Adding magnesium to your diet may banish migraines
Q: I suffered with migraines for over 20 years and also had chronic constipation. A friend gave me an article linking low magnesium levels with migraine.
I began to supplement with 400 milligrams per day and gradually reduced this to a maintenance dosage of 250 milligrams. I have not had a migraine since I started taking magnesium.
My naturopath also boosted my daily vitamin D3 dose. The two, in combination, appear to have reduced calcium deposits in my breasts as shown in the 3D mammogram I had a year after I increased the D3. I’ve learned that D3 and magnesium help the body metabolize calcium better.
A: Research suggests a relationship between low magnesium and migraine headaches (British Journal of Nutrition, Jan.
17, 2022). In this study, women whose diets supplied adequate magnesium, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C and vitamin K were less likely to suffer migraines.
The relationship between magnesium and vitamin D is complicated. Adequate vitamin D helps improve magnesium absorption from the digestive tract. At the same time, magnesium is essential for vitamin D metabolism. Taking large doses of vitamin D when magnesium is low could further deplete the body of this essential mineral (American Journal of Therapeutics, January/February 2019). Both nutrients are also crucial to calcium utilization. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Q: My husband recently grabbed a hot pan from the stove. His fingertips were VERY red and beginning to blister. He immediately ran them under cold water. When he sat down, I gave him a bowl of cold ice water to put his fingers in. That got to be too much after a while.
I suggested going to urgent care, but he wouldn’t. So I used a remedy you have described. I found a disposable nitrile glove and squirted yellow mustard into the fingers. He agreed to wear it and kept it on for about two hours. He took it off and washed his hands before bed. The next day his fingers looked fine — no blister, no pain. He said, “I thought it was a crazy idea, but it really worked.”
A: We first heard about the mustard remedy from a caller on our nationally syndicated public radio show. He insisted that applying plain mustard to a burn would both ease the pain and reduce the redness.
Although we were initially skeptical, many readers have subsequently described the benefit. We suspect that cold, inexpensive yellow mustard is the preferred strategy. Your use of disposable gloves was a new twist. Previously, we had heard of using such a glove with soy sauce instead of mustard to ease a burn.
Q: I sent your article about using Certo for joint pain to a friend. All she found in the grocery store was liquid Certo. My friend wants to know if the liquid will work. If so, how much should she take with grape juice?
A: Certo is liquid plant pectin. This product is sold in supermarkets for home cooks who want to thicken jams and jellies. Some people take 2 teaspoons of Certo in 3 ounces of grape juice three times a day. Others use 1 tablespoon of liquid pectin in 8 ounces of juice once a day.