provides a warning as to how much glucose has been attached to the hemoglobin molecule during the time the RBC’s have been circulating. This A1C test provides as average view of diabetic control. To maintain tight control, it is recommended that this test be done every 3-4 months, although it can be done as frequently as every month or one a year depending upon the doctor. The results can determine whether changes are needed in the management program. The normal AIC level initially was 7% but is now preferred at 6.5%.

The glycosolated hemoglobin reinforces the person who performs glucose monitoring. Blood glucose monitoring gives the glucose level at the time of testing and can demonstrate the body’s reaction to a specific food, event, medication or activity, whereas A1C provides glucose levels over the past several months. Both tests are included in the proper management of diabetes and if the level is maintained below 7%, the risk for the development is greatly reduced. Each 1% change in A1C represents a change of about 35 mg/dl in blood glucose.

Just as the Pap test helped in detecting uterine cancer in women and the cholesterol test helped to identify those with high fat levels at risk for cardio-vascular disease, the A1C will serve the same purpose – to indicate those at risk for developing the complications of diabetes.