Story at-a-glance

• Your microbiome is much like a fingerprint—it’s unique to you. Some researchers have even suggested that we might belong to one of a few “microflora types,” which are similar to blood types
• Your gut microbiome activity influences your immune responses, nervous system functioning, and plays a role in the development of any number of diseases, including obesity, cancer, and multiple sclerosis
• The nutritional preferences of your gut bacteria can influence your food cravings by releasing chemical signals through the vagus nerve, which connects your gut to your brain
• Adding microbiome analysis to other known risk factors for invasive colorectal cancer resulted in a five-fold improvement in their ability to predict cancer
• The best way to optimize your gut flora is through your diet. A gut-healthy diet is free of processed sugars and one rich in whole, unprocessed, unsweetened foods, along with traditionally fermented or cultured foods

The truth of the old adage that “you are what you eat” is becoming increasingly clear, the more we learn about the microbiome—the colonies of microbes living in your gut, and indeed all over your body.

It is well established that your gut is your second brain providing more input to your brain than the brain provides to it. This is why your gut health is largely reflected in your gut bacteria, including your mental health and emotional well-being.

Your microbiome is essentially a historical accumulative composition of where you’ve been, who your parents are, who you spend intimate time with, what you eat, how you live, whether or not you’re interacting with the earth (gardening, for example), and much more.

As noted by Pat Schloss (a microbiologist with The Human Microbiome Project) in the video above, your microbiome is much like a fingerprint—it’s unique to you. Researcher Jeroen Raes has also suggested we might belong to one of a few “microflora types,” which are similar to blood types.

Your gut microbiome activity influences your immune responses, nervous system functioning, and plays a role in the development of any number of diseases, including obesity, cancer, and multiple sclerosis, just to name a few that I’ll address in this article.

How Intestinal Bacteria Can Induce Food Cravings

The bacteria in your body outnumber your cells by 100 to 1, and different bacteria have different nutritional needs.

According to recent research, the nutritional preferences of your gut bacteria can influence your food cravings by releasing chemical signals through the vagus nerve, which connects your gut to your brain. According to one of the study’s co-authors, Carlo Maley, PhD:

“Bacteria within the gut are manipulative... There is a diversity of interests represented in the microbiome, some aligned with our own dietary goals, and others not...

Our diets have a huge impact on microbial populations in the gut. It’s a whole ecosystem, and it’s evolving on the time scale of minutes.”

It’s already been well-documented that obese individuals have different bacteria dominating their microbiome than leaner individuals.

Research also suggests that as much as 20 percent of the substantial weight loss achieved from gastric bypass, a popular weight loss surgery, is due to shifts in the balance of bacteria in your digestive tract. With regards to the featured research, Forbes reports:

“‘Microbes have the capacity to manipulate behavior and mood through altering the neural signals in the vagus nerve, changing taste receptors, producing toxins to make us feel bad, and releasing chemical rewards to make us feel good,’ said study co-author Athena Aktipis, PhD.

The good news, the researchers tell us, is that we can influence changes in our gut dwellers through dietary choices.

‘Because microbiota are easily manipulatable by prebiotics, probiotics, antibiotics…and dietary changes, altering our microbiota offers a tractable approach to otherwise intractable problems of obesity and unhealthy eating.’”

Diet Can Rapidly Alter Gut Bacteria

Indeed, another recent study highlights the speed with which you can alter the balance of your gut bacteria. Here, researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) monitored two people over the course of one year; collecting daily stool samples and correlating the gut bacteria from day to day with diet and other lifestyle factors such as sleep, mood, and exercise.

One of the participants developed diarrhea during a two-week trip to another country, which resulted in significant changes in the balance of gut bacteria.

A case of Salmonella food poisoning struck the other participant, which resulted in a drastic change in gut bacteria. Salmonella bacteria rose from 10 percent to nearly 30 percent, and the colonies of beneficial bacteria were nearly wiped out.

Once the individual recovered, beneficial bacteria quickly rebounded to about 40 percent of the total microbiome, but most of the strains were different from the original strains. According to senior author Eric Alm:

"On any given day, the amount of one species could change manyfold, but after a year, that species would still be at the same median level. To a large extent, the main factor we found that explained a lot of that variance was the diet.”

The most prominent changes correlated with the individuals’ fiber intake. Greater amounts of fiber affected about 15 percent of the gut bacteria, resulting in greater proliferation of them.

Gut Bacteria May Reveal Colon Cancer, and Might Play a Role in MS

Your microbiome may even reveal your risk for, or presence of, colon cancer. A total of 90 people participated in this study; thirty were healthy; 30 had precancerous intestinal polyps; and 30 had been diagnosed with advanced colon or rectal cancer. After assessing the composition of each person’s microbiome, it became apparent that microbiome analysis (using a fecal test) might be a viable way to screen for precancerous polyps and colorectal cancer.

According to their findings, adding microbiome analysis to other known risk factors for precancerous polyps resulted in a 4.5-fold improved prediction for the condition. Adding microbiome analysis to risk factors for invasive colorectal cancer resulted in a five-fold improvement in their ability to predict cancer.

In related news, researchers have also linked certain gut microbes to the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), and/or improvement of the condition. The paper, published in the Journal of Interferon and Cytokine Research, describes three immunological factors associated with the gut microbiome that relates to inflammatory responses in MS patients:

1. T helper cell polarization
2. T regulatory cell function
3. B cell activity

Previous research has suggested that altering the gut microbiome by adding bacteria such as Lactobacillus, and/or worm-type organisms like Schistosoma and Trichura, can be helpful in reducing MS symptoms. Apparently, these microorganisms have a beneficial effect on cytokine production throughout the body, thereby reducing systemic inflammation. Cytokines are cellular messengers that regulate inflammatory responses. According to the authors: "Whether future therapeutic approaches to MS will employ commensal-based products depends on nuanced understanding of these underlying mechanisms.”

When It Comes to Inflammation, Your Microbiome Rules

MS certainly is not the only disease caused by chronic inflammation in your body. In fact, most chronic disease has inflammation as an underlying factor. It’s important to realize that your gut is the starting point for inflammation—it’s actually the gatekeeper for your inflammatory response. As suggested above, various gut microorganisms can either trigger or subdue the production of inflammatory cytokines. Most of the signals between your gut and your brain travel along your vagus nerve—about 90 percent of them. (Vagus is Latin for “wandering,” aptly named as this long nerve travels from your skull down through your chest and abdomen, branching to multiple organs.)

Cytokine messengers produced in your gut cruise up to your brain along the “vagus nerve highway.” Once in your brain, the cytokines tell your microglia (the immune cells in your brain) to perform certain functions, such as producing neurochemicals. Besides influencing your hunger and cravings for certain foods, as discussed earlier, these chemical messages can also affect your mitochondria, impacting energy production and apoptosis (cell death). They can also affect the very sensitive feedback system that controls your stress hormones, including cortisol, for better or worse.

So, an inflammatory response can begin in your gut, travel to your brain, which then builds on it and sends signals to the rest of your body in a complex feedback loop. It isn’t important that you understand all of the physiology here, but the take-away is that your gut flora significantly affects and controls the health of your entire body.

Your Gut Flora Is Perpetually Under Attack

Your microbiome—and therefore your physical and mental health—are continuously affected by your environment, and by your diet and lifestyle choices. If your gut bacteria are harmed and thrown out of balance (dysbiosis), all sorts of illnesses can result, both acute and chronic. Unfortunately, your fragile internal ecosystem is under nearly constant assault today. Some of the factors posing the gravest dangers to your microbiome are outlined in the following table.

Refined sugar, especially processed high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)	Genetically engineered (GE) foods (extremely abundant in processed foods and beverages)	Agricultural chemicals, such as herbicides and pesticides.Glyphosate appears to be among the worst
Conventionally-raised meats and other animal products; CAFO animals are routinely fed low-dose antibiotics and GE livestock feed	Gluten	Antibiotics (use only if absolutely necessary, and make sure to reseed your gut with fermented foods and/or a good probiotic supplement)
NSAIDS (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) damage cell membranes and disrupt energy production by mitochondria	Proton pump inhibitors (drugs that block the production of acid in your stomach, typically prescribed for GERD, such as Prilosec, Prevacid, and Nexium)	Antibacterial soap
Chlorinated and/or fluoridated water	Stress	Pollution

Your Diet Is the Most Effective Way to Alter Your Microbiome

The best way to optimize your gut flora is through your diet. A good place to start is by drastically reducing grains and sugar, and avoiding genetically engineered ingredients, processed foods, pasteurized foods, and chlorinated tap water. Pasteurized foods can harm your good bacteria, and sugar promotes the growth of pathogenic yeast and other fungi. Grains containing gluten are particularly damaging to your microflora and overall health. A gut-healthy diet is one rich in whole, unprocessed, unsweetened foods, along with traditionally fermented or cultured foods. Chlorine in your tap water not only kills pathogenic bacteria in the water but also beneficial bacteria in your gut.

Fermented foods are also a key component of the GAPS protocol, a diet designed to heal and seal your gut. Your goal should be to consume one-quarter to one-half cup of fermented veggies with each meal, but you may need to work up to it. Consider starting with just a teaspoon or two a few times a day, and increase as tolerated. If that is too much (perhaps your body is severely compromised), you can even begin by drinking a teaspoon of the brine from the fermented veggies, which is rich in the same beneficial microbes.

You may also want to consider a high-potency probiotic supplement, but realize that there is no substitute for the real food. A previous article in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology makes the case that properly controlled fermentation amplifies the specific nutrient and phytochemical content of foods, thereby improving brain health, both physical and mental. According to the authors:

“The consumption of fermented foods may be particularly relevant to the emerging research linking traditional dietary practices and positive mental health. The extent to which traditional dietary items may mitigate inflammation and oxidative stress may be controlled, at least to some degree, by microbiota.”

They go on to say that the microbes associated with fermented foods (for example, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria species) may also influence your brain health via direct and indirect pathways, which paves the way for new scientific investigations in the area of “nutritional psychiatry.”

Your Body Is a Conglomerate of Bacterial Colonies

You’re not only surrounded by bacteria in your environment; in a very real way, you are them. Your body is in fact a complex ecosystem made up of more than 100 trillion microbes that must be properly balanced and cared for if you are to be healthy. Pamela Weintraub skillfully describes the symbiotic relationship between humans and microorganisms in her June 2013 article in Experience Life magazine. This system of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa living on your skin and in your mouth, nose, throat, lungs, gut, and urogenital tract, is unique to you.

It varies from person to person based on factors such as diet, lifestyle, health history, geographic location, and even ancestry. Your microbiome is one of the most complex ecosystems on the planet as for every bacteria you have, there are 10 bacteriophages or viruses. So not only do you have 100 trillion bacteria, you have one quadrillion bacteriophages.

All of these organisms perform a multitude of functions in key biological systems, from supplying critical vitamins to fighting pathogens, modulating weight and metabolism, and much more, and when your microbiome falls out of balance, you can become ill. Your microbiome also helps control how your genes express themselves. So by optimizing your native flora, you are actually controlling your genes! All of this is great news, because while your microbiome may control your health, you can control which bacteria have the upper hand—health-promoting ones, or disease-causing ones—through your diet and lifestyle.

Written by Dr. Mercola  

Home Remedies for Ingrown Hair

Ingrown hairs, commonly known as razor bumps, are hairs that have curled around and grown back into the skin instead of rising up from it.

According to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System, ingrown hairs or razor bumps appear most frequently among people of the African American community or people who have curly hair.

An ingrown hair can produce a raised, red bump that looks like a little pimple. At times, there may be pus inside the bump. It also causes redness, swelling, inflammation, pain and irritation in the area.

The condition occurs most frequently where people shave to get rid of unwanted hair, such as the beard area, legs, underarms and bikini area.

This is not a serious issue, but definitely an irritating problem affecting many people. In most cases, ingrown hairs go away on their own as the hair eventually grows out of the skin. But some simple home remedies can speed up the healing process and diminish the inflammation and redness.

As for the hair growing back into the skin, you can simply lift it out with a sterile straight pin or a pair of tweezers; do not pick or dig at your ingrown hair though.

Here are the top 10 home remedies for ingrown hairs.

1. Sugar

Sugar is a great skin scrub that can help get rid of ingrown hair. It gently exfoliates the skin, removing dead cells and helping the ingrown hair come out of the skin. Plus, it will make your skin silky smooth.

1. Mix one cup of white sugar with one-half cup of extra-virgin olive oil or jojoba oil.
2. Stir in 10 drops each of tea tree oil and lavender essential oil.
3. Apply a small amount of this homemade scrub on the affected area.
4. Gently scrub the skin in circular motions for a few minutes. Then rinse it off with lukewarm water.
5. Follow this remedy once or twice a week as needed.

You can store the remaining scrub in an airtight container for future use.

2. Baking Soda

Baking soda has a soothing effect on the skin due to its anti-inflammatory properties. Plus, it helps relieve itching by exfoliating the skin and also reduces redness caused by ingrown hairs.

• Mix one tablespoon of baking soda and one cup of water. Dip a cotton ball in the solution. Dab it on the affected skin. Leave it on for five minutes and then wash it off with cold water. Repeat two or three times daily as needed.
• You can also make a homemade scrub with one teaspoon each of baking soda and ground oatmeal and one tablespoon of water. Mix the ingredients together to create a paste. Apply it gently on the skin and leave it on for not more than five minutes. Then rinse if off with lukewarm water and gently pat the skin dry. Follow this remedy twice daily as needed.

3. Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil has antibacterial, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties that help heal the skin and also prevent infection.

• Add five drops of tea tree oil to two tablespoons of distilled water. Apply the diluted tea tree oil on the affected skin after cleansing the area with antibacterial soap. Leave it on for 10 minutes and then rinse the area with lukewarm water. Do this twice daily as needed.
• Mix three drops of tea tree oil in one tablespoon of olive oil. Apply the mixture on the affected area and gently massage it for a few minutes. Leave it on for 10 minutes and then rinse with lukewarm water. Follow this remedy twice daily as needed.

4. Aspirin

Aspirin can help reduce redness and inflammation, the two most common symptoms of ingrown hair. The anti-inflammatory property of aspirin reduces swelling, fights inflammation and treats mild infection. Plus, the salicylic acid present in aspirin scrubs away dead skin to loosen the offending hair.

1. Soak two aspirin tablets in one teaspoon of warm water until it forms a paste-like consistency.
2. Add one teaspoon of honey to the paste.
3. Apply the paste to the affected area.
4. Leave it on for 10 minutes. Wash it off with warm water and then gently pat the skin dry.
5. Follow this remedy once or twice a week as needed.

Note: Those with highly sensitive skin should not follow this remedy.

5. Salt

Salt works as a great exfoliating agent and at the same time helps increase circulation, promote healing and reduce swelling.

1. Mix one and one-half teaspoons of table salt in one cup of lukewarm water.
2. Dip a cotton ball in the mixture and gently rub it over the affected skin.
3. Leave it on for a few minutes and then rinse it off with water.
4. Do this twice daily until the ingrown hair clears up.

Note: Do not use this remedy if your skin gets red or irritated.

6. Black Tea Bags

Black tea bags can also help get rid of ingrown hairs. Black tea contains tannic acid, which reduces redness and inflammation and helps soothe the skin.

• Moisten a black tea bag in warm water. Rub it over the affected area for two to three minutes. Repeat several times daily as needed.
• Alternatively, steep a black tea bag in hot water for a few minutes. Remove it from the water and squeeze out the liquid into a bowl. Mix in one teaspoon of coconut water. Soak a cotton ball in the mixture and then press it gently on the irritated skin. Do this twice daily for a few days until you see improvement.

7. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is another very effective home remedy for ingrown hair or razor bump. The soothing as well as cooling nature of aloe vera provides instant relief from itchiness and inflammation. Also, aloe vera will keep the skin moisturized and speed up the healing process.

1. Extract the gel from an aloe vera leaf.
2. Rub the gel on the irritated skin. Allow it to dry on its own for about half an hour.
3. Rinse it off with lukewarm water.
4. Do this two or three times daily for a few days.

8. Honey

Honey contains antibacterial properties that will prevent the affected area from becoming infected. Plus, honey moisturizes the skin and reduces swelling as well as inflammation.

1. Apply a layer of honey directly on the irritated skin.
2. Let it air dry for about 10 minutes. Then rinse it off with cold water.
3. Follow this remedy three or four times a day for as long as needed.

9. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce inflammation and soothe the skin. Plus, it helps destroy skin bacteria and yeast, which in turn reduces the risk of infection.

1. Using a cotton ball, apply apple cider vinegar on the affected area.
2. Allow time for the skin to absorb it. Then wash the area with lukewarm water.
3. Follow this simple remedy twice daily.

10. Cucumber

Cucumbers have hydrating and anti-inflammatory properties that effectively deal with the irritating symptoms of ingrown hair. Plus, cucumbers contain vitamins C and helps relieve pain and itchiness.

• Put fresh cucumber slices in the refrigerator for half an hour. Gently rub the chilled cucumber slices on the affected area. Do this several times daily for several days.
• Make puree of half a cucumber. Mix in one-third cup of milk. Put the mixture in the refrigerator for a few minutes until it is cold. Soak a cloth in the mixture and apply it to the irritated area for a few minutes. Then rinse it off with lukewarm water. Follow this remedy twice daily for a few days until your condition improves.

If these home remedies do not give you the desired results or if an ingrown hair has become infected, consult a doctor for proper treatment.

From Top 10 Home Remedies

Every Food & Exercise Tip You Need To Get A Slim, Toned, Sexy Stomach

Despite the late night infomercials, there is no "secret fix" for a slim, sculpted midsection.

Blasting belly fat and tightening your core takes a few simple steps, beginning in your kitchen, and ending with basic exercises that you can do anywhere, without the need for special equipment or a gym membership. Just follow these eating guidelines and exercise routines and you'll be amazed at how quickly your stomach becomes slimmer, sculpted and toned.

Food rules for a flatter stomach:

1. Eat a breakfast high in protein.

Start your day with a breakfast high in protein to get your metabolism moving and to feel satiated and energized until lunch.

Blend yourself a smoothie with greens, almond butter and some fruit, or make an egg white scramble with veggies.

2. Don’t deprive yourself, but make healthy substitutions.

Make a few substitutions to reduce fat and calories without losing flavor. Choose Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, honey or maple syrup in place of white sugar, and finish your meal with berries rather than cake or ice cream.

3. Use fresh herbs.

Fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, basil and mint will add flavor to a dish without many calories, which will curb the desire to add sodium through salt (which contributes to bloating), and will cut down on calories since you’ll use less oils and butter.

4. Eat plenty of complex carbs.

Rather than eating refined simple carbs like pasta, cereal, bread and white rice, choose complex carbohydrates like oatmeal, whole grain pasta or bread.

5. Definitely eat fat.

Consuming healthy fats actually helps you blast belly fat. Make your own salad dressing by using extra-virgin olive oil and your favorite vinegar or citrus juice. Add sliced avocado to your sandwich and skip the cheese. Although these are all small changes, by consistently choosing healthier alternatives every day, you can accomplish your goals without feeling deprived or dissatisfied.

Exercises to get a slim, sculpted and toned stomach:

Thanks to Mr. Joseph Pilates, Ms. Tracy Anderson and the thousands of talented and creative exercise gurus in between, there are hundreds of variations of abdominal exercises, but when it comes to whittling down your waistline, the integrity of your movements is more important than any fancy choreography.

To achieve a strong, toned and sleek stomach, you need to connect the dots between your mind and body. We advocate keeping the exercises very simple and focusing on connecting your breath to the movement. The below two exercises combined with a quick daily interval program, three to four times per week is enough to deliver visible results.

Plank

Plank is the holy grail of core exercises because it builds both strength and stability while shrinking your midsection.

How-to:

• Lie down on your stomach.
• With elbows bent to 90 degrees, place your forearms on the ground and lift the rest of your body up off the ground while maintaining a straight line in the body like a wooden board.
• Once you’re in plank, focus on working against gravity to pull your stomach muscles up toward your spine. On each exhale, pull your abdominal muscles in a little more tightly. On each inhale, hold them there. Aim to hold this position for a minimum of 20 deep inhalations and 20 deep exhalations, eventually building up to holding your plank for 80 cycles of breath.
• Modification: This exercise can be performed with your knees on the ground.

Situps

A proper sit up strengthens your transverse abdominal muscles (think about the muscles that work when you suck in to zip up a super tight pair of jeans) creating internal strength and that flat belly appearance.

How-to:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet placed flat on the floor with your heels about 12 inches in front of your knees.
• Lift your arms up overhead and then bend your elbows to interlace your fingers behind your head. Allow the weight of your head to be held by your hands.
• Make sure that you spine is in a neutral position, meaning that your tailbone and back of your rib cage are both connected to the ground.
• As you exhale, visualize steering your lowest rib toward your pelvis as you lift your upper body up off the ground.
• Hold this curled position for three inhalations and three exhalations before returning your body back to the ground.
• Repeat your situps with this same attention to quality until you hit fatigue.

Cardio

Cardiovascular exercise, with all of its stress reducing and heart strengthening benefits, is the secret sauce for shedding stubborn excess weight from around your midsection. For targeting belly fat, cardio is 100% about quality over quantity. In fact, sprinting is one of the most effective abdominal exercises because your core engages at full effort to stabilize your body during a sprint. If you have never tried intervals before, but have no limitations to prevent you from running, try a simple interval program of alternating between moderately paced and intense bursts for 20 minutes daily. A beginning interval program could look like this:

How-to:

• Minutes 0-4: Moderate pace to warm up
• Minute 4-5: Jog
• Minute 5-6: Run (your quickest pace)
• Minute 6-7: Jog
• Minute 7-8: Walk
• Minute 8-9: Jog
• Minute 9-10: Run (your quickest pace)
• Minutes 10-12: Walk or Jog
• Minute 12-13: Run (your quickest pace)
• Minutes 13-15: Walk or Jog
• Minute 15-16: Run (your quickest pace)
• Minutes 16-17: Walk or Jog
• Minute 17-18: Final Run!
• Minutes 18-20: Recovery walk

And there you go! Follow these healthy-eating guidelines, perform plank and situp three to four times a week and try the daily cardio interval training and you’ll be amazed how quickly you look and feel wonderful, as that stubborn stomach fat falls away.

Let me know how it works!

Written by Lori Kenyon Farley 

Benefits of Magnesium is Far Greater Than Previously Imagined

Story at-a-glance

• Up to 80 percent of Americans are deficient in magnesium, which is very difficult to measure with a blood test
• Magnesium guides a large number of important physiological functions, including creation of ATP, the pumping of your heart, proper bone and tooth formation, relaxation of your blood vessels, and proper bowel function
• Magnesium has been shown to benefit your blood pressure and help prevent sudden cardiac arrest, heart attack, and stroke
• One of the best ways to optimize your magnesium level is by consuming plenty of organic green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds. Foods with exceptionally high magnesium content include seaweed, coriander, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened cocoa powder, and almond butter
• If you take a magnesium supplement, you also need to pay attention to your ratios of calcium, vitamin K2 and vitamin D, as these nutrients work together synergistically

You don't hear much about magnesium, yet an estimated 80 percent of Americans are deficient in this important mineral and the health consequences of deficiency are significant. One reason could be because magnesium, like vitamin D, serves so many functions it's hard to corral.

As reported by GreenMedInfo, researchers have now detected 3,751 magnesium binding sites on human proteins, indicating that its role in human health and disease may have been vastly underestimated.

Magnesium is also found in more than 300 different enzymes in your body, which are responsible for:

Creation of ATP (adenosine triphospate), the energy molecules of your body	Proper formation of bones and teeth	Relaxation of blood vessels
Action of your heart muscle	Promotion of proper bowel function	Regulation of blood sugar levels

The Health Benefits of Magnesium have Been Vastly Underestimated

A number of studies have previously shown magnesium can benefit your blood pressure and help prevent sudden cardiac arrest, heart attack, and stroke. For example, one meta-analysis published earlier this year in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at a total of seven studies collectively covering more than 240,000 participants. The results showed that dietary magnesium intake is inversely associated with risk of ischemic stroke.

But its role in human health appears to be far more complex than previously thought, and—like vitamin D—its benefits may be more far-reaching than we've imagined. GreenMedInfo.com's database project has indexed over 100 health benefits of magnesium so far, including therapeutic benefits for:

Fibromyalgia	Atrial fibrillation	Type 2 diabetes	Premenstrual syndrome
Cardiovascular disease	Migraine	Aging	Mortality

According to the featured report:

"The proteome, or entire set of proteins expressed by the human genome, contains well over 100,000 distinct protein structures, despite the fact that there are believed to be only 20,300 protein-coding genes in the human genome. The discovery of the "magneseome," as its being called, adds additional complexity to the picture, indicating that the presence or absence of adequate levels of this basic mineral may epigenetically alter the expression and behavior of the proteins in our body, thereby altering the course of both health and disease."

Magnesium also plays a role in your body's detoxification processes and therefore is important for helping to prevent damage from environmental chemicals, heavy metals and other toxins. Even glutathione, your body's most powerful antioxidant that has even been called "the master antioxidant," requires magnesium for its synthesis.

Signs of Magnesium Deficiency

There's no lab test that will give you a truly accurate reading of the magnesium status in your tissues. Only one percent of magnesium in your body is distributed in your blood, making a simple sample of magnesium from a blood test highly inaccurate. Other tests that your doctor can use to evaluate your magnesium status include a 24-hour urine test, or a sublingual epithelial test. Still, these can only give you an estimation of your levels, and doctors typically need to evaluate them in conjunction with the symptoms you exhibit.

An ongoing magnesium deficiency can lead to more serious symptoms, including:

Numbness and tingling	Muscle contractions and cramps	Seizures
Personality changes	Abnormal heart rhythms	Coronary spasms

With that in mind, some early signs of magnesium deficiency to keep an eye out for include:

• Loss of appetite
• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fatigue and weakness

One of the Best Ways to Optimize Your Magnesium Levels

If you suspect you are low in magnesium one of the best ways to consume this mineral is through organically bound magnesium, found in whole foods. As explained in the featured article:

"Chlorophyll, which enables plants to capture solar energy and convert it into metabolic energy, has a magnesium atom at its center. Without magnesium, in fact, plants could not utilize the sun's light energy. "

In many ways chlorophyll is the plant's version of our hemoglobin as they share a similar structure but have magnesium plugged in the middle rather than iron. Green leafy vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard are excellent sources of magnesium, as are some beans, nuts and seeds, like almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. Avocados are also a good source. Juicing your vegetables is an excellent option to ensure you're getting enough of them in your diet.

In order to ensure you're getting enough, you first need to be sure you're eating a varied, whole-food diet like the one described in my nutrition plan. But there are other factors too, that can make you more prone to magnesium deficiency, including the ailments listed below. If any of these conditions apply to you, you may want to take extra precautions to make sure you're getting a sufficient amount of magnesium in your diet, or, if needed, from a magnesium supplement, in order to avoid magnesium deficiency.

An unhealthy digestive system, which impairs your body's ability to absorb magnesium (Crohn's disease, leaky gut, etc.)	Alcoholism -- up to 60 percent of alcoholics have low blood levels of magnesium
Unhealthy kidneys, which contribute to excessive loss of magnesium in urine	Age -- older adults are more likely to be magnesium deficient because absorption decreases with age and the elderly are more likely to take medications that can interfere with absorption
Diabetes, especially if it's poorly controlled, leading increased magnesium loss in urine	Certain medications -- diuretics, antibiotics and medications used to treat cancer can all result in magnesium deficiency

Foods with the Highest Amounts of Magnesium

Most people can keep their levels in the healthy range without resorting to supplements, simply by eating a varied diet, including plenty of dark-green leafy vegetables. One important point to mention though is that the levels of magnesium in your food are dependent on the levels of magnesium in the soil where they're grown. Organic foods may have more magnesium, as most fertilizer used on conventional farms relies heavily on nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium instead of magnesium.

The featured article lists more than 20 specific foods that are exceptionally high in magnesium, including the following. All portions are listed equate to 100 grams, or just over three ounces:

Seaweed, agar, dried (770 mg)	Spices, basil, dried (422 mg)
Spice, coriander leaf, dried (694 mg)	Flaxseed (392 mg)
Dried pumpkin seeds (535 mg)	Almond butter (303 mg)
Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened (499 mg)	Whey, sweet, dried (176 mg)

Different Types of Magnesium Supplements

If for whatever reason you decide you need a supplement, be aware that there are a wide variety of magnesium supplements on the market, which includes Magnesium glycinate, Magnesium carbonate, and Magnesium citrate. Courtesy of the fact that magnesium must be bound to another substance. There's simply no such thing as a 100% magnesium supplement.  The substance used in any given supplement combination can affect the absorption and bioavailability of the magnesium, and may provide slightly different, or targeted, health benefits:

Magnesium glycinate is a chelated form of magnesium that tends to provide the highest levels of absorption and bioavailability and is typically considered ideal for those who are trying to correct a deficiency	Magnesium oxide is a non-chelated type of magnesium, bound to an organic acid or a fatty acid. Contains 60 percent magnesium, and has stool softening properties
Magnesium chloride / Magnesium lactate contain only 12 percent magnesium, but has better absorption than others, such as magnesium oxide, which contains five times more magnesium	Magnesium sulfate / Magnesium hydroxide (milk of magnesia) are typically used as a laxative. Be aware that it's easy to overdose on these, so ONLY take as directed
Magnesium carbonate, which has antacid properties, contains 45 percent magnesium	Magnesium taurate contains a combination of magnesium and taurine, an amino acid. Together, they tend to provide a calming effect on your body and mind
Magnesium citrate is magnesium with citric acid, which has laxative properties	Magnesium threonate is a newer, emerging type of magnesium supplement that appears promising, primarily due to its superior ability to penetrate the mitochondrial membrane, and may be the best magnesium supplement on the market

Balance Your Magnesium with Calcium, Vitamin K2 and D

One of the major benefits of getting your nutrients from a varied whole food diet is that you're far less likely to end up with too much of one nutrient at the expense of others. Foods in general contain all the cofactors and needed co-nutrients in the proper amounts for optimal health, which takes out the guess work. When you're using supplements, you need to become a bit more savvy about how nutrients influence and synergistically affect each other.

For example, it's important to maintain the proper balance between magnesium, calcium, vitamin K2, and vitamin D. Lack of balance between these nutrients is why calcium supplements have become associated with increased risk of heart attacks and stroke, and why some people experience vitamin D toxicity.

Part of the explanation for these adverse side effects is that vitamin K2 keeps calcium in its appropriate place. If you're K2 deficient, added calcium can cause more problems than it solves, by accumulating in the wrong places. Similarly, if you opt for oral vitamin D, you need to also consume it in your food or take supplemental vitamin K2. Taking mega doses of vitamin D supplements without sufficient amounts of K2 can lead to vitamin D toxicity symptoms, which includes inappropriate calcification.

While the ideal or optimal ratios between vitamin D and vitamin K2 have yet to be elucidated, Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue suggests that for every 1,000 IU's of vitamin D you take, you may benefit from about 100 micrograms of K2, and perhaps as much as 150-200 micrograms (mcg). The latest vitamin D dosing recommendations, which call for about 8,000 IU's of vitamin D3 per day if you're an adult, means you'd need in the neighborhood of 800 to 1,000 micrograms (0.8 to 1 milligram/mg) of vitamin K2.

Now, getting back to magnesium...

Magnesium may actually be more important than calcium if you are going to consider supplementing. However, maintaining an appropriate calcium-to-magnesium ratio is important regardless. Research on the paleolithic or caveman diet has shown that the ratio of calcium to magnesium in the diet that our bodies evolved to eat is 1-to-1. Americans in general tend to have a higher calcium-to-magnesium ratio in their diet, averaging about 3.5-to-1.

Magnesium will also help keep calcium in your cells so they can do their  job better. In many ways it serves as nutritional version of the highly effective class of drugs called calcium channel blockers, used in the treatment of high blood pressure, angina, and abnormal heart rhythms. Magnesium and vitamin K2 also complement each other, as magnesium helps lower blood pressure, which is an important component of heart disease.

So, all in all, anytime you're taking any of the following: magnesium, calcium, vitamin D3 or vitamin K2, you need to take all the others into consideration as well, since these all work synergistically with each other.

Written by Dr. Mercola